Double joy for charity hero Alan

It's a double celebration for charity star Alan Peace - scooping an Express & Star Local Heroes Award and getting engaged in the same week.

The dedicated fundraiser from Dudley received his award in recognition of charity work for Cancer Research UK.

And it's proved a special week for Mr Peace who became engaged to partner Debbie Green, aged 50.

He received his award in a surprise presentation minutes before he appeared live on BBC Radio WM's Ed Doolan show to talk about his mountain climbs.

Mr Peace, aged 63, of Himley Park, began raising funds for the charity five years ago after his wife Joan died of the disease.

Passion

The senior park warden at Himley Hall aimed to raise around £25,000 for the national cancer charity.

His Herculean efforts included making the most of his passion for mountaineering and in the past five years he has climbed Argentina's Mount Aconcagua, Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania, Toubkai, in Morocco, and Elbrus, in Russia.

Mr Peace was recently named Cancer Research UK's Ambassador of the Year at the charity's Flame of Hope awards in London.

"I'm genuinely gobsmacked to have been presented with this award, I never knew it was coming," he said.

"It's been one of those weeks really. I'd been walking around with the ring in my pocket for about six months but I finally had the courage to ask her."

He added: "Debbie is now a rock chick. She has developed an interest in rock climbing since we met and we have been to the Dolomites and the Atlas Mountains together.

"She's an outdoors person who loves nature. We both take pleasure from the simple things in life."

The Local Heroes Awards are run in conjunction with Birmingham Midshires and Wolves in the Community.

By Andrew Turton