A DEDICATED mother-of-four from Colchester has been named the south east's “Mum of the Year” after being nominated by her eldest son.

Elliot Furniss

A DEDICATED mother-of-four from Colchester has been named the south east's “Mum of the Year” after being nominated by her eldest son.

Kira Lothian, 34, was chosen for the award as the judges felt she represented the town's army wives after almost single-handedly caring for her four children, including a severely disabled son.

Mrs Lothian, whose husband Alan, 24, is an ambulance driver in the army, devotes all of her time to bringing up her family and helping her disabled son Gabriell, who has mild cerebral palsy, a chronic lung disease and is on oxygen 24 hours a day.

She said: “It was a bit of a shock to win. My son Robert put me forward. It was all about Gabriell - he's our little miracle boy.

“He was born at 23 weeks, which is kind of unheard of, but he's treated no differently and his brothers play with him all the time.”

The family live in Messines Road in the south of the town and Gabriell, who will be two on Sunday, has big brothers in Robert, 13, Zackery, 11, and Noah, four.

Mrs Lothian said her husband had been away frequently in recent years and spent eight weeks in Afghanistan last year before returning early after Gabriell fell ill.

She added: “You just have to get on with it. This is my hand I have been dealt with and if I have to do it on my own, then so be it.”

The competition was co-organised by Netmums, a network of regional websites set up and run by mums offering members a chance to discuss parenting issues.

Siobhan Freegard, Netmums founder, said Kira “epitomised” the spirit of modern mothers.

She said: “They are the hidden foundations of our lives, doing hours of unpaid work to help family, friends and local groups.

“Many mums are the driving force behind activities and groups that are appreciated by their entire community. It is this spirit of support that our Mum of the Year award is celebrating.”

As Mum of the Year winner for the south east, Kira has won a seven-night family holiday to France, through competition sponsor Siblu, and has also been shortlisted for the national title.