A BRADWELL-born woman has received a prestigious award in recognition of a special walking stick she invented while recovering from a car crash 11 years ago which left her with mobility problems.

A BRADWELL-born woman has received a prestigious award in recognition of a special walking stick she invented while recovering from a car crash 11 years ago which left her with mobility problems.

Denise Anstey, 45, received the British Female Inventors and Innovators award from the Global Women's Innovators and Inventors Network (GWIIN) for her “Slik Stik” walking stick with lights, a magnet and a personal alarm.

But the glass award presented to her by GWIIN's CEO Bola Olabisi was a complete surprise to the mum-of-two who had earlier heard she had not won either of the two categories she applied for - Lone Inventor and Creative Inventor.

“I just could not believe it. I was just tongue tied over the whole evening's events. They said the winner was the young lady who invented the walking stick and I was absolutely stunned,” Ms Anstey said.

She suffered spinal injuries during the car crash 11 years ago, which left her out of work and on disability benefits.

But rather than moping around feeling sorry for herself, Ms Anstey, who now lives in Bristol, invented the walking stick which is designed to help the elderly and those with sight problems by lighting up at night so car drivers can see them as they are crossing the road.

The personal alarm enables the user of the walking stick to alert carers if they get into difficulty.

Ms Anstey, who has two children - Dale, 22 and Wayne, 20, said she was looking for a High Street retailer to stock her product as there had already been many orders taken online.

She lives with her partner Graham Falloon, 44 and is writing her autobiography to encourage other people in difficulty to overcome their problems by adopting a positive attitude.