An annual ceremony to honour people’s inspiring achievements in the community will be celebrated next month.

A town councillor, students and a former mayor will be recognised at a civic service ceremony in Axbridge on March 1.

Chair of the town council planning committee, Barbara Wells, will be gifted a civic award for her work with the women's institute and neighbourhood plan and forming Rumble In The Jungle in Axbridge.

She has created costumes for the town's 2020 pageant, helped start a handbell ringers group and worked to make Axbridge a dementia-friendly community, which has led to the formation of a poetry and short-story club.

Students Jessica Cooksey and Marcus Ham will both receive youth awards.

Jessica will gain an accolade for her achievements in rugby and has played on behalf of Fairlands and Kings of Wessex schools in Cheddar, Hartpury College and Somerset and England's South West under 15s and 18s' teams.

She now plays for Durham University's rugby team and Darlington Mowden Park Sharks.

Marcus Ham's academic success and musical talents will also be acknowledged at the ceremony.

In his A Levels, he gained A*s and As and secured a place at Oxford University to study Arabic and German.

Marcus has helped children at Cheddar Valley Music Club's brass band and received a gold award from a Lions club for his voluntary work in the area.

Finally, former mayor and Axbridge councillor Mike Taylor will be recognised for receiving a British Empire Medal from the Queen earlier this year.

He has served the town council for more than 28 years and has become mayor on three occasions, chaired meetings for the Somerset Association of Local Councils and the Cheddar Valley Cluster Group, as well as becoming a governor at the Kings of Wessex.

A spokesman from Axbridge Town Council, which runs the awards, said: "Thank you to all the people who took the time to nominate candidates for these awards.

"It shows just how much the town appreciates those volunteers working hard to make Axbridge such a lovely place to live."

The awards will be presented by the High Sheriff of Somerset at Saint John the Baptist Church, in The Square, on March 1.