A pleasure to highlight the best of our community

IT’S a refrain we hear a lot: ‘You never print good news’ or, sometimes ‘It’s nice to read some good news for a change.’ Forgive us for occasionally taking umbrage at that sentiment. The reason we may get a bit snippy about it is that we know that we print ‘good news’ every day that a paper comes out, and we are proud to do so – and we are proud of the thousands of people a year who we feature.

Today is a case in point, and a day that we are happy to shout about. For years we have run theWeCanDoItAwards,an annual celebration of those in the community – often otherwise unsung – who care for others, and help to bind society together. They could be the lollipop lady who has a smile for every child, or the man in the corner shop who not only serves but keeps an eye on his customers to make sure they are safe and well.

In usual times, the evening gladdens the heart as these stories come to life on stage. But as we know, we are not in usual times. The 2020 version of the awards went by the wayside, but we wanted to make sure the tradition continued. So what you have today is a boiled-down, in-house version of our awards, but one that is no less sincere, deserved, and heart-warming.

We’ve reported the story of George ‘Topsy’ Turner several times, and nobody could fail to be moved at his efforts to create a legacy after the tragically early death of his beloved wife Verity. His single-minded focus on her memory, the physical lengths he has gone to, and the efforts of creating a space for others to enjoy mean that he is well worthy of the overall award.

But every story here will reinforce your faith in humanity – whether its for displaying kindness and consideration or sticking by sound ethical principles. Please remember our roll of honour the next time someone tells you the media is only interested in bad news. Here’s the evidence to the contrary. We hail all our winners.