Darlington people who work tirelessly to improve their communities and help others are to be celebrated.

The Darlington Council for Voluntary Service (CVS) has launched its Darlington Volunteering Awards, supported by The Northern Echo and the Darlington Partnership.

Volunteer teams who have worked to improve their communities, or for charities, can be nominated for the awards.

Helen Crute, of the CVS, said the awards were being held as part of national Volunteers' Week.

She said: "We are anxious not to recognise individual volunteers, but those who work in teams, so the nominations must be for team effort."

Nominations should include details of any kind of teamwork on a project in the past 12 months.

Mrs Crute said: "It doesn't have to be any kind of new or exciting project, just something that at least three volunteers have worked on together, and it has made a difference."

The awards will also celebrate the work the CVS has carried out in Darlington since 1966, placing volunteers with appropriate groups and providing support and guidance for charities and community groups.

The organisation has placed more than 1,000 volunteers in the past six years in projects around the town.

Mrs Crute said: "The value of work that those volunteers carry out is incalculable. The awards aren't just open to volunteers we have placed, they are open to anyone in the town. We want to celebrate what we have done and what they have done, and what a wonderful thing this is.

"The town would be a much poorer place without the wealth of volunteers working to improve things."

She said anyone could be nominated, for example, for their work with animals, elderly people, or parents who gave up their time to read to children in schools.

It is hoped the awards will raise the profile of voluntary work, as well as celebrating the thousands of community-spirited people in the town.

Anyone who wants to enter the awards can call Helen Crute on (01325) 266888.