A DARLINGTON woman has been named NCT Volunteer of the Year at the national NCT Stars Awards at the Space Centre in Leicester.

The award is presented to a volunteer who has gone above and beyond expectations and made a significant impact on new parents’ lives and wellbeing.

As Regional Coordinator for the North East, Alison Stephenson led a re-energisation of the entire NCT network in the area and transformed some struggling branches. She also supported NCT’s Hidden Half campaign to ensure all new mums with mental health problems receive the support they need.

Alison is deaf and made an amazing video to spread the word of the campaign with sign language and subtitles.

She said: "I’m delighted to have won this award. Volunteering with NCT can be really good fun as well as hard work."