THE founder of Burnham-on-Sea based charity that has transformed hundreds of lives has won a Platinum Jubilee Award.

Angie Clarke has received the accolade from the Royal Voluntary Service for volunteering services.

It comes in recognition of years of service to the community, volunteering her time to help others and making a difference to people's lives.

Angie founded the residential rehabilitation treatment centre Somewhere House in 2006 for people seeking help with drug, alcohol, gambling and eating addictions.

She also set up a community charity in 2011 following her decision "to rather than retire, to continue helping others".

Both still flourish under her guidance.

Trustee Rob Jones said: "Angie's honest approach to life, mental health and wellbeing has helped and served many hundreds if not thousands of people. She is quite frankly a local hero."

Angie received confirmation of the award from The Duchess of Cornwall, who said she was one of 490 recipients from more than 3,000 nominations.

Angie brought out a book last year entitled Sh*t Creek to Somewhere Else, drawing on lessons from her own life to help readers make the best of whatever life throws at them.

At the time, she said: "I’m very lucky. I have an opportunity to help people change and get different lives.

"I’m really proud of the fact that I wrote the book, and I enjoyed the process of writing and I realised that I could do it.

"I don’t have any expectations of the book. I wrote it with the view that, if I helped one person, then it was one person more than I’d already helped in the world."