Southport vigil 'hardest challenge of my life', says Chaplin after MBE ceremony
He was presented with the honour by the Princess Royal
The hospital chaplain who led a vigil for victims of the Southport attack has said supporting those affected by the killings was "the hardest challenge of my life".
The Rev Martin Abrams was made an MBE at Windsor Castle on Wednesday, where he said he and the Princess Royal discussed "trying to find the words when there are no words".
Mr Abrams supported the community after the stabbings at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Merseyside last year.
Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Bebe King, six, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, were murdered in the attack, and eight children and two adults were injured.
Mr Abrams led a vigil for the Southport community and members of the emergency services to pay tribute to the young girls who were killed.
He said receiving the honour was "incredibly humbling", adding: "I'm quite numb, humbled. I think I just do my job. For that to be recognised is very special."
He said the Princess Royal asked him about the attack when she presented him with his MBE.
Mr Abrams said: "We discussed Southport. The vigil I led after the events of July 29 last year, she was asking about how the town, the families, how it felt to lead the vigil.
"We talked about trying to find words when there are no words."
Asked how it felt to support those affected by the attack, he replied: "The hardest challenge of my life.
"I grew up in Southport, I work in Southport, I am part of in Southport, and for such a horrendous thing to happen within our own community is just awful.
"In Southport, we're defined by (being) the town that has no sea, that's what people think of when they think of Southport.
"To be defined by something that is so horrific is a tragedy."
Mr Abrams, who was recognised in the King's Birthday Honours List for services to the community in Merseyside and West Lancashire, added that being a hospital chaplain can also be "incredibly rewarding".
He said: "Sometimes people will ask how I do what I do and I always answer, 'If you can just bring, even to the most horrendous situations of life... a little a bit of hope and comfort, that can be incredibly rewarding, even in the midst of horrendously sad situations'."
Others to receive an honour at Windsor Castle on Wednesday included former defence secretary Sir Grant Shapps and one half of electronic music duo Chase & Status, Will Kennard.