FOOTBALL legend Cyrille Regis spoke of his pride as he received an MBE at Buckingham Palace yesterday.

The former Chester city striker joined Eastenders’ veteran June Brown who plays Dot Cotton in the soap and Wirral Commissionaire Ted Dillon in collecting their honours.

Mr Dillon, 72, from Pensby, picked up his MBE for his work at Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology. He is the first friendly face that patients see when they walk through the front doors of the region’s leading cancer treatment centre, and is renowned for his kind manner and cheerful character and for going that “extra mile” for patients and staff.

He joined the hospital in 1992 as a commissionaire, following a 40-year career serving in the Royal Air Force.

Regis, one of the first black players to achieve stardom in the English game, received the honour from the Queen for services to the voluntary sector and football.

The former England player said that in the early days of his career he did not realise that he and other black players were making history.

“History will say that we broke barriers but at the time you just want to play. Looking back on it, there was a whole sea change.”