She may be nearly 83, but the redoubtable Pam Clarke is not ready to stop just yet.

Next month she heads to Buckingham Palace to receive an MBE as reward for years of community work and a lifetime of valuable contribution to life in and around Ilkley.

But once Mrs Clarke, who has lived in Ben Rhydding all her life, has met the Queen, it will be back to West Yorkshire to continue the efforts that have helped hundreds of people.

And it has not been without struggles of her own including two bouts of cancer which have given her the determination to continue her good work.

Mrs Clarke, who works for Tesco in Ilkley, will have plenty to talk about with the monarch should the pair meet up next month.

“I’ve got an invite to a garden party at Buckingham Palace on July 22,” she said. “I’ve never been inside Buckingham Palace, just stood outside the front and waved like everybody else.

“I just hope I meet the Queen. She’s a year older than me and done everything a year before me – she joined the Guides a year before me and got married a year before me.”

The list of Mrs Clarke’s work for the community seems endless.

She is a leading light with the local uniformed organisations since joining the Brownies in 1935 and earlier this month was camping with 400 guides at Broughton Hall, near Skipton, where she also managed to have a go on a zip wire.

She was involved in setting up Ilkley’s first playgroup, taught at the swimming club for many years and has been a key part of the town’s operatic society, running up costumes for a variety of performances for more than 30 years.

A book-keeper, Mrs Clarke, of Belmont Road, has worked at several garages around the town over the decades and still found time to raise to children, Deborah and Ky, with husband of 60 years, Bruce.

Despite everything, she admits one of the hardest things she has ever done was keep quiet about receiving the MBE until the official announcement at the weekend.

“I got the invite to the garden party back in December, so I’ve had people ask me if I was getting a gong since then,” she said.

“Then when I found out about the MBE I’ve had to keep it a secret as I wasn’t allowed to tell anyone except my husband – not even my children – until after Saturday.

“It’s been really difficult keeping this quiet but there are a lot of other people who deserve this award too.

“When I got the official letter, I said ‘I can’t believe it, I’ve got an MBE!’.”

But it was her battles against throat cancer in 1966 and then stomach cancer in 1991, which gave Mrs Clarke the added drive to continue her work to help others.

“I was very ill in ’91 and given three months to live,” she said. “But I’ve done a lot in my life and I decided if I got through it I wouldn’t waste a minute.

“I’ve had a charmed life and I’ve got two great daughters and four grand-daughters. But I enjoy my life and I’m going to carry on.”

Although Mrs Clarke admits to seeing a lot of change in and around Ilkley she’s never had the desire to leave for pastures new. However, she will have another reason to celebrate when she makes the journey down to London in July, as the day after the garden party is her 61st wedding anniversary.

But then she expects to get straight back to her community and doing what she does best.