ISABEL is passionate about the environment, and determined others should be too. As part of Peterborough Environment City Trust's Seeding Sustainable Communities project, she has worked with more than 950 residents in the city to encourage them to live greener, healthier lifestyles.

She is now driving forward the next phase of the project, aiming to work with more Peterborough residents including some of the city's most excluded groups, such as new arrival communities and social tenants.

She does all this despite the fact that she only arrived in the UK from Panama eight years ago, with a limited knowledge of English, but a great deal of determination to make her time in the country a success.

After receiving her award, Isabel said: "I'm very excited, I wasn't expecting it at all because there's so many women out there that deserve the award. I think we're all winners.

"I think it's inspiring to see what other women have done."

Meet all the 2008 winners | Women of Achievement home - www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/woa
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Runner-up: Trudy Lapinskis

DESPITE battling with reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome (RSD), which affects her spine, hands, feet and arms, for more than 10 years, Trudy Lapinskis remains determined to educate others about the disorder. She has attended two conferences in the US and taken a petition of 1,700 signatures to No 10 to raise awareness of RSD among healthcare professionals.


Runner-up: Delya Tebbs

Reiki master Delya, from Nassington, near Peterborough, is a breath of fresh air in a polluted, busy world. She uses her skills in the ancient art to help people, and animals, to unwind and de-stress.