Awards put Community Heroes in the spotlight

Amazing tributes to some of our South Derbyshire Community Heroes, who played starring roles in the massive community volunteer response to the pandemic, have been unveiled in the first virtual  version of the traditional South Derbyshire Awards, to coincide with Volunteers’ Week.

South Derbyshire Awards organisers asked local people to identify members of the community, who are not key workers, that have helped them during this challenging time, and put them forward for recognition in a roll of honour.

There was a great response as local people seized the opportunity to submit a ‘thank you’ to their chosen volunteer heroes, with over 120 individuals and volunteer groups put forward.

The tributes, along with a series of specially-made videos, have now been published on the South Derbyshire Awards website – https://southderbyshireawards.com

Alongside the videos on the website, is the roll of honour with many of the submissions featuring quotes from people thanking a special person.

The videos and the quotes tell inspiring stories of what each of these people did for others and how much it meant. Support mentioned ranges from helping with shopping, picking up prescriptions, , making and delivering meals for those that needed a bit of extra help.

Others have been thanked for getting people together safely and giving them purpose, such as arranging Nordic walks via Zoom meetings and online activities like dance classes and virtual pub quizzes.

Councillor Kevin Richards, Leader of South Derbyshire District Council, said: “I would firstly like to add my thanks to our incredible Community Heroes, both those who have been included in the roll of honour, but also the many more who aren’t featured on the website but who did their bit and contributed to the response effort.

“I would also like to encourage everyone to take a look at the website, hear the inspirational stories and appreciate what a fantastic community we live in.”

4 June 2021