There were celebrations last Thursday when Helston Town Council was officially recognised as the first in the county to receive Quality Gold status.

It was revealed that the council had been given the status back in December and last Thursday Sarah Mason, executive officer for the Cornwall Association of Local Councils and advisor to the accreditation panel, was there in person to present a certificate.

This was received by mayor Gillian Geer, watched by her fellow councillors and office staff including town clerk Chris Dawson and deputy clerk Pamela Lavelle.

Quality Gold is the highest accreditation possible in the Local Council Award Scheme and shows Helston has the best practices in place, leads the community, brings people together and ensures value for money - all criteria in the award guidelines that have to be met.

The scheme is run by the National Association of Local Councils to recognise the work of councils in their community and how they are run.

Writing to the council back in December, Sarah Mason described Helston's application as "highly commended."

She added: "The panel recognised the work undertaken by your clerk and officers in supporting your council’s website and the detailed content of your application."

Mayor Mrs Geer described it as a "wonderful acknowledgement of the town council’s achievements over the last few years," highlighting the Monument Walk public realm scheme and the Helston & the Lizard Works project as examples.

"The town council very much appreciates the dedication of the town clerk and his team in achieving this accolade," she added.