The countdown to the 2021 Pride of Somerset Youth Awards has begun

After a break last year because of Covid 19, Pride of Somerset Youth Award organisers are looking for inspirational young people and their achievements so they can Fly the Flag for Young People of Somerset in 2021.

To launch this year’s Pride of Somerset Youth Awards, the public is being encouraged to nominate any young person who lives in the historic county of Somerset, which includes Bath and Weston-Super-Mare, who has done something in the past 18 months to make you proud.

This year there will be six categories - Volunteering (a young person or group who has or have demonstrated an outstanding example of volunteering), Charitable Work (a young person or group who has or have undertaken charitable work and raised significant sums of money or highlighted a particular issue), Arts and Culture (a young person who has excelled in the arts or cultural activity), Sport (a young person who has excelled in a sporting activity), Overcoming Adversity (a young person who has or is in the process of overcoming a physical, mental or social condition), Enterprise (a young person or group who has or have shown enterprise and entrepreneurial attitude for the benefit of the community). As in previous years the Sandy Padgett Award will be given to the young person who has undertaken an outstanding individual or community activity.

The Awards are run by the Rotary Club of Taunton in conjunction with Somerset Day and BBC Somerset, with sponsorship from Bridgwater and Taunton College, Avon and Somerset Police and Young Somerset. Covid restrictions-permitting an awards evening is planned at Bridgwater and Taunton College on the evening of May 11^th, Somerset Day. The evening event will be hosted by BBC Somerset Presenters Claire Carter and Simon Parkin (Awards may have to be presented differently if continuing Covid restrictions mean the awards ceremony can not take place).

Peter Renshaw of the Rotary Club of Taunton said “There are some amazing stories of young people in Somerset who have achieved great things. We want to hear about them and celebrate their achievements”.

To nominate a young person

Please send their full name, date of birth, school or college (where appropriate), postal address, contact telephone number and e-mail address with a maximum of 200 words on their achievements to somerset@bbc.co.uk, putting PoSYA in the subject heading. Please include your own name and contact details and check the young person agrees to be nominated.

Entries can also be posted to BBC Somerset, Winchester House, Deane Gate Avenue, Taunton, TAI 2UH, with the closing date being Friday 2^nd April 2021