THE search is on to find community champions throughout the Hambleton District who have gone the extra mile to help and support the people around them.

The council wants to find people who have gone out of their way to help others and who have improved their communities and they want the residents to help in the search.

Friends, family, and work colleagues are being asked to put forward individuals or groups who they think deserve recognition for making a difference.

The awards were launched two years ago to recognise and celebrate exceptional contributions made by countless residents, young and old.

They cover everything from Service to Young People to the Green/Environmental Award and for the first time they want to find the Community or Village Hall of the Year which delivers outstanding service to the people who use it.

Cllr Bridget Fortune, portfolio holder for Customer and Leisure Services, said: "We want to reward the positive, and often unnoticed, voluntary work undertaken by our residents who all work hard to ensure their communities are a nice place to live. These individuals and groups work tirelessly for no pay, to provide excellent services, projects and experiences for their communities. The awards will allow us to give them the praise they so richly deserve.

“Please don’t be afraid to nominate a project, organisation or individual who you think is worthy of recognition, even if they were nominated last year. We were delighted with the number of nominations last year, but we would love for the 2016 nominations to be even better.”

There are ten categories including: Service to Young People; Service to Older People; Service to Disability; Parish Council of the Year; Community Group of the Year; Green/Environmental Award; Arts and Culture Award; The Peter Davison Award Community Champion of the Year, for an individual who has gone the extra mile and shows exceptional commitment to their community. Young Citizen of the Year, aged 11 to 24 and Community or Village Hall of the Year.

The closing date for nominations is December 18, 2015. Finalists will be invited to the awards ceremony which is due to take place on March 17, 2016.

Forms are available through the website, www.hambleton.gov.uk/communityawards2016 , or from any Hambleton Council leisure centre at Northallerton, Stokesley, Bedale, Thirsk and Easingwold. They are also available from council offices or contact Kate Staines or Lisa Wilson on 01609-767203.