Former Falmouth School girl and Falmouth Packet reporter, Felicity Warner, is celebrating a national triumph after scooping top honours in an awards scheme which has recognised how she has helped thousands achieve a peaceful end to their lives.

The daughter of ex-Falmouth-Camborne MP David Mudd, won the title End Of Life Care Champion in the National Council Of Palliative Care (NCPC) awards. Her triumph was confirmed in the awards ceremony in the House of Lords on Wednesday, when she received an engraved plaque from Baroness Ilora Findlay, chairwoman of the NCPC and a framed certificate from Amanda Cheesley, of the Royal College of Nursing.

Felicity, who still has strong links with Falmouth and addressed Cornwall Healthwatch at their end of life conference last year, created the idea of Soul Midwives, holistic and spiritual companions to the dying, after volunteering with a local hospice and working with terminally ill young women in 2008.

Alongside medical treatment, she could see how much people at the end of life benefited from gentle, tender, loving care, companionship and deep listening.

“ I was surprised and delighted to receive this award" she said. "To have the praise of the UK’s top clinicians and their recognition of Soul Midwifery shows that we are truly entering a new era in terms of caring for the dying.” Felicity, who has now trained over 600 Soul Midwives in the UK including six in Cornwall, added: "Many care homes as well as hospices and hospitals are including Soul Midwives as part of their care teams and GPs are also referring patients to us. We have truly entered the main stream of modern health care."

Felicity writes books, lectures and runs the Soul Midwives School in Bridport, Dorset and offers a variety of end of life courses for both lay people and professionals. Her website is soulmidwives.co.uk.