A WALLASEY woman has beaten the odds to become the Cewtec 'Learner of the Year'.

Sarah Herbert impressed judges in the annual contest with her determination to overcome severe communication problems and gain employment with the Littlewoods group.

And the 24-year-old was rewarded with a with a multimedia PC and cash prize by former snooker world champion John Parrott for her efforts.

He also shared some of the highlights from his dynamic career and demonstrated his talent by giving a spectacular snooker exhibition at a sparkling awards evening organised by Cewtec - the Cheshire, Ellesmere Port and Wirral Training and Enterprise Council - to celebrate outstanding training and learning achievements.

Prizes were given to 24 people from throughout the Wirral and West Cheshire area - but the overall winner was Sarah, who spent 18 months successfully tackling problems including lack of confidence and limited numeracy and literacy skills to gain employment.

She began working towards an NVQ in retail and gained a work placement with Littlewoods, where her determination and desire to succeed were recognised. Now she is employed part-time as a sales assistant operating electronic point of sales equipment, dealing with credit card transactions, refunds and general sales.

Sarah says: "I never expected to win. I'm so pleased. It just shows you what you can achieve if you set your mind to it."

Prizes were awarded in eight categories, sponsored by major local businesses.

Full list of winners -

Commercial sector: Jessica Clayton. Prenton (employed by: Porter Builders). Runners-up: Alison Bowden, New Ferry (Wirral Chamber of Commerce) and Beth McDevitt, Oxton (ATTS Ltd).

Craft & Construction sector: Robert Sayce, Little Sutton (Haydon Building Services). Runners-up: Stephen Edwards, Birkenhead; Thomas Peters, Huyton.

Scientific, Engineering and Manufacturing sector: James Newman, Prenton (Laird Foundation). Runners-up: Carl Clapperton, Broughton, Chester; Robert Iwanuschak, Ellesmere Port.

Customer Service sector: Sarah Herbert, Wallasey (Littlewoods). Runners-up: Matthew Young, Rock Ferry; Ruth Harmes, Hawarden.

Information Technology: Amanda Cross, New Brighton (Lever Brothers). Runners-up: Graham Symms, Broughton, Chester; Christopher Granton, Prenton.

Other sectors: Gary Boyd, Wallasey (Wirral Globe). Runners-up: Daniel Doherty, Bidston; Carl Dooley, Greasby.

Open Learning: Darren Hartley, Little Sutton (Vauxhall). Runners-up: David Bush ; Clinton Devine, Chester.

Excellence Over Adversity: Paul Manley, Chester (B&Q) Runners-up: Gareth Evans, Tranmere; Paul Davies, Chester.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.