Who deserves to be Melksham’s Person of the Year 2017?

Nominations are now open for the Melksham Person of the Year award.

The competition, run by Melksham News, will recognise a resident who has made a real contribution to the community in 2017.

It’s been an exciting year for Melksham and many individuals have worked hard to improve their town, raise money for charity or help other people. With so many people doing great things in their community, we need your help to find them.

You can nominate a friend, family member, community leader, colleague or even someone you don’t know – any person who lives or works in the Melksham area who you think has contributed most to the local community. Perhaps your nominee has been involved in a local charity, helped run a sports club or offered voluntary services which have benefitted the town.  The only conditions are that the person is from Melksham or one of the surrounding villages or works in the town; and that the person has not previously won this award.

Also, nominees can’t be of the four-legged variety, so unfortunately, Pixie, Melksham’s heroic cat is not eligible!

Ian Drew, editor of Melksham News said, “This is a chance to nominate someone who deserves recognition for their outstanding contribution to Melksham over the past year or who has had a big impact on life in the town.”

Melksham’s Person of the Year 2016 went to Bev Viveash for her years of volunteering and raising money for charity.

In 2015 the award went to Anne Cranham for her 37 years as a volunteer with the Scout group. Friends Ann Peirce and the late Brenda Abbott won the 2014 award for their fundraising for Dorothy House, while former Melksham Town FC chair Dave Wiltshire won the award in 2013. The 2012 award was won by Alex and Colin Goodhind for their Christmas lights displays for charity; George Brown from Melksham Council for Community Service won in 2011; Paul Weymouth, organiser of the Melksham Christmas Lights team won in 2010; and 2009’s winner was Christine Broom, a cub leader for over 20 years.

Nominations can be made by emailing news@melksham news.co.uk stating your name, address and contact number with your nominee’s name and why you are nominating them. (We won’t disclose who has made the nominations).

Or you can fill out the form on page 22 of this week’s paper and return it to; Melksham News, 31 Market Place, Melksham. SN12 6ES

• Nominations must be received by 5pm on Wednesday 10th January. A shortlist of nominees will be published in the next issue of Melksham News with the winner decided by public vote.