Dedication rewarded (From Penarth Times)

Dedication rewarded

A DEDICATED Dinas Powys historical conservationist has been rewarded for his hard work in the New Year's honours list.

St Andrew's Road resident Dr Peter Elmes was given the MBE for his work with gardens and woodland.

Originally from Devon he came to live in Dinas Powys in 1976 after a distinguished career as a university professor and expert on diseases of the lungs.

Dr Elmes was director of the pneumoconiosis research unit at Llandough Hospital until 1981.

Interested in the area he lives in, Dr Peter Elmes became chairman of the Dinas Powys Civic Trust, steering it through the problems associated with its ownership of Dinas Powys Castle, and is a member of the Dinas Powys History Society .

Dr Elmes was a founding member of the Welsh Historic Gardens Trust and for the past eight years has been vice- chairman and chairman of the South Glamorgan branch.

He has been involved with the trust's Gateway Project which organises tours of gardens for disadvantaged groups.

As trustee and former chairman of the Ruperra Conservation Trust, Dr Elmes had a big influence in the purchase of Coed Craig Ruperra woodland for preservation.

He said: "I am particularly pleased at the recognition of my work on conserving historic gardens and native woodland, making them more accessible to those who would otherwise be unlikely to be able to visit them."