THERE are two days left to tell us about the inspirational women you think should be in the running for our 49th Scotswoman Of The Year award.

Time is running out to acknowledge the remarkable women who made a difference in 2011, perhaps through their spirit and determination or their tireless dedication to helping others.

The awards, again sponsored by Glasgow's St Enoch Centre, celebrate the extraordinary achievements of women from all walks of life and will take place on February 9 at the City Chambers.

All nominations must reach us by 5pm on Friday.

So don't delay, tell us by post, e-mail or through our website who you think deserves to take over from our reigning champion, veteran actress and muscular dystrophy campaigner Eileen McCallum.

Today we profile another three amazing women.

KARYN McCLUSKEY

THE youth crime fighter boasts a remarkable track record in driving down gang violence in Glasgow.

The former nurse and forensic psychologist is co-director of the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit (VRU), the first unit of its kind in the UK which she helped establish in January 2005.

She and VRU co-founder John Carnochan discovered that the city was home to 3500 gang members and that almost two-thirds of knife crimes were not reported to police.

Using a gang violence model devised by American academic David Kennedy and implemented in Boston in the late-90s, they introduced the Community Initiative to Reduce Violence in October 2008.

It involved bringing gangs together with police, victims, medical professionals and family members.

Around 500 gang members have taken part in the "call-ins" held in courtrooms, which has reduced their violent offending by almost 50%.

The initiative is now part of the mainstream operations of Strathclyde Police.

Karyn also helped establish Medics Against Violence, a Glasgow Community Champion Award-winning project in which emergency doctors and facial surgeons volunteer to speak at schools across Scotland.

Prime Minister David Cameron recommended in Parliament following last year's English riots that adopting her model in reducing gang violence should be 'a national priority'.

In 2010 she completed a year's secondment to the Metropolitan Police, developing its violence plan and leading the Territorial Policing Change Programme.

LIZ CAMERON

SHE is one of the most influential business women in Scotland.

Since becoming director and chief executive of Scottish Chambers Of Commerce Limited in 2004, she has made the organisation the top voice for business nationally and internationally.

The mother of two was appointed in the post after proving her business strength and her ability to turn around companies.

Since then she has increased turnover at the SCC from £100,000 to £1.5million.

The SCC represents local Chambers of Commerce in Scotland and has 10,500 member companies, which represent over half of Scotland's private sector workers.

In 2010 she led the first women's trading delegation to Dubai and has received recognition in Business Insider's Top Business Leaders in Scotland for the last two years and Scotland's Top 50 Women's Business Leaders this year.

She has developed and managed a new Business Mentoring Programme for Scotland and recruited 850 volunteer business mentors.

Outside work she mentors three young start-up companies, is vice-chairwoman of Scotland's Lottery Committee and is a director of ESEP Limited, which disperses European funds in west and central Scotland.

MARIA RIGHETTI

CHANGING lives is something she does in her day job as a personal trainer, helping one client lose 10 stones through her punishing regimes.

Yet it was following her husband Michael's diagnosis with Parkinson's disease that she has proved her mettle.

Maria has embarked on a campaign to raise funds and awareness of the disease while providing hands-on support for sufferers and their families. Friends say she has raised more than £70,000.

She now runs an afternoon social club for those affected by the disease every Monday at St Joseph's Church, Clarkston, offering lunch, social activities and a movement classes.

She aims to register the charity Michael's Movers by the end of March and aspires to open a dedicated day care centre.