Nurse honoured with humanitarian medal from King

Paula Tobin spent four months in Gaza, over three different deployments

Devon nurse Paula Tobin has told of her pride at being presented with a Humanitarian Medal by King Charles for her life-saving work in Gaza.

Ms Tobin, 57, from Tavistock, was awarded the honour in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

She spent four months in Gaza, over three different deployments, volunteering for frontline medical charity UK-Med, and is due to return again in April.

Ms Tobin said: "I found it much easier packing my bag to go out to Gaza than deciding what to wear to Buckingham Palace to meet the King."

Mum 'over the moon'

The field hospitals where she worked in Al Mawasi and Deir El Balah, established with Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) funding, have treated more than 300,000 patients.

"It is lovely to have my work recognised and my mum was absolutely over the moon when she heard the news," said Ms Tobin.

"Being able to take her to the palace hopefully goes a long way to making up for all the worry I've put her through over the years."

A veteran of humanitarian crises including the West Africa Ebola outbreak in 2014, Ukraine and the Turkey earthquake, she said it was "hardest for your family back home".

"Gaza's been a tough one because it is so much in the news," she said.

"Each time I come back and I am okay, my family get a tiny bit more relaxed, but they do say 'just don't go again'.

"I've told them I am returning in April and my response is always 'you know this is me, it's what I do. I'll be fine'."

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the new medal "recognises the incredible dedication and selfless service of individuals on the frontline of the UK's responses to some of the world's most devastating crises".

"I am delighted the first tranche of awards will recognise members of the UK government's emergency deployment teams, for their brave work in Libya, Morocco and Gaza," he said.