Residents urged to nominate anyone who goes the extra mile.
Hammersmith and Fulham Council have launched an awards ceremony to celebrate those in the community who go the extra mile to benefit others.
Categories for the competition include Young Achiever, for under 18s who have achieved excellence or overcome the odds to succeed, and Crime Fighter, for residents who have tackled crime or made the neighbourhood a safer place.
Nominations have been coming in droves, and two men have spoken of their delight at being considered. Bill Cox, of North End Road in Fulham, has managed, refereed and coached the Sunday morning football leagues for children for many years, and has been nominated in the Charity Worker category.
“The league is convenient and safe as they don’t have to travel anywhere. If any child comes to us and wants to play football, we will do our utmost to find him a place at a club,” he said.
“I started in the early 1980s, but every day has been a triumph. It’s always nice to see the pleasure children get when they do something good but it’s also lovely seeing people who I used to coach and who are now grandparents watching their grandchildren every Sunday.”
Mr Cox is also an analyst for the government Department for Work and Pensions, and stressed the importance of community.
“Community is essential. Life has been very kind to me and I think it’s important to give back. It’s essential to give back to your community,” he said.
Adding a touch of light to proceedings is Ryan Gottsche, who has been nominated in the Entrepreneur category for his delightfully named dog grooming business, Bishops Bark. Mr Gottsche previously edited his own free dog magazine, London Dog Tails, and discovered just how enamoured people are with their pets.
He decided to set up a grooming business, which winning the Hammersmith and Fulham Brilliant Business Award last year.
“I’ve got dogs and I live in the area so I thought it would be a good idea to set up this business,” he explained.
“Because I knew quite a lot of dog owners, everyone was quite excited about us opening. Our success has all come through word of mouth, and we’ve got such lovely customers, who are more like friends now.”
There are many other nominations, which should see a celebration of all that is great about community spirit. The last category is the X Factor award, which will go to a nominee who has displayed an incredible talent in the arts, media, sport or music world.
Sponsors for the event include Horton and Garton Estate Agents and the Hammersmith and Broadway Shopping Centre. Trophies for the awards will be donated by Sid’s of Fulham Palace Road, which has over 20 years of experience making trophies as well as general smithing.
You can nominate your Agilisy’s H&F Heroes by visiting www.lbhf.gov.uk/heroesnominate.
Nominations close on Friday, April 15.
Photo courtesy of hammersmithandfulham, with thanks.
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