West Berkshire Community Champion Awards are back!

West Berkshire Council is calling upon local residents to nominate deserving individuals and groups for our Community Champion Awards 2023.

The Community Champion Awards are a brilliant opportunity to say thank you to people who have done something special for their local community and honour those individuals and community groups who have gone above and beyond to support residents throughout West Berkshire this past year.  

Nominations will be open from 6 November, 2023, for 5 weeks. All nominations will be judged by an independent panel and the winners will be presented with their award at an awards ceremony to be held in February 2024.

Nominations for the Community Champions Awards 2023 can be made in the following four categories:

• The Pat Eastop Junior Citizen of the Year. This recognises someone 18-years-old or under, who lives in West Berkshire (or their contribution has been of benefit to the residents of West Berkshire) and has made an outstanding contribution to the district and its residents. This could be through helping or caring for someone disadvantaged, performing an act of bravery, making the district a better place to live or work or having achieved excellence in education, training, employment or another outside activity.
• Volunteer of the Year. This recognises someone living in West Berkshire (or their contribution has been of benefit to the residents of West Berkshire) who has made an outstanding contribution and shown exceptional commitment to an unpaid activity.
• Community Group of the Year. This award recognises and rewards a community group (based within West Berkshire or providing a service to the benefit of West Berkshire residents) which has made an exceptional contribution to the district and its residents. Small or large, all groups will be considered in relation to the impact they have had.
• Lifetime Achievement Award. This award recognises someone who has demonstrated exceptional dedication and commitment either in an unpaid role, involved in a project or other initiative or delivered long-lasting benefit to the community. The nominee must live in West Berkshire or their contribution has been of benefit to the residents of West Berkshire

Councillor Jeremy Cottam, Chairman of West Berkshire Council, said:

"The Community Champion Awards are really important to us. It's a great chance to say 'thank you' to the people and groups who help and support others in West Berkshire.

These awards celebrate those helping their communities and honour those who do good things in our district. The Community Champion Awards recognise our unsung heroes in all their forms and the quality of nominations is always high. I would urge residents to take a few moments to nominate these wonderful people undertaking great work in our communities, no matter how big or small."

Community contributions can be made in many ways: organising environmental work, running social groups, organising community sports activities and events, co-ordinating resident groups or any other activities that improve the lives of the people of West Berkshire.

Nominations can be made online by visiting:

https://www.westberks.gov.uk/community-champion

The closing date is 11 December, 2023. Paper nomination forms can be obtained by calling 01635 503973.