Pride of Shropshire Awards 2015 - meet the finalists

Only one can be declared the overall winner, but just to have made the final shortlist is a tremendous achievement in itself.

Every one of the people in this supplement is a true hero who can justifiably be proud of what they have achieved for their communities.

• Click here to read our 12-page Pride of Shropshire supplement online

BBC Radio Shropshire personality Eric Smith will compere this year's awards, and the winners will have a lot to live up to.

The bar was set very high by the standard of last year's entrants with teenager Carys Jones scooping the overall title for inventing an innovative alarm system to protect young children from the risk of abduction.

Since scooping the prize, Carys has achieved a grade A in her design technology A-level – which she sat a year early at Llanfyllin High School – and now has her sights firmly set on putting her ground-breaking Invizzilead child proximity alarm into production.

She has also developed a second invention, the Sleep Sphere, which uses ultrasonic technology, oils and music to help insomniacs get to sleep. Carys, now 18, said winning the Pride of Shropshire overall champion last year had led to her work getting a lot of recognition.

"A lot of people have heard about my work through the award, a lot of people have recognised what I have done," she said. "I wasn't expecting it at all, it was a real surprise."

Julie Duhra, who won last year's People's Champion Award, makes the shortlist again this year. The shopkeeper, who runs Jule's Convenience Store in Haybridge Road, Hadley, was presented with last year's award by Shropshire Star Editor Martin Wright after being nominated by Pat Haywood for her efforts to raise money for a young wheelchair user who lived nearby.

Pat said: "She raised enough money so the little girl could go to the beach in her own specialised wheelchair. She gets involved in all local charity events, she ran the London Marathon for Severn Hospice, she's taken part in walks, dragon boat races, zip wires and fun runs for local charities. Julie is a machine." The Courage Award went to the Dunderdale family from Market Drayton. Father Nayan along with sons John and Josh showed immense courage and rescued their elderly neighbour from a house fire.

The Pride of Shropshire Awards are almost upon us and, in a calendar packed with memorable occasions, they always stand out because of the remarkable stories of bravery and triumph-against-the-odds they celebrate.

The awards, now in their eighth year, will again take place at Shrewsbury Town Football Club on Monday evening.

They turn the spotlight onto those who go the extra mile when it comes to serving others; in short, the people who make us proud of our county.

We all know people in our community who have overcome great challenges, or who have taken up good causes, for no personal gain other than to help others.

It is these modest individuals that the Pride of Shropshire Awards celebrate.

It is our chance to say thank you to these people who help make our lives that little bit better.

This year, entries have been stronger than ever – and that made choosing our finalists an exceptionally difficult task.

There are nine categories: Carer Award, Courage Award, Environmental Champion, Good Neighbour Award, Learner Award, Local Heroes Award, Outstanding Bravery Award, People's Champion, Special Young Person and Overall Winner Pride of Shropshire Award.

It promises to be another emotional occasion for all involved – some of the finalists, as you will read in the pages of this supplement, have remarkable stories to tell.

This year's entrants will have a tough act to follow, after the very high standard set by last year's winners.

The crowning accolade of the overall Pride of Shropshire Award was given to Carys Jones, who also received the Youth Community Award for developing the child safety alarm Invizzilead following the murder of schoolgirl April Jones.

Previous overall winners include Katyia Johnson, who became a tireless fundraiser for the Stillborn and Neonatal Death Charity following the loss of her baby son, and Teina McGarry who scooped the inaugural award for the way that volunteering boosted her self-confidence.

The awards could not happen without the support of our sponsors and I would like to thank all of them for agreeing to help us stage such a worthy event.

For those finalists joining us on Monday, congratulations on your nomination, good luck and enjoy the evening.

For readers, don't miss Tuesday's Shropshire Star when we will bring you full details and pictures of all the winners.

You can also follow live updates from our awards night on www.shropshirestar.com

Editor Martin Wright

After hearing a smoke alarm in the early hours of the morning, John contacted the fire service before the three smashed their way into her smoke-filled home, dealt with the source of the fire, and led Anna, who is in her 80s, to safety.

Nayan welled up with pride for his sons. He said: "I am immensely proud of them. They went in first. To know your sons are in there trying to save an old lady, I am proud of them both." John said: "We didn't really think about it to be honest we just wanted to get in there and get her out. It was a spur of the moment thing. She was screaming for help."

The Carer Award went to Sue O'Neil, after being nominated by Frank Fuller of Market Drayton. Sue works at the Beech House Nursing Home in Wollerton near Hodnet.

She joined the team nearly 20 years ago as a carer and now acts as their activities organiser. Frank said it was thanks to Sue that everyone in the home has interesting things to do.

The Environmental Champion award, sponsored by Denso went to Judy Coleridge who has been active on green issues for a long time but her efforts on producing the Shrewsbury Green Guide is to be particularly commended. The aim of the guide is to give people information to help them make more environmentally friendly choices.

Carmen Culliss won the title of Good Neighbour sponsored by Shropshire Housing Group.

A neighbour wrote in to say Carmen was a caring and compassionate woman who made time for people despite having problems of her own.

An example of this was when she drove all the way to Manchester to collect the daughter of a woman in the village who was extremely poorly.

When asked what drove her to be so helpful, Carmen joked: "I'm probably just nosey."

She added: "I'm just lucky I've got lovely neighbours, lovely friends and family and if I can add a bit to their day, why not?"

The Local Hero Award went to Ben Taylor from Shrewsbury. A reservist with The Mercian Regiment, he received the Queen's Gallantry Award last year following his actions on his first operational tour in Afghanistan.

He rescued eight comrades in complete darkness from a vehicle that had overturned into a canal during a mission. Ben was catapulted out of the vehicle but his colleagues were trapped inside. Despite his own injuries Ben repeatedly dived under water to help and guide them to safety.

He said he didn't think about whether he was risking his own life and could not remember the events. "I just needed to get them out," he said.

The Learner of the Year Award went to Shane Bennett, who after failed attempts at college, came on in leaps and bounds after receiving support from The Crowsmill Craft Centre in Alveley near Bridgnorth.

Leanne Rawlinson, from Telford, was just 17 when she collected the Special Young Person award.

She showed maturity beyond her years when she comforted an extremely vulnerable woman who had been attacked in a stairwell. Leanne remained calm and prevented vital evidence from being destroyed.

Instead of walking away she helped the victim, persuading her to report the incident to the police, which in turn led to the conviction of the attacker.