HER HUGE commitment to animals has won Devon RSPCA driver Diana Lewis honours in the first BBC Animal Awards, which were shown on television last Thursday.

Diana, who covers the North Devon and North Dartmoor area, was recognised for making a significant difference to animal welfare and was voted for by viewers of BBC's Animal Hospital.

The awards are aimed at recognising ordinary people who do extraordinary work for animals.

The RSPCA volunteer, who was also voted Westcountry Woman of the Year by viewers of Carlton Westcountry in their annual awards recently, drives the North Devon branch animal ambulance and although her post is paid she does not draw her salary nor has she taken a holiday in the last eight years.

She was praised for her work at the forefront of the foot and mouth crisis, helping farmers prevent their animals suffering from muddy conditions and a lack of food.

Work she carried out included obtaining wood chippings to provide dry areas for cattle that could not be moved off soaked ground.

In the course of a year Diana covers 60,000 miles a year working with up to 1,800 creatures, ranging from bats to badgers and hedgehogs to horses.

On accepting her award, Diana paid praise to everyone who did the same job as she did — went out there and helped animals.

Following the celebrity-studded presentation ceremony, hosted by Gabby Roslin, she said: 'I was absolutely stunned when they read out my name and can't really remember walking through the tables to receive the award.

'The best part of the event was meeting so many other dedicated people from all over the world and realising such wonderful important work is being done quietly every single day.

'It was a glittering event, although as I do not have a TV I didn't recognise some of the celebrities.'

Diana described 2001 as one of the most extraordinary years of her life: 'I spent the first few months wading through mud rescuing dying animals, trying to give comfort to distressed farmers and quite frankly seeing scenes I never want to see again,' she said.

She praised the work of the RSPCA as a whole and her husband Mick for his 'complete support and understanding.'