Community champions, local heroes and people who have courageously faced adversity will be given well-deserved recognition at the prestigious Essex Achievement Awards ceremony.
A total of 25 people of all ages from across the county will be receiving awards tonight, Friday November 8, at a presentation evening taking place at Stock Brook Manor in Billericay.
The awards are a joint initiative by the Essex Chronicle Series and its sister paper the Brentwood Gazette, in conjunction with Susie Cornell, a complementary therapist based at the SpringHealth club in Chelmsford.
Susie, who has multiple sclerosis, first joined forces with the Essex Chronicle Series in 1994 to launch the Achievement over Adversity Awards.
Now the award scheme has expanded to incorporate three separate categories: Community Champions, Local Heroes and Achievement over Adversity.
Major sponsorship from Ford Rapid Fit has allowed the expansion of the awards and Paul Thomas, the new managing director of Ford of Britain, will be among the VIP guests for the evening.
Chelmsford Star Co-op also gives valuable backing to the annual awards and this year will be sponsoring the new Community Champions award.
TV personality Jeremy Spake will also be among the guests for the awards evening, along with an array of civic dignitaries.
Awards for each category, as well as special awards will be presented to people nominated by readers of the Essex Chronicle and Brentwood Gazette and BBC Essex listeners.
It is the first time the award ceremony has been held at Stock Brook Manor Country Club.
Those receiving awards range from schoolchildren to pensioners but all have set an inspiring example either through their courage, their commitment to the community or their determination in the face of great difficulties in their lives.
The award scheme has been given a wider scope this year through links with the ambulance, police and fire services.
Welcoming the wider approach of the awards Susie Cornell said: "I am delighted that the scheme has expanded its horizons so that it can reach more people in Essex who really deserve recognition."
Published Friday November 8, 2002
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