A woman who received an MBE for raising £70,000 for cancer research was a guest today at a garden party attended by the Queen.

Shirley Livingstone was invited to the glittering event at Harewood House, near Leeds.

Mrs Livingstone started raising money for Bradford-based War On Cancer in 1985, a year after her GP husband, Dr Stanley Livingstone, died.

She organised orchid shows, with the first raising £7,000, and set up several more shows and concerts.

Her biggest success was the Best of Bradford concert in St George's Hall in 1997, which was in memory of "Mr Bradford" Roger Suddards and raised £25,000.

This money bought two pieces of equipment for Bradford University's oncology department.

Mrs Livingstone estimated she had raised £70,000 for War On Cancer to help research in the city.

The charity merged with the Cancer Research Campaign several years ago.

Mrs Livingstone said she was thrilled when she received the MBE in the Queen's Birthday Jubilee Honours List last month.

"I overwhelmed, it was quite unexpected," she said. "It was really out of the blue and a wonderful, wonderful feeling," said Mrs Livingstone, who moved to Pool-in-Wharfedale this year after living in Bradford for nearly 40 years.

The Queen was in Leeds today as part of her Golden Jubilee tour and she and the Duke of Edinburgh were attending the garden party at Harewood House. There was also to be a festival parade and other entertainment.

Mrs Livingstone was attending the party with another Bradford woman touched by the disease, Tracey Barraclough. Miss Barraclough, of Salisbury Place, Calverley, decided to have a hysterectomy and double mastectomy because tests showed she had inherited a gene which meant a high risk of developing cancer.

Her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother all died of ovarian cancer.

She became an ambassador for Cancer Research UK following the operation and it was the charity which nominated her for an invitation.

The 42-year-old mum said she was having a break from her work for Cancer Research UK after taking part in the Race For Life in May, but would be helping raise awareness of breast cancer later in the year.

The Telegraph & Argus Bradford Can... Cancer Research Appeal is raising £1 million for research into the disease in the city. Once that target has been hit, it will unlock another £5 million of funding from Cancer Research UK.