THE hunt starts today 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 Thursday, May 31 – and now we need your help to nominate the people who make Huddersfield such a fantastic place.
Among the winners last year were Neil and Rachael Salmon who set up the Joseph Salmon Trust in memory of their three-year-old son who died from pneumonia in 2005. They won the Services To Charity category.
The Trust helps families who have lost children pay for funeral and related costs – and it has helped dozens of families.
Neil said: “Winning the award and the publicity that came from it really lifted our profile and got more people fundraising for us.
“Lots of people have since stopped to talk to us in the street about what we are doing.’’
Neil said last year’s awards was a night he’ll always remember.
“It was a huge honour to be nominated and then go to the awards that were a fantastic night,’’ he said. “It made us realise how much good work is being done in Huddersfield and we felt humbled to be there among others who we felt were so deserving.
“I’d certainly urge people to nominate those in our community who are doing really good work without much recognition. It’s only right that others should know about it.’’
Sandra Tremaine won last year’s award for Services To The Community for her work galvanising the Rawthorpe community into action and playing a pivotal role in getting – and keeping – Rawthorpe Community Centre up and running.
“The awards did help to raise our profile and we have managed to keep our heads above water over the last year,’’ she said.
“The centre is still a hive of activity with bingo on Fridays and our luncheon club for 35 elderly people every Wednesday.
“We now have several community groups using the centre ranging from sports sessions for youngsters during the school holidays to the Holme Valley MS Support group which meets here every Thursday.
“Anything we make from hiring out the centre out goes back to providing for the community and to pay our bills.’’
Examiner editor Roy Wright said: “I’d echo everything that Neil and Sandra have said. The awards are here to promote the great things that are happening in Huddersfield day in, day out, year in, year out and the wonderful people behind these organisations.
“We all have a neighbour, friend or a relative who deserves a nomination. “Let’s tell Huddersfield all about them.’’
People now have three weeks to make their nominations with the deadline for entries on Friday, March 23.
The awards’ overall sponsor is Aspley engineering company Cummins Turbo Technologies.
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.
Nominating someone for an award 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 winners will be announced at the ceremony and gala dinner for shortlisted nominees. This will be on Thursday, May 31 at the Galpharm Stadium.
See the next page for a list of categories.
Friend of the Year
Is your friend the best in the world? Have they always been there to pick you up when you’re down or made you laugh until you cried?
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.
Bell Brown Courage Award
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 Personality
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.
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.
David Brown Community Project of the Year
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.
Pearson Funeral Directors Community Event of the year
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.
Sports Personality
We are looking for Huddersfield’s outstanding sports personalities. The winner could be a household name who has put Huddersfield on the sporting map or someone relatively unknown who is totally dedicated to their sport.
Kirklees Stadium Development Limited Sports Team of the Year
Are you part of or do you manage a sports team that has achieved great things. 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.
Stafflex Teacher of the Year
Does your teacher inspire you? Are your children encouraged to achieve by an extra special teacher? The teachers of Huddersfield play a vital role in shaping the futures of our children. We are looking for a teacher who has shown constant dedication, kindness and understanding, inspiring young people every day.
Cummins Turbo Technologies Achievement Award
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, building bridges between communities or reducing inequality. If you would like to make a suggestion to the panel, please tell us about your heroes of Huddersfield. Previous winners have included Simon Armitage CBE, 1966 World Cup winner Ray Wilson, Hollywood star Sir Patrick Stewart and Allo Allo actor Gorden Kaye.
