THE Pride of Somerset Awards ceremony will be taking place tonight (Thursday, May 11).
What to expect
The awards, which have been created to celebrate the successes and achievements of Somerset's young people, will take place at the Taunton Campus of Taunton and Bridgwater College.
10 young people will be rewarded for their efforts in a wide range of categories, including enterprise, sport, charity and more.
There can be more than one winner for each category, giving more young people the chance to be recognised and rewarded for their resilience.
One lucky person will also be in with the chance of winning the Sandy Padgett Award, named after superintendent Sandy Padgett, who tragically passed away from natural causes in 2009.
This is the 16th year that the awards are being hosted. Previous years have, by all accounts, been a success. The 2022 awards, for example, recognised a wide variety of young people, including Seren Rodgers.
Seren, from Taunton, who attended Richard Huish College at the time, was honoured for her determination and success as a pentathlete who is “fearless and tenacious, with a tremendous drive to succeed.”
She had recently secured a sports scholarship for an American University and qualified for the U18 European Championships in Jerusalem.
Another previous winner includes Miles Chiplen. Miles, who is from Taunton, raised funds by having his long hair cut off to raise money for the Little Princess Trust, which provides wigs for children who lose their hair during cancer treatment.
At this year's awards, winners, family, friends, VIPs and supporters will no doubt hear tales of determination and success at the ceremony.
The evening will be hosted by Simon Parkin, along with a welcome from the president of the Rotary Club of Taunton, David Lewis, and the CEO and principal of the college, Andy Berry.
The winners will be presented with their awards by either the president of the Rotary Club, the CEO of Young Somerset or the superintendent of Avon and Somerset Police.
The awards are jointly organised by BBC Somerset, the Rotary Club of Taunton and Somerset Day, with sponsors Avon and Somerset Police, YMCA Dulverton Group, Young Somerset and the college.
The Somerset Gazette will be attending the awards.
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