A SHIELD recognising efforts to preserve a community has been awarded to Greenmount Village Women's Institute member Christine Taylor.

Christine, of Windsor Close, Greenmount, received the Lancashire Federation Standfast Women's Institute Trophy for services to the community in a ceremony at Ingol, near Preston.

The accolade was in recognition of her work to revamp Greenmount Village School between 1988 and 1991.

Since then she has been an active fund-raiser in further improvements to the building, which is now a community centre.

Christine also wrote the book A History of Greenmount to raise money for a renovation of Greenmount Church in the mid-80s, and is the leader of Greenmount Scout Group.

About the award, Christine said: "I was very pleased. It was a complete surprise."