The Crawley Community Awards 2021 are here! It's time to nominate your local heroes

The Awards recognise and reward people who give up their time, talents and skills to help and support others in their community and those who have trained, worked and put all their efforts into making real achievements.

In the past year, the need for help and support in our community has been greater than ever and, as always, the Crawley community stepped up.

Nominations are invited for groups and individuals across sixteen different categories representing everything from volunteering and charities through to education and sports. Nominees must either live, work, volunteer or study within the district or provide a service open to Crawley residents outside the immediate area.

Here are all the categories and the 2020 winners:

Fundraiser – Patrick McIntosh, St. Catherine’s Hospice

Community Group – Crawley Town Community Foundation

Environment – Thomas Simpson, Gatwick Greenspace Partnership

Graham Cridland – West Sussex & Surrey Angling Academy

Sports Team – Crawley Parkour

Sports Person – Karl Youngman, Storm Basketball Foundation

Performing Arts – Louise Ryrie School of Dance and Drama

Special Recognition – Robert Groves

Education – Katie Jordan, Oriel High School

Charity – Crawley Open House

Volunteer – Katie Schollar

Volunteer Group – Upon Butterfly Wings

Support Group – Super Siblings

Achievement – Farah Ali Khan, Member of UK Youth Parliament

Group Achievement – XIX Crawley RAF Cadets 19th Squadron

Local Hero – Nicholas Hahn, Crawley Devils Football Club

Crawley Community Awards shines spotlight on the wonderful spirit of our town

An independent judging panel will consider all nominations and, subject to restrictions in place at that time, shortlisted nominees will be invited to attend the Awards Presentation Evening at The Hawth in late June. Tickets will be free of charge. Winners will be presented with a trophy and framed certificate.

The Crawley Community Awards are hugely popular reflecting the wonderful community spirit that exists in Crawley. The nominations show the appreciation there is for local people who go the extra mile to make a difference to their community. Over the past five years, more than 1700 nominations have been received and there have been 90 winning individuals and groups.

The Awards Presentation Evening is always an emotional and humbling evening for everyone lucky enough to be invited to attend so if you know someone who deserves recognition for their efforts or their work in our community, please take a few minutes to complete a nomination. For full information and to nominate online, please visit www.crawleycommunityawards.org; Nominations in writing can be sent to: Crawley Community Awards, Crawley Borough Council, The Boulevard, Crawley RH10 1UZ. To nominate by email or for queries, please email [email protected]

Businesses interested in joining The Crawley Observer, The Hawth and Crawley Borough Council in supporting this wonderful event are asked to contact Samantha Sheppard at Crawley Borough Council by email on [email protected] or by calling 01293-438539. www.crawleycommunityawards.org