HOW richly deserved is Burnley grandmother Sam Johnson's honour of being named the North West's No.1 mother.

For though virtually every Mum will be rated as such by their children, Sam's award is truly merited -- for the extraordinary and selfless effort she has put into being a 'mother' to more than 60 children that she has fostered over more than 20 years.

And though this is a huge labour and responsibility that would daunt even those greatly experienced in the joys and trials of parenthood, Sam's vocation and dedication are all the more remarkable because she has chosen to foster children who are terminally-ill or have special needs.

It is a mission that has gone on quietly and unsung until now and while she and her husband, Peter, have brought up two children of their own. And it was one that was born out of personal anguish and begun while Sam was only a young woman of 25 -- after the couple lost their own son Mark, who had special needs, when he was just 18 months old.

And on top of all this, Sam still finds time to run a support group that helps people in East Lancashire who have children with special needs.

By any yardstick, her dedication and selfless concern and care for so many tragic youngsters is exceptional and deserving of public recognition and gratitude. Yet, in being nominated as the North West's No.1 Mum in the contest run by the NSPCC, Sam -- who was put forward by a former nursery-nurse friend now living far away -- modestly says there are many people she has met through fostering who deserve the award just as much.

No doubt there are many special mothers whose outstanding efforts and devotion have been entered in this competition, but, surely, Sam's are so matchless that she must be a prime contender for being voted not just No.1 in the North West, but the best in Britain.