A former primary school teacher who has dedicated her life to supporting her local community says she is “very happy and humbled” to have been recognised for her service.

Mary Coker, from Penn, is chair of the Holmer Green Stroke Club, a vital lifeline for people who have suffered and stroke – and their loved ones.

She has been recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list with a British Empire Medal (BEM) for services to the community in Penn and Tylers Green.

Mrs Coker, now 93, was a primary school teacher, but since her retirement, has ramped up her involvement in the local community – and shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon.

For more than 30 years, she was a volunteer driver for the Penn and Tylers Green Village Care charity, which provides transport for members of the village as and when they need it, for things like daily tasks or medical appointments.

In 1995, she founded the annual Village Gardens Open Day with her husband as a way to raise cash for local charities and forge friendships across the village – and it has expanded every year since, involving 11 gardens and raising thousands of pounds for good causes.

Mrs Coker started visiting a stroke patient in the late 1970s to give his carer some time for rest and in 1985, she joined the Holmer Green Stroke Club as a helper.

Employing her teaching skills and enthusiasm she introduced physical exercises for coordination and balance, cognitive-improvement activities, visits to gardens and restaurants and many other events.

She was elected chair of the club in 2017. When she first joined as a volunteer, the club was dependent on contributions from clients and donations from well-wishers – but she has managed to transform it into a space with improved facilities, more events on offer and has helped give it a bright and secure future.

During the national lockdowns brought along by Covid-19, Mrs Coker made sure members of the club were still supported, creating a telephone rota for the volunteers and providing mental exercises, online quizzes and projects to complete over the festival periods.

Despite being a lifelong supporter and champion of her local area, and working hard to improve the services that have made a real difference to those in the community, she is incredibly modest about her achievements.

She told the Bucks Free Press: “I am very happy to accept the medal and I feel very humbled because I don’t do any more than other people, who do so much. The volunteers at the Stroke Club are a wonderful team – it’s an honour for everyone, they have all made such a tremendous effort.”