WHEN he opened the Government letter saying he had been awarded an honour George 'Eddie' Martin was initially disappointed.

"It was quite a surprise, we have been trying to get money from the Government for the charity, and when I saw the envelope from the cabinet office I thought 'finally somebody is doing something'," he said.

But nevertheless, the founder of Myra's Wells, who lives in West Moors, said he felt honoured to be awarded the British Empire Medal for his work bring clean water to a parched region of Africa.

Mr Martin, 70, works as a train manager for CrossCountry Trains, and created Myra's Wells in 2006 in memory of his late wife.

A Christian 'straight through' charity, Myra's Wells works closely with churches in Burkina Faso to ensure every penny donated goes straight to the task of drilling wells in villages and schools. Trustees in Dorset and in Africa pay their own costs.

So far 104 wells have been completed, thanks to £500,000 in donations, bringing clean water to more than 100,000 people. Each well can cost as much as £4,000.

"I feel what everybody else feels, it is great honour but there are a lot of unsung heroes who deserve this more," he said.

"CrossCountry instigated this, they have been very supportive and even donated money for each water bottle sold.

"It is more important that this helps the charity than me."

Myra's Wells became a registered charity in 2011. Mr Martin said getting financial support from the Department for International Development had been "frustrating", however he acknowledged that "they have to exercise due diligence".

He has also supported the people of Burkina Faso in filling and transporting six shipping containers of second hand items at preferential rates. Mr Martin is travelling to inspect the latest wells in January.

In recognition of his contribution to providing fresh water to the people of Burkina Faso he was awarded a special prize for Social and Ecological Commitment at the 2012 DB Awards in Hamburg.

Characteristically, he donated his prize money to charity, and such was his impact at the event that two other winners donated their prize money to Myra's Wells.

For more information visit myraswells.org