BROADWAY woman Hilary Bolitho has been awarded the MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in recognition of the work she has done within her community.

Miss Bolitho, 87, has served Broadway for nearly 40 years in numerous different roles.

Between 1978 and 2013 she was volunteer for the Workers Education Association Charity where she was the mainstay of the Chard and Ilminster branch for many years. Here she had the dual roles of branch secretary and treasurer.

Since 1988 she has been a church warden at St Aldhelm and St Eadburga in Broadway.

For a number of years she has put aside her own advancing years to serve the needs of many senior citizens, especially the less mobile and those living alone.

Since the late 1990s she has been a treasurer of the Somerset Association of the Blind, while she also ran a monthly social afternoon with entertainment for visually-impaired people in Chard.

While for nearly 20 years she has produced a local talking newspaper for the club and has arranged outings for members.

Her well-deserved MBE comes with the citation “for services to the community in Broadway.”