A woman who was a hero to so many throughout the devastating floods brought by Storm Desmond said the recognition she received meant "the world" to her.

Nicki Butterworth, who has terminal cancer, brushed her own struggles aside and stepped up when others were left with nothing.

The Penrith volunteer was instrumental in setting up Eden Flood Volunteers - now the Community Emergency Response Team(CERT) UK - and in the aftermath of Storm Desmond she made herself available 24/7.

She was recognised for her devotion to helping others with the #spiritofcumbria award in the Community Heroes Awards 2016.

Commenting on her award she said: "It was just fantastic. It meant the world to me."

She said she was "humbled" to be recognise but insisted her award went to the team at Eden Flood Volunteers.

Given her devotion, it's no surprise Nicki received multiple nominations. One of the people who put her forward said: "Selfless to a fault, she can never do enough for people, working tirelessly for days on end to help those in need.

"Despite poor health, she continually put in the hours.

"She is an inspiration and such a help to others."

Another inspirational woman who was recognised at last years ceremony was 83-year-old Jess Sinclair.

This amazing lady was shocked to be recognised with the Judges' Special Award.

Not even expecting a nomination, Mrs Sinclair, of Cummersdale, said she felt she had already been rewarded through her charity work.

She has volunteered with Age UK for 21 years and through her retirement has dedicated her time to various charities and causes.

Mrs Sinclair said that receiving the award made her want to highlight the work of others and she has made her own nomination this year.

"It was easy to select someone," she said. "I think that, although I was acutely embarrassed of being nominated in the first place and then to actually get an award, I realised that there's so many people out there who volunteer, who go way beyond what you would normally expect of anybody, and I thought why do I get this and so many more other people who are equally or more deserving of it, why is it that they are not recognised as well.

"That made me decide then that I would like to nominate someone so that they were also recognised for all the work that they do," she said. "I feel sure there's a great many people out there who are more than deserving of recognition and I would urge other people to think about someone because everybody will know someone who goes beyond the normal bounds.

"I would like to encourage other people to make a nomination."

Mrs Sinclair was also nominated by a former winner, Teresa Mulholland, who was crowned Parent of the Year at the inaugural awards in 2015.

These ladies epitomise the people we want to recognise in the Community Heroes Awards.

If you know someone similar, give them a nomination in one of this year's 11 categories which include Good Neighbour, Unsung Hero, Volunteer of the Year and School Worker of the Year.

A new award for 2017 is #proudcumbria, the judges' special award.

There's also a chance to nominate the Best Community Project and your Sporting Heroes.

The awards will be presented at Carlisle Racecourse on Thursday, June 29.

To make a nomination, please fill in the form below and return it by post, or make an entry online at www.cumberlandnews.co.uk/heroes.

Nominations close on Friday, April 28.