A rallying call has been issued to find the best community champions and honour them at a glitzy awards ceremony.

BBC Radio Sheffield has joined forces with the charity South Yorkshire’s Community Foundation (SYCF) to launch a search for unsung heroes.

The Community Champions Awards celebrate the lives of outstanding people or teams who go above and beyond to care about their community, or who consistently give up their time to help others – and they are now seeking nominations.

Katrina Bunker, editor at BBC Radio Sheffield, said: “We know there are lots of people in South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire who deserve recognition but we need help to find these people and honour them for the work they do.

“We’ve got eight categories for these awards and the finalists in each category will be invited to a fabulous evening ceremony at Sheffield Cathedral on Thursday, October 3. We’ll also celebrate each inspirational story on BBC Radio Sheffield.”

Ruth Willis, chief executive of SYCF, said: “People have got until the end of July to make their nominations and every nomination will be read by a panel of judges.

“There are lots of community champions out there and now is the time for people to tell us about them. Let’s shout about all the great caring people we have in this area and celebrate the work they do.”

Nominations are being sought in the following categories.

Neighbourhood/Environmental Champion; for the person or a team who have made a positive difference to their area, community or wider environment. This is also the category to consider nominating a good neighbour – someone who goes above and beyond to make their area a better place to live.

Creative Champion: for a person or team who have made a difference creatively – through arts, music, drama, dance or writing.

Health, Fitness and Wellbeing champion; for the person or team who have made a difference in the field of health, community sport or wellbeing.

Team Champion: for the team that’s gone above and beyond to make a difference in their community – an award to recognise the power of working together. This could recognise a successful community event, a campaign or a partnership between different groups – the key thing is it needed a team pulling together to make it happen.

Community Group Champions: this award recognises a person or team from a stand out community group. This could be a new group, or an established group that makes a demonstrable difference to people’s lives. The judges will be looking for a great idea for a group and evidence that it’s a group needed and appreciated by the service users.

Young Champion: for someone aged under 18 who is going above and beyond for their community.

Business Champion: for the person or team in business making a difference to the community. An award to recognise a business that is giving back to the local community through an event, campaign or scheme that wouldn’t happen without their input.

Outstanding Champion: for the unsung hero or volunteer who is an inspiration. This award is for someone who goes above and beyond to make a difference, for someone who makes their community a better place and is a great role model for others.

People can make nominations by visiting BBC Radio Sheffield’s website at www.bbc.co.uk/radiosheffield; or writing to Community Champions, BBC Radio Sheffield, 54 Shoreham Street, Sheffield, S1 4RS.

The closing date for nominations is Wednesday, July 31.

Local hospice charity and Chesterfield Champion, Ashgate Hospicecare, who cover the North Derbyshire area, will be celebrating the difference volunteers make to their organisation and thanking them for all their time and dedication during this year’s Volunteers’ Week, which runs from 1 – 7 June.

Volunteers make an enormous contribution to Ashgate Hospicecare, not only in terms of the skills and experience they bring, but also in the enormous financial savings through the support they provide. The hospice, which is based in Chesterfield and serves the whole of North Derbyshire, has around 690 active volunteers at any one time, supporting the retail shops, fundraising and clinical staff across the hospice.

Based on volunteers giving an average of six hours a month, and calculated at the National Minimum Wage from April 2019 of £8.21 per hour, their contribution has resulted in over £400,000 of valuable support. In reality, many of the volunteers give much more of their time and would cost more per hour to hire due to the skills and experience they bring to their roles. Ashgate Hospicecare is hugely grateful to all their volunteers for the time they dedicate in their roles, every minute of which helps patients with a life-limiting illness and families to receive vital hospice care when they need it.

Colin Boynton, from Buxton, has volunteered for Ashgate Hospicecare for over a year on the Inpatient Unit. He said, “I get an enormous amount out of volunteering for the hospice. It’s a very special place to me and so when I come here and serve the meals to patients, I feel included and part of the hospice. It’s been hard for me since I lost my husband, Frank, in 2017, but volunteering here keeps me motivated and I feel very well supported by the staff. It feels nice to give something back and bring a smile to the patients’ faces. I’d recommend volunteering to anyone and, no matter whether you want to spend time with patients or help the hospice in another way, you’ll be able to build up your skills and confidence and feel proud to support their fantastic work.”

Joanne Neill, Volunteer Development Manager at Ashgate Hospicecare said, “Ever since we opened over 30 years ago, volunteers have been integral to our operation. We simply couldn’t run the hospice without them. We have volunteers in almost every team: supporting our clinical staff on the ward and in the Day Hospice, helping out in the retail shops, doing administration, bucket collecting, marshalling at events and in many other roles too.

We know that volunteers who dedicate their time to the hospice don’t do it for the praise, but we like to let them know how their support helps more patients and families to receive care, not least because of these enormous savings. Our volunteers are truly special people and part of the Ashgate Hospicecare family, helping us to deliver specialist care when it matters the most, whether directly or indirectly through their roles.”