An Exmouth man has been appointed MBE in the King's New Year's Honours list for his services to the railway and the NHS during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Nick Millington, who works for Network Rail, volunteered to help the NHS and the British Army with the creation of the NHS Nightingale Hospitals at the start of the pandemic in March 2020.

He coordinated volunteers in the transformation of a former DIY store in Exeter into the region's new Nightingale Hospital, and then later in the setting up of a new large-scale vaccination centre at Westpoint.

He is also credited with leading Network Rail's Safety Task Force to achieve a 70% reduction in near-misses between track workers and trains and potential fatalities.

In Exmouth, Nick is a run director at the town's parkrun, with over 100 parkrun events under his belt.

He has also run the London Marathon, and raised more than £250k for Network Rail's nominated charity partner, CLIC Sargent, with his team.

He said: "I feel truly privileged to be recognised by His Majesty the King in the New Year's Honours list.

"I would especially like to thank the teams who have worked alongside me, whether that be in a voluntary or professional capacity because without such great people, many of these achievements would not have been possible. 

"Helping others in need has always been a huge honour for me, especially during times of crisis and it gives me great satisfaction to know that I've made a real difference to improving the lives of others."

The Honours Lists are published twice each year and award knighthoods, damehoods, CBEs, OBEs, MBEs, and BEMs.

MBEs are awarded for outstanding achievements or for services to the community with a long-term or significant impact.