Community Awards | Homepage - Gazette

A NEW awards scheme is launched today to honour unsung heroes in our community. The Community Awards will pay tribute to people from the Colchester borough who selflessly go the extra mile to help others.

Colchester Trinity Rotary Club and the Colchester Gazette are organising the awards as a celebration of the club’s 25th anniversary. And we need your help to nominate those who deserve recognition.

Nick Clarke, of Colchester Trinity Rotary Club, said: “It’s our 25th year and we couldn’t think of a better way to mark that than holding an awards ceremony for individuals and teams who do fabulous work in the community and do it because they just want to help, and not because they want anything in return.”

“This is an opportunity for the people of Colchester to say thank you to friends and individuals who have worked so hard to help other people. There is so much wonderful work being done. A lot of people do a lot of great work. Some people might say these kinds of awards are always happening, but they’re not. The ones out there tend to be business awards and awards run by specific organisations, such as the police, but there’s nothing really coming out of the community that covers the whole spectrum.”

There are eight categories covering outstanding service to the community and outstanding help to an individual, as well as service carried out through the workplace or a charitable organisation.
Nominees could be young carers, good neighbours or clubs and societies which make a difference.

Winners will receive a Rotary Fellowship Award – the highest award the Rotary can give anyone in the community – as well as Lion Walk shopping vouchers and an engraved silver salver.
The Community Awards ceremony will be held at the Headgate Theatre in June and it is hoped it will become an annual event. Mr Clarke added: “If you think you know of somebody who really deserves recognition, then send in a nomination. If you do know somebody that has done some great work then use this opportunity.”

“It could be anyone from the person in your street who visits the elderly and picks up their shopping to people who set up bigger community initiatives and work behind the scenes to enrich the lives of others. We want as many nominations as possible and it only takes two minutes to fill in the form and send it to us. We will then contact you to find out more about the nominees and help get them the recognition they deserve. We need you to make these awards a success, and would like to thank all the sponsors for supporting the awards.”