Chair's community awards

Montage of people

Community heroes

The Chair's Community Awards were first established in 2003 to recognise and celebrate the valuable contribution local unpaid volunteers make to life in South Gloucestershire. They have since become an annual event.

Each year people are asked to nominate their local "community heroes" - people who have made a difference to their community. There are a number of suggested areas of contribution such as community development or safety, promoting equality, arts, sports, play, environment, working with older or young people, advice and advocacy and being a good neighbour. The chosen winners are then invited to a prestigious awards evening to receive their awards.

The Chair of Council, Councillor Shirley Holloway is continuing with the award scheme during her year of office with sponsorship from Filton College. 

All nominations are now closed.

Criteria

The nominated person must satisfy most of the following criteria in order to be considered for an award:

Service

  • making their contribution as a volunteer (without pay other than out of pocket expenses) for the benefit of residents in South Gloucestershire. 
  • or if the person has received payment for their work, they must have shown additional voluntary effort and dedication well beyond that expected from their employment. This additional work needs to be made clear on the form.

Commitment

The candidate has made a real difference in a number of ways such as: 

  • time dedicated to the work they do
  • leadership and the motivation of others 
  • developing ideas that have helped others 
  • helping others overcoming significant challenges

Special Award Categories 

  • long service award 
  • youngest volunteer 
  • joint award (2 people)

Suggested areas of contribution include: (this list is only illustrative)

  • Advice and Advocacy
  • Arts
  • Community Development
  • Sport
  • Community Safety 
  • Play
    		•  
  • Environment
  • Work with Older People 
  • Good Neighbour
  • Work with Young People 
  • Promoting Equality

    • Exceptions

    • unfortunately nominations cannot be taken for groups, as we are unable to administer for large numbers. 
    • nominations cannot be accepted from immediate family members. 
    • nominations cannot be accepted for elected councillors (currently in post), unless the nomination is for work not associated with the councillor role. 
    • previous winners for the same area of contribution.