Time to play your part and nominate an inspiring young person for the Lord Lieutenant's Awards 2015 for Young People

Yes, it's that very special time of the year again. This search is on to find this year's candidates for the prestigious Lord Lieutenant's Awards for Young People in 2015.

This is an opportunity for the general public to play their part in helping Lady Gretton, Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire identify, celebrate and reward the very best examples of achievement by young people in Leicester and Leicestershire.

"One of the joys of being Lord-Lieutenant is having the opportunity of meeting many young people and seeing some truly remarkable examples of young people volunteering and giving their time to the local community.

I feel that much of this achievement goes unnoticed by the wider community, when all too often we hear of examples that portray young people in a negative light. It was in part for this reason that I wanted to do what I could to raise awareness of the positive contributions made by young people."

Last year, you may recall the annual award proved most memorable for JHMT, as the Young Artist Award was duly renamed the 'Joe Humphries Memorial Award' in recognition of Joe's artistic talents and passion for the arts. Also, nominations were received which recognised the outstanding and selfless commitment of young people who are helping Joe's Trust in so many inspirational ways with its work to raise awareness and reduce the incidence of sudden death in young people.

Once again, it starts with a 'very special' someone who can find the time to nominate a young person who may well follow in the footsteps of last year's overall winner of the Lord-Lieutenant's Young Person of the Year Award, Liam Oldfield (18) a Young Braveheart studying at Welbeck Defence 6th Form College in Woodhouse, said:"I was blown off my feet when I realised I'd won the award."

The award is open to 13 to 19 year olds, and individuals can be nominated by other young people, their school, parent/carer, or any other agency or individual.

The categories for 2015 are:

• Young Braveheart
• Young Volunteer
• Young Sportsperson
• Young Artist ( The Joe Humphries Memorial Award )

Plus over the coming four years there will be a special category dedicated to commemorating the centenary of the First World War. This year we are looking for a Young Poet to help commemorate the Centenary of the First World War through poetry.

The closing date for entries for the 2015 awards is 31 January 2015.

To find out more about the awards or to nominate a young person using the online nomination form visit www.leics.gov.uk/llawards

or call the Lieutenancy Office on 0116 305 6053