We have been inundated with entries for our fantastic Bradford’s Best Community Awards.

The closing date has come and gone and the judges are now beginning the marathon task of deciding the shortlists from which the eventual winners will be chosen.

Ten years ago we held the Bradford’s Best Millennium Community Awards which proved a huge success.

And a decade on from this landmark event, we felt it was time to recognise a new generation of local heroes.

So, in partnership with Bradford Council and with the backing of some of the district’s top companies and organisations, we launched the awards at the start of last month.

We asked readers to nominate people, groups or firms in the following ten categories:

* Best Community Project.

* Best Community Group.

* Best Citizen – two categories, Community and Public.

* Best Community Project for Disabled.

* Best School Community Project.

* Best Neighbour.

* Best Community Business Contribution.

* Best Future Citizen.

* Best Community Sports Contribution.

* Best Community Environmental Project.

The hope was that readers would highlight the fantastic work that is constantly going on at grassroots level across the district – and we weren’t disappointed.

Each day the entries flooded in to our offices and we featured some of them in the T&A throughout October.

For example, we learnt about Sheila Ellis, of Haslemere Close, Holme Wood, who was nominated as best citizen by Hilda Watson for her dedication to the residents of Morrell Court sheltered housing complex in Holme Wood, where Mrs Ellis runs a twice-weekly bingo session and organises trips and parties.

Mrs Ellis runs the bingo voluntarily and Mrs Watson, of Launceston Drive, Holme Wood, says that without her, many pensioners would be deprived of an event they look forward to.

Money collected at the bingo is used for trips to Blackpool and parties at Bonfire Night and Christmas.

Mrs Watson said: “She is marvellous. The bingo is somewhere for us pensioners to go to and we look forward to it.

“She’s got a couple of helpers but she is a wonderful organiser – quite frankly I don’t know how she does it.”

Mrs Ellis, 76, said: “It feels lovely to be nominated. It’s nice to be appreciated.

“My aunt lived at Morrell Court and I used to go down every day. I used to help out and then when she died I kept on with it. My husband died eight years ago. I’d worked until I was 65 and doing this and being involved keeps me going. I enjoy the company.”

And we heard about Anne-Marie Robinson who was nominated in our Best Neighbour category.

Supermum Anne-Marie has a husband and two teenage sons to look after – but still has time to be next door’s ‘guardian angel’.

Susan Potts, whose husband Alan has terminal cancer, wrote to the Telegraph & Argus to say the “kindness and love” shown by her neighbour is helping her own family “keep going, smiling and hoping”.

Mrs Potts said her neighbour in Kenmore Crescent, Wibsey, is her “rock”, whether it is helping with shopping, cooking meals, driving to and from hospital appointments and weeding the garden.

“This is a true friend,” Mrs Potts said. “She is our family’s angel.”

Then there were groups such as The Waxworks Music Initiative, which works with young people to stop them becoming involved in gun, gang and knife crime and which was nominated as Best Community Group.

The not-for-profit organisation helps youngsters who are, for whatever reason, socially excluded re-engage with society through music.

Set up by DJs Ed Williams and Nick Merrick in 2005, the studio in Manningham Lane works with partners including the Youth Offending Team.

The environment was not overlooked either, with some fantastic examples of green projects springing up in various categories.

The Heaton Community Graveyard Project is one of the many fantastic examples you highlighted which have made a real difference to your neighbourhoods.

It started in December 2003, and, led by Margaret Gray, a founder member, volunteers have cleaned up the overgrown graveyard and made it a safer place. People from around the world have been in touch with the project about helping the scheme.

Mrs Gray said: “I have got enquiries all the time, from America, Australia and New Zealand. The interest from out of Heaton is absolutely wonderful.”

Mrs Gray decided to start the project after spending years looking out of her window at the overgrown graveyard.

“The main objective was to do away with some of the anti-social behaviour, to regenerate it and restore it back to what it was initially.”

The group aims to develop the graveyard into an educational resource and to encourage people to explore the local heritage on the site.

These are just a few of the many nominations you put forward, all of which could make it on to our judges’ shortlists.

At this stage the judging is based on the information you supplied alongside your nomination forms plus any additional information the judges decide may be helpful in reaching their decision. The judges may move a nomination into another category if, in their opinion, it is more appropriate.

The judges are looking at issues such as impact, community involvement, and commitment over time. In addition they must decide how well, in their opinion, the person, group or project matches the original category criteria and reflects spirit of the awards.

While guided by the other factors, the judges will consider these final points to carry the greatest weight. The decision of the judges is final and no correspondence or discussions will be entered into.

Once the shortlists are compiled, final judging will take place and the winners will be announced at a gala celebration night at Aagrah’s Midpoint Suite.

We will be bringing you more news about the awards and shortlisted entries before then – so watch this space.