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Cynthia Cowley, a lunchtime supervisor and caretaker at St James and St John Church of England School in Akeley, has been awarded an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List for her long and dedicated service to the school.

Mrs Cowley, who has worked at the primary school for 33 years, was understandably taken aback when she received the news.

"I opened the letter and read the first paragraph and just sort of froze. I could not believe what I had read. I put the letter back in the envelope and I said to John [her husband] 'I'm going to work'," she told BBC News.

"I'm down-to-earth. I'm enjoying the fuss and it's nice to be special for a while," she said.

Source: BBC News