A FORMER civil servant has been awarded a medal for his work in protecting the North Yorkshire countryside.

Geoff Mackley, of Heselton, near Bedale, was presented with it by the Council for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) at a ceremony, in Thirsk, at the weekend.

It recognises his campaigning against plans to increase the number of pylons in the Vale of York.

He also spearheaded a joint CPRE and Yorkshire Wildlife Trust campaign throughout the 1990s to prevent quarrying at Preston-under-Scar, in Wensleydale.

His efforts were rewarded when a ruling by the House of Lords reversed planning permission granted in 1947 to quarry there.

Before tackling environmental issues, Mr Mackley was a civil servant in Kenya, before working for a number of housing associations until his retirement in 1990.