I was extremely pleased to go to Walford School, Ross-on-Wye in 2004 and photograph the remarkable Joyce Thomas, Member of the British Empire. Joyce was awarded the honour by HM Queen Elizabeth II for outstanding service to the community in Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire and was visiting the school to show the children of Year 2 her medal and a video recording of her big day at the Buckingham Palace ceremony.

I have to confess to having been as interested in Joyce's talk as the school children were and asked if she minded me taking this extra photograph for the web site. Congratulations Joyce! Nobody deserves the honour more than you do and it was nice to meet you properly for the first time. Your story of how you felt before the ceremony actually brought a tear to my own eye, which was luckily well disguised by May time, tree pollen hay fever.