MBE from the Queen for fundraiser Yvonne

Sufferer who pulled in nearly £1m is honoured at palace

A Coseley Lupus sufferer who has raised nearly £1 million after setting up a group offering advice and support to others in her position has received an MBE from the Queen.

Yvonne Norton, aged 58, was named in the Queens New Years honours list and received her award at Buckingham Palace. She set up the West Midlands Lupus Group in 1979 after finding there was little support or guidance to help her. Mrs Norton, who received the MBE for her services to healthcare, said: “I had a wonderful two days in London.

“I went down to London with my husband Peter on the Tuesday, had a ride on the London Eye as a surprise gift from my son and his wife and then went to see Mamma Mia at the Prince of Wales theatre.

“On Wednesday morning we were obviously at Buckingham Palace to receive the MBE from the Queen, who was lovely, then it was on to the House of Commons where Dudley North MP Ian Austin had organised a champagne reception. The weather was glorious and really fitted the day – I will treasure the memories.”

Lupus is a debilitating disease in which the immune system attacks the body’s own organs and tissues. It can cause severe joint pain leading to arthritis and lead to skin rashes.

Since the mother-of-two, of Legge Lane, set up the group it has grown to 600 regular members, as well as countless others who pop in for advice and support.

It meets for drop-in sessions at Dudley’s Russells Hall Hospital on Wednesday afternoons. As chairman, Mrs Norton has headed several fundraising drives.

They include jumble sales, sponsored walks, raffles and seeking out people to take part in the London Marathon on behalf of the charity.

Over the years she has raised nearly £1 million, with more than £500,000 of that going directly towards research into the disease and patient care.

Yvonne is also a leading lobbyist behind an All Party Parliamentary Group pushing for better care for Lupus sufferers. For information on the activities of the West Midlands Lupus Group, call Mrs Norton on 01902 498236.
 

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WESTMINSTER DIARY

A champagne reception hosted by MP Ian Austin for constituent Yvonne Norton, who this week received an MBE, turned into a semi-reunion for West Midlands MPs.

They all flocked to the Terrace at the Palace of Westminster to congratulate the 58-year-old hours after meeting the Queen.

They included former Wolverhampton South East MP Dennis Turner, now Lord Bilston, South Staffordshire MP Sir Patrick Cormack, and Stourbridge MP Lynda Waltho to commend the Coseley resident’s voluntary work to support Lupus patients.