Joan thrilled with her MBE award

Joan, who has worked at Cinemagic International Film and Television Festival for Young People for almost 12 years, was awarded an MBE for her services to the Arts and Media in Northern Ireland. She is one of the youngest honour recipients.

Married to Jonathan Keatings, the couple have two children, Zara aged 3 and Savanna aged 5 months.

She said: “I feel really thrilled, humbled and honoured. It is an achievement for everybody that I work with and for my family.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would be getting something like this.”

Prior to working at Cinemagic, Joan worked for BBC Northern Ireland.