Friends, families and colleagues are being asked to nominate individuals or groups who deserve recognition for making a difference in their community.

The nominations are now open for the St Albans pride awards in 2017. They are held to celebrate extraordinary people and outstanding organisations who make a positive contribution to the local community.

Some of the categories for the awards are: Community Champion of the year, Cultural Innovation Award, Environmental Champion of the year and Young person of distinction.

The mayor of St Albans, Cllr Frances Leonard will also hand out her own special award called ‘The Mayor’s Recognition Award’ and will be given to a person or group that has made a significant impression on the mayor during her year in office.

She said: “These awards celebrate the real stars of the community, whether they are dedicated volunteers, local charities or innovative organisations”.

You can nominate through the St Albans Council website, here: www.stalbans.gov.uk/mayorspride. There is no limit to the number of nominations which can be made and people can nominate a group or organisation they work for to receive an award.

They are however unable to accept self-nomination for categories aimed at individuals.

A shortlist of finalists will be unveiled by the Mayor in February 2017. The finalists will be involved to a celebratory evening with her in March. The awards will then be presented to the winners.