HULL is full of unsung heroes. Every day, our pages are bursting with readers who have performed remarkable feats for their community.
So, the Mail is launching Pride Of East Yorkshire – a new awards ceremony to honour our local heroes.
Whether it is starting new projects and inspiring young people, or saving someone from danger, we have plenty of heroes on our own doorstep.
The Pride Of East Yorkshire Awards, in partnership with Hull City Tigers, will be a chance to say thank you to those who work tirelessly to help others.
Nominations are open to all and with eight awards categories, this is the time to put your hidden heroes in the spotlight.
The finalists will attend a glittering awards ceremony in September at the KC stadium.
Our first nominee is Keleighsha Thorpe, 11, who alerted her grandma when arsonists targeted their home.
Keleighsha was nominated by her grandma Sandra Sawers for the Child Of Courage Award, having already been recognised by the council with the Amy Johnson Cup for her bravery.
Ms Sawers said: "I wake up in the morning and think, 'If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be here.
"She'll be my little hero until the day I die.
"She would really, really deserve this award."
The awards, which take place in September, will be marking the actions of ordinary local people doing extraordinary things.
We want to recognise all of you helping to put Hull on the map and highlight those brave souls who go over-and-above the call of duty.
Mail Editor Neil Hodgkinson said: "When some people can achieve celebrity status simply for being on TV, the Pride of East Yorkshire awards will celebrate the real heroes in our community.
"These are people who don't look for gratitude or public thanks, but have nonetheless made a remarkable impact on people's lives.
"We cover stories every day about people making a difference in their communities. Hopefully, with the help of Mail readers, we can find those people and, together with our sponsors, give them the recognition they richly deserve."
The awards are also being supported by Hull City and the club's managing director Nick Thompson said it was fitting the first event was being held in the year the Tigers were promoted to the Premier League.
He said: "There is a huge amount of pride in this city and in the broader region across East Yorkshire and the Humber. With Hull City's promotion to the Premier League, there has been a whole new level of interest in the area.
"We recognise that many people see our club and the footballers as local heroes. These awards gives us a chance to salute the real local heroes out there in the local community."
The award categories cover so many areas to give all achievements recognition.
We are looking for those in the public services who not only make it their job to keep the rest of us safe and sound, but make it their life.
We want to honour youngsters who have overcome trials and tribulation with courage and a positive attitude.
One of our awards, Inspiring Youngster, is made in partnership with Hull Children's University, the Mail's charity of the year.
Dr John Buttrick, director of Hull Children's University, said: "The Pride of East Yorkshire awards will be a terrific event for this great city and our region.
"We are always pleased to support anything that raises aspirations of young people who have a positive and determined approach and attitude to life.
"It's always great for a young person to win an award, as it makes them aware that people believe in them and that is important."
As well as young people, the awards will thank local people for all sorts of selfless activities, from saving a life to raising countless pounds for charity.
And it is not just the man on the street – those in business, who have made a huge impact to help their community, deserve to be rewarded.
We all know about the sporting success of golden boy Luke Campbell pulling no punches in the ring, and the moment Hull City returned to the premiership against the odds dominated the headlines. But there are plenty of sports success stories that go under the radar.
We are looking for coaches who have inspired teens to get active and given local youngsters, such as Luke, the confidence to pave the way in sport.
As well as sports, we are still riding high after a huge year for the Humber.
We have scored a number of artistic coups, including the recent Da Vinci show, bringing in exhibitions that have proved to the rest of the country that Hull is blazing the way.
People elsewhere obviously took note.
Although our City Of Culture 2017 bid was originally sniffed at, we are emerging as a credible option.
With the Slipstream sculpture created here soon to be gracing Heathrow Airport's new Terminal 2, we are now being seen as a region to take seriously.
And through these awards we want to show what our region is made of, and prove the people here are not only selfless, courageous and generous, but the Pride Of East Yorkshire.
Nominations are open now but do not miss next Friday's Mail for a guide to the awards and more information on how to nominate someone for a Pride of East Yorkshire award.
