Lorraine Kelly: Bernadette Murphy is an inspiration for rolling up her sleeves to help others

THERE are some people who just make the world a better place and who do so without any thought of recognition or reward.

They just want to make a difference.

This week I was delighted to see for myself the work being done by Bernadette Murphy from Cleland, near Motherwell.

When Bernadette became a grandmother to little Mia, now three years old, it hit home to her just how expensive it was to have a child nowadays and how many parents were struggling.

Some mums and dads having a tough time were on benefits. Others were out working but still finding it difficult to make ends meet due to low wages and zero-hours contracts.

To help the estimated one in four children suffering from poverty in the area Bernadette decided to set up Lanarkshire Baby Bank, appealing for people to donate essential items for kids.

Generous folk have donated nappies, baby wipes, milk and food as well as essentials like cots and bedding.

It’s all basic stuff which makes all the difference in the world to hard-up parents.

Bernadette has volunteered for food banks before and was struck by how few baby items were donated.

She realised she had to specialise and to make sure as many people as possible realised there was an urgent need for these goods.

This week, X-Factor and I’m a Celebrity star Jake Quickenden visited the centre where so much great work is carried out.

He surprised Bernadette live on TV during my show to hand over a well-deserved “Kelly’s Hero” award.

Like most people who perform incredible acts of kindness, Bernadette is a very modest woman and didn’t want a lot of fuss.

However, she deserves enormous credit for the work she is doing and the difference she makes every single day.

Her story was brought to my attention by STV presenter and reporter Hayley Matthews, who was so impressed by the success of the centre.

She was keen for Bernadette to be rewarded and to help spread the word far and wide on behalf of the group, empowering it to make things better in its community.

So far, Bernadette has helped more than 1000 families and she regularly works 14-15-hour days.

Of course, in an ideal world we wouldn’t need food banks. It is heartbreaking that they actually exist in modern-day Scotland.

Sadly, this is the reality we have to deal with.

So, at this time of year when we are all busy buying Christmas presents for our friends and family, why not purchase one extra baby gift to let Lanarkshire Baby Bank help others, or donate items you have lying around the house that you no longer need?

Bernadette is a remarkable and inspirational woman who saw there was a problem, rolled up her sleeves and set out to improve things.

It really is better to give than receive.

We can all do our bit this Christmas by helping women like Bernadette who work quietly and tirelessly in communities all over the country.

If you want to help, search for Lanarkshire Baby Bank on Facebook.