Sidmouth’s Kennaway House trustees will honour seven people who played key parts in its �1 million restoration campaign on its first anniversary on July 4.

TO mark the first anniversary of its official re-opening, trustees of Sidmouth’s Kennaway House will honour six people who played key parts in the campaign to raise �1 million for its restoration.

All will be appointed life vice-presidents of the house, which was re-opened by East Devon MP Hugo Swire on July 4, 2009.

“It is to show how grateful we are to them for taking on – and successfully completing - this Herculean task,” said Dr Michael James, Chairman of Kennaway House.

“The restoration would never have happened if this amazing group had not worked so hard and with such commitment.

“The trustees would like to remind the town – and everyone from further away who is now using the house – of that.

“As life vice-presidents they won’t have any duties, but will be special guests at some of our events.”

The six new Life Vice-Presidents are:

Tom Flynn – former treasurer of the Church House Trust, who kept it going during the 1990’s, even though it had run out of money and the building was falling down, until a solution was found.

Tom was then the first chairman of the Friends of Kennaway House.

Jackie Green – chairman of the Friends 2004-2007, who trebled their membership with the support of husband Tony.

Jackie Street – chairman of the Friends since 2007, a founder trustee of the Kennaway House Trust in 2008 and designer of the much-admired internal decoration and furnishing of the house; including the popular Cellar Bar.

Jackie was supported by husband Stephen, who also worked on applying for grants for the restoration.

Jan Lynch – membership secretary of the Friends, who has maintained numbers at around 400. The Friends events raised �80,000 towards the restoration.

John Edwards – volunteer treasurer and administrator during the fund-raising and organization of the restoration.

David James – Rector of Sidmouth, last chairman of the former Church House Trust and a founder trustee of the new Kennaway House Trust, registered as a new charity by the Charity Commission in 2008. The trustees have also elected Michael James as life president of Kennaway House, as the leader of the huge project to restore it and first Chairman of the Kennaway House Trust.

There will be a small reception at the house on Sunday, July 4, when Sir John Cave, Vice Lord Lieutenant of Devon, will present the life president and vice presidents with framed photographs of the house as a memento of their campaign.

Roger Goulding of the South West Committee of the Heritage Lottery Fund, will attend to mark the successful completion of the project, to which the Heritage Lottery gave a grant of �554,000.