THE nominations for this year's community group of the year award are:

FRIENDS OF FORD PARK

TO walk around Ford Park is to walk around a labour of love that is lovingly tended to by a hardy band of volunteers who, come rain or shine, go out and make the park a joy to behold.

Since becoming a charity, the park has three full-time equivalent staff members as well as their trusty volunteers.

And Jill Salmon, the director of the Ford Park Community Group, paid tribute to the hardy band of volunteers for keeping the park ticking.

She said: “We have about a dozen volunteers and they do wonders for the park.

“No matter what the weather, they come in and tend to the park to keep it looking great for visitors.

“It’s no small feat looking after a park the size of ours.

“That just shows you the level of dedication our volunteers have for the park.

“Ford Park is extremely well used, not only for festivals such as Apple Day and Sealed Knot Civil War re-enactment of the English Civil War, but for the Parkrunners every week and for people who just want to come in and have somewhere nice to be.

“Whether it’s the nursery or the walled garden, our volunteers really pull out all the stops to make the park the really great place that it is to be.

“Without them, it would be a huge challenge, so they fully deserve to be honoured in this way.

“This is a community enterprise, so we need people to use the park, and support the events that we put on, to make sure we keep going.

“And the volunteers play no small part in making that happen.

“Just to be nominated is a huge pat on the back.”

UCE

IN just two years, the Ulverston Community Enterprise has made a big noise.

Established to rescue Coronation Hall from closure, the Ulverston Community Enterprise exists to look after community assets.

They currently have the hall and the indoor and outdoor markets under their umbrella.

And their mission is simple, to run community assets with the community and for the community.

And director Beth Kennedy says the fact they have been nominated after just two years is a homage to their staff.

She said: “We are delighted that our efforts have been recognised in this way.

“Anyone who has even been involved in a start-up will know how much work there is involved.

“We are trying to make our assets as inclusive as possible. We had the Russian National Ballet here recently and that’s the level of attraction we want. We want to have something for everyone here. We don’t want people to have to travel to Manchester to get a bit of culture.

“But we want to be able to provide something for everyone and make the Coronation Hall a hub.

“We’ve been very successful for an organisation in its infancy, but we will keep consulting with the public to make sure we are delivering what they want.

“Local businesses use us for conferences, seminars and Christmas balls so the money and business stays locally.

“That allows us to keep going and invest in further events.

“So for us to be nominated is a real testament to the staff and all their hard work in a very short space of time and lets people know what we’re doing in the town.”