Local Hero Awards 2020: Nominations are open

This year has been an exceptionally difficult one, and in bringing hard times to many like never before, 2020 has also brought people together to help and support each other in a time of unprecedented crisis.

In light of this the annual Edinburgh Evening News Local Hero awards launching today will be exceptionally poignant, as in the past few months we have seen more people than ever stepping up and making extraordinary contributions to their local community.

Nominations for the 14 awards are now open until September 18.

FUNDRAISER OF THE YEAR: KEITH ARMOUR The 42-year-old organised his first charity sci-fi convention in 2016 to raise money for Childrens Hospices Across Scotland, now raising more than 260,000.

Anyone is welcome to make a nomination for the awards, and can do so at www.edinburghlocalheroes.co.uk.

You can nominate a friend, family member, colleague or someone you see in your local community who is making a difference and who you think deserves to be recognised.

Winners will be announced at a live-streamed event at the Sheraton Grand Hotel and Spa on October 9.

The award categories will be: Volunteer of the Year; Fundraiser of the Year; Neighbour of the Year; Inspirational Young Adult (sponsored by Amazon); Bravery Award (sponsored by Dog Aid Society); Sporting Hero (sponsored by Capital Cars); Parent or Guardian of the Year; Community Champion (sponsored by Lothian); Teacher of the Year (sponsored by Forth 1); Music & Arts Award; Health Champion (sponsored by House of Hearing); Carer of the Year; Junior Local Hero Award and Edinburgh Local Hero Award (both sponsored by Farmer Autocare).

JUNIOR LOCAL HERO: ALIX RENWICK, RAE BLAIR and REESE BLACK Judges were unable to separate the nominees in the Junior Local Hero category resulting in a three-way tie.

Local Hero Awards 2019: Every winner from the glamorous night

Our charity sponsor this year is Team Jak, and headline sponsor is Farmer Autocare.

A spokesperson for Farmer Autocare said: “We are delighted to once again support the Local Hero Awards. It’s always a real privilege to rightly honour the incredible dedication of people that are improving lives across our local community.

“We are all looking forward to recognising those that have sacrificed time and effort to support family, friends and neighbours through these especially tough times.”

Euan McGrory, Editor of the Evening News, said: “This year has been like no other that any of us has ever known. Coronavirus has meant that together we have had to face up to the biggest danger to our communities since our parents and grandparents fought in the Second World War.

“The people of Edinburgh and the Lothians have always looked out for each other so it was no surprise to see the way they responded to the pandemic. From neighbours offering to pick up shopping for each other to volunteers making hand gels and face masks to combat the shortage, there have been so many inspiring examples of Local Heroes in action.

“Sharing many of these stories through the pages of the Evening News has certainly helped us working on the newspaper to get through these recent months and I hope that they have helped you our readers too.

“We often thought that this year more than any other was one in which to celebrate our Local Heroes.

“We were not sure at times however whether it would be possible to do this in a way that could guarantee the health and safety of everyone involved.

“Now that we know that we will be able to do that we are delighted to be able to launch what is sure to be one of the most emotional awards nights that we have ever staged.

“Please let us know about your Local Heroes so we can say thank you to as many of those who have made the difference during these horrible months as possible. I look forward to meeting many of you on the day.”