In a bright little corner of Glasgow’s Royal Hospital for Sick Children, three-year-old Robyn is creating a crayon-and-crazy-shape masterpiece.

“It’s a picture for mummy,” she nods, before heading in to see the doctor. Her mother, Kirsten Sinclair, just smiles. The relief in her face is obvious.

“Robyn is a different child, thanks to the Teapot Trust,” she says, gratefully. “She used to run away from me when I told her we were going to the hospital. She’d hide under the table, screaming and crying.”

Kirsten, from Baillieston, adds: “Now, she comes in without a word of complaint. I think what Laura has achieved is amazing. She is an amazing woman.”

It takes an exceptional person to create a service as visionary as the Teapot Trust. When that person is also coping with the death of her own daughter, the achievement is all the more remarkable.

Laura Young was named Evening Times Scotswoman of the Year in an emotional awards ceremony at Glasgow City Chambers on Thursday.

Now that the dust has settled, slightly, Laura admits she is still reeling to have won:

“Every one of the finalists could have won, I think they are all amazing,” she says, with a shake of her head. “I was stunned, really couldn’t believe it. I was shaking when I came off the stage. I felt very overwhelmed.”

It was at Glasgow’s old Yorkhill hospital that Laura had the idea for the art therapy charity the Teapot Trust.

“We had to bring Verity to Glasgow for some of her appointments,” recalls Laura, who lives in Gullane, East Lothian, with her husband John and Verity’s sisters Nina, 16, and ten-year-old Isla. “She hated coming in, absolutely hated it. I had to drag her, screaming and crying, and I’d see other parents doing the same, distress and despair etched on their faces.”

She says: “It made me think – there must be a way of doing this better. There must be a way to help.”

Verity was diagnosed lupus, which causes the immune system to attack the organs and joints, when she was three years old. Laura and John had noticed their previously healthy daughter tired easily and was unwilling to walk far.

Former project manager Laura explains: “It was shattering. We had to come to hospital for treatment and Verity hated it. She detested needles so would get very upset when she had to have injections or have blood taken, which happened a lot.”

Knowing Verity’s love of art, Laura asked if the hospital’s art therapist could visit in a desperate attempt to try to take the young girl’s mind off her impending treatment.

“I was told there wasn’t one,” she says, simply. “That’s when the idea for the Teapot Trust was born.”

The Teapot Trust now employs 17 art therapists in 22 projects around Scotland and the UK.

The name is inspired by Verity’s love of tea parties.

“When Verity was off food and drink, or had been nil by mouth before a treatment, it was often hard to get her to eat and drink afterwards,” says Laura.

“So we got granny’s teaset out, with the dollies and the teddies, and gradually, the little ill hand would come out and she would have something to drink.”

Laura smiles: “The teaset came everywhere with us, even to the hospice – we used it every day. So when I was thinking of a name for the charity, The Teapot Trust was perfect.”

Verity died in November 2009.

“We got a cancer diagnosis nine months before she died – Verity just wasn’t destined to have a long life,” says Laura, quietly.

“Losing Verity – it felt like the rug had been pulled from under our feet. Nothing prepares you for the loss of your child. But the Teapot Trust would have happened whether or not she had died – I knew there had to be a better way.

“What I love is seeing the faces of the children coming in to their appointments, happy and relaxed about seeing the art ladies, the Teapotters, watching them trotting in rather than having to be dragged in.

“Knowing that we are doing something for those children and their families, that we are helping children get their heads round regular visits to hospital, and giving them a moment of friendship that helps them carry on to do another day - that’s what keeps me going.”

Back in the waiting room, Emma Mearns is drawing pictures with art therapist Patricia Watts. Emma is eight years old, and has been coping with arthritis since she was diagnosed at the age of 14 months.

“I like the Teapot Trust because you can have fun while you wait – you can draw or paint or make things with clay,” says Emma. “The last time me and my friend made a weird monster.”

“Before the Teapot Trust, hospital visits with Emma were traumatic,” says her mum, Majella, from Cambuslang. “She has to have regular injections in both knees and ankles, and in her jaw. It is so hard on everyone when your child is so upset – Emma suffered so much she stopped speaking, all because of the anxiety.”

Majella adds: “The Teapot Trust has been our saving grace.

“Emma loves art and because the art therapists put no pressure on her, she can just be herself, and relax. Now she is a keen gymnast, she dances and loves swimming – she has a real zest for life and that is absolutely thanks to Laura and the Teapot Trust.”

Now Laura wants to see more research into the effects of art therapy on the resilience of children with chronic illnesses, and is keen to encourage schools and groups across the country to hold tea parties for the Teapot Trust.

“What we have achieved in six years is incredible but my hope is to have the Teapot Trust available in all hospitals, for all children,” she says. “To make that happen, there is still much to do, and I’ll continue to put heart and soul into doing it.”