And as Mary Hepburn received the accolade of Scotswoman of the Year, a huge cheer echoed through the stunning Banqueting Hall of Glasgow City Chambers.

Last night as the newest member of the exclusive 'SWOTY' club joined the ranks, women from all walks of life celebrated the occasion.

The other four finalists, Karyn McCluskey, Christine Emmett, Julie McElroy and Dame Elish Angiolini, cheered as Mary's name was announced.

Primary school teacher Christine Emmett, 51, from Hamilton, said: "I am from Glasgow, I grew up in the Glasgow and I think everyone thought the City Chambers was like Buckingham Palace.

"I always wondered what it was like to be in it and here I am.

"I am very honoured and very privileged to be here."

Youth crime fighter Karyn McCluskey, 46, from Polmont, who invited guests, including family members of murder victims, to the gala event said she felt "overwhelmed" to be there.

She said: "I am delighted to be nominated."

Another of the nominees, Jess Munn, was at the event with her son, Frazer, 44.

The 78-year-old from East Kilbride has worked tirelessly to campaign for veterans of nuclear testing since her husband, Phillip, passed away from leukaemia 16 years ago .

The illness was related to his time spent on Christmas Island as a young serviceman in the 1950s.

She said: "I am absolutely delighted and very proud to be here."

Julie McElroy, 26, from Jordanhill, has cerebral palsy and is profoundly deaf, yet has tackled mammoth challenges, including trekking in the Himalayas, said: "I can't get my head around being nominated."

Spread across 20 tables more than 250 guests clapped and cheered as a video featuring this year's five nominees played on a big screen.

Host for the evening, BBC broadcaster Cathy MacDonald, paid tribute to former SWOTY winners.

Community activists sat beside top businesswomen, crime fighters, medics and professionals from all walks of life who all shared a sense of deep recognition of the amazing achievements of women in Scotland.

Leader of the Labour Party in Scotland, Pollok MSP Johann Lamont, said: "It is fantastic to be among women getting the chance to celebrate the brilliant things women do.

"You could just bottle the atmosphere.

"The big thing is that these amazing women have made a difference to the lives of so many people."

The evening's entertainer, Michelle McManus, 31, who lives in Shawlands, performed songs including Beyonce's All the Single Ladies.

She was there with her mum, Helen, 56, from Baillieston.

Michelle said: "What could be a better way to spend the evening than celebrating Scottish women?"

River City actress Libby McArthur, 50, a regular guest at the annual event, said: "Every year I get inspired and emotional from somebody I've never even met before."

Former winners of the title were out in force to support the latest finalists.

The oldest lady in the room, Margaret Miller, 101, from the East End, who won the Editor's Award last year, said she still can't believe the trophy, which sits on her dining room table, is hers.

Representing a former Scotswoman of the Year who was given the award posthumously, was Debbie Buchanan.

Her mum Gwen Meyer, 45, was killed in the Dunblane Massacre.

Winners in 2008, Jean Donnachie and Noreen Real, from Sighthill scooped the prize for their community work with asylum seekers .

Noreen said: "Our trophy is kept in the community centre – it's not ours, it's the community's."

Three girls whose lives have been affected by cancer brought a younger vibe to the year's event.

Morvern MacDonald, 24, from Paisley, Jade Sutherland, 15, from East Kilbride, and 18-year-old Stepps girl Nicole Walker were all nominated.

Jade's dad Paul, 46, said: "It's good for Jade to experience it."

Last year's SWOTY winner, River City actress and muscular dystrophy campaigner Eileen McCallum, used her speech to reflect on her life during the past year and how much the title meant to her.

She said: "The award sat on my chest of drawers in my hall and was the first thing I saw when I came home, and last thing I saw at night.

I really felt it gave me encouragement and reassurance I was doing all I could for my family and my professional life, and I hadn't realised how much I needed that."

But it was left to Evening Times Editor Tony Carlin to sum up the essence of the evening.

He said: "Scotswoman of the Year was created to herald the achievements of women who in some way managed to make the world a better place.

"Sometimes they did it showing leadership, sometimes by inspiration, sometimes by friendship, sometimes by determination, sometimes by compassion, sometimes by all those things plus a few more.

"But all the winners and nominees, past and present, did in some way make a positive difference to those around them."