THE spirit of good that embodied Steve Prescott burned brightly as the 2014 Pride of St Helens awards were held on the eve of the first anniversary since the local hero died.

On what was a night of triumph and joy celebrating the best of the town there were inspirational stories from children who showed remarkable courage in the face of adversity to sportsmen and women at the peak of their abilities.

The final award of the evening went to Steve's widow Linzi Prescott as special recognition for her continuing work for the foundation her husband founded.

Linzi said that Steve would have been delighted with the way that Pride has blossomed into an important fixture in the town’s calendar.

Speaking to the Star she said: “I feel so proud and I know Stephen would be delighted with how the awards have grown.

“And we will keep going and doing it for him. I didn’t expect this award at all. I was really impressed by the standard of nominees this year.”

She had been on stage to hand over a cheque for £180,000 to the Rugby League Benevolent Fund, the Oxford Transplant Centre and The Christie when the surprise announcement was made.

Linzi told the audience: “I just did what the same as any other wife and mum would have done. There are so many people so much more deserving than me.”

She joked: “I don’t know what I’m more surprised about, getting this award or Martin (the general manager of the Steve Prescott Foundation) stitching me up.

“Without Martin and the other members of the committee we wouldn’t be able to carry on. Without my friends I wouldn’t be where I am today. I really appreciate it.”

Among the winners were former St Helens Star editor Steve Leary, who took the flagship Pride of St Helens award, Owen Livesey who was named Sportsperson of the Year and Hollyoaks director Paul Riordan who won the Imperial Arts Award.

West End star and former Hollyoaks actress Carley Stenson, a previous Pride winner, returned to her home town to perform on the evening and another former winner boxer Martin Murray also attended the ceremony to offer his support.

The glittering evening at Langtree Park, hosted by sports broadcasters George Riley and Fraser Dainton and backed by headline sponsor Solarking, attracted more than 300 guests, nominees and sponsors.

Fore more pictures and coverage see pages 16 and 17, plus special 13 page feature, starting 57.