Two residents will be honoured for their “passion” and working “tirelessly” for the community.

Arthur Woodgate and Roz Copson will be made Honorary Townspersons of Bridport at a ceremony next week.

Arthur will receive the award for his services to the youth and community of Bridport.

Former youth worker Arthur founded the Bridport Young Persons’ Action Trust (BYPAT) and Summentor, organisations devoted to improving the lives of young people, in particular those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

BYPAT recently celebrated its 25th anniversary and, with Arthur at the helm, continues to be a lead organisation in key youth projects locally, including play area improvements and the provision of a skate park.

Arthur is also the chairman of the annual Charter Fair, which celebrates Bridport’s original 13th century Town Charter, its Market Charter and recently adopted Rights Respecting Charter. This took place on Saturday.

Nominating Arthur for the award, Allington parish councillor Phil Lathey said: “Arthur works tirelessly for the young people of the town, even though he retired a number of years ago. I feel that the award is something that our town can give back to him for the work that he does.”

Roz Copson has worked and campaigned for mental health issues over the past 17 years, as well as being a major fundraiser for Bridport.

In 2002, she set up Moving On, a mental health charity which was successfully offered support to people experiencing social isolation due to mental health.

Roz also led the campaign to save the Hughes Unit, as a founder member of the Hughes Unit Group Supporters (HUGS), culminating in a judicial review. Although this didn’t go Roz’s way, she was undeterred and went on to establish Crisis and Care, a charitable trust which later ran the Harmony Mental Health and Wellbeing Centre.

Alongside her work in mental health, Roz has championed fundraising for a host of local organisations, including The Living Tree cancer support group and Bridport Youth and Community Centre.

Recommending Roz for the award, town councillor Ros Kayes said: “Roz is passionate about everything that she does and passionate about Bridport. She has contributed and will continue to contribute so much to the wellbeing of this town, an achievement of which we should stand in awe.”

The title of Honorary Townsman or Townswoman was established in 1983 by Bridport Town Council and is awarded to people who have given ‘eminent’ service to Bridport. Just six people have been honoured to date and the most recent recipient, Marjory Lathey who was awarded the title in 2009, will be at the awards ceremony on October 1.

Cllr Dave Rickard, leader of the town council, said: “Bridport would not be the wonderful town it is without Roz and Arthur’s longstanding work. It is a significant honour and town councillors recognised that these are two people for whom it is richly deserved.”

The ceremony at the town hall will hear speeches from a variety of people who have worked with Roz and Arthur, including a video link contribution from a representative of Tokyo’s Koyamadai Educational Foundation, with whom Arthur established an ongoing youth exchange programme.