FINAL preparations are being made for the Newsquest Pride of Cumbria Awards, which return to the county this week, bringing the whole community together for a very special evening.

Cumbria’s biggest ever event celebrating heroes of all ages and from all walks of life aims to find and recognise the hidden gems.

The awards, now in their fourth year, shine a spotlight on the people who make our county such a great place to live, proving that it really is a unique and inspiring corner of the world.

The headline sponsors for this year’s awards are GSK and NRL, with many other businesses coming on board as category sponsors.

From Young Person of the Year to Community Business, the awards will celebrate all those people who go above and beyond to help others across Cumbria, along with those whose personal achievements set them apart.

Joy Yates, Newsquest Cumbria regional editor, said: “The nominations for our Pride of Cumbria Awards are inspirational. 

“It indeed makes you very proud to live and work in our beautiful county. Everyone nominated deserves this recognition for their contribution to what makes Cumbria such a community-spirited place to live, work and visit.

“I’m sure everyone will have a wonderful evening at the awards. A huge thank you to our sponsors for enabling this event to happen and congratulations to everyone involved.”

Emily Wood, sales director for Newsquest Cumbria, said: “It’s always such a privilege to celebrate the, oft unrecognised, heroes that make our communities here in Cumbria so special. 

“The Pride of Cumbria Awards is a chance cast a spotlight on the amazing people, organisations and teams that live among us. This year’s awards promises to be an incredible night, filled with inspiration and we look forward to meeting the nominees.”

This year’s Pride of Cumbria Awards will take place at the Greenhill Hotel, Wigton, on Thursday, June 13. 

Following the launch earlier this year, the team have been working hard to shortlist the entries for Pride of Cumbria.

Here are all of your finalists:

Neighbour/Local Hero of the Year
Julie Huck
Rachael Edwards
Andrea Martin

Young Person of the Year
Georgia Penny
Wesley Todd
Frankie McMillan

Community Business of the Year
Kirkoswald Community Shop
Russ Withey, RockWith
Cumbria Health

NHS/Keyworker of the Year
Carol Newby
Rachel Stables
Kristina Whitworth

Caring for the Community
Ann Marie Rogan and the team at R&R Day Services 
Hayley Hill
Ingrid Fox

Education Hero
Tony Clayton
Petra Skodova
Tracey Croucher

Sportsperson/Team of the Year
Keswick Falcons
Emily Trotter
Megan Fearnley

Community Group of the Year
Steven Brown, Andy’s Man Club
Wigton Wombles
Carmen de Castro, Twenteetotal