A MINEHEAD woman thought the letter notifying her that she was in the Queen’s Birthday Honours contained some tickets she was expecting for a service in Westminster Abbey – so she put it unopened on a sideboard.

Jo Watts – the only West Somerset person listed in the Queen’s Birthday Honours – opened the letter a few days later and was startled to discover she had been nominated for a British Empire Medal for her services to children and families.

"It came out of the blue, it was a real surprise," she said.

Jo, 70, has been involved in charity and community work for many years, and said she was glad that her BEM would raise awareness of Home Start and Save the Children, in particular.