THE brightest lights of Ulverston were found inside the Coronation Hall on Friday night as the annual Heart of Ulverston Awards once again shone a light on our town's heroes.

Whether it is through offering a helping hand to someone in need or finding the strength and courage to carry on in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, those honoured at the awards ceremony are a reminder of just how special Ulverston is.

Guests were welcomed into the hall to the thumping sound of local musical group Boom Dang before enjoying a champagne reception.

When opening the ceremony, James Higgins, group editor of CN Group, said that "everybody here tonight, we would say that they are all winners." With that sentiment the audience broke into applause in admiration of the nominees who were there to be honoured.

Volunteering plays such an integral part of what makes Ulverston such a vibrant and well-loved town, and it was no coincidence that so many of the awards paid tribute to those who selflessly give up their time for others.

In that spirit, the first award of the night, Sports Volunteer of the Year, went to Chris Regan. For decades she has worked to promote the local hockey scene and had received multiple nominations for the award. Mrs Regan said: "When I was nominated for this award it was a huge honour. I would like to thank my teammates for their support - thank you very much."

It is often an agonising decision for judges to decide on who gets any award, such is the fierce nature of the competition. However, there are sometimes nominees whose impact on the community is so significant it would be an injustice not to honour them. One such person was Maurice Atkinson.

Mr Atkinson took home, not one, but two awards, the prestigious Citizen of the Year Award and the Helping Hand Award. Since the early 1960s, Mr Atkinson has balanced a busy family and work life with volunteering and helping out at any possible opportunity. Mr Atkinson said: "I feel that we must get youngsters to get involved with volunteering and carry it on for future generations."

There were three exceptionally courageous youngsters in the crowd who were unaware of a special surprise in store for the them. Based on the deeply moving stories behind the nominations of Megan Cooper, Ben Plinston and Bradley Sproat, the judges decided to award the Young Courage Award to all three nominees.

A group that has done so much over the past years to invigorate the town are Ulverston in Bloom. For its tireless efforts and recent success in the Cumbria in Bloom competition, the group was named Environmental Volunteer of the Year.

When being presented with his award for Teacher of the Year, Steven Jackson was humble in his acceptance, preferring to praise the impact his pupils had had on his life. He said: "Thank you to Low Furness Primary and to all the staff, parents and children. Particularly the children. They've taught me more than I've taught them, even after 35 years."

For their kindness and always providing a compassionate ear to anyone in need, the volunteers at Ulverston Mind were declared the winners of the Community Group of the Year Award. Rhona Atkinson, chair of its trustees, said: "This is lovely. We are thankful and happy to have won this award. It means a lot to so many people in the town."

The winner of the Young Sports Performance of the Year, swimmer Tom Robinson, was unable to collect his award in person due to being at a swimming training camp. However, his incredibly proud mum, Helen, was more than happy to accept it in his place.

Bev Frankland of Cumbria Crystal was named Employee of the Year. Over her long career she started off washing glass on the shop floor but has risen through the ranks to become operations manger of the entire company.

There were no dry eyes inside the Coronation Hall when it was time to present the Courage Award. Every single nominee deserves admiration for their bravery, however there could only be one winner. That person was Sandy Nevinson. Following a car crash which almost claimed her life, she fought back with every fibre of her being to defy the odds and give birth to a beautiful baby girl.

She said: "I just did what I had to do. Thank you for everyone being behind me. I do it for my babies. There is one bright star in the sky tonight. This is for her."

The award ceremony drew to a close with the presentation of one final award, the Lifetime Achievement Award, to Loretta Blackburn. From rattling tins on street corners, to becoming chair of the Furness NSPCC, Mrs Blackburn has fought relentlessly for 30 years to protect children in need.

She said: "I can't believe it really. My life has been, for the past 30 years, raising money. I've dipped into a lot of your purses and handbags.

"We still desperately need to help the children. I have to speak for those children because they are out there and they are suffering.

"Thank you to my committee - without them, I'm nothing."

• Visit www.nwemail.co.uk on Sunday to see an extended picture gallery of the fantastic ceremony and all its guests.