A HARTLEY Wintney man is to be awarded a community honour by Princess Alexandra.

The princess will be visiting Hampshire’s Good Neighbours Support Service to congratulate the charity on 40 years of service in local communities.

And she will also present Hartley Wintney man Chris Cornwell with a community honour for his exceptional contribution to the network of Good Neighbours groups.

The charity, which operates a “people helping people” campaign, is the largest of its kind in the UK.

Founded in 1976 with just a handful of people, it now boasts a network of 4,000 volunteers who provide practical support.

This support includes taking people to health appointments, cafe events, and shopping trips among many others.

Princess Alexandra will be attending a ‘Big Tea Event’ at the ‘Marquee on the Lawn’ at Winchester Cathedral in the afternoon and will meet representatives from more than 120 local Good Neighbours groups across Hampshire, where she will then present the local resident with his award.

Canon Nick Ralph, executive director for dioceses hosting Good Neighbours Support Services, said: “This is a huge honour, not just for us, but for the hundreds of people who are helped by good neighbours every day.”

More than 4,000 volunteers carried out over 150,000 acts of kindness for their neighbours in 2015 and the Good Neighbours Support Service is thriving more than ever. Currently operating across just Hampshire, it is set to be expanded throughout the UK in the near future.