KEIGHLEY Marks & Spencer boss Clare Laverick has won a coveted accolade.

She has scooped the Supporter of the Year title in the 17th annual Pride of M&S awards.

The honours recognise employees who have gone above and beyond to support one another, the environment or people in the community.

Clare – the store manager at Keighley, who has worked for M&S for nearly three decades – was praised as an "inspirational leader and mentor" to her colleagues.

She works closely with the Prince's Trust and Royal British Legion to support people going through the Make Your Mark programme, which helps 18-to-25-year-olds not in employment, education or training.

And she backs charity partners in the area through the Business in the Community and Healthy High Streets initiatives.

"It's a real honour to be nominated for a Pride of M&S award and to be recognised as Supporter of the Year is simply the icing on the cake," she said.

"Inspiring my colleagues and helping people to further their careers is something I feel really passionate about – I love my job.

"The team at M&S Keighley takes very seriously its commitment to making the community we live in a better place and I want to thank each and every one of my colleagues for their hard work over the last year."

Over 1,000 award nominations were received across 15 categories.

Mike Barry, for M&S, said: "This event is a great way for us to recognise some very special individuals and teams who really go above and beyond in the extraordinary work they do to help each other and their communities."