PRISON officer Christine Lewis has been to Buckingham Palace to receive a prestigious award for her 'exceptional dedication and skills' in her work at Channings Wood prison near Newton Abbot.

The Princess Royal presented the award for education and skills training, one of the top awards made to prison officers in Britain.

The citation accompanying the award said Christine had, largely in her own time, created two national directories of offending behaviour programmes and work skills courses — now widely used across England and Wales.

The Butler Trust Keith Bromley award is one of the most sought-after awards for people working with offenders in the UK.

Channings Wood governor Jeanine Hendrick says the entire prison staff is proud of Christine's achievement.

Christine has been at Channings Wood for more than 10 years, the last six as a prison officer.