A PROBATION worker has received her MBE at Buckingham Palace where she chatted with Prince Charles.

Dawn Giamas, aged 51, was accoladed in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for her services to the rehabilitation of offenders and the community in Greater Manchester.

The mother-of-two, who has worked in probation for more than 15 years, was accompanied by her mother June, sister Sonia and daughter Mina at the investiture ceremony held by The Prince of Wales.

Mrs Giamas is currently involved in running the Attic Project in Bury, where she runs a Job Club and helps with Greater Manchester Probation Trust’s (GMPT) Women’s Supervision Centre.

Over the past 30 years, Mrs Giamas has worked in a wide range of organisations and projects, such as Bury Hospice.

She said: "While speaking with Prince Charles, I was impressed by how knowledgable he was about all the work I had done in probation and in my local community. It is such a great honour to receive such an award. I feel very humbled by this recognition.”

She added: "I have found supporting offenders to be immensely rewarding.

“Helping people gain employment or attend training courses not only helps with their rehabilitation, it is intimately linked to reducing re-offending because people with a stake in society are less likely to get back into trouble.”

Mrs Giamas was nominated by Michael Ventris , from GMPT, for helping offenders access education, training and employment and for her charity work.

He said: “She is absolutely committed, enthusiastic and proactive in her dedication to helping others.

“Not only was she highly effective, she would regularly go above and beyond the job’s requirements by working during evenings and over weekends to ensure the events she ran were extremely successful.

“She planned charity events which offenders organised because she understood that this is an excellent way for the people we supervise to give something back.

“Additionally, her knowledge of the organisations active in Bury is unparalleled, and made her an invaluable employee.”