Claire Reynolds put forward for Parent Of The Year award

Claire Reynolds, of Acomb, York, has been put forward as Parent Of The Year in The Press’s awards scheme, which we are holding in conjunction with Benenden Healthcare Society and City of York Council.

As well as providing care for her 14-year-old daughter, Kristina, who suffers from global development delay and epilepsy, and 13-year-old daughter, Danielle, who has mild cerebral palsy, Claire works part-time as a teacher at Woodthorpe Primary School.

Last year, she even found time to team up with her friend, Gwen Palmer, and raise £9,000 for Mencap and SNAPPY, a York charity that organises play activities for children with learning difficulties.

The pair held a multitude of fundraising events before embarking on a six-day cycle ride through Argentina and Chile.

Gwen, who nominated Claire for the award, said: “Claire is a special lady who is selfless, caring, loving and a wonderful mum.

“She stays at home to take care of Kristina and Danielle when her husband takes their two older daughters skiing and she very rarely does anything for herself.

“So when it came to the long flight to Argentina and leaving her family behind, Claire was very nervous and constantly worried about her family and how they were all coping.”

Gwen said Claire, whose two older daughters are Charlotte, 19, and Natasha, 16, always managed to get the right balance between caring, loving and teaching her children to become independent young women.

She said: “As if having three children wasn’t enough to cope with, Claire decided to adopt a child with cerebral palsy.

“Danielle has progressed so well with Claire she is now able to attend a mainstream secondary school.”

Less than two weeks remain to nominate your unsung hero in our Community Pride Awards.

Return the entry form, along with a supporting statement, by July 23.