A GARDEN outside West Devon Borough Council's offices in Tavistock has been dedicated to the memory of Cllr Peter Hill to commemorate his life in public service, which spanned almost 50 years.

Cllr Hill was a parish, district and borough councillor for Chagford for 48 years and there can be few councillors in the country who held such a remarkable record of dedication and commitment to his community and local government.

He served on almost every borough council committee, was chairman of the council in 1980-81 before it was awarded borough status in 1982, and was mayor of West Devon on two occasions. He was mayor of the borough when he died in July 2006.

Cllr John Hockridge undertook his first role as the new mayor of West Devon when he dedicated a garden and wooden bench at Kilworthy Park in memory of his late colleague.

He told councillors and staff who gathered in the garden for the ceremony: 'Peter brought so much to so many people's lives and we are indebted to him. He is sorely missed by us all.'

Cllr Hill's widow, Gay, said that he was presented with the bench during his mayoral year in 2006 and this, along with the garden, was a fitting tribute to him.