West Norfolk heroes from all walks of life were honoured on Wednesday at the Your Local Paper Local Hero awards ceremony.
Around 700 people attended the Alive Corn Exchange in Lynn to attend the glittering occasion organised by the Lynn News’ sister paper.
Those present heard emotional and inspiring stories of how people of all ages have gone the extra mile for their communities, overcome personal adversity, achieved sporting success and raised awareness and funds for a host of charities.
The ceremony was hosted by Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies MBE who praised all the finalists and was also attended by West Norfolk Mayor, Lesley Bambridge.
Alan Taylor, managing director of Iliffe Media West Norfolk, said the judges faced an extremely difficult decision in selecting three finalists from each of the 12 categories.
He said there were so many worthy winners and he paid tribute to the amazing behind-the-scenes community work carried out within West Norfolk by so many selfless people.
This was the second year Your Local Paper has spearheaded the awards with West Norfolk Council as the headline sponsor.
The ceremony would also not be possible without the support of local businesses who sponsor each category.
Award winners were:
Lawrence “Nipper” Appleton (Chris Bamfield Lifetime Achievement Award); Jason Hall (Triumph over Adversity); Professor Lee Smith (Health Professional of the Year); Jay Harrison (Fundraiser of the Year); Hayley Pink (Teacher of the Year); Sgt Darryl Grief (Uniformed Services Award); Heacham FC (Sportsperson/team of the Year); Darren Phoenix (Carer of the Year); Luciano Santos (Work Colleague of the Year); Malcolm Saunders (Neighbour of the Year); Mohammad Salam Uddin (Young Person of the Year); Gary Walker (Volunteer of the Year).
See Friday’s Your Local Paper for more stories and pictures.
