But for the Gorrie Ban volunteer, it's not about the accolades.

"At the end of the day it's not my intention to win an award, I just do it because I want the oldies to have somewhere to come and be happy and have a good time and make their lives happier," she said.

This year marks Ms Nott's sixth year with the volunteer run group that meets at Fatima Hall on Mondays with the intention of lifting community spirits for those who are separated from family, living alone or living with a disability.

"You can see the difference on their face when they go home, they've talked to their friends and socialised, it's just lovely," she said.

The clients enjoy games, puzzles, jokes and more as a way to get them out of the house, Ms Nott said.

"Not everybody wants to go to a club or a pub, some people don't like that atmosphere and it's just nice for them to have somewhere else to come where they can sit and talk and a morning tea is provided," she said.

Ms Nott said she had known of Gorrie Ban for a long time dating back to when she was a junior nurse and the group first formed and was known as 'daycare' at Lithgow Hospital.

"It [Gorrie Ban] was actually started by the nurses, who used to bring the patients from Gregory House over to the old casualty department and it was sort of run as a daycare centre over there," she said.

"When the new hospital got built no one knew what was going to happen to the daycare but some of the nuns such as Sr Mary took it from the daycare to somewhere else before being transferred to Fatima Hall where it still runs today."

She said her brother used to attend Gorrie Ban before he died and she also had friends who were part of the group. It was her friends who suggested she should give running the group a go.

"I had friends from my soccer club who used to go there and they asked me if I'd be interested in running it and I said I don't think I could do it because I was working two jobs and also running the canteen at Rangers Park which I've been doing for 30 years, but I gave it a go," she said.

"No one else put their hand up and I didn't want it to fold because I'd known it had been running for so long and thought it would be awful for these people not to be able to go to Gorrie Ban," Ms Nott said.

She said the rest was history and she remains in her role so "the oldies have somewhere to go".

"I keep doing it so they don't feel so lonely. They like to come and I like to make them happy and they make me happy," she said.

"It's hard work but it's rewarding."

Ms Nott said she was very humbled to be named Local Woman of the Year.

"I'm proud to be a Lithgow woman in the Bathurst electorate being nominated and accepted for woman of the year," she said.

She wanted to thank her clients who attend Gorrie Ban, the volunteer staff that help her run it and Paul Toole's office for her nomination.

"I don't run Gorrie Ban by myself by any means, I have a good team with me, we all do it voluntarily but I couldn't do it without them," she said.

"Thank you so much, to be nominated... it makes me feel very humbled about it all."

Deputy Premier and Member for Bathurst Paul Toole said Ms Nott was a worthy recipient of the Bathurst Electorate woman of the year for 2022.

"It's very easy these days to get caught up in life and forget the importance of getting together with friends and having a face-to-face chat and a laugh, as it's those interactions that brings communities together and turn friendships into families, which is what Christine strives for Gorrie Ban to achieve," he said.

Gorrie Ban is held on Mondays at Fatima Hall and is always welcoming new clients. The group is also looking for volunteer presentations or performances to entertain residents. To get in touch call Christine on 0408 254 144.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: