Anne Williams ' relentless mission to reveal the truth over Hillsborough is to be recognised at this weekend's BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards.

The heroic Formby mum died earlier this year after a battle with cancer but will posthumously receive the Helen Rollason award for outstanding achievement in the face of adversity at a star-studded event in Leeds tomorrow night.

Having lost her beloved 15-old-son Kevin in 1989, Anne was at the forefront of those challenging the original inquest verdicts for many years, refusing to give up on the fight for justice despite seeing three memorials to the Attorney General and a petition to the European Court of Human Rights all rejected.

Her tireless campaigning, along with new evidence she uncovered, helped lead to the formation of the Hillsborough Independent Panel and, though she received her terminal diagnosis just six weeks after their historic report of September 2012, she was in attendance at the High Court last December to see the accidental death verdicts quashed and new inquests, set to begin next March, ordered.

Anne defied doctors' expectations to attend the 24th memorial service at Anfield in Apriland called for the fight for justice for the 96 to continue before passing away peacefully three days later at the Birkdale home of brother Danny Gordon.

This year's BBC Sports Personality of the Year event is a landmark 60th show for what is widely regarded as one of the highlights of the sporting and broadcasting year, with the Helen Rollason award given in memory of the popular BBC presenter who died in 1999 at the age of 43 after also suffering from cancer. Previous winners include horse-trainer Jenny Pitman, Paralympian Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, Formula One's Frank Williams and sailor Ellen MacArthur.

Many of Anne's family and friends will be in attendance at the 12,000 capacity First Direct Arena, with her surviving children Sara and Michael, along with Anne's brother Danny, set to receive the award in her memory.

Sara, who recently completed and released her mum's book telling of her long struggle for justice, said, "My mum embodied the very reason this award was created; strength, determination and passion.

"Her tireless campaigning was driven by the love she had for her son Kevin and her dedication to seeking a new inquest. If anyone triumphed over adversity, it's my mum."

Danny Gordon, who along with wife Sandra cared for his sister in her final months, said, "We will receive this prestigious award on behalf of Anne with mixed feelings.

"We are happy she has been recognised for her tireless work for Kevin, the victims and the survivors.

"Anne always said the survivors were the real heroes of Hillsborough, but they had to be because of the incompetence of the authorities on that day who, with their lies and deceit, had the audacity to call it an accident.

"If they had put as much effort into trying to save lives as they did into trying to cover it up, many of our 96 could have been saved.

"There is no doubt in our minds that fighting the system for so long took its toll on Anne. She gave her life to the cause.

"We are immensely proud of her but so sad that she won't be with us to collect this well deserved award for herself. She is missed by so many."

Sheila Coleman from the Hillsborough Justice Campaign, who campaigned alongside Anne for many years, said, "It is really good to see such a prestigious award ceremony acknowledge the dedication of a mother determined to get justice for her son, the 96 and the survivors.

"Anne was an ordinary woman who fought with a mother's love for what she believed was right and simply refused to give up."

Source: Liverpool Echo