MORE than 40 years after becoming the Diocese of Bristol’s first ever female lay minister, Margaret Williams has been awarded an MBE.

The 83-year-old, of Sandown Avenue, is the only Swindon resident included in the Queen’s New Year Honours for 2015.

Margaret, a retired headteacher formerly of Lainesmead and Oliver Tomkins primary schools in the town, has given more than 40 years of service to the diocese.

Originally from Swansea, Margaret married in 1955 and moved to Swindon, where she began an association with Christ Church and became a lay minister in 1974 after encouragement from Canon Derek Palmer.

Margaret has known about the honour for six weeks, for which she was nominated by a team of colleagues at Christ Church, including the church’s vicar, Simon Stevenette.

Earlier this month, the Rev Libby Lane was announced as the Church of England’s first female bishop, which, along with the MBE, made 2014 very special for Margaret.

“I was surprised because I’m sure lots of people have done good things and I don’t consider myself to have done great things, I’m just an ordinary person,” she said.

“Perhaps having been a first female lay minister in this area 40 years ago, I have got stamina.

“It’s such an honour. This year is becoming a really special one, as the Church have achieved the ultimate.

“The first woman bishop has been appointed. I was the first piece in the jigsaw 40 years ago in this area.

“We were just the first pieces. It took 20 years before a woman was ordained as a priest. This was the final piece in the jigsaw and women have equality in the Church with men. That’s tremendous. It’s an honour to have been recognised for that.”

Margaret said her finest privileges as a lay minister have been conducting children’s services because of her love of storytelling, and being allowed into a family’s inner circle for funeral services.

She worked with Lainesmead from 1973 until 1980 and then became the first headteacher at Oliver Tomkins before retiring in 1991, when she turned her full attention to lay ministry.

Mr Stevenette, 52, said: “I was absolutely overjoyed for her. There’s so much energy in her, her vision is remarkable and such a passion for teaching.

“In my 16 years here I have witnessed her incredible capacity to speak to children, young adults and adults of all ages. She is an incredible storyteller.

“She has a passion for life and people. She is also very, very gifted in taking funeral ministry.

“The majority of people would retire from ministry round about 75 or 80-years-old, but she’s 83 and full of beans.

“Margaret is a very humble, joyful person. She says ‘why me?’ – she has got no idea just how much we all think of her.”

There will be a special quarter peal of bells in Margaret’s honour at Christ Church at 9.30am on New Year's Eve.