Shropshire Star

Great Big Thank You Awards 2019: Time to have your say on local heroes

The wait is over – after painstaking deliberation and debate by our judging panel, we can today announce the finalists in our second Great Big Thank You Awards.

Published
All the winners at last year’s event gathered together with Martin Wright to celebrate their accolades following the gala ceremony at Hadley Park House Hotel

The 28 names have been carefully selected from scores of excellent nominations. You can find them all in the special eight-page supplement in today's Shropshire Star. Each day we will be printing special vote tokens in the Shropshire Star for you to cut out and keep.

It wasn’t an easy task, by any means, choosing from the many inspirational members of our community.

If nothing else, your nominations have shown us one thing – just how many unsung heroes there are quietly helping others in our area.

Eight-page supplement inside today's paper

And now, with the help of our sponsors and judging panel, we have come up with our list of finalists. And it is down to you to decide who the winners are.

This will be a difficult decision. The supplement is filled with remarkable stories of dedication, courage, and just plain old-fashioned kindness.

Each one of them is special in their own unique way, and all deserve huge praise for their contribution.

You will read about people who have gone to incredible lengths to raise money for good causes, whether it is grandparents who do remarkable things for their families or people from the wider community who go out of their way to make the world a better place.

There are people who work tirelessly to protect the environment or serve the community in which they live, there are young people who show maturity beyond their years.

There are also those who show extraordinary kindness in the way they care for others, there are heroes who show little regard for themselves when they help others, or who show great courage in overcoming adversity.

Ambassadors

And then there are the volunteers who selflessly give up their time for others, and those who are simply great ambassadors for our fine county.

Shropshire Star editor Martin Wright said: “The Great Big Thank You awards is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the people who make our county so special.

“The heart-warming tales outlined on the following pages underline what makes Shropshire great, and every one of the finalists can justifiably feel very proud.

“It is humbling to hear about all the marvellous things that go on in our county, and I urge people to vote to give these wonderful people the recognition they deserve.”

In the supplement we reveal all of the finalists for 11 separate categories, and how you can vote to choose the eventual winners.

The lucky winners will be invited, along with guests, to an awards afternoon at Telford’s Hadley Park House Hotel on October 10.

They will be joined by the campaign sponsors to enjoy afternoon tea before they are presented with their prizes and trophies, which have been designed by the British Ironwork Centre in Oswestry.