Holding out for a hero!

Over the weekend I received an e-mail from Mark Ryder at Warwickshire about the Warwick Castle Half-Marathon. A group of seventy staff are running in this Sunday's race to raise funds for the Warwickshire Corporate Parents Association (don't worry I'm not going to plug every fund raising run!). 

What struck me here was that this was a group of Local Government Officers who have a responsibility for supporting vulnerable families, who are seeing their role outside the confines of the "9-5".

This made me reflect on last year's Conference and in particular the Hero Awards. I had the pleasure as Chairman of the Institute in presenting the awards and found myself inspired by them all. Particularly inspiring was the work of Cardiff fair trading officer Bas Diablos, who was recognised for his tireless work, much in his own time, to promote the work of trading standards and consumer education in the community. He, like Mark and the team In Warwickshire, sees his role as part of the community, not just providing services to them.

The work of trading standards services up and down the country are supported by, and delivered in partnership with, a wide number of partners and individuals. In these difficult times we may not be able to recognise their work financially, but there are many other ways to recognise this contribution. The Institute's Hero Awards provide such an opportunity. 

So if you know someone deserving of recognition nominate them at http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/membership/TSILocalHeroesAwards.cfm 

Good luck on Sunday Mark!