GLENDA Tracey has been nominated for our Outstanding Volunteer Award for her work with teenagers over the last few years.

And Angela Allen, who nominated her, hopes the award might act as a belated birthday present for her friend who celebrated her 60th birthday last November.

Glenda is secretary for the North West region of the Camping and Caravanning Club and several years ago was asked to help with a youth trip to Kent.

She and her husband Barry, 56, have never looked back.

The pair, from Littleborough, have since taken youths from across the North West on countless trips throughout the UK and also abroad. A large percentage of them are from the Blackburn area.

They also act as a foster family for children from Belarus and are going there in two weeks to take care of youngsters in the sanatorium at Minsk.

All of this is done in their own time without payment and Glenda, a retired office manager, raises funds to help supplement the cost to the youth's parents.

Angela said: "I have known her for around eight years and she is absolutely fantastic.

"As well as all her work with taking kids camping she does a lot for those in Belarus and sponsored a child there.

"She has made so many youths happy and she treats them all as her own." Glenda said: "The first trip was such good fun that we just got more and more involved I have lost count of the number of trips we have been on."

"The biggest group we take is from Blackburn as a lot of the pick-ups start there and we use a Blackburn-based coach service.

"All of the kids are a credit to their families. Nominations for all 11 Pride of East Lancashire awards will be accepted until September 30.

Thisislancashire's special Pride of East Lancashire section...