The Evening Press at York has been praised for its "unrivalled campaigning zeal" by the former speaker of the House of Commons, Baroness Betty Boothroyd.

She sent a personal message of thanks to the paper for its dogged, long-term campaign for a national memorial to the women of World War II.

The monument, dedicated to the wartime contribution of British women, was finally unveiled in Whitehall by the Queen last weekend after a seven-year campaign by the Evening Press and three people from the York area.

In a letter to editor Kevin Booth, Baroness Boothroyd, who is patron of The Women of World War II Memorial Fund charity, said: "Triumphantly and at long last, the Memorial to the Women of World War II now stands in Whitehall, thus fulfilling our pledge to remember the seven million women who served our country in that global conflict...

"The Evening Press played an invaluable role in our seven-year struggle. It supported us from the start and stayed the course until the end.

"No other newspaper rivalled its campaigning zeal on our behalf and we hope the judges of press awards take note."

The campaign – which faced major hurdles throughout - was launched in 1998 by former army gunner Mildred Veal, of York, and ATS servicewoman Edna Storr from Selby.

Kevin said: "The Evening Press has a strong tradition as a campaigning newspaper and we are proud to be able to include the women's memorial as one of our many successes."