A PENSIONER has proved she has a heart of gold after donating a £1,000 prize to a hospice.

Jean Oliver won the prize from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for her commitment in bringing back a strong community spirit to the Parkfield and Mill Lane areas of Stockton.

The 75-year-old's Resident of the Year award recognised the hard work she has put in over the past year.

She said: "It was fabulous news, I was absolutely speechless and jumped for joy when they told me I had won Resident of the Year."

Explaining her decision to hand over the cash, she said: "I read an article about the difficulties and the possibility of the children's hospice at Butterwick closing down, and so I thought this would be a cause that would definitely benefit from the donation."

The children's hospice in Stockton has relied heavily on funding from the New Opportunities initiative backed by the National Lottery. But from the end of the year, the £150,000 funding will come to an end.

The hospice will then have to rely on local donations to keep running.

Butterwick fundraiser Nicola Fewell said: "The fundraising team here at Butterwick are very passionate about the cause and are working very hard on securing local funding.

"We are very grateful to Jean Oliver and her donation, which will help us in our battle to keep the children's hospice open."

The hospice is the only one in the region to offer respite, complementary therapy and end-of-life support for babies and children up to 19 years.