Kent's quadriplegic yachtswoman Hilary Lister has been named the Woman of Achievement 2009 by a national charity.

Hilary, who this year became the first disabled woman to sail solo around Great Britain, won the accolade at a gala award ceremony organised by the national charity Vitalise.

The charity said it chose Hilary, who lives with her husband at Dunkirk near Faversham, to recognise her inspirational work pioneering disabled sailing and her record breaking yachting achievements.

In 2005 Hilary became the first ever quadriplegic person to sail solo across the English Channel, then in 2007, became the first female quadriplegic to circumnavigate the Isle of Wight.

Speaking to the KM Group when she landed after her round-Britain trip last month, she said: "I felt kind of numb when I arrived. It's something I've worked for for such a long time that to achieve it is almost an anticlimax, but I was also hugely elated and incredibly proud of the team and what they have achieved."