Celebrate young stars with awards

The outstanding achievements of young people in the region are being celebrated with the launch of the young stars awards. The awards were created after B&NES council leader Tim Warren heard the remarkable stories of young people, who make a valuable contribution to their community, at Bristol’s Young Heroes Awards earlier this year. This month and next residents, schools and organisations across Bath and North East Somerset are being asked to nominate a young person who they feel is worthy of such an award and receive the recognition they deserve. Cllr Warren said: “Across Bath and North East Somerset there are many selfless and courageous young people, who may have forsaken some of the joys and freedom of childhood to make a difference to the lives of others or to achieve great things in the face of adversity or personal challenges. “We sometimes hear their stories through the media, but mostly the actions of these young people are unrecognised. It’s really important to uncover and share their stories and celebrate their achievements. “I am particularly grateful to our sponsors, Wessex Water, Bath Rugby, IESIS and Kersfield, who have enthusiastically backed these new awards and are looking forward to meeting the finalists.” Colin Skellet, CEO of YTL Power International which owns Wessex Water, said: “Wessex Water is delighted to help sponsor these awards to celebrate the outstanding achievements of many of our young people who not only manage their own lives, but look after and care for others.” Lestyn Lewis, CEO of IESIS Group, a property consultancy, development and engineering company, said: “IESIS Group is proud to be a sponsor of this incredible event recognising young leaders and volunteers who have a positive impact on the Bath and North East Somerset Community.” There are five main categories for the awards: Education, Unsung, Courage, Sport and Innovation A panel of judges will assess the nominations in December and select three of the most deserving young people from each category as finalists. An awards dinner will be held on March 9 2019 when the winners will be revealed. Nomination forms are available at: www.bathnes.gov.uk/ouryoungstars Completed forms can also be returned to: Bath and North East Somerset Council, The Leader’s Office, Guildhall, Bath. BA1 5AW or emailed to: Leader&_cabinetoffice@bathnes.gov.uk Nominees must be 18 or under on December 31 2018. The deadline for nominations is November 30.