Bentswood Hub hero Anna Sharkey recognised at carol service with Prince William and Kate Middleton

Anna, who has devoted much of her own time to working at the Bentswood Hub, attended the event after being nominated by Haywards Heath Town Mayor Howard Mundin.

The Together at Christmas service was organised by HRH The Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton and the Royal Foundation.

Kate Middleton was supported by her husband Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, as well as other members of the Royal Family including Sophie, Countess of Wessex, Mike and Zara Tindell and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.

“I was so incredibly excited to receive my Royal invitation in the post and I had such a lovely time at the concert,” said Anna.

“In addition to the traditional carols, led by the famous Westminster Abbey Choir, artists including Leona Lewis and Ellie Goulding sang so gracefully and it was lovely to meet and hear about all the other community volunteers,” she said.

“I was so honoured to attend this beautiful concert in such a gorgeous setting and I thank the Mayor so much for nominating me for a role I truly love,” she added.

Howard Mundin said he was happy Anna had been recognised for all the brilliant work she does for the community.

“Anna has long been an asset to our town, but during the Covid pandemic her outstanding work to look after her local community resulted in the creation of the Bentswood Community Hub, which has since grown into a fantastic resource for Haywards Heath,” he said.

“Our congratulations to Anna and I do hope she had a thoroughly Royal festive time.”

Mr Mundin said he was looking forward to watching the concert, which will be broadcast on ITV at 7.30pm on Christmas Eve.

The Palace said the concert, which was supported by The Royal Foundation, was established to ‘recognise and celebrate the incredible work of individuals and organizations across the nation who have stepped up to support their communities through the pandemic’.

The Duchess of Cambridge hopes the event will acknowledge the ‘unprecedented challenges’ people have faced, they said.

She also hopes it will celebrate the way communities and organisations have come together since the beginning of the Covid pandemic and remember acts of kindness across different demographics and generations and the ‘unsung heroes’ who have helped others.

The palace added that The Duchess of Cambridge would like the event to remind people ‘about the importance of human connection and what it means, as families, communities and as a nation, to be together and to feel united to help one another through times of hardship or uncertainty’.