BECOMING a special friend to a cerebral palsy sufferer has led to a top award for a Thornton carer.

Andrew Sheriff picked up his accolade from celebrity Jane Asher at the Leonard Cheshire Innovation in Disability Awards during a London ceremony to honour special carers.

A care worker at the Fylde branch of the Leonard Cheshire Care at Home Services, the 42-year-old befriends and helps people with a wide range of disabilities, from mild learning difficulties to the severely mentally handicapped.

And it was Martin, one of these close friends, who nominated him for the award.

The pair have developed a special bond during the 18 months that Andrew has known 30-year-old Martin, who suffered severe head injuries after being knocked down on the Promenade 20 years ago.

It left him with cerebral palsy and totally dependent on others for his needs, but Martin's mum Jean says since the arrival of Andrew her son has brightened up.

She added: "He has kept the family together.

"As long as I have got that back-up I feel more calm in myself.

"Having Andrew there means he can help out with family outings, shopping trips and day-to-day chores."

Andrew said of his award: "I was very surprised and honoured, it was totally out of the blue and neither Martin nor his mum had let anything slip."

He added the award ceremony itself had been an exciting day, the only regret being that "Martin was unable to accompany me to the awards, due to illness."

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