THIS year’s Northern Echo Local Heroes Awards will take place at Wynyard Hall on Thursday, December 1.

The awards, which are now in their 17th year, will again celebrate the stars and unsung heroes of the North-East and North Yorkshire’s grassroots sport scene.

All the nominations have been narrowed down to a shortlist in each category and here we take a look at those still in contention for an award.

MOST PROMISING NEW TALENT
Sponsor: Longfield School

Lucca Jackson

The seven-year-old is a member of Seaton Carew Golf Club. He started the year off a 54 handicap and has reduced that to 25.

Having qualified for the final of the national Wee Wonders Junior Golf Tour at St Andrew’s in September, he held his nerve to hole a 10ft putt to win the competition. He also finished top of the order of merit on the North East MacDonald’s Hotels Junior Golf Tour and helped the Durham County golf team beat Northumbria and Cumbria to lift the MacDonald’s Tour trophy.

Rachel Jackson

Rachel is 13, from Middlesbrough, a member of Thornaby Pavilion Judo Club and is the most successful female junior judo competitor the North-East has produced.

She is already a two-time British champion and has won three international gold medals and one international bronze. She is the British number one in her age and weight category and has been a member of the England Judo Pre-Cadet Squad for two years. This year she finished top of the British Judo Association’s Ippon League table.

Isabelle Garnham

Aged 11, and a member of the Apollo Trampoline Club in Washington. Isabelle finished the season in fourth-plac in her age group at the Elite British Championships: her first year as an elite gymnast.

She also won the British synchronised title in the 13-14 girls’ elite – the age group above her own – with fellow Apollo team member Verity Kell. Isabelle then won the North of England U13s individual and team title, the U15s open ladies’ synchro title (again with Verity) and also finished second in the open ladies’ event.

UNSUNG HERO
Sponsor: Newcastle Airport

Harry Binyon

A cornerstone of Crook and District Athletics Club. He fulfils a number of different roles and every Tuesday and Thursday he is the first person at the Peases West track to open up for training sessions, and the last to leave after locking up.

A fully-qualified coach through England Athletics, he helps run the club’s junior section and has been the club’s treasurer for almost 20 years. He always shows his support at races and is there throughout the winter cross-country seasons.

Albert Oldridge & Dave Lee

Albert and Dave are from Darlington and have a combined age of 171: nominated because they are believed to be the oldest tea ladies in the North-East.

The friends are staunch supporters of Haughton CC’s second team and prepare, serve and tidy up after the cricket teas at all the home games. They have been complimented for one of the most popular teas in the Darlington and District League B division.

Just before the recent Haughton CC presentation night, Dave and Albert announced their joint retirement from “tea duties” as they want more time to watch the cricket rather than being in the kitchen.

Angela Doody

The driving force behind Thornaby Pavilion Judo Club, along with the club’s 84-year-old coach Joe Glynn.

She has been fundamental in the club’s success, with six national and international medallists aged between 10 and 17.

She has made the club one of the most family friendly in the region, and offers lifts for the children to train at other North-East clubs to further their development, asking for nothing in return.

SPORTING EXCELLENCE (SENIOR)
Sponsor: Northumbrian Water

Jack Laugher

The Northern Echo:

A double Rio Olympic medallist. He learned to dive as a youngster with Harrogate and District Diving Club, winning a gold medal at the World Junior Championships in 2010. In partnership with Chris Mears, he won a gold medal in the 3m synchronised springboard in Rio , with the pair becoming Britain’s first ever diving gold medal winners. He then won silver in the individual 3m springboard.

Matt Wylie

Aged 20 and from Sunderland. Matt has cerebral palsy and underwent a series of operations between 2004 and 2007 after a tumour was discovered in his leg. He took up swimming following medical advice and made impressive progress, winning gold in the 50m freestyle and silver in the 4x100m freestyle relay at this year’s European Championships. That confirmed his place at the Rio Paralympics, where he won the S9 50m freestyle final.

Laurence Whiteley

The Northern Echo:

A former winner at the Local Heroes Awards. At the age of 14, he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of bone cancer and for a year he underwent intensive chemotherapy.

He then faced extensive limb salvage surgery and started the long road to recovery. He was a keen para-swimmer, but switched sports in 2011 and took up rowing at Tees Rowing Club. He won a gold medal in the mixed double sculls with Lauren Rowles at the 2015 World Championships and they went on to win a Paralympic gold medal in Rio.

Alyson Dixon

The Northern Echo:

The 38-year-old from Sunderland has always run for local clubs and this summer, having finished as the fastest Briton at the London Marathon, she realised a lifetime ambition by competing in the marathon at the Olympic Games, where she finished 28th.

She still represents Sunderland Strollers, and competes in the local Harrier League. Prior to Rio, she and her club raised a significant sum of money for local charities through a Run to Rio with Aly series of activities.

