A Potters Bar councillor has received an award for her services to the community, following in the footsteps of Sadiq Khan and Joanna Lumley.

Cllr Cynthia Barker, elected to represent Potters Bar Furzefield last year, volunteers for a wide range of charity and community organisations including the NSPCC and her local Rotary Club.

The Conservative councillor was presented with a British Community Honours award, which has been awarded to an exclusive roster of public figures in the past, at a ceremony on October 21.

She said: “I feel very honoured and humbled to have received this prestigious award.

“When you give up your time to good causes, you expect nothing in return, so I was amazed and surprised to have been recognised.

“I hope to use this award to help promote all the hard work that members of Hertsmere’s communities do and all the fantastic volunteering that goes on, often under the radar.”

The British Community Honours Awards was founded in 2001 by Yasmin Sheikh and Lord Ahmed of Rotherham to promote social inclusion and highlight the positive contribution made by members of Britain’s minority communities.

Leader of Hertsmere borough council, Cllr Morris Bright said: “Though Cynthia only joined the council last year, her commitment and determination to help others is self-evident.

“The tenacity and ingenuity that she brings to all her voluntary roles and her work as a councillor has helped make a huge difference to the lives of Hertsmere’s residents.

“I’m delighted that she has received this recognition for her efforts and I hope this will inspire others to follow her example.”