Guard of honour salutes Islington’s ‘perfect neighbour’ Dolly
A GREAT-GRANDMOTHER enjoyed the day-trip of a lifetime when she went to Buckingham Palace to receive an MBE from Prince Charles.
Dolly Wren, 77, who has lived in Isleden House, in Prebend Street, Islington, for 60 years won the award for her remarkable community spirit.
She was a teenage bride with three children when arriving in 1948 – a year before Isleden House was even officially opened.
The spirited resident raised the children by herself, working as a cleaner and in a shoe factory to support them.
Isleden House staff recommended her for the MBE because she is a “perfect neighbour” always helping other tenants.
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Speaking after the ceremony at Buckingham Palace, Ms Wren said: “Even if I won the lottery, I wouldn’t move from Isleden House. You can’t buy a community like you have here. I was really honoured to receive the MBE from Prince Charles for doing something I love.”
This was not her first brush with royalty, after the Duchess of Cornwall visited the estate on its 60th anniversary in April last year. And she can recall Queen Mary, Prince Charles’ great-grandmother, performing the official opening ceremony in 1949.
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The estate has been owned and managed by the City of London Corporation since 1953.
