A pair of volunteers who motivated Manchester residents to help bring out the best of the city are calling for residents to say a big thank you to their community heroes.
Jeremy Myers and Jen Perry, who organised a mass clean-up in the immediate aftermath of last year's disturbances, were awarded for their efforts when their group - Riot Clean Up Manchester - received the overall award in last year's Be Proud Awards, organised by Manchester City Council.
The pair used social media to galvanise a huge response the following morning, helping motivate more than a thousand Mancunians to come into the city centre and give up their own time to make sure the city recovered straight away.
Now, they are calling on other residents to celebrate Manchester's armies of volunteers, and those individuals and groups who worked hard to help others, by nominating them in the Be Proud Awards 2012.
The awards feature ten categories - Business in the Community, Community Force, Community Project of the Year, Creativity in the Community, Green Futures, Neighbour of the Year, Unsung Hero, Volunteer of the Year and Young Achiever of the Year.
Nominations in each category will be whittled down to just three finalists, who will all be invited to a gala dinner and awards ceremony at Manchester Town Hall on Friday 30 November where the winners will be announced and presented with their prize and trophy.
Residents are being asked to think about people who have gone that extra mile, who keep the local community ticking but whose efforts often go un-noticed.
Riot Clean Up won the Community Force category and the overall Pride of Manchester award - which goes to the best of the best.
Jeremy Myers said: "Winning the award last year was a wonderful way of being recognised for what we did, but Manchester is full of people who work ceaselessly to make life better for their neighbours and this is your chance to thank them for their efforts.
"I'd urge anyone who knows a community hero in their neighbourhood to nominate them for these awards."
Councillor Jim Battle, Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council, said, "Manchester is full of individuals, groups and business who work incredibly hard day in day out, to make life better for the people around them.
"The Be Proud Awards are the perfect chance for the community to recognise the contribution these committed people have made throughout our city."
Nominations must be for work done within, or a project located within the Manchester boundaries. You can nominate online at www.manchester.gov.uk/beproud. Alternatively, forms are available - call 0161 274 6422, or email community.engagement@manchester.gov.uk to request one.