Members of a Hamilton Parish church recognised a woman for her decades of service to the island’s senior citizens.

The Ladies Aid Society of Bethel AME Church organised a ceremony to recognised Carol Clarke, who hosted an annual Christmas drive for seniors from 1998 to 2023.

This was not the first time Ms Clarke was awarded for her hard work — she received the Queen’s Certificate and Badge of Honour Award in 2011 for “giving selfless service to the community and to seniors in particular, over many years”.

Ms Clarke, 65, whose grandfather helped to build the church, said several parishioners and friends were at Sunday’s event.

Her acceptance speech posed five big questions: “Where have you come from, what are you doing, where are you going, when and why?”

She added: “I encouraged people to believe in themselves, set their standards high and told them they deserve the best and to never settle for less.”