A CAMPAIGN launched in The Northern Echo has scooped a major newspaper industry award.

The Forgotten Hero campaign - to raise £40,000 for a statue in memory of Second World War hero Andrew Mynarski - was awarded the Newsquest Campaign of the Year.

Mynarski was posthumously awarded the VC after trying to save a comrade's life in a blazing Lancaster bomber.

A successful conclusion to the campaign will be announced in the near future.

Judge Terry Manners, editor of the Western Daily Press, said of a series of articles by chief reporter Sam Strangeways: "This was an extraordinary campaign, so different to the normal money-raising missions that local and regional newspapers undertake.

"Well-displayed and well-written, it was not just a worthy cause, but an extremely interesting read.

"To raise £40,000 for a statue in memory of a war hero is not an easy task. I take my hat off to The Northern Echo and the editorial support the campaign received."

Northern Echo editor Peter Barron said: "The Forgotten Hero campaign has caught the imagination of people not only in the North-East of England but across the world, and all those who have played a part can take pride in this prestigious award."

The award was one of several prizes awarded to The Northern Echo by Newsquest, the paper's owners.

Chief sports writer Scott Wilson was highly commended in the Sports Writer of the Year category.

The editorial and newspaper sales team were named Team of the Year.

The paper was also given the Innovation awards for Till Wobblers, a promotional initiative at the point of sale.

The Northern Echo's sister paper, the Darlington and Stockton Times, received an award for Best Brand Promotion for a Weekly Newspaper for its Flavours of Hambleton promotion, and was highly commended in the Best Paid For Weekly Newspaper category.