Sylvia Wright, who turns 70 this year, is returning from humanitarian work in India to receive the honour, which was announced in January 2007.

She left work as a nurse in 1982, selling all her possessions to fund her work in Tamil Nadu, one of the poorest states of India.

Since then, she has established a hospital, a school for deaf children and several centres for disabled people.

For the first few years, she funded her work with her own money, but soon had to appeal to friends for help. The Sylvia Wright Trust was set up to support the hospital and school, which are both now going strong.

Miss Wright said: “Our work is very demanding, with many difficulties, but many rewards.

“The more work we do, the more needs are uncovered, but definite improvements are seen in both the living conditions and health of the people we serve. I am looking forward to going to Buckingham Palace before returning to my work in Tamil Nadu.”

Miss Wright has recently recovered from dengue fever, an insect-borne illness which she contracted over Easter, but plans to return to India aftger a short holiday.

People who have known and supported Miss Wright’s work over the last 26 years said the prestigious title is very well deserved.

Tony Allinson, chairman of the Sylvia Wright Trust, said: “She started with a mobile clinic visiting local villages and she now runs a 200-bed hospital, opened in 2002, which treats 8,000 inpatients and 70,000 outpatients each year.

“There are now 240 pupils in the school for profoundly deaf children, which she built in 1996. The 32 teachers have helped the children achieve excellent exam results. The whole operation is non-denominational and open to all the local people.”

As well as getting friends to raise money in the UK, Miss Wright has secured funds from the Indian government even though there is no welfare state.

Michael Lydon, one of the trustees who has visited Miss Wright in India several times, said: “Sylvia is modest and unsentimental about her achievements. These are, however, outstanding and have been driven by her incredible seven-days-a-week work rate, her forceful personality and her determination to overcome every obstacle.”