By Sarah Newstead

Last updated 13:08, Monday, 18 August 2008

CUMBRIA County Council is looking for your help finding unsung heroes and heroines so they can honour the county’s community stars.

• Click here for a nomination form

The 2007 Community Award winners

Do you know a young-at-heart pensioner who dedicates hours of time each week to helping others live fuller lives? Does your neighbour make your street a safer place to live? Do you know a teenager who gets home from school and juggles homework with housework because both parents are disabled? Do you know someone who works full-time but then devotes their evenings and weekends passing on their sporting skills to young people?

If you can answer ‘yes’ to any of those questions then the council would like to hear from you. The authority is this week launching the Cumbria Community Awards to recognise the efforts of the thousands of people across the county who do something to make life better for others.

The awards will be given out at a special evening later this year but they won’t be a success without your input.

The county council is asking for nominations in a host of categories, for individuals and group winners.

The first award is for the young volunteer of the year. This will go to someone under 18 who gives their time and skills free of charge and makes a significant contribution to the lives of others. It could be that boy or girl who has to care for a disabled parent, someone who shops for a neighbour or helps younger kids with a sporting activity.

The judges will take into account how the person got involved, their commitment and inspirational stories.

The second award is for volunteer of the year – maybe someone who has run a local club, takes people on hospital visits or has helped to make a community dream come true.

The third category is the safer communities award for a group or project which has made people feel safer in their own homes, such as reducing the fear of crime in the neighbourhood or advocating safe driving. In this case the judges will be looking for an impact on local communities and/or individuals, how the group was started and the involvement of volunteers.

The fourth category is called building strong communities, with nine separate awards.

These awards recognise the fact that in all walks of life there are a significant number of not-for-profit groups and organisations that improve the quality of life for individuals and the wider community. The awards cover groups concerned with children and young people, education and learning, disability, young carers, older people, social enterprise, environmental, arts and healthy living. The judges will be looking for projects which have made a real difference and had an impact on communities and/or individuals.

Finally, there will be a county council chairman’s award called Connecting Communities. This could be a project that reflects the diversity of our communities and is helping to make Cumbria a place where people get on well together, such as a community centre supporting people who have English as a second language. The judges will be keen to see projects where people from different backgrounds come together.