Judith Wilson from Ballinamallard, Co Fermanagh, won the coveted title at a lavish ceremony in Belfast last night.

The 22-year-old music teacher at Foyle and Londonderry College was only a toddler when the 1987 IRA Poppy Day bomb killed her aunt Marie (20). Her grandfather, Gordon, had been at the Enniskillen Cenotaph with Marie, a nurse, who died from her injuries at the scene just after telling her father she loved him. Ten others died, and many more were seriously injured.

Mr Wilson gained international recognition in the wake of the explosion for his noble sentiments of forgiveness towards his daughter's killers.

In 1995 Gordon Wilson died from a heart attack but his legacy of exemplary courage and peace has lived on.

Speaking ahead of her win, Judith paid tribute to how her grandfather helped shape life for the better in Northern Ireland.

"Since I've grown up and am now looking back on the Troubles, it seems amazing how far we have come and a big part of that is down to my granda and people like him," she said.

"I'm amazed at how much he did in the midst of the tragedy.

"I remember very little about the bomb — I remember the chaos and people getting upset but I didn't know what was going on. Looking back I cannot believe they got through it like they did."