Prince William awards OBE to Hastings teacher

Lorraine Clarke, who was born in Hastings and lives in Rye, was awarded the OBE by Prince William for services to education.

Mrs Clarke said: "It was a wonderful experience visiting Buckingham Palace, receiving the honour from HRH Prince William. We talked about his wife's work with Early Years and how important it is to support families and children's education. It was a proud moment recognising the hard work we do in schools on a daily basis."

She began teaching in 2001 and joined Ark, a charity focusing on education, in 2014 where she held key roles at several schools that were in challenging circumstances.

These schools are now rated as 'good' or 'outstanding' after a few years of her leadership.

Mrs Clarke sits on the Hastings Opportunity Area Partnership Board, which supports local schools, health care providers and charities to access government funding to help young people in Hastings.