SHE was made the Lancashire Evening Telegraph's Woman of the Year 40 years ago. Now Ethel Waggott's bravery is being recognised again after being nominated for a Lancashire Evening Telegraph Pride of East Lancashire award.

She spoke to reporter LAUREN CUMMING about the day that changed her life. . .

MORE than forty years ago, as one of the first on the scene when a gas explosion ripped through Hapton Valley coal mine killing 19 men and injuring many more, a Burnley nurse braved the coal dust, darkness and chaos of the pit to help save the lives of some of the injured men.

Now, the tale of Ethel Waggott's courage in the face of the worst colliery disaster in Burnley's long history of coal mining is to be turned into a film.

The script, researched with the help of local historian and writer Tony Bell, is nearing completion and several production companies in Britain and America have shown an interest in it.

Ethel, 87, was the nursing sister at Bank Hall Colliery Medical Centre for much of her working life. She was on duty on the day of the explosion on March 22, 1962, and rushed to the scene with her medical bag to help the injured and dying.

She crawled around on her hands and knees in the darkness and chaos of the pit face treating and comforting the injured and dying men. She stayed down there for many hours and only came up from the mine when all the injured miners had been carried out.

In the aftermath of the disaster, Ethel, who trained at Alder Hey Hospital in her home city of Liverpool before moving to Burnley after she married, was lauded for her bravery.

She was presented with a Queen's Commendation and was made the Lancashire Evening Telegraph's Woman of the Year.

Now her courageous actions are being recognised again after being nominated for a Lancashire Evening Telegraph Pride of East Lancashire Award in the Gift of Life category.

But Ethel, who lives in Parrock House retirement home, in Parrock Road, Barrowford, remains modest about her contribution to the rescue effort at what was the worst colliery disaster in Burnley's long history of coal mining.

She said: "I was just doing my job. I was a nurse and that is what I was trained to do. I did the best I could to make the men comfortable.

"It was a long and horrifying day but as a nurse one is trained to deal with all sorts of terrible situations, and so we dealt with this one accordingly." Tony Bell, who nominated Ethel for the award, said: "She went down into the chaos and darkness and had to crawl over dead men to reach the injured -- how many lives she saved down there no-one knows.

"All the miners who remember her are gushing with affection for her, they had great admiration for what she did that day and thought she was an angel.

"And her modesty is typical of the attitude of many of the rescuers there that day. She says she was just doing her job but that day she went above and beyond the call of duty. I find the down-playing of their heroism she showed very moving."

We received more than 300 nominations for our 11 Pride award categories and the winners will be announced at a gala dinner at King George's Hall, Blackburn, on Saturday, November 22.