A group has won a national award for its pioneering work with disabled women in Bradford.

The Asian Disability Network, which was established in 1997, received funding for the Outreach Project to help Asian disabled women access mainstream facilities.

The project was so successful it has picked up an award from the Department of Health in its first year.

Nassem Shah, project worker at ADN, said: "We are really pleased with the award, but we are not complacent. We have done a lot of work with disabled women and changed people's perceptions, and we want to continue doing that."

More than 50 Asian women have used the Outreach project which aims to provide help including advocacy, support and home visits. It gives confidence to women who may not usually think of using facilities for disabled people.

Ms Shah said: "We did a lot of research and found women were reluctant to use facilities for disabled people for a variety of reasons. So we applied for funding and now provide training, run workshops and go on home visits to help as many women as we can."

The group held a fun day in March which saw more than 400 disabled families turn up and enjoy a day of activities.

"We have put a lot of women into training, work placements and things they wouldn't normally consider," said Ms Shah.

Liz Andolin, health action manager for Bradford Primary Care Trust which funded the project, said: "We are excited that disabled people are benefiting from the project."

Health Secretary Alan Milburn said: "These awards are special because they are about some very special people - people who work hard simply to care for other people."