A 'superhero' from South Derbyshire who has been raising funds for nearly a quarter of a century has been named Fund-raiser of the Year in the 2018 Burton Mail Heroes Awards.

Brian Storer, 71, from Linton, has raised more than £95,000 for a number of good causes throughout his life despite suffering the losses of both his wife and son.

He has been dedicated to helping others, beginning when three people in his home village needed wheelchairs, and Brian stepped in with his wife to raise the money for them.

Following the death from cancer of his wife and childhood sweetheart, Helen, in 1994, the garden landscaper decided to put his efforts into fund-raising.

The pair had met when they were only 16, but Helen lost her battle against stomach cancer at the age of 46 following a 13-year fight.

Naomi Wilson of Astle Paterson with Brian Storer, winner of The Fundraiser of The Year Award
Naomi Wilson of Astle Paterson with Brian Storer, winner of The Fundraiser of The Year Award

The Helen Storer Cancer Campaign was set up after she had spent five months in the former Queen Elizabeth Hospital, in Birmingham.

Around £18,000 was initially raised providing Brian with a springboard to help other chosen projects.

He continued to raise money for the children's ward and the cancer unit at Burton's Queen's Hospital and the Ronald McDonald Hospice.

At the awards ceremony, he said: "There are so many people I would like to thank.

The people in Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Leicestershire have been so generous donating their money to us and what we do and I cannot thank them enough for that.

"Sadly, in February, my son, Martin, also died so when we hit £100,000, which we will, we're going to change the name to the Martin Storer Campaign."

The award was sponsored by Astle Paterson, solicitors based in Horninglow Street, Burton.

A spokesman spoke of the firm's pride at sponsoring the award and said that they "know a thing or two" about supporting the community, after being based in the town for more than 35 years.

Runners-up

Angela Haywood

Winshill's Angela Haywood is one of the inspirational driving forces behind the Pink Ribbon Ladies group, which has raised £43,000 for the Breast Cancer Now appeal.

Pink Ribbon Ladies, based at Branston Pavilion, regularly make small donations to local charities, like the Burton YMCA.

At the age of just 21 Angela lost her mother to ovarian cancer and more recently her husband John, who died of pancreatic cancer.

On her retirement she wanted to give something back to the community and joined the Pink Ribbon Ladies at Branston Pavilion.

With the support of a small dedicated committee, Angela organises well-supported monthly lunches at Branston Pavilion, usually with a speaker, regularly attracting over 50 ladies.

Naomi Wilson of Astle Paterson with Brian Storer, winner of The Fundraiser of The Year Award and runners-up Jemma Purslow, left and Angela Haywood
Naomi Wilson of Astle Paterson with Brian Storer, winner of The Fundraiser of The Year Award and runners-up Jemma Purslow, left and Angela Haywood

Jemma Purslow

Jemma Purslow was nominated for her tireless fund-raising efforts to support one of her closest friends through her battle with cancer.

Jemma's friend, Hannah, was admitted to Burton's Queen's Hospital just before Christmas 2017.

She was transferred to Nottingham City Hospital in January this year, where she was diagnosed with incurable Synovial Sarcoma affecting her lung.

This rare form of cancer only impacts one in one million people.

As Hannah was recovering from sepsis, Jemma embarked on an amazing mission to raise money for Sarcoma UK which researches treatment for this extremely rare cancer and support patients and their families.

She ran four full marathons on four consecutive weekends, travelling across the country to raise £15,000 for the cause.