Entries are open for the LOVE Northumberland awards 2019
08 Jul 2019 ARCHIVED (over 3 months old) - view latest news
Entries have now opened for the LOVE Northumberland Awards 2019 - the annual celebration of all that is great about community environmental work in the county.
The LOVE Northumberland annual awards mark a range of projects and initiatives which improve local areas or neighbourhoods for the benefit of members of the local community, and entries are now being accepted.
Cllr Glen Sanderson, cabinet member for the environment and local services at Northumberland County Council said: “Each year the LOVE Northumberland awards celebrate the great work of schools and community groups, as well as individual volunteers, whose hard work showcases our great county.
“Judges are always extremely impressed with the high calibre of each and every one of the nominees and are delighted to read about the excellent community projects in Northumberland.
“If you have an environmental story to tell, I would encourage you to get in touch and tell us about it by making an application for an award.”
To launch the opening of this year’s award entries Cllr Sanderson visited one of last year’s winning groups - Litterbugs, from Amble.
LitterBugs is a group of like minded people who meet monthly to do beach cleaning and litter picking, in particular removing plastic from local beaches.
They also meet mid-week to clean litter hotspots and roadsides. Many people have joined in their activities over the last year, from all walks of life and all ages.
They've also worked with many environmental organisations, including Coast Care and Friends of the Earth.
Lynne Russell, a member of the group, said: “We do this because we love wildlife and we love the area we live in. Every piece of litter we pick up means less harm to wildlife. It's great to see clean beaches and community spaces. Getting outdoors is so important and it's much more enjoyable without litter.
“We really enjoyed winning the award last year as we met lots of like-minded people. The cash prize and handicart also enabled us to buy more equipment and work with more people.
“It's definitely worth entering as the process is simple and you get great recognition for your work. I would urge any group or individual to apply.”
Entries are invited for the categories of best children’s project; best young people’s project; best urban project; best coast or countryside project; best new project; best school recycling project; and an award for an outstanding individual.
The closing date for entries for the 2019 awards is Friday 2nd August 2019.
Winners will be presented by Her Grace the Duchess of Northumberland at an event at The Alnwick Garden on the evening of Thursday 5th September 2019.
If you want to enter, or know someone who should, go to www.northumberland.gov.uk/love to find out more and download an application form. You can also email carrol.hessey@northumberland.gov.uk or phone for an entry form or to find out more on 01670 622992.