A pensioner who oversaw approximately £200,000 worth of fundraising for the Royal British Legion has received a nomination for the Merton Civic Awards.

Appointed chairman of the Legion’s Mitcham branch in the 1980s, 84-year-old Alan Hodges worked tirelessly to help the families of former servicemen until bad health forced him step down from the role this summer.

Wallington resident Mr Hodges, himself a former Royal Engineer who served in the Suez, organised a range of events over the years from dance nights to bingo and also ran the local Poppy Appeal for more than 20 years.

"I think we made around £200,000 in all," he said. "But you have to understand that I had a team around me. Liz Maher is somebody I really want to mention.

"Visiting servicemen’s families was extremely important. You’d be surprised at the amount of times we got contacted.

"Before the Winter Fuel Payment came in, that was the only help some people would get."

Now working as a carer for his partially-sighted wife Vera, Mr Hodges was recommended by friend and fellow Legion member Edward Gledhill in the community category.

"Alan does so much that it is easy to forget his involvement over the years," Mr Gledhill added.

"Everybody in Mitcham knows him for the work he has done I would love to see him recognised beyond his circle of nearest and dearest.

"He is a 100 per cent good guy. In fact, he’s more than that - a 200 per cent good guy."