Grace Millane's mother appointed OBE for charity work

The mother of a murdered backpacker said it was a "great honour" after she was appointed an OBE for the charity she created in her daughter's memory.

Grace Millane, from Wickford, Essex, was killed in New Zealand in 2018.

After her death, her mother Gillian and cousin Hannah O'Callaghan founded Love Grace, which helps domestic abuse victims.

Ms Millane said receiving the honour was a "truly a special day and one that will last forever".

As part of the charity initiative Love Grace, they collect donated handbags and fill them with toiletries for domestic abuse victims, inspired by Grace's love of handbags.

So far, they have filled 15,600 bags for women in the UK and across the world.

"It's a simple idea but it has really taken off. We were just doing it for our grief so that Grace would never just be a number," Ms Millane said.

"They get this bag, they are not expecting it and they have gone through hell. We get hundreds of letters from people who have received the bags, it's heartbreaking."

Ms Millane has also campaigned against the rough sex defence with the charity We Can't Consent To This, and has helped to change the law in England and Wales.

She also climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, raising £33,000 for the White Ribbon charity, which aims to end male violence against women.

She later received a thank you card from the charity, saying the money had been used to fund education programmes in 65 schools in the Hull area.

"It's always bittersweet, but it was a great honour to receive my OBE from Prince William," she added.

"It was a privilege to share this occasion with my two sons, granddaughter and my brother-in-law ,which meant the world to me."

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