SHEFFIELD'S unsung heroes will finally get their moment in the limelight on Sunday.

With TV actor Will Mellor as guest presenter, the sixth Night of Honour will celebrate the contribution of local 'champions' from all walks of life.

More than 200 people and community organisations have been nominated for the ten awards in recognition of how they have gone out of their way to help others and to help make Sheffield a "brilliant" place in which to live. Nominations include:

• Sheffield's Child of the Year – Lauren Stacey, of Valentine Crescent, who was seriously injured in a car crash this year in which her mum died. She has since learned to walk, talk and eat again and is now spending a few days in school.


• Best Schools Worker – Val Nethergate, 'Aunty Val', a lollipop lady at Clifford C of E infant school, Psalter Lane, who has been working for 32 years and has survived three hit and run incidents


• Best Investor in Children – Diana Heywood, who is involved in numerous community groups in the south east of Sheffield, including Mosborough baby group, Emmanuel toddler group, Music Man toddler sessions. She also raises money for Waterthorpe School.


• Best Community Organisation of the Year – Terminus Café, which is run by volunteers in Low Edges Road, providing a social focus, second-hand clothes and goods, a youth café, a befriending scheme for asylum seekers, a credit union and a healthy living programme.


• Spring Chicken Award – Peter and Liz Scruton, of Totley Brook Close, who have successfully campaigned on behalf of a failed asylum seeker to keep him from returning to Afghanistan and being separated from his young family.

An audience of 1,500 people will find out who has won in a ceremony at Ponds Forge on Sunday night organised by Hope City Enterprise, the community charity of the Megacentre in Bernard Road. It will include Will Mellor, who has appeared in TV's Casualty, Hollyoaks and Merlin, sports personalities such as Brian Laws, Dickie Bird and Uriah Rennie and civic leaders.



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Megacentre director and hostess Louise Davies said: "Sheffield's Night of Honour 2008 is going to be incredible. The audience is going to be touched by stories of courage, determination and selflessness.
"A lot of the nominees have already expressed how emotional they feel about being nominated. Comments such as 'I don't deserve this' and 'I'm just doing my job' are very common.

"It's going to be a great celebration of everything that is good about Sheffield. For one night these ordinary men and women will be honoured for the extraordinary work they do day to day."

Entertainment will include the Sheffield Dragons martial arts group and Sheffield Park Academy dance school.