A TORFAEN woman who has raised more than £10,000 for charity has been crowned Cwmbran’s community star.

Connie Button, 21, received a total of 343 votes in Cwmbran Shopping’s Facebook competition.

The shopping centre asked champions to nominate a person who has made a significant contribution in the community.

Ms Button, who lives in Northville, was left devastated after her three-year-old son Shae passed away in April, just four hours after being diagnosed with meningitis B.

She now spends her time raising awareness of meningitis as well as raising money for national charity Meningitis Now in her son’s memory.

Members of the local community, who made up the judging panel, chose her from a selection of ten entrants with the highest number of votes.

Ms Button said: “I am overwhelmed to have been crowned Cwmbran’s community star. I was aware of the competition as I saw friends sharing my nomination, but I couldn’t believe it when I was told I had won.

“It’s been a really tough time however I’m so glad we’ve not only raised awareness of meningitis but also fundraised for charity, which should help support families and people who are affected by the disease."

She has won £500 to spend on Christmas presents for her one-year-old child Harvey Jay, as well as decorations for the summer house her parents built in her garden as a memorial for Shae.

Cwmbran's Emily Clark, 17, was nominated by her mother Donna after setting up a charity for sufferers of Non Hodgkin (Burkitts) Lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system.

Emily been in remission from the disease since April, and is focusing on helping others by starting up her Remission Possible campaign, which gives gift boxes to teenagers newly diagnosed with cancer to brighten up their stay in hospital.

Gerald Sims, 61, was nominated for his 25 years worth of voluntary work running Cwmbran’s swimming club as head coach and treasurer.

In 2007, Mr Sims was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and just two weeks after his operation, had returned to coach at Cwmbran Stadium.

Centre manager, Paul Rich, said: “The sheer amount of nominations we received shows Cwmbran is full of remarkable individuals and incredible stories.

“Although it was a tough decision to crown the winner, Connie’s story truly moved our judging panel, and she clearly deserves a treat for all her hard work raising awareness of meningitis and fundraising for charity.”