A BLACK Country born hairdresser turned councillor has told of her delight at collecting her MBE from Buckingham Palace.

Belbroughton parish councillor Janice Boswell, who originally hails from White Heath, Rowley Regis, took a trip to the palace to receive her Royal accolade after being awarded the honour in the Queen's Birthday Honours list.

HRH The Duke of Cambridge presented cllr Boswell with the award, which was bestowed on her for her voluntary service and services to the community after representing Clent and Belbroughton on Bromsgrove District Council for 15 years.

The 74-year-old retired hairdresser, who used to run hairdressing salons in Langley and Oldbury, said meeting the popular young heir to the throne had been "fantastic" and she added: "He was lovely, so lovely."

After complimenting the Duke on his two children and enquiring how his pregnant wife the Duchess of Cambridge was feeling - cllr Boswell also brought smiles to audience members at the ceremony when she told him she approved of Prince Harry's actress girlfriend Meghan Markle.

She said: "He replied 'that's absolutely fantastic" and that I'd made the day very enjoyable for him."

Accompanied by her husband Ian and daughters Katie and Vicki on her trip to the palace - the stalwart councillor also rubbed shoulders with actor and comedian Sir Billy Connelly, who was also attending the palace to receive his Knighthood for services to entertainment, and she said of the day: "It was absolutely wonderful."

Cllr Boswell, who previously met The Queen at a do at Buckingham Palace, raised thousands of pounds for charities including Primrose Hospice, Dogs for the Disabled, Edward's Trust in Birmingham and the Stroke Association’s Life After Stroke Centre in her former roles as chairman, vice-chairman and civic head of the district council.

But she began fundraising for good causes in her teens - selling raffle tickets for Cancer Research at her Black Country salons.

And over the years she has raised money for and supported a host of causes including Stourbridge's Mary Stevens Hospice, Belbroughton's Animal Sanctuary and Protection, Holy Trinity Church in Belbroughton, Sunfield School in Clent, Oldbury Ambulance Station and these days she is an avid supporter of Bromsgrove's Life after Stroke charity which helped her on the road to recovery after she suffered a stroke in 2014.