ALANA Bradshaw was still a teenager when her seven-year-old sister Shannon died of a rare bone marrow condition.

In the 16 years since, she has seen the Shannon Bradshaw Trust flourish in her memory and support hundreds of terminally-ill children.

The mum-of-two has put countless of hours of work into the trust, and was named Charity Champion at this year’s Warrington Guardian Inspiration Awards.

Alana, from Great Sankey, said: "I’m shocked – I wasn’t expecting to win because there were some cracking nominations.

"Even being shortlisted meant the world to me, because I’m keeping my sister’s name alive."

The 34-year-old’s efforts have included organising the Shannon Bradshaw Trust’s sell-out annual ball almost single-handedly, arranging events and Christmas parties for children and the elderly and raising funds for the charity herself by climbing Snowdon.

But Alana ‘never expects any thanks’ and does all this in her sister’s memory.

She added: "It’s been amazing to see the amount of trustees that have come on board at the charity over the past 16 years.

"There are a lot of volunteers, and we couldn’t be where we are today without the support of Warrington and places further afield – people come from all over the place to support us.

"I’ve got two children of my own, and it makes you realise how much the money we raise is helping these terminally-ill children.

"I enjoy helping other people – I think that’s what I was put on this Earth to do and that’s what I want to carry on doing for the rest of my life."

Highly-commended in the Charity Champion category were Helen Higginson and Beth Trainer.

Helen runs the Warrington and Halton Hospitals’ Charity with only the help of two part-time volunteers, generating much-needed funds to buy equipment and improve patients’ stays in hospital.

Beth meanwhile is a homeless support worker and volunteer at the Shannon Bradshaw Trust and Warrington Disability Partnership.

Her weekends and evenings are ‘filled with helping others and promoting acts of kindness’ – from taking part in charity fun days to organising food for the Room at the Inn.