THE stars of the world of disabled sport were honoured at a special ceremony yesterday.

The inaugural npower North-East Disability Sports Achievement Awards were held at Durham County Cricket Club's Riverside stadium at Chester-le-Street. Guest of honour was former England and British Lions rugby star Ben Clarke, who paid tribute to the achievements of the nominees.

The awards, which were compered by Peter Barron, Editor of The Northern Echo, are to become a regular feature of the North-East sporting calendar and feed into the paper's Local Heroes Awards, known as "The Oscars of Grass Roots Sport".

This year's Local Heroes Awards take placed at Tall Trees Hotel, near Yarm, on November 20. The roll of honour is:

Young Male Achiever:

Lee Maddison, of Fishburn, County Durham, who has enjoyed spectacular success in the sport of boccia, including becoming National Champion Class 1 in the Cerebral Palsy National Boccia Championships.

Young Female Achiever:

Emily Smart, of Sunderland, whose achievements in archery include becoming Disability Sport England national junior champion.

Team: Gateshead Kestrels Swimming Team, which won the DSE Regional Trophy for the fourth consecutive time as well as winning four golds, four silvers and 20 bronze medals in the national junior championships.

Coach: Debbie Couch, of Berwick, for her services to gymnastics in her local area.

Female Personality: Caroline Jennison, of Eston, Middlesbrough, who has won a string of honours as a gymnast and is competing in the Special Olympics World Games in Ireland.

Male Personality: Field athlete Stephen Miller, of Cramlington, who has become a double gold medallist paralympian.