Harrogate and District Volunteering Oscars 2014

The 7th Harrogate & District Volunteering Oscars will again celebrate the tremendous work done by volunteers in our community by such a diverse group of people of all ages, whilst recognising those who have gone the extra mile and thanking them for all that they do.

CLICK HERE TO NOMINATE

This year, you may have noticed someone going the extra mile to help make ours the grandest Grand Départ in Tour de France history - or working every day - with little praise - to make someone’s life that bit better.

The Harrogate District is a much better place to live and work because of the contribution from all our volunteers.

The awards are organised by former Mayor of Harrogate Coun John Fox together with the Harrogate Advertiser Series.

Christopher Smith, Partner at Stephen H Smith’s Garden & Leisure said: “We first sponsored the ‘Environment Volunteer of the Year Award’ last year and were so impressed at the standard of the nominations to this and the other categories that we are very pleased to be supporting the Volunteer Oscars Awards again this year.”

Naomi Hall of the Blue Water Partnership said: “We won the ‘Corporate Engagement Award’ in 2012 and were amazed to find at the Awards Ceremony so many volunteers of all ages from throughout the Harrogate District had been nominated.

“We are very pleased to be sponsoring the ‘Organisation of the Year Award’ for the second year.”

Harrogate Town AFC have agreed to sponsor the Sports Volunteer again this year.

Managing Director Garry Plant said: “At Harrogate Town AFC we have a great team of volunteers, so we are extremely pleased to support the Volunteering Oscars again this year, as we recognise the tremendous support given to sports by volunteers throughout the district.”

All those nominated will be invited to a glittering ceremony in Harrogate on October 31.

Coun Fox said: “I am really pleased that we are again able to celebrate the support given by volunteers throughout the District to so many different organisations, which makes our community a better place.

“I encourage readers to nominate a volunteer or group of volunteers for an Award. It could be your way of saying ‘Thank you’ for their work.”

We are seeking nominations from all sectors of the community, and from all areas in the Harrogate district, including Ripon, Nidderdale, Knaresborough, Boroughbridge and Masham.

A new Wildlife Volunteer category joins categories for Young Volunteer of the Year, Care Volunteer of the Year, Community Volunteer of the Year, Environment Volunteer of the Year, Sports Volunteer, Unsung Heroes in Harrogate, Knaresborough, Ripon, Boroughbridge and Nidderdale, New Volunteer of the Year, Trustee of the Year, Organisation of the Year, Corporate Engagement Award, Volunteer of the Year and Lifetime Volunteer.
Closing date for nominations is Monday, October 13 at 12.00pm

The 2013 winners

Young volunteer of the year: Laura Mackenzie

Care Volunteer of the year: John Shannon

Community Volunteers of the year: Frances Fraser and Clare Thorpe

Environmental Volunteer of the year: Starbeck in Bloom

Sport Volunteer of the year: Alistair Locke

Unsung hero: Harrogate: The Six PPR Ladies

Unsung hero - Knaresborough: Penny Carpenter

Unsung hero - Ripon and Boroughbridge: Nicola David

Unsung hero - Nidderdale :
Angela Houseman

New volunteer of the year: Andrew Bowers

Trustee of the year: Peter Thompson

Organisation of the year: Talking Spaces

The corporate engagement award: CNG

Volunteer of the year: Simon Oldroydl

Lifetime achievement award: Jean and Keith Fenn