A grandmother from Harpenden paid a visit to Buckingham Palace last week to receive an OBE awarded for services to Promoting Gender Equality Overseas.

Hilary Ratcliffe received notification of her OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list in June this year - in recognition of her achievements as a Soroptimist, which is a global women's organisation whose members work to improve the lives of women and girls through programs leading to social and economic empowerment.

A Soroptimist since 1980, Hilary lives in Crabtree Lane and is an active member of the St Albans and District Club.

She has been club president, regional president, chair of the Soroptimist UK programme action committee, SI Great Britain and Ireland Federation Assistant Programme Director for Education, Federation Programme Director and has been International Programme Director since 2011 - a post that will have its grand finale at the SI Convention in Istanbul in 2015.

Alongside her voluntary work as International Programme Director, Hilary works as a freelance tour guide in London and the South East of England, is a trained City of London Guide, Blue Badge Guide and St Albans City Guide. 

Before this, she spent many years as a teacher of history in secondary schools and further education colleges and was also responsible for providing pastoral support and personal and social education to sixth form students.

The 69-year-old said of her trip to Buckingham Palace: "It was a lovely day - a very  special day - I am so proud. The ceremony at Buckingham Palace is perfect. 

"Meeting Prince Charles and having travelled to Sierra Leone I was able to talk about the wonderful work Soroptimist International is doing there and we agreed on the horror of the current Ebola crisis. The day was a celebration - not just for me but for the work of so many of the women who work so hard as volunteer Members of my organisation."

As International Programme Director, Hilary leads Soroptimist International’s advocacy and policy work at the UN and other international forums, speaking up for women and girls and representing the voices of around 80,000 Soroptimists in 130 countries and territories worldwide. 

Jane Slatter, of Soroptimist International St Albans and District, said: "Jane provides guidance and inspiration for thousands of on-the-ground Soroptimist projects to educate, empower and enable opportunities for women and girls, helping to share good practice across the world, while developing global policies and position statements based on the experience of Soroptimists worldwide."

Head of Programme and Advocacy, Reilly Dempsey said: "When Hilary takes to the stage at conferences, Soroptimists are moved to get up and do something to change the world.

"She is truly an agent of change, working both behind the scenes and in the public domain to improve the lives of women and girls all over the world."