The director of an Oxenhope-based charity has been invited to a celebration of inspirational women from across the country after being nominated for a Women of the Year award.

Arianna Walker, of Mercy Ministries UK, will join 400 other women at the special celebration lunch in London on Monday.

The charity is dedicated to providing a six-month, free-of-charge residential programme for young women, aged 18 to 28, suffering from life-controlling issues such as eating disorders, self-harm, depression and abuse.

She said: “It’s quite overwhelming to receive this Woman of the Year nomination. I am just an ordinary woman, who has had the privilege of working with extra- special people.

“I am so grateful to the team at Mercy UK and all the young women we support, whose courage and bravery continues to inspire and motivate me to see more lives transformed and hope restored.”

Winners are selected by a judging panel made up of prominent female figures in media, business and the charity sector.