Queen’s Jubilee birthday honours: charity awarded for emergency bundles

Ms Dolphin founded the charity in 2013

The founder of a charity that gives emergency items to families in need has been awarded by the Queen.

Gloucestershire Bundles manager Dawn Dolphin started the group in 2013 to help others who could not afford things for their children.

She said she had been "reduced to tears" by some of the stories she had heard from struggling families.

Ms Dolphin said she is "proud" to have been able to help them with things such as toiletries and clothes for free.

The charity was given the British Empire Medal in the Queen's Birthday Honours list.

Gloucestershire Bundles takes referrals in from professionals in the social sector.

"At Christmas-time, there was a lone dad and his wife was in hospital and he said the children loved the idea that Father Christmas remembered pyjamas and pants at Christmas," Ms Dolphin said.

The charity gave the family items they were planning to buy for their Christmas shopping.

"It just meant he didn't have to go out and cope with the shopping [while] looking after his wife and his children.

"We've even had a woman from our eBay account that we run say she wanted some shoes for her little boy because she couldn't afford brand-new ones. So she got them second-hand from us."

Ms Dolphin said referrals to the charity have been going up year on year.

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Ms Dolphin said she was "in complete shock" when she found out she had been given a Queen's honour award.

"I was sat on the stairs and shaking. I'm over the moon and proud," she added.