BEING confined to a wheelchair does not prevent Middlesbrough's Citizen of the Year playing an active role in her community.

Edna Donnelly chairs the St Hilda's Community Council, Newport Area Residents' Association and the People's Forum in West Middlesbrough.

Mrs Donnelly is also a board member of the West Middlesbrough Neighbourhood Trust and is involved in a consultation programme with tenants about Middlesbrough Council's plans to transfer its housing stock to another organisation.

"I'm a Middlesbrough girl and immensely proud of the town, and that is why I want to do things which put something back into the community," she said.

"I have a band of helpers without whom I couldn't do any of this work, and it's to them that I dedicate this award."

Paul Wales, a community involvement worker with the neighbourhood trust, who nominated Mrs Donnelly, said: "Edna works tirelessly for the community where she lives. She is committed to the well-being of local people and she is trusted and respected by everyone she meets."