When Pat Wade got a call from Downing Street she certainly was not expecting to be told about her place on the New Year Honours List - in fact she thought the call was about her charity's auction.
Pat, 55, of Middle Crockerford, Basildon, was awarded the MBE for her work with child burns victims.
Speaking for the first time about the honour, she revealed: "The letter telling me about the award was supposed to arrive in November but it was delivered to the wrong address.
Cheers - Pat Wade is delighted with her MBE Picture: MAXINE CLARKE
"So when I got a message to call Downing Street I didn't know if it was a joke. When I got through it said if you haven't got a reason to call them to replace the receiver. So I did.
"Luckily they called me again a couple of days later. At first I thought it was about our auction - usually they send us a pen to auction and I thought perhaps they were giving us something bigger this year. Which I suppose they did.
"They congratulated me and I had to explain that I didn't know anything about it."
Her Burned Children's Club, based in Basildon, helps youngsters regain their confidence after suffering serious disfiguring burns. She is delighted with the award.
She said: "It will make a difference to the club because it means we are recognised. People who didn't know about us will hear about the club because of me getting this award."
Published Thursday, January 2, 2003
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