A veteran villager has been given a cup commemorating his contribution to the community - while the recreation ground he championed has received its own international award.

Mike Nye, 72, has been a Colnbrook resident for 40 years - he and his wife Margaret live in Willow Close.

Last Tuesday he was presented with the Colnbrook Community Cup at a meeting of the Parish Council. The cup was first awarded in the early 1990s to people who have 'gone that extra mile' to help and support the village.

He has been trustee and treasurer of Colnbrook Community Partnership since 2007.

The Partnership was set up by parish councillors Laurie Tucker and Ray Angell to promote green spaces in the village and has worked with the parish council to maintain the village's recreation ground in London Road, which this week became one of 1,797 parks and green spaces in the UK to receive a prestigious Green Flag award.

The raising of the green flag on the recreation ground will take place on the recreation ground tomorrow (Saturday) at 10am.

Mr Nye is also a founding director in 2012 of the Colne Valley Regional Park organisation which looks after the welfare of 43 miles of green areas from Chorleywood in Herts to Berkshire - a role he retired from on Monday.

But for a lover of parks and green areas like Mr Nye, recent developments have been depressing.

He said: "I have always loved green space and moved to Colnbrook because it was so green and so close to London.

"Now we want to move before Heathrow starts digging it all up."

He takes a cynical view of what is happening, saying: "Heathrow is only doing the Government's bidding. If the Government wants it we will get it.

"The Heathrow Express depot is coming to Langley as part of the western rail link to T5.

"We are such a small area round here and we are having to tolerate all the infrastructure projects, which may bring investment to the country but communities are suffering."