Jess Eddie

The Northern Echo:

Having learned to row at Durham Amateur Rowing Club as a child, the 32-year-old joined the British Rowing squad in 2001.

She was part of the women’s eight crew that finished fifth in the final at both the Beijing and London Olympics, and, in Rio, having helped the British crew win their heat, Jess claimed a silver medal as the British eight produced a storming finish to finish second behind the USA in the Olympic final.

SIR BOBBY ROBSON LEADING LIGHT
Sponsor: Virgin Money

Gordon Lake

The 76-year-old has committed a lifetime of dedication to local cricket in the North-East, most notably with Stockton CC, but also with Cleveland Schools Cricket and the North Yorkshire Area Cricket Council Junior Cricket Leagues. A talented all-round sportsman in his youth, he played rugby union, representing Stockton RFC in two Durham County Senior finals, and cricket, captaining Stockton to the NYSD A Division title and making three appearances for Durham during their minor county days. As a coach and secretary administrator of junior cricket, Gordon has been pivotal in the development of the Cleveland Schools Cricket Association for more than 30 years.

Tony Cox

In May, he celebrated his 75th birthday on the same day he managed Darlington Boys Primary School U11s to victory in the County Cup final against East Northumberland. Forty-four days later, the team were crowned national champions when they won the English Schools finals in Manchester.

He started his voluntary work when he joined Darlington 21st Cubs in 1975 and, 28 years ago, he was the catalyst for the formation of Darlington 21st Allstars, now one of northern England’s biggest football clubs, with players between the ages of six and 18.

Rachael Wright & Nicola Preston

Based in Spennymoor, they are the joint head coaches of South Durham Gymnastics Club.

The pair initially formed the club more than 25 years ago and, in 2006, a successful National Lottery grant resulted in the opening of a state-of-the-art facility at Spennymoor Leisure Centre. The facility, known as the Pink Gym, is regarded as one of the best gymnastics training venues in the country, and Rachael and Nicola have helped develop the South Durham club into one of the most popular and successful in the country.

REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENT (JUNIOR)
Sponsor: Tees Active Ltd

Charlie York

The 11-year-old from Bedale was the winner of the Overcoming Adversity Award at this year’s Northern Echo School Awards, where he was nominated for his “courage and positive attitude”.

Charlie was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at the age of one and spent most of his early life in hospital, having painful treatment. He underwent a lung transplant operation at Great Ormond Street in London last year.

Ten weeks after the surgery, Charlie walked six miles with schoolfriends to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and, a year after his transplant, he won the 100m race on his school sports day.

Jakob McWilliam

Aged 13 and from Darlington, he has suffered from seizures all his life and has also been recently diagnosed with epilepsy, but he continues to be a keen junior footballer. He has four siblings, two of whom suffer from autism, and always does what he can to make sure his brother, Oliver, is involved in everything he does. He spends a large amount of his personal time with Oliver, but still turns up to play football every week, helping his side reach the Town Cup final last season.

Eve Jackson

The 13-year-old from Middlesbrough is a member of Thornaby Pavilion Judo Club, a two-time British Championship medallist and member of the England Judo Pre-Cadet Squad for the past two years. She is the British number two in her age and weight category, having won one gold medal, two silver medals and five bronze medals on the British Judo competitive programme this year.

The reason her achievements are so remarkable is that she has to compete in the same weight category as her twin sister, Rachel, who is ranked above her as British number one. Despite this, they train together, driving themselves forward and raising the bar for their competitors to follow.

CLUB OF THE YEAR (SENIOR)
Sponsor: Air Trail Tees Barrage

Darlington FC

Darlington’s phoenix-like rise from the ashes has continued over the past 12 months, with the club winning promotion from the Premier Division of the Northern Premier League, their third promotion in the space of four years. They are now playing in National League North, just one league below the Conference and two below the Football League, and have made a strong start to the current campaign.

The club plans to return to Darlington to play in a redeveloped stadium at Blackwell Meadows this year.

Sessay Cricket Club

Based in a small North Yorkshire village near Thirsk, Sessay CC achieved national success this summer when they triumphed in the final of the Davidstow Village Cup at Lord’s. Cheered on by about 200 supporters, Sessay smashed 307 runs from their 40 overs against Sibton Park, from Kent. Simon Mason was the star – scoring 138 from 110 balls. Sessay’s total was the highest score made in a Village Cup final and Sibton Park were dismissed for 188.

Apollo Trampoline Club

Washington-based, Apollo are recognised as one of the leading trampoline clubs in the country for both adults and juniors.

