PLAYING a key role in transforming West Wiltshire District Council's housing register won Adele Lodwig the title of Trowbridge Employee of the Year.

Adele, 26, beat more than 40 candidates to lift the award at a ceremony at the Arc Theatre, Trowbridge, last week.

The housing register and support team leader won a trip for two to Las Vegas, with the runner-up Liz Smith, a business analyst at Virgin Mobile, receiving a luxury weekend for two in the UK.

Adele's employer will also get £500 of free advertising in the Wiltshire Times and Chippenham News.

Adele said she was "in shock" after receiving her award from guest speaker, BBC weather presenter Penny Tranter, and added: "I am absolutely stunned to win this. It's going to be difficult living up to the title.

"I'm really proud of what my team has achieved with the housing register. We've given people lots more choice and as a result the number of complaints have been reduced."

She said she was looking forward to her trip to Las Vegas, where she will be joined by husband Adam, 27.

Each of the finalists was interviewed in front of a live audience by BBC Radio Wiltshire's Heather Skull before the judges, chaired by Steve Oborne, of Travail Recruitment and including Wiltshire Times editor Andy Sambidge, made their choice.

Mr Sambidge said: "The judging room was quite a tense place to be and it was a difficult decision to choose a winner and runner-up. Every finalist would have made a worthy winner."

Mr Oborne added: "This was the 10th year of the awards and I have to say that the standard of entries was stronger than ever. It made our job a tough one."

Dick Harris, a teacher from Clarendon College, Joanne Longdon from The Consortium, Emma Leitch from Asda and Scott Eggleton from Tesco Express were the others who made the final, at which Trowbridge town crier Trevor Heeks acted as master of ceremonies.