A celebration evening in Moretonhampstead honoured the long service of a retained firefighter, a district councillor, a parish councillor, a school governor and a member of the Dartmoor National Park authority.

Unusually, they were all the same person.

Mike Jeffery has notched up 50 continuous years as a Moretonhampstead parish councillor, having joined in 1976. One of his early achievements was helping to build the town’s swimming pool in 1981-82, working alongside local volunteers including his father.

At the time he was already an on-call firefighter, having joined the service in 1961, and continued helping to provide emergency fire and rescue cover in the rural Dartmoor area until 1998.

Cllr Jeffery was a member of the Teignbridge Rural Aid Committee from 1974-2004, helping to ensure that council funds reached small parishes in the area.

In 1978 he became a governor of Moretonhampstead Primary School, remaining on the board for 40 years.

In 1999 he was appointed to the Dartmoor National Park Authority, a role he continued in for 20 years.

Also in 1999 he became a Teignbridge district councillor, serving until 2023.

But he claimed he’d never felt there were too many demands on his time: “I like to keep busy,” he said.

In fact, he had found that his different roles tended to complement each other, with knowledge gained in one position often proving useful in another. His years in the building trade, as a gas engineer, had already been useful to his firefighting duties, as he understood the structure of buildings.

Despite Cllr Jeffery’s involvement in so many local organisations, the parish council managed to keep him in the dark about their plans for the presentation evening.

“It was one of the best-kept secrets in Moreton,” he said. “When I walked in, the clerk said, ‘we’ve got you here under false pretences’.”

Past and present councillors had gathered to celebrate his long service, along with friends and colleagues from a host of local organisations. There was a slideshow of photos from his many past roles, provided by his wife who had secretly been helping with the plans.

He was presented with a commemorative plate created by local artist Michael Edwards and potter Penny Simpson.

A spokesperson for the Parish Council said the 50-year commemoration was a ‘remarkable milestone’ for Cllr Jeffery.

They said: “Over five decades, he has provided steady leadership, deep local knowledge, and an unwavering commitment to the community.

“He served as Chair in 1982 and has been a trusted voice through periods of change, major projects, and the evolving needs of the parish.

“His long service has offered continuity to successive councils, and his fairness, diligence, and wise counsel have earned him the respect of colleagues across local government.

“The Parish Council extends its sincere thanks to Mike for his outstanding dedication to Moretonhampstead, and to everyone who joined in marking this remarkable milestone.

“His commitment over half a century has helped shape the town’s identity, strengthen its community spirit, and inspire generations of residents.”