THE search has started to find Cambridgeshire’s young unsung heroes.
The Ferrier Pearce Young People of the Year (YOPEY) award organisers are asking people to nominate candidates who they feel deserve recognition for their work in the community.
They are offering £2,000 in prize money to the winners to share with the community.
Last year’s Young People of the Year were Katie Godfrey, who fundraises at home in Cottenham to build classrooms in Kenya, and Atiq Nazir, who set up a youth club in Peterborough.
They and other young people will be among the judges of this year’s contest along with royal representatives, mayors and MPs.
YOPEY founder Tony Gearing said: “Cambridgeshire is where we continue to find some of the most amazing young people.
“There are many young people in Cambridgeshire doing wonderful things for others. It’s just that they live in the shadow of a well-publicised anti-social minority.
“We need to give young people the respect they deserve and set up the best as positive role models for others to copy rather than focusing on the small number of binge-drinking, drug-taking, violent hoodies.”
This year’s Cambs YOPEY is supported by Cambridge companies CSR, ARM and TTP Group, Wisbech-based Hutchinsons and Kier Construction, St Ives printing technology suppliers Linx Global, Chatteris-based pharmaceutical firms ALS and The Micron Group, Ely vegetable and salad grower G’s, communications company Kiss, Stratagem Intellectual Property Management, Peterborough City Council and engineering consultants Waldeck.
YOPEY is open to young people aged from 10 to 25, who live, work or study in Cambridgeshire.
Anyone can nominate young positive role models and entries will close on July 31st. The awards are due to be held at the Priory in St Neots in October.
The top prize is £800. The young person or people can keep £400 but must invest the other £400 in a community project.
There will be other cash prizes where the winners will keep half the money and give the other half to a good cause of their choice.
To find out more visit www.youngpeopleoftheyear.org
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