DOZENS of nominations honouring community heroes have been received for the Heart of Ulverston Awards.

As the2018 deadline passed to nominate those who regularly go above and beyond to make Ulverston as special as it is, The Mail 's editor Vanessa Sims has hailed the support and thanks shown by those who have benefitted.

Talking about the influx of nominations for this year's awards, Mrs Sims, said: "The quality and quantity of this year's nominations has been truly fantastic.

"There is clearly a lot of people in Ulverston who do everything then can to make it a great place to live, work and play.

"Ulverston is a special place because of the extraordinary people who strive everyday to make the town proud.

"We cannot wait for the awards ceremony so we can shout about the many great things being achieved."

On November 2 the Coronation Hall will once again play host a evening of celebration.

Community champions in the following categories will be hailed: Teacher of the Year; Community Group Project of the Year; Sports Volunteer of the Year; Young Sports Performance of the Year; The Helping Hand Award; Employee of the Year; Environmental Volunteer of the Year; The Courage Award; Citizen of the Year; Young Citizen of the Year and Lifetime Achievement.

The Heart of Ulverston Awards are sponsored by GSK Ulverston.

Bev Frankland, operations manager at Cumbria Crystal, was the Employee of the Year winner in 2017.

Miss Frankland has worked for the Ulverston company for 29 years. She joined as 16-year-old glass washer and worked her way up to management.

The 44-year-old, of Ulverston, was delighted to be part of The Heart of Ulverston Awards.

She said: “It was absolutely amazing to win the award. It was an honour just to be put forward for these community awards. It was lovely to be recognised for what I have done over the years."

Ulverston in Bloom won the Environmental Volunteer of the Year Award last year. T voluntary group looks after the town’s flowers and plants, including those in Jubilee Gardens and the allotment and orchard at Dragley Beck. Kim Farr, chairwoman, said: “It was really encouraging to win."