This year has been one of the busiest and most successful in the history of the Malvern Hills Conservators, according to board chairman Richard Graves.

Mr Graves was delivering his annual report at a meeting of the board last Thursday.

He pointed specifically to the approval of the £1 million Heritage Lottery Grant as a major success and the acquisition of new land at Mathon.

Despite these success stories, Mr Graves acknowledged the failure of the conservators to appoint a visitors' services manager or draw up a recreation strategy. However, he vowed to honour their commitment to do so.

"Our priority for the coming year must be to ensure that in the future our visitors have the best possible experience in enjoying the land that we're managing so effectively," he said.

Jubilee celebrations, including the naming of Jubilee Hill, were very successful.

Mr Graves described the voluntary scrutiny by the Charity Commission as "a very helpful and worthwhile exercise".

In closing, he particularly thanked his fellow conservators, staff and volunteers for their work during last month's storms.

"All too often the hard work and professionalism of the staff goes unseen and unsung," he said. "However much work we put out to contract, there will always be a requirement for a band of highly trained and flexible people to respond instantly to our needs."