• Ambassador of the Year
• Volunteer/Fundraiser of the Year
• Grandparent(s) of the Year
• Community Champion(s) of the Year
• Environmentalist(s) of the Year
• Jersey Angel of the Year
• Teacher of the Year
• Unsung Sporting Hero of the Year
• Customer Service Employee of the Year
• Young Star of the Year
• Neighbour of the Year
• and Inspirational Leader of the Year.[/breakout]

Celebrating everyone from grandparents and neighbours to community champions and teachers, the awards’ aim is to mark some of the wonderful day-to-day activities and achievements of Islanders who help make Jersey such a special place to live.

And in order to keep the community at the heart of the awards, Islanders will be asked to nominate potential winners and be involved in the voting and judging, via the newspaper and online.

1. Angel of the Year

The award:

A NURSE, a medic, a member of the emergency services or a carer – someone who has either dedicated their life to helping others, be it in a professional or voluntary capacity, or has gone beyond the call of duty.

The winner could be a carer who has missed out on everyday life in order to look after a loved one, or they may work in the healthcare industry, dedicating their lives to caring for others.

They could be a member of one of our emergency services who has been behind a major safety campaign or had an important role to play in a major incident.

These people are our guardian angels and their work, often in tough conditions and under immense pressure, deserves recognition.

The sponsor:

RAVENSCROFT is a Channel Island stockbroking and invest management business.

It is predominantly involved in stockbroking for Channel Island-based clients and has 45 staff in Guernsey and seven in Jersey.

Chief executive Haydn Taylor joined just over a year ago to grow the Jersey side of the business. Ravenscroft has many local private clients and local intermediaries, such as trust companies, banks, lawyers and accountants.

The company sees itself as ‘very much part of the community’ in which it operates, which has been demonstrated by the financial support it has given to various clubs and associations.

WHY THESE AWARDS?

Mr Taylor said: ‘I think that at the end of the day, when you are drawing your clients from the community and you are making money from those clients, it’s really great to be putting something back into the community in which we live and operate.

‘It’s tremendous that the JEP is starting a local initiative of this sort.

‘In terms of the community, we would like to be recognising the sort of unsung heroes who very often don’t get recognised. We want to be seen to be giving something back to the community, as it so so important. There are many things that wouldn’t happen in the Island without that sort of support.’

WHY THIS CATEGORY?

‘There is a group of people who aren’t operating above the radar. There are a lot of people in the community going that extra mile and we would like to be involved in recognising those people for the fantastic contribution they make.’

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR IN THE WINNER?

‘We really want to see people who have gone beyond the call of duty and who aren’t really recognised for what they have done.

‘Everybody will need to think about whether they want to reward somebody for a specific act or for an ongoing commitment to the community.’

We are searching for the Islanders who make our community so special.

There are many things which contribute to make Jersey such a wonderful place to call home, from the fabulous beaches and cliff-path walks to our safe and healthy environment. They all play their part.

But above all, it is the amazing people in our community who are responsible for making this small rock, measuring just nine miles by five, stand out as such a wonderful place to live.

And that is why, as the JEP celebrates its 125th anniversary, we feel it is time to honour Islanders who make a difference, many of whom devote hours every day to make this a better place.

Often the achievements of these community heroes go unrecognised, their efforts beneath the radar of most.

Being part of that community means that the Jersey Evening Post and, more importantly, its readers, are best placed to find and honour these selfless Islanders.

It is our readers who will nominate worthy individuals and it is our readers who will be the judging panel, making the Pride of Jersey Awards unlike any others.

From grandparents and neighbours to community champions and teachers, we want to celebrate all aspects of life in the Island.

Over the course of the next few weeks, we will be featuring each of our 12 categories in detail, speaking to 12 local businesses who have teamed up with us to become our awards’ partners and, most importantly, explaining how people can start voting.

These awards will become an annual celebration of those who bind our community together and we are extremely proud to be in a position, after tewelve-and-a-half decades of serving this Island, to be launching the Pride of Jersey Awards.