The chance to nominate a south coast ‘local hero’ for a prestigious national awards ceremony has now ended.
Ringwood-based Churchill Retirement Living teamed up with Wave 105 to search for anyone over the age of 65 who made a massive difference to their community in 2013.
A total of 21 nominations were made which included charity workers, community club managers and fundraisers, and the overall winner will be crowned the south coast’s local hero.
The entries are now being deliberated by judges Esther Rantzen, Jon Brooks, Rupert Bates, Geraldine Bedell, Don Black, Tom Wright, Stephen Page, Geoffrey Lean, Will Gompertz, Spencer McCarthy and Sir Roger Carr, and three finalists will join high profile sportsmen, politicians, actors and businessmen at a special ceremony in London during March where the winner will be announced. Previous winners included June Brown, the late Sir Henry Cecil, Sir George Young and PD James.
The Churchill Awards, with support of the Daily Telegraph, are specifically designed to show that older people still have a significant role to play in our society and they should be celebrated for that.
Spencer McCarthy, Chairman and Group Managing Director of Churchill Retirement Living and the driving force behind the awards, explains why crowning a local hero is such an important part of the awards: He said: “This is the first year that we have selected a local hero. We know that many older people still play an important role in all realms of society and pensioners are making an exceptional contribution to their local communities every day.
“It is just as important for us to recognise these ‘local heroes’ as it was the winners in 2012, which included PD James and the late Sir Henry Cecil.”
For further information please visit www.churchillretirement.co.uk or email localhero@churchillretirement.co.uk