The Mayor of Dudley is urging people to celebrate community heroes by nominating them for a special award.

The Mayor’s Civic Awards aim to reward the people who work tirelessly in their communities.

This year, The Mayor’s Civic Awards is hosted in association with Cougar Monitoring, and other local businesses have stepped forward to support the awards by sponsoring each of the five categories.

All the categories all named after the borough’s greats, including Duncan Edwards award for sport, sponsored by Alliance Leisure, the Cedric Hardwicke award for arts sponsored by Stourbridge College, the Frank Foley award for community spirit sponsored by Castle and Crystal Credit Union, the Thomas Attwood award for education which is sponsored by Computeach and the William Shenstone award for environment sponsored by Marketing Force.

Councillor Melvyn Mottram, Mayor of Dudley, said:

“We are asking people to let us know about the people who do exceptional things in this borough so we can give them the recognition they deserve.

“The awards are about highlighting the work that goes on each day in our communities which helps make this a great place to live.”

People can nominate in a number of ways including by post, online and via twitter and facebook.

There will also be a sixth trophy up for grabs, the Mayor’s Award, which will be decided by a public vote next month (February). Mayor, Councillor Melvyn Mottram, will choose four people he feels have stood out to him on his civic engagements so far in his Mayoral year.

The public will then have the chance to vote online for the winner. Nominations cannot be put forward for this particular award. A judging panel will decide the other four categories.

Nominations must be in by February 18 and the winner and one runner-up in each category will be chosen in March. They will be presented with their trophy and a certificate by the Mayor of Dudley, Councillor Melvyn Mottram, at a civic ceremony in March.

People can nominate online at www.dudley.gov.uk or can pick up a nomination form from libraries across the borough. Alternatively contact communications and public affairs on 01384 814 449 for a form.

Completed forms should be sent to Mayor’s Civic Awards nominations, communications and public affairs, Dudley Council, FREEPOST MID22308, Dudley, DY1 1BR by 18 February.