OXFAM worker Margaret Brown is to meet the Queen at Buckingham Palace - thanks to the Evening News.

The Palace selected Mrs Brown, of Rose Hill, Worcester, out of six dedicated charity workers nominated by our readers.

She will attend the Queen's special reception on Monday evening to celebrate the achievements of people who have made a difference.

Mrs Brown will be mingling with famous people including Sir Cliff Richard, photographer David Bailey, pop guru Pete Waterman, director Sir Richard Attenborough, inventor James Dyson and designer Zandra Rhodes.

"The invitation came out of the blue. It's all absolutely amazing. You never dream it's going to happen to you," the 66-year-old grandmother told the Evening News.

"I was terrified when I first received the invitation. It's all a bit daunting, but it's something you can't miss when the opportunity comes along."

She has got a choice of two outfits lined up for the event, depending on the weather - but will not wear a hat!

A palace spokesman said the reception would be more intimate than many other Buckingham Palace events, with between 400 and 500 guests, compared with up to 800 on other occasions.

They will be served with drinks and canaps and palace staff will be circulating to make sure everyone is at ease.

Mrs Brown is among 80 men and women chosen by their communities through local newspapers, including our sister paper, the Evesham Journal.

The guest nominated by the Journal is Laurie Griffith-Jones, of Evesham, who was the inspiration behind the creation of Evesham Arts Centre, of which he is president.

Around 400 other guests will include Nobel Prize winners and representatives of bodies such as the British Chamber of Commerce, the British Fashion Council, the Royal Geographical Society and the Commission for Racial Equality.

The Queen will meet as many people as possible and other members of the royal family are also likely to be there, mingling with the guests.

Mrs Brown, who enjoys singing and playing golf in her spare time, first joined Oxfam's fund raising committee in the mid-1970s and was chairman for eight years.

She managed Oxfam's Mealcheapen Street shop from 1986 until 2002, having helped to raise more than £2 million for the charity.

The first shop was so successful that she helped establish another in the High Street in 1990 and managed both for a couple of years.

During her time with the charity she also served as a city magistrate for 20 years.

According to Oxfam's policy, she had to retire at 65, but she has not given up her charity work and now works for the National Trust as a steward at Hanbury Hall.