West cork gardaí seek to honour young people for outstanding voluntary community work

Gardaí in West Cork are seeking to honour young people who have done outstanding voluntary work in their communities.

The longest-running event of its type in the country, the Cork West Garda Division Youth Achievement Awards was started in 1995 by Garda James O'Mahony, a Bandon-based juvenile liaison officer, and it has been copied by a number of other garda divisions.

The West Cork awards will again be sponsored by SuperValu this year and the Irish Examiner is the media partner for the event.

Nominations are now being sought from people who wish to see the voluntary efforts of young men and women, aged 13- 21, celebrated at the awards ceremony which will take place Friday, November 8 at the Celtic Ross Hotel, Rosscarbery.

The award categories are individual, group award, community safety and special achievement.

Garda Damian White, who helping to run the awards said that every nominee who doesn't receive an award will instead get a certificate which "will be a very valuable item to have on a young person’s CV into the future".

Since their inception, approximately 2,850 nominations have been received. An average of 15 awards have been presented each year.

The individual award is open to young people who have made a positive contribution to their community, making it a better place to live.

The group award category applies for groups of two or more young people whose combined efforts have contributed positively to their communities.

The community safety award is for a young person, or group, who through crime prevention or safety innovation, have made their community a safer place to live.

The special achievement category is open to any young person who has overcome difficult circumstances, or defied the odds and whose commitment deserves recognition.

“We wish to recognise the sacrifices made by these young people, as they contribute to their community, both at a local level, and also in wider areas," Inspector Brian Murphy, who is based at Bandon Garda Station, and is chairman of the organising committee said.

The nomination forms are now available from any SuperValu store in the Cork West Garda Division and also at garda stations throughout the region.

Electronic versions of the nomination form are available from [e-mail] The closing date for the applications is Friday, October 18.