Eve Martin received the honour at a ceremony in St Clement’s Church, during Hastings Week. Presenting the award, Hastings mayor Nigel Sinden said: “Our winner this year is not a Hastinger by birth, but an adopted ‘child’ of the town, and indeed, has strong family connections to the town. In fact our winner was born in Camberwell, in south east London, and then moved to the Old Kent Road, and then East Dulwich – but our winner’s mum was from Hastings, and our winner is related by marriage to Joe Martin, a well-known former cox of Hastings lifeboat. “Our winner has lived in Hastings since 1965, although spent most of their working life in London. They started work for Guardian insurance in London Bridge in 1954, and worked there for some 38 years, retiring in 1992. “Our winner has been involved in voluntary and charity work almost all her life, helping to raise funds for a leper colony in Africa, and Vellore hospital in India, whilst she was in the Girl’s Brigade. Our winner continued her voluntary work when she moved to Hastings, and has been a volunteer at Crowhurst Primary School for 23 years, helping with reading and cooking, something she still enjoys doing today. “Our winner has been involved in the Royal British Legion’s poppy appeal since she was a child. She joined the Hastings & St Leonards branch of ‘the legion’ in 2005, becoming vice chairman in 2009, and chairman of its ceremonial committee in September 2014. “She is also vice chairman of the Royal British Legion’s women’s section, and has been the local organiser of the poppy appeal since July 2014. “Our winner has also been an active member of the Hastings Sierra Leone Friendship link for over 10 years, and an active member of its health centre subcommittee for six years. Indeed, our winner attended the official twinning ceremony between Hastings East Sussex and Hastings Sierra Leone as deputy mayor on Valentine’s Day 2007. I’ve given the game away that our winner was deputy mayor in 2007, in fact she served the community as a councillor on Hastings Borough Council for 14 years, from May 2000 until May 2014. “And if all of that was not enough, our winner continues to serve on the committee of SAFE, the local organisation providing respite care; as a friend of the Conquest Hospital; and as a member of the Hastings Week Committee. I can do no better than quote from one of our winner’s nomination forms – ‘I have known her for 15 years and found her to be a good, honest, upright woman and although in her 80s, she’s still working as hard as ever to help other people’.” Read more: Three taken to hospital after car overturns into a ditch in Hastings Hastings Pier owner wants to make it a ‘12 month of the year’ attraction Why your drinking water in Hastings might taste or smell differently