Belbroughton councillor Janice Boswell tells of delight at visit to Buckingham Palace to collect MBE

Parish councillor Janice Boswell, who represented Clent and Belbroughton on Bromsgrove District Council for 15 years, took a trip to the palace to receive her Royal accolade after being awarded the honour in the Queen's Birthday Honours list.

HRH The Duke of Cambridge presented cllr Boswell with the award, which was bestowed on her for her voluntary service and services to the community in Bromsgrove, and she said afterwards that meeting the popular young heir to the throne had been "fantastic".

The 74-year-old retired hairdresser, who was born in White Heath, Rowley Regis, added: "He was lovely, so lovely."

After complimenting the Duke on his two children and enquiring how his pregnant wife the Duchess of Cambridge was feeling - cllr Boswell also brought smiles to audience members at the ceremony when she told him she approved of Prince Harry's actress girlfriend Meghan Markle.

She said: "He said 'that's absolutely fantastic" and that I'd made the day very enjoyable for him."

Accompanied by her husband Ian and daughters Kate (pictured second from right) and Vicki Boswell-Shattock (left) on her trip to the palace - the stalwart councillor also got to meet actor and comedian Sir Billy Connelly, who was also attending the palace to receive his Knighthood for services to entertainment, and she said of the day: "It was absolutely wonderful."

Cllr Boswell, who previously met The Queen at a do at Buckingham Palace, raised thousands of pounds for charities including Primrose Hospice, Dogs for the Disabled, Edward's Trust in Birmingham and the Stroke Association’s Life After Stroke Centre in her former roles as chairman, vice-chairman and civic head of the district council.

But she began fundraising for good causes in her teens - selling raffle tickets for Cancer Research after starting up hairdressing salons in Langley and Oldbury.

And over the years she has raised money for and supported a host of causes including Stourbridge's Mary Stevens Hospice, Belbroughton's Animal Sanctuary and Protection, Holy Trinity Church in Belbroughton, Sunfield School in Clent, Oldbury Ambulance Station and these days she is an avid supporter of Bromsgrove's Life after Stroke charity which helped her on the road to recovery after she suffered a stroke in 2014.