A DERWENTSIDE mother had the surprise of her life when she took a telephone call asking if she would accept an invitation to tea with the Queen.

Consett glass artist Maralyn O'Keefe and her husband Ron received the invitation to attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace in recognition of her work.

Mrs O'Keefe has exported her art across the world, and has opened a gallery in Consett which houses the work of 62 North-East artists.

A piece of her work was presented to the people of Omagh by Mo Molem.

Mrs O'Keefe has achieved all this in two years since she decided to convert the front bedroom of her home in Medomsley Road into a workshop, and set up Glass Design UK.

Despite her achievements, it was still a shock to be invited to Buckingham Palace.

"It was a surprise but it was wonderful," she said.

"Everyone was dressed up and stood outside Buckingham Palace. When we actually went in through the French doors and then into the beautiful gardens it was really unbelievable.

"Everyone was in awe of it, and it makes you feel really special.

"Everyone was equal and there were no medals or ranks being pulled or anything. The only bad thing was I'm from London but haven't been back for a while. All the changes there made me feel really old."

Mrs O'Keefe is in the process of teaching her skills to Japanese artist Noriko Hoki who is learning the ancient art of lead stained glass