It has become one of Huddersfield’s most inspiring nights – and its stars are nominated by you.
Today we start the search for this year’s unsung heroes and heroines from across Kirklees and parts of Calderdale to honour them at the Examiner Community Awards which will be held in late May.
The glittering ceremony will be staged at the John Smith’s Stadium on Thursday, May 26.
Examiner editor Roy Wright said: “These will be our 17th annual awards. We always knew the Huddersfield Examiner’s circulation area was a wonderful place to live and work and is well renowned for its kindness and friendliness but it never ceases to amaze us at the Examiner at the lengths people will go to support charities, carry out vital community work, show immense kindness to the old, disabled and vulnerable and achieve what is often seemingly impossible against all the odds.
“Then there is the town’s sporting prowess along with its phenomenal reputation for music and the arts that keeps on scaling new heights.
“It’s not so much about who walks away with the trophy at the end of the evening. The awards are a tremendous way to showcase what is great about our circulation area and anyone shortlisted will be guaranteed publicity which can massively boost their charity, good cause or sports team.
“So if you know someone who is outstanding please nominate them as soon as possible to give them the public recognition they deserve.”
Syngenta is the main sponsor for the awards.
A spokesman said: “Syngenta is very proud to continue our support of the Examiner Pride of Huddersfield Awards. Now in our third year as principal sponsor we have a long history of supporting valued community events and 2016 is our centenary year of manufacturing in Huddersfield. We manufacture products which help farmers all over the world grow higher yields from their crops, providing greater availability of quality food and lower costs for consumers.
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“We are committed to keeping professional and skilled jobs in Kirklees and research by the University of Huddersfield highlights that our business contributes £57m to the local economy each year by way of jobs, apprenticeships and trade with over 80% of our Huddersfield workforce living in Kirklees. Our aim is to have jobs on our site in 50 years time from now, jobs which will continue to provide employment opportunities for local people through our apprenticeship programme.
“Our annual Connecting Communities events and Employees Community Gift Scheme are just two of the ways we work with local community groups and, through our networking, we know how hard everybody works in the voluntary sector. Every nominee, past and present, deserves this recognition for their contribution to making Kirklees the diverse and compassionate community it is. For our part, we shall continue to do our work, giving growers around the world the products they need to keep food on the table and at the same time, we shall continue to reach out to our community.”
People now have a month to make their nominations with the deadline for entries Friday, February 12.
The award categories:
Friend of the Year
Do you have a friend who is always there when you need them? The friend of the year could be your neighbour, best friend, a colleague, relative or someone who supports you. Show your appreciation by nominating them for this award.
Courage Award, sponsored by KSDL
The courage award will be made to anyone who has shown outstanding bravery and courage which may range from a single heroic act through to battling against disability, illness or adversity.
Emergency Services Award, sponsored by LV=
This person should be someone who has given service beyond the call of duty, shown extreme courage at an incident or dedicated a lifetime of service to their community.
Services to Community Award
Do you know someone who has made a difference to your community? They may provide a much needed service or made your area a safer place to live. Whatever their achievement it will have had a positive effect on your community. This award is open to groups or individuals.
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Young Personality
Do you know a special young person who deserves to be recognised? If you have a friend or family member who has shown bravery and courage, carried out a heroic act, achieved success against all odds or dedicated themselves to a good cause nominate them for this award.
Student Community Award, sponsored by University of Huddersfield
This award recognises the efforts of students aged 18 or under who regularly give up their own time to help others in the community. Whether this is volunteering to support older people, helping to run guides, brownies, cubs or scout groups, or even helping with environmental projects their work is something we should be proud of and celebrate so enter them for this award today.
Services to Charity
Has someone you know dedicated themselves tirelessly to a charity? They may be someone who has raised a large amount of money, generated awareness for a cause or has been a selfless voluntary worker for a number of years. This award is open to groups or individuals.
Community Project of the Year, sponsored by Ramsdens
Have you worked on or been a part of a community project that deserves wider recognition? You may have tidied up your local area or set up a project to provide support for local residents. Whatever the project, we want to hear from you!
Community Event of the year, sponsored by Cummins Turbo Technologies
This is your chance to shout about your favourite event in Huddersfield and Kirklees. This may be a regular event that you never miss or a one-off event that was enjoyed by the whole community. If you organise or are involved with an event that brings the community together, gain extra recognition through this award.
Sports Personality, sponsored by Hot Tub World
We are looking for Huddersfield’s outstanding sports personalities. The winner could be a household name that put Huddersfield on the sporting map or someone relatively unknown who is totally dedicated to their sport.
Sports Team of the Year
The sports team of the year will be awarded to the team which has achieved outstanding long-term success, shown amazing improvement or beaten all the odds.
Arts Award
We are looking for those talented groups or individual performers or artists who demonstrate what a creative and artistic place Huddersfield is.
Achievement Award, sponsored by Syngenta
The winner of the Achievement Award will be selected by our panel of judges and will be a person who has shown an outstanding contribution to Huddersfield by significantly enhancing the town’s reputation. If you would like to make a suggestion to the panel, please do.
The judges will then draw up a shortlist of three in each of the 12 categories and each will be highlighted in the Examiner in the fortnight before the awards. All those shortlisted will be invited to the event and the winner will be revealed on the night.
The judges decide the winner of the final award, the Achievement Award, although readers are more than welcome to send in suggestions.
Entry forms can be downloaded from the event website www.examinercommunityawards.co.uk or you can call 01484 437702 or email awards@examiner.co.uk
* To nominate someone for the Pride of Huddersfield awards simply complete an entry form and return it to our events team along with the reasons behind your nomination. You can download additional entry forms from the website www.prideofhuddersfield.co.uk , email awards@examiner,co.uk or call 01484 437702 to request a copy.
