An educator from Sandhurst feels 'over the moon' to have been awarded the highest honour for her work in teaching children.

Samantha Hunt MBE was put forward for the 2020 Queen's Birthday Honours list for her incredible work in teaching thousands of students about issues from around the globe.

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The 52-year-old was awarded Secondary School Teacher of the Year in the south of England in 2001 for her work in anti-racism and genocide education.

She was also elected Chair of the NGO Survivors Fund based in Rwanda in 2013, where she led a pioneering project called ‘Reaching Rwanda’, linking UK school students with survivors.

Ms Hunt said: "Keeping it secret has been the hardest thing to do but I just had to tell my mother. I’ve been over the moon. I feel so honoured and so overwhelmed and humbled.

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"For people to take the time and effort to do something like this for me and to be honoured is a true privilege.

"The world is what we make it to be and I want to make it were people feel valued. I want to connect students with genocide to taking them to see the refugees in Calais, it’s about saying to people that we need to see the humanity first.

"I am very fortunate to work in a school were this work is highly valued and has been supported."

The Sandhurst resident started teaching in 1990 with an accolade of achievements behind her.

This includes helping students raise raised £170,000 to help genocide orphans through rebuilding and furnishing houses, securing safe accommodation for more than 50 widows and families with children.

Samantha started to well up as she explained the inspiration behind her work.

She said: “For me, it started with my grandmother. She is black and when I won the teacher of the year award she refused to come, point blank.

"She said you’re a white woman but if you stand next to me you’ll be seen as black and have a lesser in life. She felt like a lesser person and for me to educate against racism meant everything. She was my inspiration."

Rounding off her interview with the Bracknell News, she said: "I just cant believe it’s happening to me because I get so much out of the work that it fulfils me anyway.

"To be rewarded for it is really odd. But its wonderful.”