A TOWYN woman punched the air with delight after she was awarded first place in a national blogging competition.

Karen Woodham, aged 44, scooped the individual award in the Events category at the UK Blog Awards for her site Blazing Minds which features posts about entertainment, film reviews, music and technology.

Ms Woodham created her blog in September 2008. To win the accolade she fought off competition from nine other finalists.

She said: “It’s been an amazing ride since finding out that I was nominated, then a finalist and now a winner. I stood up after seeing the announcement on twitter and punched the air, then posted on social networks about the win. Messages from friends and family flooded in. I had so many infact that the battery died on my phone.

“Sadly I didn’t raise enough funds to attend London for the awards ceremony. It is a wonderful accolade to get. Blazing Minds has built up a big following over the years and I’ve had the chance to work with some amazing people. I only wish I could thank them all one by one.”

Ms Woodham has started her own show on Radio Deeside; she was asked after chatting about her blog on the Loose Ladies show last October.

Gemma Pears, founder and director of the UK Blog Awards, added: “Karen was up against stiff competition in the Events category, but she was a truly deserving winner.

“This year’s voting process was staggering and the amount of enthusiasm we received was overwhelming. It is a true reflection of the importance of blogging for companies, individuals and freelancers across the UK.

“I’m super keen to see what exciting things come out of the awards for all the bloggers who’ve been involved in the process.”

To build their shortlist, UK Blog Awards received 2,000 entries and 48,000 public votes. Over three months these were scrutinised by a panel of judges to determine the overall category winners.