Their leading light is former world champion Kat Driscoll, who competed at her second Olympic Games in Rio this year, finishing sixth in the final. The club had three other gymnasts at the British Championships, coming away with a gold and bronze medal, and had 15 gymnasts qualify for the NDP finals, the level just below the elite, with six individual medallists.

REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENT (SENIOR)
Sponsor: Venture

Andrew Robertson

The 46-year-old from Chester-le-Street was diagnosed with Wegners Granulomatosis, a serious autoimmune disease, in October 2008 and was forced to undergo intensive chemotherapy.

In 2014, a scan revealed a thrombosis in the jugular vein and was forced to undergo seven more months of chemo and treatment.

He has continued to compete in triathlons and duathlons over the past two years, even though he still has a thrombosis in the jugular.

His illness flared up again recently, but he pledged to undertake 10 events this year to raise funds for Vasculitis UK. Although he has been back on chemo and feeling very poorly, he finished the last triathlon on September 25 at Hartlepool.

Nick Talbot

Earlier this year, the 40-year-old became the first person with cystic fibrosis to successfully climb Mount Everest.

His first attempt at climbing Everest in 2014 was thwarted by an avalanche, while his attempt in 2015 was cut short by the earthquake that devastated the mountain’s Base Camp. Now based in London, he has raised more than £80,000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust thanks to his mountaineering exploits.

Steven Hutchinson

A keen golfer, the 50-year-old lost the use of his right arm following a motorcycle accident 11 years ago.

But he was determined to carry on playing the game he loved and learned to play with one arm. He now plays off 12, is a member at Barnard Castle GC and also works part-time in the pro shop at Blackwell Grange in Darlington.

This year, he helped Europe win the Fightmaster Cup, the one-armed equivalent of the Ryder Cup, in Indian Wells.

Although he lost in his two pairs matches, he held his nerve superbly in the singles and claimed the crucial point that secured Europe’s win.

CLUB OF THE YEAR (JUNIOR)
Sponsor: Story Homes Ltd

Darlington District U11s Primary Schools Football Team

Each year, all the primary schools in Darlington come together to form a Darlington District Primary Schools boys and girls representative team. The boys’ team won all their matches in the North-East regional competition of the English Schools’ national competition, held at Rockliffe Park, without conceding a goal. That qualified them for the Premier Division Finals, which saw the 16 regional winners come together at Manchester City’s training ground in July.

Darlington won through to the final and beat The Wirral to become national champions for the first time, having won all six matches without conceding a goal.

Longfield Academy U13s Table Tennis Team

It’s been an impressive 12 months, capped with a strong performance at the English Schools Table Tennis Association Butterfly School Team Championships in April.

Thomas Rayner was successful at the U12 Boys’ National Cup. He was invited to the tournament in Bristol because of his position near the top of the national rankings and beat the six other top players in his age group.

Crook & District Athletics Club Junior Section

The juniors section at Crook and District AC has experienced big growth and success over the past year.

Junior membership stands at 84 - full capacity for the coaches to juniors ratio. The club has a healthy waiting list and is supporting senior members with their coaching qualifications to help increase junior membership.

Notable achievements for the junior section this year include winning the County Durham Athletics Network sports festival at Maiden Castle and winning the inaugural President’s Cup junior competition.

SPORTING EXCELLENCE (JUNIOR) 
Sponsor: Darlington Building Society

Amy Tinkler

The Northern Echo:

The 16-year-old from Bishop Auckland won this category at last year’s Local Heroes Awards, but has been included among the nominees again thanks to her outstanding achievements over the past 12 months. Amy was selected as the youngest member of Team GB for the Rio Olympics and produced a stunning floor routine to win an Olympic bronze medal.

She became the first British female gymnast to win an Olympic medal on the floor and joined Beth Tweddle as one of only two British females to win an individual gymnastics medal at an Olympic Games.

Georgia O’Connor

The Northern Echo:

The 16-year-old from Waterhouses is a former winner in the Most Promising Newcomer category, when she competed in taekwondo, but is now one of Britain’s most exciting female prospects in boxing. She defended her National Championship title and became junior 70kg national champion and promoted to England Boxing’s Excel Talent Squad, a select group of boxers who have been identified as potential future Olympians. Georgia has a record of 14 fights, with 11 wins, and is unbeaten in the UK.

Daisy Cooil

She took up canoe slalom in 2013 and trains at Tees Barrage International Whitewater Centre.

The 15-year-old competed at the British Open at Lee Valley and finished eighth in the senior category, up against women of all ages and two Olympians. She is the highest-ranked woman of her age in Britain and competes in the Premier Division.

In August, she was invited to train and compete in two International European Canoe Association races with British Canoeing elite juniors in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. She was the only British Athlete to podium, winning bronze in the canoe category.

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE
Sponsor: BMI Woodlands Hospital

The winner of this category will be revealed on the awards night.