Tireless volunteers who have gone the extra mile to help others have been recognised for their kindness with awards.

The annual Spirit of Colchester awards, organised by the Colchester Town Partnership (CTP), were presented to the five winners by the town's mayor, Ray Gamble, at a special awards ceremony in the town hall.

There were also two new awards, the Chariot honours, given by Mr Gamble to honour those who have devoted time and effort to serve the borough.

The winners were selected by a panel of judges made up of former mayors and alderman of the borough, including Mary Fairhead, Frank Wilkin and Tony Webb.

Ellie Scrivener was awarded the Spirit of Colchester award for her outstanding dedication to a drama group for people with disabilities.

The 44-year-old mother from Greenstead, who is a college lecturer at the Colchester Institute, spends all her spare time working with the Colchester Gateway Club.

This year, she organised for the members to make a film about Boudica which, thanks to £7,500 sponsorship from the Colchester and Ipswich Museum, premiered at Colchester's Odeon cinema in August.

Malcolm Campbell was awarded the Mayor's Chariot honours for his dedication to Scouting.

The 49-year-old father-of- two from Stanway has been praised for his work at helping youngsters in deprived areas of town join in with Scouting activities.

He said: "I was gobsmacked when I heard I was nominated, I wasn't expecting anything like this."

The other winners were: Tim Norman, Ruth Abell, Carol Wice, Martine Ward, and Ellen Daniels, who was awarded the Mayor's Chariot honours.