BIG-HEARTED grandmother Jennifer Chaplin's dedication to helping others has been rewarded by her local commnunity.

The caring 51-year-old won the Ryedale Housing Association Good Citizen Award for entertaining local children, helping her neighbours and fundraising for a nearby primary school.

A former foster parent, Mrs Chaplin, from Duggleby, near Malton, was nominated by neighbour Josephine Snelling, who said: "She will help anyone who needs it, making sure children get to playgroup, transporting neighbours into town for shopping and appointments and even taking children to the seaside."

She added: "There is nothing much for children to do in the village, but Jennifer takes them to parks and the beach, she makes picnics for them in the garden and does baking with them."

Mother-of-three Mrs Chaplin also has three grandchildren who live in the village, plus stepchildren and grandchildren in Bridlington.

And as well as making local children's lives more fun, she is an active fundraiser for West Lutton Primary School and is treasurer of the school's fundraising committee.

Mrs Chaplin said: "I love kids. I used to work in a playgroup and at a mother-and-toddler group.

"There are only 22 houses in Duggleby but there are 27 children. There's no park - the nearest is in Malton - so I like to take the children out for the day."

Housing association chairman Bob Binns said: "This year there were many excellent nominations, so choosing someone was very difficult. However, I feel that Mrs Chaplin does so much for so many people that she is a very worthy winner."