CARERS champion Dee Nutt has been made an MBE in the Queen's New Year honours list.

Dee, who is chairman of Dart­mouth Caring and has been pivotal to the success of the much loved and cherished community organisation, is recognised for services to older people.

She said she was 'overwhelmed, surprised and very taken aback' by the announcement.

'I had no idea and it was so unexpected,' she said. 'But I couldn't do the job without my team, they are brilliant. So it's for them and for the town.'

Dee, 62, has played a key role in the development of Dart­mouth Caring for more than 15 years since retiring to the town with her husband, Martin, following a distinguished career in nursing.

She found that almost 40 per cent of the population were over 60 years old and living in isolation and became involved with the small charity whose main activity was to provide a weekly lunch for local pensioners.

Within a short time she was elected to become chairman and set about transforming the organisation into a major social care provider in Dartmouth and the surrounding area. The charity today has grown larger, with 120 volunteers and eight members of staff providing an extensive range of services.

Dee and Martin fell in love with Dartmouth – and decided to stay – after they became storm bound in the port during a sailing trip to the tall ships race in Falmouth in 1998.

Dee originally trained at St Thomas' Hospital in London and worked as an SRN, becoming sister on the female orthopedic ward at the Royal Masonic Hospital in Hammersmith.

After gaining a diploma from the Royal College of Nursing and further study at Greenwich University, she extended her career to teaching nursing. Her last job was as head of education for the south sector for Marie Curie Cancer Care.

Dee took over as chairman of Dartmouth Caring in 2006 and, after giving it a six-month trial period, has never looked back.

She has also found time to serve as chairman on the independent monitoring board of HM Prison Exeter and as vice chairman of the patients' participation group in Dartmouth.

Today Dartmouth Caring provides an extensive range of services including bridge workers – two health care professionals jointly funded by the charity and the NHS aimed at bridging the gap between the health service, social services and the voluntary sector; a memory cafe to help those suffering with short-term memory loss and their carers; a free counselling service offered by two trained counsellors; a Parkin­son's disease nurse available one day a week; and a health and social care directory providing vital signposting and advice.

Dee said when she received notification of the MBE in the post, she first thought it was a tax demand.

It had On Her Majesty's Service on the front but was in a white envelope not a brown one,' she said.

'It arrived on my wedding anniversary, which was even nicer.

'You see pop stars and all of those people get it and it's just nice to feel they are still offered to normal people in the community.

'It's fantastic.