VAL Royle, chairman of TRIP Community Transport Association, has been named Honiton's Citizen of the Year.

VAL Royle, chairman of TRIP Community Transport Association, has been named Honiton's Citizen of the Year.

Mrs Royle accepted the award during a presentation ceremony at Deer Park Hotel on Monday. She said she would be sharing the accolade with TRIP's numerous volunteer drivers.

Vic Bowsher, chairman of Honiton Hospital League of Friends, nominated Mrs Royle for the award.

The Rotary Club of Honiton organised the competition and president John Dalton presented Mrs Royle with an engraved silver plate. He said she was "more than deserving".

The competition was run in association with the Midweek Herald and editor Belinda Bennett presented Mrs Royle with a cheque for �50.

Belinda told Mrs Royle that community transport may not be a sexy subject but that, thanks to her hard work, TRIP now enjoys enormous support in Honiton.

The organisation's annual meeting was one of the best attended this year.