02 Oct A few days left to nominate Torbay’s community champions

Up the workers! Hundreds, if not thousands of people, work in and for the Torbay community and deserve our thanks and praise.

Quite often, their jobs are not the best paid, but many of those who choose careers in the Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise sector (VCSE) do it more as a vocation or a ‘calling.’

Their efforts are the glue that holds communities together, and as with volunteers, their efforts often go unnoticed, without thanks and without expecting praise.

Time to change that.

The inaugural Torbay Community Champion Awards aim to do just that with categories dedicated to them to allow you to say thank you to someone who has made a difference in your life or has gone ‘above and beyond’.

Some are obvious. When we think of the emergency workers, our thoughts inevitably turn to those on the frontline – the paramedics who are there when you need them, the firefighters who help keep us safe and the police personnel we rely so heavily upon.

Add to them the Coastguard, St John Ambulance, the British Red Cross and the RNLI, some of which have been saving lives for centuries, reassuring us that we are in safe hands.

All have paid for employees, and all have volunteers, and we want to find the very best of them, those who deserve that extra bit of recognition for their supportive, caring and compassionate attitude to their roles.

If you know someone who fits the bill (no pun and no bias intended), then you can nominate them for an award by going to https://bit.ly/TorbayCommunityChampion. Nominations close at midnight on Sunday (October 6^th).

In a nutshell, the judges are looking for a worker in the voluntary, community or social enterprise sector who strives to keep their communities safe by providing emergency services, safety awareness and training or is involved in an activity that enhances safety or protects their communities in emergencies.

Alternatively, you might think that the worker or volunteer you have in mind might be better suited to receive the Lifetime Award because they have dedicated their lives to their community over many years, and you want to recognise their long-standing dedication to improving the quality of life in Torbay.

Again, there is some potential crossover in the Health and Wellbeing category where we are looking for a worker or volunteer committed to improving the health and wellbeing of people in Torbay, including those who provide support for people with additional needs or disabilities, support an organisation that advocates for those with certain illnesses or conditions, provide activities for people with disabilities or long-term illnesses, or accompanies patients to hospital.

Surprisingly given the passions of so many individuals and groups in the Bay, we have not had as many entries for the Environment and Climate Change Champion category – we are looking for someone (a worker or a volunteer who dedicates their time to caring for their local environment, takes part in environmental protection projects, champions a sustainability programme, or takes part in any other volunteer activity that supports the environment

What is becoming apparent as the nominations roll in are some truly committed people in the Bay whose dedication has not gone unnoticed, nor has it gone unappreciated; we have simply opened the floodgates to allow it to be shown publicly.

It will not be easy for the judges, as there can only be one winner, but they already have 120 nominations to appraise before picking the stand-out entries. No easy task.

But remember, the old adage has never been truer, it is not the winning that counts; it is the fact that someone, somewhere, thinks it is important that the person takes part and in that respect, everyone is a winner.

Just a reminder, the other categories are Volunteer of the Year, Young Volunteer of the Year,  Climate and Environment Champion of the Year, Carer of the Year and Volunteering Team of the Year.

We are planning a snazzy awards ceremony at the Redcliffe Hotel in Paignton on Thursday, October 24^th, when the winners will have their names up in lights.

Hopefully, with your support, it will become an annual event, but for now, all eyes are on the Redcliffe. Make sure your community hero has a chance of being there https://bit.ly/TorbayCommunityChampion