A CHARITY worker who spent more than half a century helping others was "chuffed" to join the Queen as she marked her 90th birthday.

British Red Cross volunteer Ann Coulter was honoured with a place at the monarch's lunch on Sunday, which united veterans of more than 600 of Her Majesty's supported charities.

The 84-year-old Kennington resident has extended a humanitarian hand to families made homeless by house fires, victims of the London Bombings and even set up a milk kitchen for Ugandan babies in her 57 years with the charity.

After mixing with royalty at the Patron's Lunch in London's St James’s Park, she said: "I was chuffed to bits to have been selected to attend. It was an amazing day and I felt privileged to have been able to go. I am proud to have been there to represent the services I support.

"Princess Anne came over and spoke to our table and we also saw lots of other members of the royal family. It did rain quite a lot but it didn’t spoil the great atmosphere. I always hope to have fun whatever I do."

The Poplar Grove resident began working with the humanitarian charity in her late 20s, helping nurses at Abingdon Community Hospital and providing emotional support to families.

One of her fondest memories was setting up a milk kitchen at RAF Greenham Common in 1972, which was sheltering Ugandan families who had been expelled from the country by their president. Idi Amin

Mrs Coulter said: "They were families who had good jobs and nice houses and had to leave everything. The children had no immunity to our bugs so we set up this milk kitchen. They weren’t able to speak English so a smile was worth a lot. It was very emotional”

After the London Bombings in 2005 she and fellow long-serving volunteer Fay Gale, from Abingdon, went back and forth from London for six weeks to help at a support centre for survivors and traumatised witnesses.

She has since received two Red Cross badges of honour and is coordinator for the Oxfordshire Red Cross link group.

Mrs Coulter added: "I always joke that I was inoculated with a Red Cross needle, I just want to go on helping people. I'm an old lady now but it's my way of keeping going. I live by our principles."

Chris Beck, operations director for the Red Cross in Thames Valley hailed her as a "very committed and longstanding volunteer who has given many hours".

She continues to work for the charity as an emergency response volunteer, helping with events such as house fires and floods, and as a mobility aids volunteer providing wheelchairs to patients in recovery.