THE 13th annual awards to honour Bolton’s women certainly proved lucky for supermum Sue Feber and caring 17 year-old Louise Settle.

Sue, from Farnworth, won the Bolton Woman of the Year Award 2008, and Louise, from Deane, received the first Bolton Young Woman of the Year Award.

They were presented engraved glass trophies at the awards’ luncheon at the Reebok when around 200 guests applauded eight award-winners at an emotional ceremony.

The awards were presented by the Mayor of Bolton, Cllr Anthony Connell, and the Mayoress, Maureen Connell, who this year also wanted to honour the town’s younger women.

Nineteen years ago, Sue Feber and her husband, Adie, adopted a little girl with learning difficulties before also adopting a boy with cerebral palsy. They fostered another girl damaged by parental drug abuse, adopting her 17 months later.

Ten years ago, the couple opened their home and their hearts to even more children and began fostering. Since then, 23 children and babies have passed through their care.

Louise Settle has been a volunteer with young people in the Willows and Deane areas, and is the youngest ever secretary of the local residents’ association. Her nominators described her as “passionate”, “enthusiastic” and “committed” to improving her local area.

Special awards went to Audrey Fletcher from Harwood, a founder member and president of Bolton’s Schools’ Music Association, and Rachael Bailey who has organised and fundraised for RJ’s Majorettes for the past eight years.

The runners-up in the Bolton Woman of the Year were Kath Miller from Lostock who started her own riding school for local disabled children, and Lesley Bennison who founded the Chemo Mums charity to help other mothers after she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

And the runners-up in the Bolton Young Woman of the Year were Kirsty Foster, an FA referee who is actively encouraging Bolton’s youngsters to take up sport, and Rivington and Blackrod High School pupil Samantha Broxton.

Radio presenter and funny man Norman Prince was the guest speaker and Bolton’s Lancashire dialect expert Hilda Barton entertained.

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