The complementary therapist will take her brother William to the French capital for a weekend break in May.

Myrtle, who entered the competition at The Big Sunday event on February 5 at the ExCeL exhibition centre, is shocked about winning.

She said: "I cannot believe it. I feel very excited. I have been to France before but not Paris and I want to see the Eiffel Tower. I've heard it's a vibrant place, very diverse and like a sister city to London."

The prize was awarded by the Community Forums as part of their Have Your Say campaign, which was launched last year by Councillor Richard Crawford, Mayoral Adviser for the forums.

The promotion was designed to encourage people to play a part in how their community works. By doing so they got the chance to enter two draws for a free weekend in Europe. The first trip was awarded last November.

Myrtle is already actively involved in her community. She is a volunteer carer representative for Newham Carers' Network and is on the pastoral council of her church. When time allows she'd like to get more involved in her local Community Forum in Stratford.

Councillor Crawford is delighted the tickets have gone to such a community minded person. He said: "We want more people like Myrtle to get involved in their local Forum. It gives people an excellent opportunity to help make positive changes in their neighbourhood."

The ten Community Forums were set up by the council in 2000 to enable local residents to agree priorities for their area.

Already there are more than 4,000 members across the forums. They work to deliver neighbourhood action plans and hold public meetings on topical issues including crime and anti-social behaviour and public transport. The forums also host fun, free events.

To find out more about Newham's Community Forums freephone 0800 519 4015 or visit the Community Forums site.