Members of the Abbots Langley community were awarded for their special contributions to the village at Wednesday night’s Civic Awards ceremony.

Abbots in Transition, Bedmond Task Force and chairman of Evergreen FC Ron Smith were recognised for their achievements at this year’s annual ceremony in Tanners Wood Hall.

The organisation dedicated to helping residents across Abbots Langley reduce their carbon footprint and fuel bills, Abbots in Transition picked up the award for local community group.

Chairman of the parish council, Councillor Keith Williams recognised the group for taking up the challenge of raising awareness to improve the village’s environment.

After receiving the award, Ian Bond, chairman of the organisation said he was shocked.

Mr Bond said: "It was incredible, a real shock. We weren’t expecting it at all.

"We are really pleased that the issues we are working towards and trying to highlight have been acknowledged by the parish council."

Bedmond Task Force picked up a civic award for its service to the local community.

While presenting the award, Councillor Williams said it was easy to forget hamlets outside the parish when a lot of the activity was concentrated within the centre of Abbots Langley.

He thanked the force for its determination "to put Bedmond back on the map."

In the final award of the evening, chairman of Evergreen community football club Ron Smith received the prize for outstanding achievement by an individual and was noted for "continually going the extra mile".

Councillor Williams said Mr Smith had touched the lives of many young people over the years because of his involvement in the team.

He added Evergreen wasn’t just about football and Mr Smith was dedicated to making Evergreen a facility for the whole community, describing the club as "very much one of the prime beating hearts of our parish."

Mr Smith, who has been involved in the club for 25 years, said: "I was really touched and got quite emotional to be honest.

"We have had a lot of challenges to overcome over the past 25 years and it was really nice to be recognised."