Real Lives: Allan is outstanding in his field

Former soldier and tireless volunteer Allan Alstead has been presented with the highest honour awarded by the charity Fields in Trust.

Brigadier Allan Alstead CBE, who served with the King's Own Scottish Borderers, was presented with the President's Certificate by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh at a reception at Buckingham Palace this week.

Fields in Trust – formerly the National Playing Fields Association – works to ensure that everyone has access to outdoor recreational spaces for sport and play.

Mr Alstead, 73, who lives on Moray Place in Edinburgh, has been a volunteer for the charity since 2001 and was a member of its Scottish Committee until his retirement last year.

Alison Moore-Gwyn, chief executive of Fields in Trust, said: "Allan has shown huge commitment to Fields in Trust over the years despite an extremely demanding schedule and so we're delighted to be able to honour him."

Mr Alstead said: "I'm delighted and very honoured to receive the certificate.

"I believe Fields in Trust is a very important part of life. We mustn't lose our playing fields, they're such a valuable contribution towards the health of the nation.

"We are losing too many at the moment to building sites and redevelopment, and there aren't enough green spaces in the whole country to keep the young people fit."

Mr Alstead served in the King's Own Scottish Borderers for 36 years.

He risked his life fighting Communist rebels during the Malayan Emergency in the 1950s but felt he and his comrades were discriminated against because the British Army refused to recognise a service medal from the grateful Malaysian government.

He was among 30 Scots soldiers honoured during Malaysia's Independence Day celebrations in Edinburgh but none of them was officially permitted to wear their Pingat Jasa Malaysia medals.

Tens of thousands of troops fought in the former British colony during a state of emergency from 1948 to 1960. They were awarded the medal by the King of Malaysia in 2004 but it has never been recognised by the Foreign Office.

Mr Alstead was made a CBE for organising international treaties between Britain, Belgium, the United States, France, the Netherlands and Germany. By signing, the countries agreed to support British forces in the event of another war.

On leaving the Army Mr Alstead held various high-profile posts, including chief executive of the Scottish Sports Council and sportscotland.

He was Chef de Mission for the Scottish Commonwealth Games team in 2002

and chairman of city-based charity Mercy Corps for eight years.

He was born in Glasgow and educated at Glasgow Academy before travelling the world with the Army.

He moved to Edinburgh in 1990 on retiring and has been in the Capital ever since.

Mr Alstead has been married to his wife Joy for 44 years and they have two sons, Robert, 43, and Jonathan, 39.