Judges reveal Best of South Tyneside Awards shortlist

Those listed are the unsung heroes, community groups and outstanding candidates, who are now just one step away from achieving the accolades in the Gazette’s annual competition.

This year, The Best of South Tyneside awards have a headline sponsor of Siemens and are held in association with The Customs House.

Also on board as sponsors are Port of Tyne, South Tyneside Homes, South Tyneside College; BT South Tyneside, Barbour, David Gray, UK Asbestos Specialists and Harlow Printing Ltd.

The panel of judges was made up of Dorothy Gale, from Siemens; Mark Johnson, from BT South Tyneside; Natalie Kidd, from David Gray solicitors; Brian Scott, from South Tyneside Homes; and Nicola Meldrum, Chris Cordner and Dawn Owens, from Johnston Press, who all had a hard time narrowing down the field of worthy candidates.

During judging, judge Dorothy Gale, senior business administrator with headline sponsor Siemens, said: “This year has been really difficult because the calibre of nominations has been so high. In my eyes, they are all winners.”

Now, the contestants are all set for the grand finale night on June 9 at the Quality Hotel in Boldon, where the winner in each category will be announced.

The Gazette will be there to cover all of the events on the night.

There will be numerous highlights, including the emotional Children of Courage category and the announcement of this year’s Young Performer of the Year – following in the footsteps of stars such as Little Mix.

Make sure you follow the Gazette online and in paper for full coverage, which will include interviews and photos of all the winners.

Don’t miss your Gazette on June 15 for a full round-up on all the shortlisted contenders. In the meantime, here is the full list of all the entrants who made it on to the final list.

The shortlist:

Community Champion of the Year – sponsored by UK Asbestos Specialists

Tony Singh; Garner and Sandy Harris from Creative Seed; Jason Meiers.

Volunteer – sponsored by the Shields Gazette

South Shields Volunteer Life Brigade; Street Angels South Tyneside; The Cruse Crew.

Fundraiser – sponsored by the Shields Gazette

Colin Burgin- Plews; Karl and Gemma Murphy; Alexandra Turner.

Entrepreneur – sponsored by the Shields Gazette

The Cake Place; Donna Kerr-Foley; Flame Heating Spares.

Young Performer – sponsored by Port of Tyne

Ellie Stephenson; James Bassett; Hope Swan.

Role Model – sponsored by South Tyneside College

Jim Purcell; Mark Charlton; Stuart Redmond.

Community Group – sponsored by South Tyneside Homes

Gainsborough Day Centre; Daft as a Brush; South Tyneside Against Bullying.

Child of Achievement – sponsored by Barbour

Emma True; Sharlize Sowden; Phoebe Hedley.

Sporting Excellence Award – sponsored by BT South Tyneside

Ant Clennan; Warren Byrne; Josef Craig.

Greener South Tyneside – sponsored by Siemens

West Boldon Lodge; East Boldon Primary School; Helen Gibson Nursery.

Child of Courage – sponsored by David Gray

Llana Qazi; Drew Broderick; Olivia Beavis; Jana Ball-Laurova.

Sports Team –sponsored by Harlow Printing Ltd

South Tyneside Ability FC; Kristie Harrington; Sofie Lincoln and Gabrielle Evans, from South Tyneside Gymnastics Club; South Shields FC.