Who do you know who has gone the extra mile? Who deserves recognition for the work they have done in the community over the past year?
Cumbria’s biggest ever event celebrating heroes from all walks of life has been launched to find and recognise those hidden gems in our communities.
Nominations are being sought from the public for the new Pride of Cumbria Awards.
The awards have replaced three similar events – the West Cumbria, South Cumbria and Carlisle Community Heroes Awards – and hope to shine a light on the people who make our county such a great place to live.
Vanessa Sims, editor of The Whitehaven News, said: “The coronavirus pandemic turned the world upside down.
CELEBRATE: The winners from the 2018 West Cumbria Community Heros Awards with host Robbie Dee
“But in every corner of Cumbria extraordinary people have gone the extra mile to help the communities around them.
“So, whether you know an exceptionally selfless NHS worker, a caring business or a community volunteer, we want to hear from you so we can give them the recognition they deserve.
“These new Pride of Cumbria Awards will celebrate the very people who make our county a great place to live, work and play.
“Make sure the people you know who have helped the community through a year like no other know how much they are appreciated.”
WINNER: Leone Awards receives the unsung hero award at the south Cumbria event held in 2019
David Beeby, the high sheriff of Cumbria, welcomed the opportunity to celebrate our 'community champions' and encouraged people to nominate their own.
He said: “It is really great to see these awards being run this year.
“Community champions are welcome at any time and they have been especially important in this last year.
“This is a great opportunity to turn the spotlight on some of the amazing community champions in Cumbria and show them how much they are appreciated. We can never thank them enough.”
SMILES: Sharon Stephenson receives the judge’s special award from Peter McCall at Carlisle Racecourse in 2019. Picture: Jonathan Becker, info@beckerphoto.co.uk
Examples of the awards which will be up for grabs include:
- Education hero of the year: An individual who works in the education sector – from the governor to a site manager and everyone in-between.
- NHS worker of the year: An NHS hero who has gone above and beyond. They will have shown bravery, courage and resilience in their day-to-day work, demonstrated outstanding acts of kindness and compassion to families and patients and acted as an exemplary ambassador.
Local businesses have also thrown weight behind the bid to back our everyday heroes.
Recruitment expertise business NRL has been confirmed as an associate sponsor of the awards, while tyre company Pirelli, which has a factory in Carlisle, is sponsoring the Covid-19 community champion of the year and bus firm Stagecoach is sponsoring the keyworker of the year.
The winners will be announced in a virtual awards ceremony held on July 29, 2021.
The online nomination form can be accessed here.
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