THE festive period is a chance to tell those who always so above and beyond how much their efforts means.

The New Year's Honours is one those ways of recognising community heroes who have often flown under the radar for many years.

This year, south Cumbria was represented spectacularly with nine people put forward to receive their accolades.

They range from head honchos at BAE, education leaders and the midwife boss who helped to improve Furness General Hospital's maternity unit after the baby death scandal.

One thing all these people have in common is their dedication to the people of south Cumbria and their ability to drive improvement in their specialist fields.

As a community we should all take pride in their achievements.

We should also try to take inspiration from those around us to give something back and make the world a better place.

If we all did one act of kindness a day, the impact would be huge.

It just goes to show doing something for somebody else in the community you live in and love has a bigger impact than you can ever imagine.

Aside from those nine, there are many more people out there who deserve praise.

So next time someone helps you out, say thank you and smile.