A CLEVEDON woman suffering from lymphoma has been honoured by a UK cancer charity.

Mary Walters has been handed a Beacon of Hope award by the Lymphoma Association in recognition of her work to promote the charity and the support it provides.

The 71-year-old, whose husband died of lymphoma 27 years ago, has recently been diagnosed with follicular non-Hodgkin lymphoma and is currently undergoing chemotherapy.

Since her husband’s death, Mrs Walters has helped to support others affected by the disease, which is a cancer of the lymphatic system, part of the body’s immune system, and is the UK’s fifth most common cancer.

She has raised almost �20,000 for the association by baking wedding and celebration cakes, she often displays the charity’s leaflets to help raise awareness of its work and she has also ran a Bristol support group for the past 13 years.

Mrs Walters was given the award during a ceremony held in the run-up to Lymphoma Awareness Week, which ran from September 12 to Sunday.

During the ceremony, BBC Radio 4 newsreader Rory Morrison said: “Mary is continuing to inspire others with her fortitude and strength of character, despite having a difficult time with her treatment and at times being extremely ill.”