Margo Whiteford had the cards stacked against her from the start when she was born with spina bifida, but she has always been up for a challenge and has never let her disability stand in her way.

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, honorary patron of the charity she chairs, the Scottish Spina Bifida Association, thinks she is “amazing”.

When she was growing up, no one thought she would achieve her ambition to become a doctor.

She proved them wrong and is now a consultant geneticist at Yorkhill, helping to conquer the diseases that blight so many lives and counselling families going through what her own parents endured.

Over the years, Margo, from Strathblane, 12 miles north of Glasgow, has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for the SSBA. She celebrated her 50th birthday last April by raising a further £12,000 by competing in the wheelchair section of the gruelling London Marathon.

Quite a woman.

And last night, in Glasgow City Chambers, more than 200 women from all walks of life agreed as they welcomed her as the 2009 Scotswoman Of The Year, the 47th to hold the title.

“I’m shocked, but thrilled and delighted,” said Margo, as she manoeuvred her wheelchair up to the dais and accepted the title and bronze sculpture to tumultuous applause.

“I am here today because my parents brought me up to be independent.

“I will be texting people all night. Everyone says it doesn’t matter what time it is. They want to know.”

Her mother, Mae, 77, was there to capture the big moment on camera.

She later recalled that she was told to go away and try for a normal baby when Margo was born.

“I’m glad I didn’t get a normal baby and I would love to see that doctor again and tell him how she turned out,” she said.

Margo’s dad, Ron, 80, was back home in Monifieth at a birthday party with neighbours, all agog to find out if she had won.

“I think there will be a lot of sore heads tomorrow,” Margo said.

It was an emotional evening from start to finish.

Every year, we all agreed, it seems something magical happens. It’s like a great fellowship of women. All very different, all from different walks of life, all coming together and getting on.

The mother of singer Paolo Nutini, Linda, said: “You don’t know anyone until you get here and then you get caught up in the atmosphere. Before you know it, you’re having a conversation, which is fantastic.”

Actress Barbara Rafferty said: “You’re part of a community, part of a greater thing than yourself.”

Sandra Brown, named Scotswoman Of The Year in 2005 for her work in setting up the Moira Anderson Foundation to help abused young people, said: “It’s about believing in yourself.

“The title gave me the confidence to go on and do my one woman play One Of Our Ain, which is going to New York in April.”

Actress Libby McArthur said: “Women are at the forefront of everything that matters and this evening makes you realise that nothing but who loves you and who you love matters.”

When Margo said every one of the finalists there last night was a winner, she called it right.

Kerry-Ann Hindley, from East Kilbride, is a one-off.

Seven years ago, she was living in hostels and sleeping rough. Today, she is about to start a new job as a youth worker for Glasgow City Council and loves being commander of 2 Troop Scots Dragoon Guards Detachment of the Glasgow & Lanarkshire Battalion ACF.

She tells the children she mentors, “You can do anything you like. I’ve been out there with nothing but a bag and I’ve done it.”

Lynn Murray, from Drymen, Stirlingshire, has had cancer twice, but is now the smiling face of the Beatson Pebble Appeal and runs the charity Think Pink Scotland, which has raised £310,000 for cancer research.

And Eileen Granger, of Prestwick, is a tireless fundraiser for CLIC Sargent, the children’s cancer charity. She has raised more than £200,000 and plans an event every month this year to celebrate the fact her son, Ross, 6, is five years in remission from a rare form of kidney cancer.

The evening was hosted by broadcaster Cathy MacDonald. Evening Times Editor Tony Carlin spoke of an atmosphere of warmth and affection and mutual support quite unlike any other major event.

He praised the determination, dignity, compassion and courage that have been the hallmarks of the SWOTIES, as they are affectionately called.

And he paid tribute to all the previous winners, going right back to the first, Bessie Johnston, whose work

with the Red Cross was recognised in 1963, right up last year, when Jean Donnachie and Noreen Real were joint winners of Scotswoman Of The Year 2008 for standing up for the rights of asylum seekers and stopping the dawn raids by the Home Office.

He also singled out Olivia Giles, an inspiration to everyone who meets her. Olivia, Scotswoman Of The Year in 2004, is the young lawyer who contracted meningococcal septicaemia and lost her lower limbs and who has gone on to found the charity, 500 miles, which supplies prosthetic limbs to developing countries.

As Jean and Noreen accepted a replica of their award, Noreen said warmly: “This last year will live with us all our lives.”

The first Editor’s Award was presented to award-winning Evening Times features writer Sheila Hamilton. Sheila, who retires next week, has reported on Scotswoman Of The Year for 20 years, picking up a string of accolades for her work.

Mr Carlin described her as “simply the finest newspaper writer it has been my privilege to work beside”.

The awards are sponsored by the Evening Times and the St Enoch Centre. Susan Nicol, general manager of the centre, said: “Each and every contender put forward for the award is a winner.

“We have seen that with courage, conviction and heart so much can be achieved. In this day and age that is an important message to communicate to the younger generation.

“It was an honour and very humbling to meet these inspirational women and hear their stories.

I hope what they have managed to achieve can in some way encourage others to take up that mantle in years to come.”

The raffle raised £2340 for the Marie Curie Big Build, supported by the Evening Times. It has so far raised £14.4million for a new hospice, which will officially be opened this spring.