A nurse from Thornbury has been recognised on The Queen's Birthday Honours List.

Ruth Hendy, lead cancer nurse for University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, has been given the British Empire Medal.

She has received the award for her services to people living with and affected by cancer.

A post on her Trust's Facebook page stated: "In her role as lead cancer nurse, Ruth has been instrumental in leading the development, implementation and securing the long term sustainability of these services for our cancer patients.

"This includes initiatives such as the recent establishment of cancer ‘Personalised Care and Support’ services (including Health and Wellbeing events and Holistic Needs Assessments for people with cancer), which help people to maximise their health and wellbeing and provide holistic care and support for people living with and beyond their cancer diagnosis, alongside their clinical care."

Ruth said: “I feel so humbled to have been acknowledged in this way.

"I’ve worked with so many wonderful, dedicated and enthusiastic people in cancer services over 34 years at the Trust.

"I really feel this award should be seen as recognition of all we have achieved together, for people affected by cancer in Bristol and across the region.

"We’re not done yet though, there is still more to do.”

Dr Tom Wells, a medical oncology consultant based at Weston General Hospital, has received an MBE for his services to medicine and people with disabilities in the medical profession.

After a winter sports accident in 1992 left him permanently paralysed from the chest down and then being unable to speak for a year due to windpipe narrowing as a complication of the placement of a tracheostomy, Tom returned to medical school and qualified as a doctor in June 1996.

Since then, he has gone on to co-found the disability course at Bristol Medical School and over the years has given presentations to medical students about his unique perspective of disability as both a clinician and a patient. He has also taken part in the Royal College of Physicians 'This Doctors Can' campaign and written a book about his experience, called Behind the Curtains.

Tom said: “Receiving this award acts as real encouragement to continuing doing what I’m doing, and I’m intent on using my situation to challenge attitudes and help educate people around disability in medicine, showing what’s possible.

"It was such a pleasant surprise to receive this recognition, I feel honoured and I am very grateful to my wife and daughter for all of their support over the years.”