Cumbria's 2017 Woman of the Year has joined Active Cumbria's advisory board.

Sue Kaveney, who runs a HR consultancy, has been appointed to the board with Chris Connelly, chief operating officer of Direct Rail Services.

Active Cumbria is part of Cumbria County Council and works to promote physical activity and increase opportunities for people to take part in sports and activities.

It is governed by the advisory board, made up of independent members and chaired by Jason Gooding, chief executive of Carlisle City Council.

Mrs Kaveney, who won the Cumbria Woman of the year title last year, is a trustee of Carlisle United Community Trust and when she was approaching her 50th birthday, decided to make a change and took up running.

She completed her first half marathon – the Great North Run – raising almost £6,000 for the Royal British Legion and as a volunteer for it, in July 2018 she was central in organising the inaugural Leg it for the Legion challenge – seeing 330 people walk or run 5km or 10km through Carlisle.

She said: “I am delighted to have been appointed to the advisory board of Active Cumbria.

"I am looking forward to contributing to an already successful organisation with the fabulous mission of advocating the value of physical activity.

"I hope that my business connections and community networks will ensure we work with other like-minded organisations and wider community groups to further county-wide involvement. There are lots of opportunities for much more collaborative and partnership working and I am excited to be part of the next stage in the journey.”

Mr Connelly played international rugby and remains heavily involved in sport as a director of Penrith RUFC, where he is chairman of the youth section, and has been heavily involved in athletics at the Sheepmount in Carlisle.

He said: “At this exciting time, I am looking forward to working alongside some fantastic new people focused on delivering high quality initiatives to support an active lifestyle across the county."

Mr Gooding said: "Sue and Chris both have the right mix of skills and experience to enhance our existing team, providing greater strength to the board going forward.”