Betty Jenkinson was surprised at her hospice bedside when the Mayor of Telford & Wrekin dropped by to present her with an award for her tireless work helping people living with breast cancer.

Surrounded by her family, Betty, a volunteer fundraiser who’s spent more than 25 years supporting others with her monthly support group, was left ‘gobsmacked’ when Councillor Raj Mehta presented her with a certificate for her community work.

Cllr Raj Mehta said: “The Mayor’s Certificate of Recognition is reserved for those special people in our community who do so much selfless work to help others. I was proud to meet Betty and to present her with this award; she’s an inspiration.”

Betty started the group in 1993 with other breast cancer patients when they decided to come together to chat, support each other and share experiences.

Her work touched many lives over the years with the group raising hundreds of thousands of pounds for the Princess Royal Hospital and other charities helping those with cancer, including Severn Hospice.

From collecting 50p donations for group teas and coffees to running small raffles, the group started to raise funds for services and anything else that could help people with breast cancer in the area.

Betty raised even more money by hand making hundreds of specially adapted bras with breast prosthesis pockets for those who had undergone a mastectomy operation.

One of the groups’ biggest achievements was building a quiet room in the Princess Royal Hospital which cost £36,000.

Betty said: “I felt gobsmacked to receive the award, and it really was overwhelming to see so many of my family and hospital staff here too.

“The Mayor was meant to be coming to our meeting last week but I was admitted to the hospice the day before. This visit and award is a complete surprise.

“But this award is not only for me, it is for everyone in the group and for all those who have helped us achieve what we have over the years.  We have worked so hard to make things available for others with breast cancer.

“Moving forward, I want the group to stick together and carry on what we’ve been doing and I’d love for more people to know about our work and for more people with breast cancer to be supported.”