A 77-YEAR-OLD Pearly Queen who has devoted her life to helping others has been given a British Empire Medal for her tireless charity work.

Pearly Queen of Bow Bells and Old Kent Road Doreen Golding was given the prestigious award as part of the Queen’s Birthday Honours this month.

The great-grandmother, of Gardner Close, Wanstead, said: “It completely took my breath away.

“It’s just lovely to be able to say it. As an ordinary person you don’t expect to ever be able to tell people you’ve got something as special as that.”

She and her late husband Larry became Pearly Royalty in 1995 after spending several years assisting the Pearly Queen of Redbridge Peggy Oliver, who died in a tragic car accident in 2015.

The couple bonded over their mutual love of charity work, marrying in 1975, and going about their Pearly duties together until he fell ill over 30 years later.

Now Mrs Golding spends her days raising money for the Pearly Kings and Queens Society’s chosen charities, as well as countless others, visiting community groups, care homes, and schools.

She is also a Freeman of the City of London and the longstanding chairman and treasurer of the Wanstead Historical Society, who have branded her "Wanstead's most popular and prominent community member".

She received a total of six nominations for her BEM, including ones from Leyton and Wanstead MP John Cryer who described her as an “excellent and devoted community ambassador”.

Asked what enables her to keep up with such a busy schedule at 77, she said: “It’s all about willpower.”

She added: “The Pearly Kings and Queens Society gives its support for free to any charity that needs it.

“And you meet such wonderful people, you wouldn’t believe the nice things people do.”

Being a Pearly Queen has seen Mrs Golding meet several of her royal counterparts over the years, including the Queen Mother, the Duke of Edinburgh, and Prince Charles.

She said: “I have a great deal of respect for the royal family, especially the Queen – she’s older than me but she’s even busier.”

Her pearl-covered outfit has also seen her rub shoulders with a whole host of celebrities, including Sir Elton John, Paul McCartney and EastEnders actress June Brown.

But it is representing London and its age-old traditions that Mrs Golding enjoys the most.

She said: “It’s a different London to what it used to be – there are all sorts of different traditions here now.

“But just because there are new ones, it doesn’t mean we can’t still celebrate the old ones.”

Mrs Golding will officially receive her BEM at an investiture at the Tower of London on November 17.