Torbay Together Community Awards

Residents across the Bay are being asked to shine the spotlight on members of the community, who go the extra mile, by nominating them for the Torbay Together Community Awards.

Torbay Together is made up of Torbay Council, Torbay Care Trust, Devon & Cornwall Police, Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service, and voluntary organisations that all work together to deliver hundreds of local services more efficiently and achieve better value for money.

The awards acknowledge and reward those residents who have made a significant contribution to the community and help bring Torbay Together.

An awards ceremony will take place on Thursday 30 September at the Palace Avenue Theatre, Paignton, to celebrate individual and community group achievements.

Mayor of Torbay, Nick Bye, said:

The Torbay Together Community Awards, organised in association with the Herald Express, will celebrate some of the fantastic achievements residents of Torbay have undertaken. The awards ceremony in September promises to be a memorable evening of celebration and entertainment, and an opportunity to reward and showcase all that is good about the community of Torbay. I would urge residents to nominate their family, friends, neighbours and work colleagues, no matter how large or small their achievements – their efforts could have made a difference to the communities they live in.

Deputy Chief Executive of Torbay Care Trust, Steve Wallwork, said:

We know there are many people living in our local communities who are committed to making Torbay a safer, healthier, more enjoyable place to live. The Torbay Together Awards will give these unsung heroes the recognition they deserve.

Torbay’s Chief Inspector, Devon & Cornwall Police, Jim Nye, said:

Many residents undertake a great deal of excellent work in the local community and the Torbay Together awards are an ideal way of recognising their efforts. We hope people take advantage of this opportunity to nominate deserving friends, family and colleagues for all they do.

Patrick Tyler, Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service Community Safety Manager for Torbay, said:

We are all working towards making Torbay a better place to live and work in, those of us in the statutory sector need residents from our communities to come forward and get involved in all aspects of neighbourhood renewal and community engagement in order to achieve our aims. We are now in a period where Government funding will be limited and the involvement of our residents is more important than ever.

To find out more about the awards and how to nominate visit www.torbaytogether.org.uk

The categories for the awards are as follows:

•           Carer of the Year

•           Education Worker of the Year

•           Local Hero of the Year

•           Young sportsperson of the Year

•           Lifetime Achievement

•           Child of Achievement

•           Young Person of the Year

•           Green Award / Contribution to the Environment

•           Creativity in the Community Award

•           Entrepreneur of the Year

•           Business of the Year

•           Community Award

Established partnership working initiatives and projects residents will recognise are:

•           The Stay Safe Bus – improving Torquay’s harbourside night time economy

•           Paignton’s Community Library

•           Junior Life Skills – which gives young people safety guidance

•           Dunboyne – independent living for the over 60s

•           MyPlace – a world-class youth centre

•           Hele’s Angels – the first neighbourhood management scheme in Torbay