FOREST historian Averil Kear has pulled off a unique double, winning both of the major annual awards made by the Forest of Dean Local History Society.

Mrs Kear, a society vice-president and former chairman, became the first member to be awarded both the Scott-Garret Prize and the Cyril Hart Award in the same year.

The presentations were made by history society chairman Mrs Mary Sullivan at last Saturday’s annual general meeting held at the West Dean Centre, Bream.

Mrs Sullivan, who was re-elected chairman for a second year, said Mrs Kear’s depth of knowledge and wide range of interests in anything ‘Forest’ had been justly rewarded.

The Scott-Garrett Prize was won for the best talk of the year — an exploration of the time spent during the Second World War by the staff and pupils of a Home Counties girls’ school at Lydney Park, the home of Lord and Lady Bledisloe.

The Cyril Hart Award was for Mrs Kear’s gripping and detailed account of the complete take-over of the Beachley peninsular for ship-building and published in the society’s annual journal, The New Regard.

Mrs Kear’s present role is as the society’s enquiries officer.

During the course of a year she deals with dozens of queries submitted by people seeking advice on a wide variety of subjects relating to the Forest.

Mrs Sullivan said the society continued to grow and flourish and boasted a membership of more than 340.