A former regional daily photographer has been awarded the MBE for her work championing causes for the disabled in her area.

Jenny Barnes, left, who worked at the South Wales Argus, was recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for her work with CAIR, an organisation she co-founded in 1979 while working for the newspaper.

CAIR (Contact, Action, Inform, Represent) brings together smaller organisations in Monmouthshire representing disabled people and their carers on issues that affect them.

She has been its unpaid leader for nearly 30 years and her opinion is frequently sought for planning applications where access for disabled people may be affected.

Since 2003, Jenny has campaigned for better disabled access on railways and has received several awards, including the Service in the Community Award from the Gwent Association of Voluntary Organisations in 2014.

Jenny told the Argus: “It was right out of the blue for me but I was pleased and very chuffed. I still don’t know who put me up to this but it’s nice to have your work recognised.

“I would be most happy if there was absolutely no need for care and the barriers would be removed but that’s not the case.”