AN Eastham man who was rewarded by the Queen for his devotion to the village, has died at the age of 89.

Cyril Norman was born in Eastham and spent all of his life in the village, bar the last three years when he was near by in Tenbury.

He met his future wife Elsie at Highwood School before going on to senior school in Tenbury and also worked in the town during the war at Strong's Munitions Factory.

Cyril and Elsie were married in 1949 and after a short spell working as a gardener, he became a postman in Tenbury where his skills saw him act also as friend, support, collector and deliverer of prescriptions and groceries as well as a carrier of local news and gossip.

He remained a postman for almost 40 years and, although he retired from that role in 1992, he continued his role as clerk to the parish council in Eastham for half-a-century.

He was committed to village life; a founder member of the Eastham Working Men's club, a churchwarden, a choir member and a long-term member of the PCC were among his many roles, as well as a long association with Tenbury Agricultural Society.

His extraordinary contribution to village life was recognised with a visit to Buckingham Palace in November to be presented with his MBE.