Regional press journalist Angela Knight has been singled out for praise for her "informative and sympathetic" reporting.

Angela, chief reporter at the St Albans Observer and Review, was the only journalist from a local newspaper to be nominated for the BT Mind Journalist of the Year award.

Her story about a woman who lay dead at her home for 107 days despite ten visits from mental health workers impressed judges, who shortlisted her alongside journalists from The Times, The Independent, The Guardian and Psychologies magazine.

Judges said: "Angela Knight's detailed reporting on the case of a woman whose death went unnoticed by mental health staff was both informative and sympathetic, putting mental distress in its social and personal context."

She missed out on the top prize which went to Derek Draper and Cecilia D'Felice from Psychologies magazine.

Claire Ashby, head of media at Mind, said: "This year has been the beginning of a breakthrough for mental health. We have seen possibly the greatest ever expansion of awareness of mental ill-health, and its impact both on individuals and on society.

"As we look to the future, we will rely more than ever on enlightened reporting that breaks rather than builds barriers, and that vividly demonstrates the realities of mental distress.

"All those shortlisted for the award have distinguished themselves with work that makes a strong contribution to public understanding of mental distress, and they have shown courage in pursuing topics that have long been shunned or neglected."

The winners were announced at a lunch hosted by Mind's president Melvyn Bragg.

Others who received awards were TV star Stephen Fry, who was named BT Mind Champion of the Year for his work to challenged the stigma surrounding manic depression.

BT Mind Student Journalist of the Year was Helen Thompson from the University of Cardiff and BT Mind Book of the Year was Living With Mother by Michele Hanson.

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