The Churchill Awards, the annual awards scheme that recognises the outstanding achievement by individuals now entitled to draw their pension, are looking for a local hero from the South Coast.
The company behind the awards, Ringwood-based Churchill Retirement Living, has teamed up with Wave 105 and asked their listeners to put forward the name of anyone over the age of 65 who is still making a massive difference to a local community on the South Coast. The nominated ‘heroes’ can come from any walk of life – they might be part of a local youth football club, they might help run meals on wheels, they might, like last year’s winner the late Eddie Grenfell, have campaigned selflessly for an important cause, they might be making a real difference to a local school or they may raise money tirelessly for local charities.
The winner of the search will join famous sportsmen, politicians, actors and businessmen at a special lunch in London in February where they will receive their award. Last year’s 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 the local hero is such an important part of the awards: He said: “We know that many older people still play an important role in all realms of society – in film, politics, art, scientific research, older people are still at the forefront of excellence in their field. Even in sport we forget that examples like Sir Alex Ferguson prove that excellence knows no age boundaries. But our Awards are not only about famous sportsmen, actors and politicians. Pensioners all over the country are making an exceptional contribution to their local communities every day and it was just as important for us to recognise these ‘local heroes’ as it was to honour PD James and the late Sir Henry Cecil who were two of our winners last year.
“The local heroes we are looking for don’t seek recognition so we have teamed up with Wave 105 FM to encourage everyone in the South Coast region to tell us about their own particular hero and why we should honour them.”
Jon Brooks, Wave 105 commercial director, said: “We are delighted to be teaming up with Churchill Retirement Living. We hope the Wave 105 listeners help to recognise the outstanding achievements of those over 65. Please get in touch and make your nomination by visiting the Wave 105 website.”
To find out more, or to vote for your own ‘local hero’ go to www.churchillretirement.co.uk or email localhero@churchillretirement.co.uk