Rosemary Powell MBE

Britain’s longest-serving poppy seller has described her MBE for decades of charity service as “wonderful”.

Rosemary Powell, aged 103, was surrounded by family and celebrated with a glass of champagne after she was presented with the honour. The great-grandmother, from London, was included in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours List for voluntary service to the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal, having spent 97 years collecting for the charity. Inspecting the medal during a short ceremony at her west London nursing home, she said: “Isn’t it wonderful?”

Mrs Powell, who sat in a wheelchair draped in a poppy-patterned blanket, was handed the MBE on behalf of the Queen by the Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London, Colonel Jane Davis. Representative Deputy Lieutenant for Ealing, Mr Richard Kornicki CBE DL was also in attendance and read out the citation.

Her sons Antony, Giles and Nicolas as well as granddaughters Emma and Rachel Powell and Celia Speller attended the ceremony at St Mary’s Convent and Nursing Home in Chiswick on Monday.

Photo sourced from: Stefan Rousseau/PA

Sourced from ITV.

Full news article: http://www.itv.com/news/2018-08-06/poppy-seller-rosemary-powell-103-hails-wonderful-mbe-honour/