CAROLINE Hobbs has collected a national award for helping to bridge a road that claimed the lives of her mother and eight-year-old daughte Jade.

Mrs Hobbs was presented with a special accolade at the Mirror's Pride of Britain Awards, held at the Hilton Hotel, in Park Lane, London.

She was among 17 award recipients who have shown great courage, bravery or triumphed over adversity.

Mrs Hobbs was the driving force behind the bridge across the A249, a dual carriageway that runs through the heart of Detling, near Maidstone.

Her daughter Jade, eight, and Jade's grandmother, Margaret Kuwertz, 79, were hit by a car as they tried to cross the carriageway, near the junction of the Hobbs' family home in Pilgrim's Way, in December 2000.

After the tragedy, Mrs Hobbs launched the Jade Crossing Appeal to raise money for a pedestrian bridge across A249 -- starting the fund with Jade's piggybank savings of just £68.07.

Within 18 months, campaigners had raised more than £100,000 and after much lobbying, Kent County Council agreed to pay for the £1.18m bridge. The Jade fund donated £75,000 to the cause and Mr and Mrs Hobbs opened the crossing last August.

But Mrs Hobbs is determined to continue her work by spreading a road safety message at schools and colleges across Kent. She has renamed the campaign the Jade Road Safety Fund and the rest of the cash will be put towards road safety awareness tours and videos for youngsters.

After colleclting her award from Chris Tarrant, presenter of ITV's Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? on Monday, Mrs Hobbs said she was "overwhelmed".

"I really felt proud to be there among so many brave and wonderful people," she added. "I accepted the award on behalf of everybody who helped. If everyone here hadn't done their bit we would never have achieved what we did."