The wife of the Warminster-based 1 Yorks commander, Sarah Stenning, has said representing the West Country at the televised 2013 Pride of Britain Awards on Monday was “amazing.”

Mrs Stenning, married to Lt Col Zac Stenning, supported the families left behind at Warminster Garrison and co-founded a Military Wives Choir while her husband led the regiment on their tour of duty in Afghan-istan at the start of 2012.

She won the region’s Local Hero Award for her work, after being nominated by fellow Army wife Abi Dyer, and was invited to attend the national ceremony in London.

Despite Mrs Stenning losing out to 86-year-old street pastor Anne Scarfe, from Plymouth, she said it was a special evening and she enjoyed meeting celebrities including Nicole Scherzinger.

Mrs Stenning, 47, said: “It was an amazing experience and I was left a bit speechless by it all. There were so many incredible people who had done some amazing things.

“We were treated to the red carpet with all the stars, which was fun, and I was just thrilled to be a part of it all.

“I did feel a bit like I shouldn’t have been there, as there were so many incredible stories.

“It was lovely to meet Nicole Scherzinger and I also got to meet David Cameron, Michael McIntyre and Brian May from Queen, who was very nice and was great to chat to.

“There were lots of tears shed throughout the evening and I had a wonderful time at the ceremony, but I would not have been there without all the military wives, so a big thanks to all of them and Abi for nominating me.”

The Pride of Britain Awards, founded in 1999 to celebrate the achievements of remarkable people, was shown on ITV1 on Tuesday.

It is still available to watch online, via the ITV Player service.