Nominations for community awards launched

Nominations for community awards launched

The search for unsung heroes in Bath and North East Somerset has begun with the launch of the annual Community Awards to celebrate volunteers, charities, carers, community leaders, staff and businesses that make a positive contribution to the community.

Nominations for the Bath and North East Somerset Community Awards 2019/2020 have been opened by Bath & North East Somerset Council Leader, Dine Romero; Council Chair, Councillor Eleanor Jackson and all Award Partners at a launch in the Guildhall in Bath on 4 September.

The awards – including three new categories – will recognise inspiring people who make an exceptional contribution to the council’s drive to make Bath and North East Somerset the best place to live, work and visit.

New for this year are awards for Charity of the Year, Foster Carer of the Year and Green Business of the Year. The Volunteer Leader of the Year Award has been renamed ‘The Beryl Dixon Community Leader of the Year Award’, in honour of Beryl Dixon, a well-respected advocate for the BME community who sadly died in 2017.

Councillor Dine Romero said; “The Community Awards are an important celebration of the people who are most dedicated to our community but their work often goes unrecognised. We encourage people to think about how their businesses, staff, volunteers or community leaders deserve this recognition and to nominate them via a simple process for the contributions they make. We would particularly like to encourage nominations for those who protecting and care for the most vulnerable people in our community and those who are helping us address the climate emergency.”

Councillor Eleanor Jackson said: “The more I immerse myself in the role of Chair of Council, the more I appreciate the role of businesses, community organisations and volunteers in serving the community and supporting the Council’s work.  I am particularly struck by the number of workers and volunteers who go ‘above and beyond’ their duties and show special dedication and acts of kindness. For example, who can forget all the medical staff and community care workers who struggled through the snow this year to prevent the vulnerable from suffering?  I am particularly pleased that there is a new award, the Beryl Wilson award, for those who regularly go the extra mile, unpaid and too often unsung. We need lots of nominations so we can rectify this.”

The Community Awards are organised in partnership with B&NES Clinical Commissioning Group, CURO, Sirona Care and Health, B&NES Virgin Care, Student Community Partnership, Bath College and a new partner for this year, 3SG.

The awards categories are: 

Category 1: Volunteering

  • Volunteer of the Year  / Young Volunteer of the Year (25 and Under)
  • Volunteer Team of the Year / Young Volunteer Team of the Year (25 and Under
  • The Peter Duppa-Miller Lifetime Achievement / Young Volunteer Leader of the Year (25 and Under)

Category 2: Charities

  • Charity of the Year
  • The Beryl Dixon Community Leader of the Year

Category 3: Carers

  • Carer of the Year / Young Carer of the Year (25 and Under)
  • B&NES Foster Carer of the Year

Category 4: Business

  • Business in the Community
  • Green Business Leader of the Year

Category 5: Services to the community

  • Above and Beyond Employee of the Year (partner organisations only)
  • Above and Beyond Employee Team of the Year (partner organisations only)
  • Employee Long Service Award (partner organisations only)

Residents, staff, councillors, businesses, organisations and groups, teachers, and volunteers from Bath and North East Somerset can nominate people and nomination forms must be returned by no later than 20th December. People can nominate online or send a nomination form email or post clearly marked ‘The Community Awards 2019/2020’.

Everyone nominated for an award will be presented with a certificate in recognition of their contribution and invited along to the Awards in the Assembly Rooms in Bath on 25 February 2020.  The winners of each category will receive a certificate and will be presented with a personalised Bath Aqua Glass Award at the event.

For more information, please go to www.bathnes.gov.uk/communityawards

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