Celebrate the arts champions in your community

Nominations for South Cambridgeshire’s prestigious arts awards are now open as the hunt begins to find the district’s most dedicated community volunteers.

Anyone living in South Cambridgeshire who inspires communities to get involved in arts, culture and music could be the next winner and residents are being urged to put forward people who give up their time for free.

At the 2011 awards, winners ranged from Siobhan and Tim Lihoreau, a couple who won a gong for organising a 100 strong choir for all ages in Histon and Impington, to Hilary Gretton, a volunteer from Bourn who edited ‘Inspirations’, a community arts magazine for people with disabilities.

The awards were set up in 2009 to celebrate people, and groups, in South Cambridgeshire who enrich the arts scene. The fourth annual award ceremony in 2012 – supported by media partners Cambridge News – will be held on 28 March at Swavesey Village College, and nominations are being accepted until Wednesday 29 February.

To nominate an individual, or group of people, who have made a lasting impression on the arts in South Cambridgeshire communities, please download and complete the public nomination form here or contact Andy O’Hanlon on 01954 713343.

Tony Orgee, South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Chairman, said: “The awards are a great way of bringing together South Cambridgeshire communities to celebrate the work our unsung heroes carry out for the good of others. The people who give up their time for the good of their communities rarely get the credit they really deserve so I would urge please get in touch if you know of someone, or a group of people who have gone that extra mile in the name of the arts. Please remember that it can often be what seems to be a very small contribution that can often have the biggest effect on people’s lives.”

Here are some images from the South Cambridgeshire Arts Awards in 2011