A Faringdon couple was rewarded with an invitation to a royal garden party at Buckingham Palace in recognition of their charity work.

Christine and Eddie Williams attended one of the first garden parties hosted by King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla which was attended by several other senior Royals including the Duke of Kent, just days before the coronation, on May 4.

This was following their long-term support for Oxfordshire’s award-winning charity ARCh (Assisted Reading for Children).

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Ms Williams spoke with the Duke of Kent about the ARCh's work and its volunteers working in primary schools across the county to improve children’s literacy and social skills.

She said: "The Duke couldn’t believe that some children still leave school unable to read.

"He was perfectly charming. Blue eyes, very much as I imagined the late Queen’s to be and a lovely smile."

ARCh provides trained volunteers to more than a hundred primary schools across Oxfordshire.

They work one-to-one with selected children, providing twice-weekly “happy reading” sessions.

Elaine Adams, joint CEO of ARCh said: “We are blessed to have many wonderful people supporting the work of the Charity and it was truly gratifying to nominate Christine and Eddie to represent ARCh at Buckingham Palace on such a special occasion.

“After the massive disruption to education over the last year and a half there is a bigger than ever need for our services and we are calling for more volunteers to join us in our 15th anniversary year.”