Return of awards which recognise unsung heroes

The campaign is in association with Aberdeen Standard Investment (ASI), which owns The Moor and the Community Champions receive £250 towards their cause.

Centre Manager for The Moor Sheffield, Amanda Phillips said: “It is great to support the local community initiatives where people do not get enough funding or recognition.

“It is nice to do something for the volunteers and we are happy that ASI continues to support the cause.”

Some of the past winners said the monetary rewards have helped with their cause, while some donated it to the charity of their choice.

For 93-year-old Graham Bell, a Royal Navy D-Day veteran from Handsworth, the money he won went to the Sheffield Royal Society for the Blind and Clic Sargent, a cancer charity for children, young people and their children.

“The money went to both charities so they share between them evenly,” said Graham, who now works at Morrisons in Rotherham and Meadowhead doing collections for babies with cancer.

Meanwhile, Gloria Stewart or popularly known as ‘Mrs Christmas’, said the money went to her festive ‘Home Alone’ luncheons, which are normally attended by 400 to 500 people.

She started the initiatives in 2007, where she would host a special festive lunch especially for older people in Sheffield who were on their own at this time of year.

“The money went to the ‘Home Alone’ Christmas lunch, where lonely people attend and have a six-course lunch. They also get entertainment, a drink and a gift and that’s probably the only gift they get,” she said, adding that she however wished she could do more for the elderly.

“I would like to give them more but I’m just relying on funding because I’m not a registered charity and all the money I have to raise myself,” she said.

A former boxer who helped set up a boxing gym called Riley’s Boxing and Fitness Centre, Robert Riley said the money would be used to buy some boxing gloves.

“Most of the time, the money came out from my pocket because we didn’t have much money. I think this is a worthwhile cause because we have got a mix of people coming to our gym.

“The gym has done a massive difference in the area and it’s starting to get busier. It’s a nice place for the kids to go to and get them off the streets,” he said.

One of last year’s winners Sheffield Litter Pickers said the rewards would be used to buy more equipment in their effort to keep the city clean.

“While we do get help from the council, but we need some other equipment that they don’t provide to make our lives a bit easier.

“It’s nice to be recognised but we don’t really do it for that because we find what we do already rewarding,” said one of the volunteers, Linda Ball.

To nominate a winner, email [email protected] and tell us who you have picked and why, where they are from, which organisation they work for and include contact details.

Winners will be highlighted in The Star.