Today the Abergavenny Chronicle and Abergavenny Town Council launch the search to find the unsung local heroes in our community.

The new ‘Community in Kindness’ awards have been set up to recognise some very special people who go above and beyond when it comes to helping family, friends, neighbours and even strangers.

During the last two years of the Covid pandemic which devastated so many lives many lost loved ones, some people lost their jobs and others their businesses.

However we know many have come through the trauma with a smile on their face and a willingness to help others.And we want to acknowledge those people with a Community in Kindess award.

We have 11 categories for which you can nominate for one, two or all 11 if you know of someone who deserves to be acknowledge for their kindness.

Did a neighbour get your shopping and prescriptions when you couldn’t leave your home?

Did someone phone you so you didn’t feel isolated when it felt as if the world shut down because of the Covid pandemic when the Welsh government introduced lockdowns when some people didn’t leave their homes for weeks on end increasing that sense of isolation.

Health care workers across Abergavenny and the rest of the country came under tremendous pressure coping with the sick and dying but so many did so much to alleviate the pain of those terrible days.

How many lovely people used their time to make masks, ear defenders and even clothes for protection as staff had to take so many precautions to try and halt the spread of the disease.

Now is your chance to say thank you and nominate them for an award.

We want youngsters helped through the trauma of not seeing their friends when their schools were forced to shut down and lessons took place online - again increasing that feeling of isolation - to nominate their teacher.

We have a category for primary teacher of the year and one for secondary teacher of the year.

Did your teacher make you feel better and help you through it? Then why not nominate them in one of our categories?

We are also looking for nominations for the awards for people working in the voluntary section of our community.

A nominee will be somebody who gives up their own time to help others with no financial gain.

And do you know someone who could be nominated for the Tiumph over Adversity category?

This award aims to recognise someone who has faced person adversity and hardship but has still come out on top and taught us a less in being thankful for what we have, someone who has fought against the odds and used their experiences to inspire others and even improve lives.

We don’t want to ignore our local businesses either so we have a Business of the Year category to recognise a business that despite the pandemic worked to support and make a difference in their community, without regard for financial reward.

This could be for a contribution to charities or fundraising, training, setting up an apprentice scheme or simply giving back to local people.

We also know there are many young people who have done their bit during the pandemic and we want to honour them.

The Young Person of the Year award is for those under 25 who have made a positive impact in the community.

The nominee should have done something exceptional during the last 24 months, using a positive attitude and approach to become a role model for other young people in the community.

The pandemic was also tough for all our local sports clubs who were forced to cancel training sessions, matches and general get-togethers so we want to hear from those who know of a Sports Club of the Year.

This award aims to recognise a team or club which has made a significant contribution to their community. It is open to all clubs in Abergavenny and recognises the work they do that makes a real difference whether that’s supporting in the community or engaging their members and beyond in physical activity and sport at home.

The Heart of the Community award aims to recognise someone who has pulled their community together during the past 24 months. This could be by organising online events, fundraisers or providing entertainment and information for thos around them.

The Good Neighbour Award speaks for itself - we want to thank an individual who always puts others before themselves and let them know their efforts do not go unrecognised.

A full list of the categories and a nomination form can be found on page 11 of today’s newspaper (April 6).

So now it’s up to you - get your nominations in now.

The award scheme is running until June so you have plenty of time to think about who you want to nominate.