She was a 1960s icon, the supermodel whose face graced a thousand magazine covers.  But Celia Hammond gave it all up to try to end the suffering of stray and abandoned animals.

Just 15 years ago a fur coat was as much a status symbol as a Ferrari or a Rolex, but today most people would not be seen dead in anything dead. And it is all down to the commitment of one man.

For years, writer Carla Lane was TV's undisputed sitcom queen.  But Carla's heart was always with the animals she loved and whose suffering she could not ignore.

Seven-year-old Irving Graham was inspired by TV's Pet Rescue programme to do something positive to help abandoned animals. The Geordie schoolboy hit on the idea of using the internet to re-home strays and unwanted pets.

The winner of this special award in memory of Linda McCartney's tireless campaign for animal welfare has been nominated by Sir Paul himself.