When Thomas Sullivan nominated his sister Nicola as a Croydon Champion parent of the year, it was for more than simply how she had raised her own children.

He said: “She’s brought me up since I was 11, and she’s helped me out so many times in my life.

“She’s treated me like a son. I just wanted to have a way of saying thank you.”

A difficult family life when the pair were younger saw Miss Sullivan move out of home aged 15. Thomas came to live with her, and she took on the responsibility of looking after her brother, four years her junior.

Now 29, Mr Sullivan said his sister had been like a mother to him, helping him through the toughest times in his life – including the death of his partner six years ago, while she was pregnant with his baby.

Mr Sullivan still lives with his sister in Purley, and the house has filled up over the years.

As well as Ms Sullivan’s own four children – a daughter, 15, a son, 11, and twin nine-year-old girls – they also look after Mr Sullivan’s two-year-old niece.

Mr Sullivan said: “She’s a lovely person, she’s got a lot of energy. I don’t know how she does it sometimes.”

The family is soon to be joined by Mr Sullivan’s five-month-old nephew.

After being told of her nomination, Ms Sullivan, 33, said: “I’m going to cry. I’m shocked, I don’t know what to say.

“I have always been Thomas’s mum. Even though I am his sister he always gets me a mother’s day card.”

When asked how she dealt with being the head of such a big household, Ms Sullivan said: “I came from a big family, that’s what I’m used to. It’s pretty much all I know.

“In our life, we had to grow up very fast. With me it’s the more the merrier. Whatever gets chucked at me, I just get on with it.

“I live for my children.”