Honour for DVT victim's mother

Ruth Christoffersen has campaigned tirelessly

A woman who has campaigned on the dangers of "economy class syndrome" since her daughter's death has been honoured at an awards ceremony.

Ruth Christoffersen's daughter Emma, 28, died four years ago after suffering deep vein thrombosis (DVT) on a flight from Sydney.

Mrs Christoffersen, from Newport, south Wales, wants airlines to make passengers more aware of the risks.

She was among 400 women at the Women of the Year lunch at the Savoy Hotel, London, on Monday.

Emma Christoffersen died minutes after she arrived at Heathrow Airport on a flight from Australia.

Doctors said DVT caused a pulmonary embolism, resulting in Emma's death.

In April 2001, only seven months after her daughter's death Ruth Christoffersen established the Victims of Air Related DVT Association (VARDA).

The organisation offers support to sufferers of air-related DVT and bereaved families of those who died from the condition.

The aim of this group is to promote awareness about DVT and provide for victims and their families.

Another high-profile Welsh woman attending the event was musician Heather Summers, who set up Women in Tune in 1997.

It is claimed there may be hundreds of victims like Emma Christoffersen

Women in Tune is a voluntary organisation which encourages women and girls to participate in music and related arts.

A performer herself, Ms Summers was aware of the relatively small number of women on the stage.

She organised Women in Tune, the only festival in the UK run by women for women. Only meant to be a one-off, the festival, was so successful it has continued ever since.

The organisation - which also runs an accredited training programme - won the Western Mail's Val Feld Award for outstanding contribution to promoting the role of women in Welsh society.