Each week, we at the Times & Star help you to shine a light on the unsung heroes within our communities.

From setting up support groups and checking on neighbours to hosting street-wide, socially-distanced concerts and getting the whole village singing together, we’ve seen you do it all over the past few months.

But for some, the dedication and selflessness shown is simply an every day trait, with full-time carer – and loving brother – Gary Smith being named our Person of the Week.

The Workington man runs his sister’s care package, with five team members on-hand to help look after Rita, who has Cerebral Palsy and requires 24/7 care.

Gary’s love and devotion to helping his sister thrive in life are stand-out qualities, and the reason he was put forward as Allerdale’s hero.

But on top of his endless support, the 31-year-old has been keeping Rita's carers smiling too, making sure everyone is safe and happy in their work , particularly during the pandemic.

The not-so-secret fan behind Gary’s nomination, Abigail Hewitt, said: “Gary is never recognised for what he does in the job, only by those of us that work there.

“He is an amazing, kind, caring and compassionate person who always has his sisters needs before his own.

“Gary, we are very lucky to have a manager like you, and we are grateful for you and what you do. Rita is truly grateful and blessed to have you as not only her brother but her carer too.”

Also recognised were those helping Gary and Rita through the difficult time of lockdown, “fantastic carers” Andrea, Kimberley and Lindsay, who are working around the clock to keep everything running smoothly for the siblings.

Surprised – but thrilled – by the nomination, Gary said: “It's a shock to be nominated!

"It's been a bit of a struggle, and we've been juggling things around to keep on top of everything, and I couldn't do it without the care team – I'm so grateful to have them."

He added: "I also want to thank our service user, because she's been a little star, especially considering she's used to going outside every day and going on trips, which we obviously can't do right now – she's just amazing.

"Being such a small team, it's not as easy for us to get hold of things we need like gloves and masks and things like that, so to be nominated for this and know people are praising us, it's really, really nice."

Help us to spread some joy across Allerdale by sending in your nominations, with details of where they’re from, what they do, and why they deserve a round of applause, to emma.walker@newsquest.co.uk.