JOURNALISTS get a serious dose of list-itis at this time of year. Looking back is as contagious as winter flu as we rack our brains to come up with yet another “Best of” list.

And this is no exception – except you won’t see a list like this anywhere else.

For this is a roll call of honour – a list of local women who have made a difference in the past 12 months.

Some of their stories may be familiar to you already. But all deserve to be in our thoughts again, as their bravery, thoughtlessness and actions serve as an inspiration to us all.

This list isn’t exhaustive – or in any particular order other than alphabetical – but reminds us that while the rest of the world may be proclaiming the likes of Cheryl Cole and Kate Middleton as women of the year, the real heroines are a lot closer to home…

Charlotte Cundall

Three years after breaking her back in a riding accident, the 25 year old who rides out for Malton trainer Richard Fahey, climbed back in the saddle and started winning again – not just with her horse, but her pen. Charlotte’s stark account of her accident and recovery also scooped a writing award.


Jill Hatton

Mother of York war hero Matthew Hatton, killed in action in Afghanistan, was part of a team of eight to climb Kilimanjaro and raise more than £70,000 for the Help For Heroes charity in his memory. Jill was joined in the venture by other family members including Matthew’s dad, Phil, and his sister Vicky, 26. The team overcame severe altitude sickness to complete the 5,896-metre climb.


Jane McLaughlin

Jane had watched her son Liam go through two unsuccessful kidney transplants before doctors told her she could become his donor. Using a process called plasma exchange, doctors said they could overcome antibodies that had previously prevented her becoming a donor. After the op, mother and son joined The Press’s Lifesavers Campaign to persuade more people to join the Organ Donor Register.


Charelle Neale

“Our loss is heaven’s gain” was the comment made by 33-year-old Charelle’s best friend when she died – just three weeks after getting married to Matt, her partner of four years, and seven months after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Our thoughts remain with her two children, Georgia, eight, and Cameron, 12.


Claire Reynolds

This mum of four from Acomb works as a part-time teacher and looks after her family. After having two healthy daughters, she had Kristina, who needs 24-hour care, yet went on to adopt another child with cerebral palsy. A justified winner of the Parent of the Year in The Press’s Community Pride awards.


Vicky Swales

Vicky was just 16 when she got engaged to her soldier boyfriend Craig Wood, 18. Three weeks later he was critically injured by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan, losing both legs and an arm. Vicky moved from York to Doncaster to become Craig’s full-time carer. Sadly for both of them, the stresses and problems were too much and the couple split up.


Joanne Todd

This mum-of-two from Copmanthorpe raised almost £1,500 for cancer charities by staging a fundraiser at her home in memory of three members of her family who died of the disease in the same year. In 2007, Joanne lost her mum, Ann, to ovarian cancer, mum-in-law Mary Adams to pancreatic cancer and her three-year-old niece, Georgia Hammond, who had a brain tumour.


WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Who is your women of the year? Write to Maxine Gordon, Features, The Press, 76-86 Walmgate, York, YO1 9YN. Or email: features@thepress.co.uk