Florence is 2006 Bury Woman of the Year

Those were the words of older people's champion Mrs Florence Lyons as she was crowned Bury's Woman of the Year.

Florence joined around 200 women from varied walks of life at Bury Town Hall to discover who had been awarded the prestigious title at Bury Hospice's biggest fundraiser of the year.

After enjoying luncheon, the ladies - including the Mayoress of Bury, Pat Walton, - settled down to listen to guest speaker Clarissa Hyman, award-winning food and travel writer, talk about her globetrotting adventures.

The annual event recognises those who have gone above and beyond the call of duty within the community, making a real difference to the lives of those around them. There were 15 nominees.

But the judges decided that the honour should go to Florence who collected her Bury Woman of the Year pin badge and porcelain figure - coincidentally named Florence - from last year's winner, Sandra Morris.

Florence said: "I am surprised to have been awarded this. I have read all about the people who have been nominated and see all the work they do and feel, in a way, it is for the people of Bury and the women of Bury that I accept this with thanks."

Born in the 1920s, Florence's caring nature came to the fore when she was just three years old, doing little tasks, such as fetching books for her mother who was diagnosed with disseminated sclerosis.

Speaking to the Bury Times, Florence said: "I think somehow that's what made me who I am today. Back then there were no benefits, you had to pay for every tablet and every spoonful of medicine, but we did have good neighbours and they were brilliant when thinking about it."

During the Second World War, Florence joined the Armed Forces, along with her three siblings, as a spotter on an artillery station. She was sent to Egypt and, after being demobbed, returned to England to study at college in Edinburgh. She later moved back to her home town to be with her sweetheart, Johnny, and the couple were married in 1950 at St Joseph's Church in Bury.

They spent the next 43 years raising daughters Frances and Karen. Johnny died in 1993.

After a career spent mainly working for Bury social services in home care, Florence has dedicated her retirement years working as an "older people's champion" to ensure better benefits for the elderly, especially in health and social care. She travels the country as the regional and UK representative for Better Government for Older People and is also a familiar face representing older people for the Bury Environment and Youth Issues Committees, GMPTE Disability Group and the Royal College of Nursing Strategy Group.

She is also a founding member of the Bury Elders' Forum and vice-chairman of both the Partnership for Positive Ageing and the Public Voice on Policing.

At the award at the ceremony, Florence had the audience in stitches when she revealed that the reason why she walked with a stick was nothing to do with old age, but due to spending more time with her grandchildren and getting slightly over-enthusiastic on the climbing frames at an adventure playground. She said: "The injury is completely self-inflicted, but people feel sorry for me and I use that as a weapon for when people see a little white-haired lady limping up to them and begging for more funds for charity. I wonder if this award will help me get more money?!"

Hilda Harvey, chairman of Bury Primary Care Trust, said: "Florence is a worthy winner of the title Bury Woman of the Year. She is invaluable in her input to debates and discussions about health services locally."

The other nominees were...

Anita Ajose Since retiring from work due to ill-health, Anita has been a committee member for First Cancer Research helping to organise the Relay for Life, contacting the media, assisting volunteers and organising fundraising events. Anita also arranged for children to have one day of training at Manchester United.

Geraldine Greene Chairman of Hurdles, Geraldine has become a familiar face in the Bury Times as she campaigned to save the Re:d Centre from funding cuts imposed by Bury Council. The case went to Parliament for a judicial review, forcing the council to rethink its decision to cuts its contribution of £235,000 to the centre which looks after children with special needs.

Jennifer Klein Jennifer has been a volunteer for the Manchester Jewish Soup Kitchen for many years, originally helping to prepare and deliver the meals before moving into the financial side, taking care of the books and banking.

Janice Lloyd Janice has worked for various voluntary organisations and received an honour from the Queen for her work in the community. She has worked for the women's section of the British Legion for the past 12 years as secretary of the Bury branch, county and town standard bearer, treasurer and a member of the county committee. Her other work includes fundraising for Shopmobility and a volunteer at Bury Hospice.

Jacqueline Lomax Retired Bury General Hospital administrator Jacquie has spent 45 years as a Girl Guides leader, teaching generations of girls a variety of skills from sewing to campfire cooking giving up her free time for camps, training courses and meetings.

Lita Price For the last ten years, Lita has been volunteering for the Nicky Alliance centre, running the convenience shop. She also organises regular raffles for the charity, shops for members and helps to organise the annual fundraising events.

Molly Ratcliffe A committed member of the Bury Unitarian Church, Molly arranges the floral displays and visits sick members in hospital and at home. Molly also works for Bury Pipeline Talking Newspapers and is a Bury Hospice volunteer. She is a member of Soroptimist International of Bury and is involved with the hospice Penguin Project.

Linda Ridding Linda provides short-break care for eight children with complex disabilities and has specially adapted her home to deliver respite care. In the last four years she has created a soothing environment using light therapy, music and massage to relax the children and offer them comfort while they stay overnight or long weekends.

Edwina Rosenberg The "Mary Poppins" of the borough, Edwina is a tireless worker within the Jewish community visiting both young and old in hospital and teaching children with learning difficulties every morning at a Catholic school. Her nominator describes her as: "An angel who deserves to be recognised. Life would be a lot dimmer without Edwina to brighten it."

Julia Rowlands Julia is the founder of charity Porch, providing emergency equipment for people in need, including food and supplies. She has also raised more than £1,200 for Marie Curie Cancer Care by taking part in the Great North Run.

Miranah Ryan A former psychiatric nurse, Irish Dancing world champion and star of her own band, Miranah devotes her time to showcasing the talents of her three children, travelling them to and from television appearances which have included Children's Ward, Shameless and Emmerdale.

Sylvia Sheff After 30 years as a local magistrate, Sylvia spends her retirement campaigning for the rights of Jewish people using her experiences gained on the bench and her strong principles of justice, respect and equality.

Rachel Tran Rachel has got her life back on track after suffering a mental breakdown in her late teens and is now working as a Brownie Guide leader, planning meetings, raising finances and communicating with parents and fellow leaders. At Stand United Reformed Church, she helps organise the Pensioners' Christmas Meal and runs the Christian Aid stall at Radcliffe.

Iris Webb Iris organises trips, holidays and other social events for older people as well as events for Bury Women's Luncheon Club. Earlier this year, Iris raised £800 for Research into Alzheimers with a birthday weekend for 90 guests and regularly takes her neighbours to hospital appointments.