Anglesey man has measured the rainfall every day since 1948

Tom Bown says he has "hardly missed a day" in the 75 years he been measuring how much rain has fallen

An 85-year-old man has measured rainfall every morning since 1948 - when he was just 10 years old.

Tom Bown, from Llwydiarth-Esgob, on Anglesey, took on the tradition from his grandfather, who set up a weather station near the family's farm in 1890.

The measurements, for Natural Resources Wales (NRW), are taken at 09:00 GMT "precisely, every day".

Mr Bown has now received an award from the Met Office and NRW after 75 years of unpaid work.

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Mr Bown said he has "hardly missed a day" in the almost eight decades since he began the volunteer task.

And despite a few trips abroad now and again and occasional illness, not a day has gone by without the rainfall being documented.

"When I go on holiday, either my son or somebody else will do it for me," he said.

Mr Bown said his weather station simply consists of "a funnel in the ground"

Mr Bown said he began measuring the rain shortly after he turned 10 to keep the tradition that his grandfather started alive.

However, he soon found the activity useful in his day job of running the family farm.

"We are able to know precisely how much rainfall there has been, which is a great help to the farming operations… so it has a double use in a way," he said.

Every month he sends his readings off the NRW for its records, and he has even had scientists using his data to research climate change.

"I'm not the only one, there must be thousands [of us] throughout the British isles, they have them all over the place," he said.

However, he added that he has been told by NRW that it is not aware of anyone that had been doing the job longer.

Mr Bown has received a plaque from the Met Office and NRW

Mr Bown, who was awarded an MBE 25 years ago for his work after the Met Office put his name forward, said it was a shock at the time.

"I was amazed because I had this letter from the palace... it said that I had received an MBE and I couldn't understand what it was for," he said.

"I found out afterwards and was sworn to secrecy until New Year's Day... then we went down to Cardiff and received the MBE from Prince Charles."

More than two decades after being awarded his MBE, Mr Bown has now been awarded a plaque to mark his 75 years of work.

Mr Bown said it only takes a few minutes to check the rain every morning, but said he's probably spent quite a substantial amount of time on it over the decades

NRW boss Clare Pillman said Mr Bown's work played a "very important role in the study of the climate in the UK".

"To take recordings every day for over 75 years is a remarkable achievement which we are extremely grateful for," she said.

"Only by such comprehensive monitoring can we produce accurate long-term records of what is happening to the climate.

"I would like to extend my thanks to Mr Bown for his commitment over the years and congratulate him on his service."

Mr Bown accepted his plaque from the Met Office and Natural Resources Wales alongside his sheepdog, Meg

Stuart Herridge, of the Met Office, said that to record over a century worth of data from one site is "rare and valuable".

"However, for one person to have done the readings for 75 of those years is remarkable," he said.

"We are extremely grateful to Mr Bown for his commitment and hard work.

"The scientific community is in a better position thanks to the work carried out by such committed volunteers."

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