Shining a light on the best in our community

I HAVE had an involvement with the Pride of Guernsey awards since before the very beginning, and it is something that I, and the company as a whole, are very proud of.

The stories behind Pride of Guernsey are exactly what local newspapers such as the Guernsey Press should be highlighting, reflecting the very best about the people in our community, and why they do the selfless things that they do.

It is hard work for our team, interviewing more than 150 nominations received across all the awards categories, but also a privilege to be able to hear and retell the stories of inevitably modest ‘heroes’.

And that is why, although it is something of a cliche, I do always feel that every one of our nominees are winners. Only one person in each category can collect an award on the final night, but every nominee has a great and often selfless story behind them.

Many people have taken on new and different voluntary responsibilities during the pandemic and our two lockdowns, and I am sure that will be reflected in our nominees for 2021.

We have a new award this year for sporting volunteers – an issue close to my personal interests, and one which could attract dozens of very worthy entries I am sure.

The awards night has always been a special occasion for everyone involved.

The transformation of our headquarters into an event location for the evening has been incredible, if exhausting for our small team, but this year we are making a big change and hosting the night at the St Pierre Park Hotel, in association with Hand Picked Hotels.

I hope that if you are not among the shortlisted nominees or sponsors that you will feel able to join us on the night via social media.

Please do feel that you can take part in Pride of Guernsey by submitting a nomination of a worthy individual or a group.