Blackpool athlete Shelly Woods has collected another top honour.

Shelly, 19, of Wembley Avenue, Layton, beat off tough competition from across the region to be named Disabled Sports Person of the Year at the BBC North West Sports Awards held in Manchester.

The wheelchair-racing sportswoman, who works for Blackpool Council's Leisure Services division, was presented with the award by Phoenix Nights actor, Patrick McGuinness.

She said it marked the end of an "amazing year" during which she earned herself a bronze medal in the European Championships, won the wheelchair race of the Great North Run and scooped third place in her debut at the New York Marathon.

And Marton's 16-year-old table tennis champion, Charlene Mills won the Young Performer of the Year title following her gold medal success in table tennis at the World Transplant Games in July. Collecting her award, she said: "Wow! This is wonderful."

Shelly, who was paralysed afterfalling from a tree aged 11, said: "It's such a shock to win this award but an amazing feeling -- brilliant. I'm really proud to be given such a prestigious title, especially considering the calibre of the people I was up against.

"It's also really nice to have all the hard work put in by myself and my training team recognised publicly."

l Seven Lancashire runners have just returned from the gruelling Everest Marathon race at 17,000 feet in the Himalayas during which they raised £50,000 - half of which is to be given to Shelly to help her train to get to the Paralympics in Beijing in 2008.