A founder-member of a group of residents who saved Carhampton’s remaining orchard from becoming a housing development nearly 40 years ago has been presented with the Royal Horticultural Society’s Banksian Medal.

Retired teacher Keith Jones was given the award for long-term service to the Carhampton Community Orchard, which is now a popular feature of the village.

The medal was created in 1820 in honour of the celebrated naturalist Sir Joseph Banks, who sailed with Captain Cook and helped build Kew Gardens.

An active member of the orchard charity since it was created and a former chairman and secretary, Mr Jones said he was surprised and delighted by the award and regarded the honour as “welcome recognition of the imaginative dedication of the many orchard group members and orchard friends who have given time, talent and resources over the years.”

To save the village’s central green space and bring it to maturity as an iconic orchard was, he believed, “a proud achievement for Carhampton whose Wassail already had world-wide renown.”

The campaign to stop the orchard from being developed for housing by its owners, the Crown Agents, began in 1989.

As a result of what was described at the time as “thunderous opposition” the Crown Agents eventually withdrew their application to build bungalows on the site and a steering group set up a management plan and negotiated a lease and charity status.

Mr Jones added: “There were just a few trees on the land when we took it over, and it was very much run down.

“We have now planted over 50 trees of mainly local varieties as well as plums, pears and a Nottingham medlar, first grown in the 12th century.

“Once Carhampton was full of orchards but now ours is the only one. Long may it continue.”