Almost 200 nominations were made from a whole range of voluntary organisations across the Harrogate district, and every nominee received a certificate on the evening to mark their achievement.

The Mayor's Volunteering Oscars were organised to celebrate the hard work of so many volunteers who give their time to help others in a variety of ways. The Mayor of Harrogate, Coun John Fox has made the theme of his mayoral year volunteering and wanted to organise public recognition of the many volunteers in the Harrogate district.

Thank you

He said: "We could have filled the hotel 100 times over with people who work so hard and give their time freely to help others. This is a way of saying thank you to all of them".

The awards were organised by the Mayor, by Ackrill Media Group which publishes the Harrogate Advertiser, the Knaresborough Post, the Ripon Gazette and the Nidderdale Herald, and by the Harrogate and Ripon Volunteer Centres.

There were 15 overall winners, including Mrs Daphne Fisher who received the Lifetime Achievement Award for her services to Harrogate and District Society for the Blind, and Mr Bill Quin who has recently retired after 30 years with the Harrogate and District Talking Newspapers. He received the Mayor's Special Award.

Each recipient received a miniature 'Oscar' and a carriage clock, donated by Ogdens of Harrogate, which was especially inscribed 'A Gift of Time for a Gift of Time'.

Generosity

Sponsors read a citation for each winner before they Mayor presented them with their award. Special guests included the Chief Constable of North Yorkshire Police, Graeme Maxwell and Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Phil Willis.

The evening was hosted by the Editor of Ackrill Media Group Jean MacQuarrie who also thanked all the sponsors for their generosity, and said she hoped the Volunteering Oscars would become an annual event.

The sponsors were: North Yorkshire Police, Harrogate International Centre Proctor and Gamble, Harrogate Borough Council, Ogdens of Harrogate, Ackrill Media Group, Asda, orb, Marshall Zoing Ltd, Coast and Country hotels, Harrogate and Ripon Volunteer Centres, Yorkshire Building Society