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A long-serving community volunteer has seen her efforts recognised by King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
Janie Hughes, 81, from Cefn Fforest, attended this year’s Royal Maundy, held at St Asaph’s Cathedral in north Wales on Thursday April 2.
During the service, more than 140 people were presented with Royal Maundy gifts from the King. It was also the first time the service had been held in Wales since 1982.
What is the Royal Maundy?
The Royal Maundy is an ancient royal tradition, dating back to the 1200s, where the reigning monarch gives out special silver coins, known as ‘Maundy Money’ to pensioners on Maundy Thursday (the Thursday before Easter).
Ms Hughes attended the event six years after being invited, thanks to her hairdresser, Samantha Nethercott, who runs Headquarters in Aberbargoed.
Unbeknown to Ms Hughes and her family, Ms Nethercott sent a letter to the King last year following Ms Hughes’ cancer diagnosis.
In the letter, she described Ms Hughes’ situation and explained how she had been unable to attend the Royal Maundy service in 2020 due to its cancellation during the Covid‑19 pandemic.
In September 2025, Ms Hughes received a reply, formally inviting her to attend the Royal Maundy the following April.
Her family were shocked to learn that her hairdresser had contacted the Palace, but were overjoyed that she would finally be able to attend the event.
Over the past three decades, Ms Hughes has been a Macmillan ambassador, running her 30th consecutive coffee morning in Caerphilly for the charity this past autumn.
She has raised more £40,000 for Macmillan during her time with the charity.
She also volunteers at Rhymney Valley Foodbank, and is their longest-serving volunteer.
Ms Hughes’ daughter, Ceri, said her mother’s cancer diagnosis 12 months ago came as a shock, but that the invitation to the Royal Maundy became an incentive for her to beat the disease.
“We were all shocked and in disbelief – it was all so sudden,” she said.
“Despite being diagnosed, she still wanted to run the coffee morning in September, and she used the date of the Maundy service as motivation to get through her treatment, which she did so strongly.”
Ms Hughes is currently in remission, remains in high spirits, and is continuing her recovery following chemotherapy.
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