Wonderful... MBE joy of poppy seller Rose, 103

BRITAIN’S longest-serving poppy seller has described her MBE for decades of charity service as “wonderful”.

Rosemary Powell, aged 103, was surrounded by family and celebrated with a glass of champagne after she was presented with the honour.

The great-grandmother, from London, was included in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours List for voluntary service to the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal, having spent 97 years collecting for the charity.

She helped her mother Evelyn sell poppies on Richmond Bridge for the Royal British Legion’s first Poppy Appeal in 1921 at the age of six.

Inspecting the medal after the short ceremony, she said: “Isn’t it wonderful?”

Mrs Powell was presented with her MBE on behalf of the Queen by the Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London Colonel Jane Davis. Her sons Antony, Giles and Nicolas, as well as granddaughters Emma and Rachel Powell and Celia Speller attended the ceremony at St Mary’s Convent and Nursing Home in Chiswick, west London yesterday.

Giles, speaking on behalf of his mother and the family, said: “The presentation of the MBE has been one of the biggest moments in her life and mum has lived a very full life.

“It’s significant in what it represents in terms of both her loyalty and her commitment.

“She raised money for all those years due to the impact that war had on her own family.

“She lost so many family members, it really was the catalyst for her volunteering work for the Royal British Legion.”

oh it’s you! QuEEN grEEts poNy that bit posy

THE Queen arrives at Balmoral Castle for her annual summer break and receives a welcome from a familiar friend.“Oh it’s you,” the 92-year-old monarch said yesterday when she saw Cruachan IV, mascot of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, a feisty Shetland pony who previously tried to eat her posy and bite her grandson Prince Harry.The Queen will be joined on the 50,000-acre estate in Aberdeenshire by Prince Philip in coming days.