Manningham Council is calling on the community to shine a light on a local hero and nominate them for a Manningham Civic Awards 2020.

Nominations for the Civic Awards are now open with five categories:

• Citizen of the Year
• Young Citizen of the Year
• Volunteer of the Year
• Sports Achiever of the Year
• Community Achievement Award.

Manningham Mayor, Cr Paul McLeish, said the awards are a fantastic opportunity to recognise those who have made an outstanding contribution to our local community.

“Every day, there are people volunteering in our local sporting clubs, community groups and other programs, who make a huge difference to the lives of others. This is our chance to say thank you and to celebrate them,” Cr McLeish said.

Last year’s Citizen of the Year, Hardy Shum was nominated by a member of the Chinese Senior Citizens Club where he has been involved for over 20 years volunteering his time.

“When I was nominated I was so overwhelmed. One of my greatest experiences as Citizen of the Year was showing my community that if you work hard for your community, you can achieve great things,” Mr Shum said.

Mr Shum said if someone knows a local hero, he would encourage them to make a nomination.

“It’s great to be recognised for the work you do and it makes all those sacrifices and long hours even more worth it,” he said.

For more information or to nominate, visit manningham.vic.gov.au/civic-awards

Nominations close on Friday 6 April 2020 at 4.00pm.