A CHARITY fundraising former Dudley Mayor awarded the MBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list has told of his delight at receiving his Royal honour.

Councillor Steve Waltho, of Kingswinford, who has raised thousands of pounds for charity over the years by taking on all manner of testing physical challenges, was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire at Buckingham Palace on Thursday March 15.

The long-serving councillor was awarded the accolade for services to local government and the community.

Cllr Waltho, aged 62, who represents St Thomas's ward in Dudley, received the award from HRH the Prince of Wales who apparently asked him when his mayoral year had been and about his role as a local councillor.

Cllr Waltho, who also served as a councillor for Wordsley for eight years prior to getting elected in St Thomas’s, said the future King Charles was “just like an ordinary guy” to talk to - “if it hadn’t been for the slightly intimidating presence of hundreds of people there and some Beefeaters standing by”.

He added: “It was amazing how well the team had briefed him.”

Cllr Waltho was accompanied on his trip to the palace by wife Jayne, the former Mayoress, his sister Alison Hadley and eldest son Jay and he said: “It was a marvellous experience. There were people there from all over the country.”

The Labour councillor was recognised with the Royal award for having raised in the region of £250,000 for a host of charities including a record-breaking £55,000 during his time as the borough’s first citizen in 2015/16 when he supported The Hope Centre in Halesowen, Stourbridge’s What? Centre, More Mascots Please, the Leukaemia Unit Appeal Fund at Russells Hall Hospital and The West Midlands Lupus Group.

His fundraising challenges have ranged from sponsored walks and bike rides to mountainous climbs. He’s even jumped out of a plane, scaled Africa’s highest peak Mount Kilimanjaro and completed 14 marathons including the London Marathon during his year in office.

The gutsy adventurer, a grandfather-of-three, is now preparing to once again climb Ben Nevis in Scotland this August in memory of Dudley peace campaigner Bert Bissell - and he is also set this year to take on his dream challenge of hiking to Base Camp on Mount Everest.