'It's a great honour' - Telford councillor receives MBE from Prince of Wales

Santokho Sekhon, a Great Dawley town councillor, was given the award in last summer's Queen's Birthday Honours List for services to community cohesion in Telford.

Mrs Sekhon, 67, known as San operated Eyton Stores with her husband Piara for 20 years until 2005. She was elected to Great Dawley Town Council six years ago.

She attended the investiture ceremony held in the palace's grand ballroom watched by her husband, daughter Herminder, 46, and her son-in-law Sarbjit Resoda.

Over the years she has organised numerous events and money collections to raise more than £100,000 for good causes in the region.

These have included Severn Hospice, Macmillan Cancer Support, Midlands Air Ambulance and Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust's intensive care unit.

"It was a really great experience to be presented with the MBE by Prince Charles. It was a lovely day and a great honour. He asked me what I did and where my family was from. So I replied that I was Indian and told him a bit about what I do in Telford. He told me to keep up the good work.

"It was a really humbling. I never expected to be recognised for the things I help out with. I never even dreamed about it and I have no idea who nominated me. I want to thank everyone in Dawley and all the community groups for their support," Mrs Sekhon said.

She rubbed shoulders at the event with with Britain's Got Talent presenters Anthony McPartlin and Declan Connelly, or Ant and Dec, who were awarded OBEs for services to television.

In addition to her fundraising efforts for good causes Mrs Sekhon set up the Happy Hearts Club at the Khushdil Day Centre part of the Guru Nanak Gurdwara Sikh Temple, in Hadley, for women aged over 60 to tackle isolation.

The mother-of-two was also a key player in the organisation of the inaugural Telford Vaisakhi parade which celebrates the founding of the Sikh faith.

She also has a son Gurminder, 40, and three grandchildren.