Launched in 2025, Congleton Town Council’s annual Civic Awards Scheme celebrates volunteers who make valuable contributions to the Congleton community. The awards will be presented by the Town Mayor at a special ceremony, as part of the Annual Town Meeting on 15 May 2025. Recipients will receive a certificate and a commemorative lapel pin badge.
Nominations
Members of the public are encouraged to nominate individuals for the Awards in recognition of their unpaid contributions, whether in support of the town and community as a whole or a specific group of people.
Awards Criteria
- Awards are given to individuals only, not groups or businesses. While nominations must be for a single person, the judging panel reserves the right to present a joint award if deemed appropriate.
- Nominees must be volunteers i.e. they are not paid for the work they are being nominated for.
- Local – nominees must live in the Congleton area and volunteer in Congleton.
- A volunteer can only win a maximum of one award in a five-year period.
- Nominees must conduct their voluntary work in a sustainable and inclusive manner. For example, an individual running a public art activity should ensure accessibility for disabled people and minimise waste.
- However, the awards acknowledge that some voluntary activities are designed to support a specific group based on shared characteristics, such as children’s activities, support for disabled or LGBTQIA+ individuals, or groups exclusively for men or women.
- Councillors, Burgesses or employees of the Council are not eligible and may not be nominated.
Award Categories
There are six main award categories and one special category. The judging panel typically presents one award per category but may, at its discretion, grant multiple awards in a category. The categories are:
Community Involvement Award – This award recognises someone who plays a key role or takes significant responsibility in a community effort. This could include organising community events, improving facilities for a neighbourhood, supporting a charity in their own time, or offering help to individuals in need.
Young Volunteer Award– This award is for a young person (under 25) who actively contributes to the community on an ongoing basis, whether as part of a group or individually. It could be someone who directly helps other, joins in with groups to improve the area, or supports events and activities.
Art and Culture Award– This award recognises an individual who dedicates their time to music, art, dance, crafts, or heritage activities that benefit the community. This could include someone running a theatre group, organising an art exhibition, creating new history trails, or putting together a music festival, among other contributions.
Environment Award – This award honours an individual who dedicates their time to conservation, sustainability, biodiversity, or the enhancement of our green spaces. This could include efforts such as establishing a recycling initiative, leading a carbon emissions reduction project, delivering active travel initiatives,, or organising gardening and planting projects.
Wellbeing Award – This award recognises an individual who supports the health, fitness, or overall wellbeing of others. This could include someone who leads a sports team, establishes a peer support group, provides one-to-one support to vulnerable people, or contributes to local health initiatives.
Good Neighbour Award – This award celebrates an individual who volunteers in a local, personal way, such as shopping for elderly or disabled neighbours, cleaning and weeding their street, or organising street parties and community gatherings.
Unsung Hero Award – This special award is presented at the discretion of the judging panel. It is not open for direct nomination. Instead, one of the nominees for another award, who has worked tirelessly and selflessly without seeking recognition, may be honoured with this award for their significant and ongoing efforts.
Process
- To nominate someone for an award, please complete the online form below. To print a copy of the form, open the link (below) and right click to print. Hard copies available from the Congleton Information Centre. You must be over 16 years of age to nominate someone.
- You can’t nominate yourself. Nominations must be submitted by someone other than the nominee, with the nominee’s permission, including consent for the Town Council to store their personal information.
- A Town Council Officer will process the nominations and remove the nominator’s and nominee’s name, to ensure impartiality.
- The Judging Panel will consist of the Town Mayor, the Deputy Mayor, the Chair of the Community Committee, the Communities Officer, and the Chief Officer. Additional individuals may be consulted on nominations based on the specific category (e.g. the Environment Committee Chair for the Environment Award).
- The awards will be presented by the Town Mayor at a special ceremony, as part of the Annual Town Meeting on 15 May 2025.
Nomination Form
Use the online form below to nominate a volunteer for the Congleton Town Mayor’s Civic Awards:
Congleton Town Mayor’s Civic Awards Nomination Form
Before completing the form, please read and understand the Civic Awards Criteria (stated above). Please note, you must have obtained permission from the individual you are nominating before submitting the form.
Offline submissons can be handed in at the Congleton Information Centre, emailed to: mayor@congleton-tc.gov.uk, or posted to:
Congleton Town Council (Mayor’s Civic Awards)
Town Hall
High Street
Congleton CW12 1BN
