THE hunt is on to find Huddersfield’s most special people... and give them a night to remember.

The Examiner’s annual community awards will be staged at the Galpharm Stadium on Monday, June 6 – and now we need your help to nominate the people who make Huddersfield such a fantastic place.

The evening is always guaranteed to lead to tears and cheers – and last year was no exception as three children walked up to the stage together after the judges believed they had all shown incredible bravery.

Callum Parkinson, Harry Crowther and Cobie Booth all shared the Courage Award category – the first time there had ever been joint winners in the awards’ 10-year history.

There was a standing ovation from the entire room – and a few tears – as the three boys took to the stage.

Eleven-year-old Harry has a condition called atypical progeria syndrome which is an extremely rare genetic disorder. It means his body is ageing five times faster than his friends’.

But Harry has refused to let it hold him back. He loves to skateboard, swim, bike-ride and climb trees like all his mates.

Harry’s mum, Sharron, urged people to make nominations this year.

“It was an amazing night,’’ she said. “The three boys had the best night ever. It’s a brilliant event which highlights people who often don’t get the praise they deserve.”

Cobie was just two when he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia which is cancer of the white blood cells. His mum and dad, Steph and Robert Booth, were amazed at how bravely he coped with the gruelling chemotherapy treatment.

Callum Parkinson was knocked down by a car, suffering severe head injuries, and doctors told his family to expect the worst.

He was flown by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance to Leeds General Infirmary where he was found to have serious swelling on his brain and part of his skull had to be removed to ease the pressure.

But Callum is made from tough stuff. After four weeks on a ventilator in intensive care he was finally able to breathe unaided.

He started to feed himself again, regained some of his speech and took the first few tentative steps as he learned to walk again. He’s back at King James’ School in Almondbury.

Nominating someone for a community awards this year could not be easier with a special section set up on the Examiner website which means you can nominate someone and send it off in a couple of minutes.

The website address is www.examinercommunityawards.co.uk

Alternatively, simply cut out and fill in the form on this page and send it in.

Examiner editor Roy Wright said: “The awards give everyone the chance to highlight and honour those who have put so much into life and those who have achieved great things against the odds.

“We know there are many worthy people in Huddersfield.

“We all have a neighbour, friend or a relative who deserves a nomination.

“By putting them forward you could also be raising the public profile of their charity or organisation. It’s a fantastic community event.’’

The winners will be announced at the ceremony and gala dinner for shortlisted nominees on Monday, June 6, at the Galpharm Stadium.

There are 13 categories and we are looking for nominations for all of them, except the Lifetime Achievement Award.

The winner of this award is chosen by a panel of judges.

The categories are Friend Of The Year, Services To The Community, Community Project Of The Year, Community Event Award, Young Personality (under 18), Courage Award, Sports Personality Of The Year, Sports Team Of The Year, Services To Charity, Arts Award, Teacher Of The Year and Emergency Services Personality.

The closing date for award nominations is Friday, March 25. The awards overall sponsor is Aspley engineering company Cummins Turbo Technologies.