AN IRVINE woman has been named Scotland's Neighbour of the Year.

Local hero Donna Fitzpatrick from Fullarton was named winner of the Neighbour of the Year category at the RBS - Finding Scotland’s Real Heroes awards ceremony on STV last night.

The show, which was hosted by Carol Smillie, aired on STV and showed Donna receiving her award from Fred MacAulay (pictured left) and Taggart star Alex Norton (pictured right).

Donna has volunteered to run the local community centre to help keep underprivileged children in Fullarton off the streets.

The centre provides a safe place with activities for the elderly, young mums and teenagers alike, with breakfast clubs, a ladies retirement club, a bingo club for the whole family and an allotment club for those with green fingers but no garden.

Donna said: “I am over the moon about winning this category even though I never dreamt that I could. I'm hoping that this will inspire other people to reach out and help others. My family is really proud, and I will remember the awards night for many a year to come.”

As well as Donna, community heroes from across Scotland were recognised at the awards ceremony, where 11 awards were handed out by famous faces, including actor Clare Grogan, Alex Norton, and TV present Jackie Brambles to Scots who have worked tirelessly to improve the lives of people in their local area.

Earlier this year, the Scottish public were asked to nominate friends, neighbours, groups and even animals who they thought deserved to be recognised and the judging panel revealed a shortlist of nominees after an overwhelming response. 

Each week six nominees in two categories were showcased for the RBS - Finding Scotland’s Real Heroes series in which the viewers were invited to vote for the candidate they believed most deserved to collect an award.