A Braintree community champion has been named in the top 100 Happy List - an alternative to the Sunday Times Rich List.

Overwhelmed mum-of-two Trina Whittaker admits she was both shocked and tearful when she realised she had been included in the seventh annual Happy List, published by the Independent On Sunday.

Mrs Whittaker is a co-ordinator for the Braintree Rethink Carers Support Group, which is for people who care for others, and she also runs an art group for those who have mental illnesses, the Braintree Rethink Self-Help Art Group.

The purpose of the Happy List is to celebrate 100 people who, “without thought of personal gain, give back and help others, rather than themselves” according to the national paper.

The list was founded as “an antidote to all those rich lists and celebrity lists, it celebrates a different set of values, embracing those who start charities, help troubled youngsters, give huge amounts of time to volunteering and raising money, foster children, care for wildlife, and much more”.