THE Pride of Gwent Awards, held in association with the University of South Wales, has attracted scores of entries, each of which yet another reason why our region is such a great place to live.

Outstanding acts of bravery, compassion, kindness, generosity, fortitude and selflessness are all represented in this year’s collection of finalists, behind each of whom is an inspirational story.

Editor of the South Wales Argus Gavin Thompson said judges had a tough job sifting through the entries to come up with this year’s finalists.

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“With the coronavirus pandemic raging through much of 2020, we knew we would receive some exceptional entries, but we’ve been astounded by some of the things we have learned about the people of Gwent,” he said.

“It’s been a distressing year and it’s heartening to see how so many have rallied round to help others.”

He also paid tribute to people who have given their time and energy over many years to help make Gwent a better place.

“The city of Newport and our towns and villages are full of unsung heroes,” he said. “We hope the Pride of Gwent Awards will shine a light on some of them.”

Watch the virtual Pride of Gwent Awards 2020/21 on the South Wales Argus Facebook Page from 7pm on Thursday, March 11. The evening, hosted by Simon Weston, will feature a collection of household names, all of whom will be joining us in applauding our worthy finalists and winners.

Pride of Gwent – The Finalists

  • Lifetime Achievement Award, sponsored by Western Power Distribution: Hayley Thomas, Tariq Khan, Paul Murphy.
  • Special Recognition Award, sponsored by Tovey Bros: Debra Cottis, Rachel Lawrence, Nicola Wheten.
  • 999 Hero Award, sponsored by Monmouthshire County Council: Ben Jones and Tim Blacklock, Red Watch Malpas (South Wales Fire and Rescue Service), Helping Caring Team.
  • Good Samaritan Award, sponsored by Monmouthshire Building Society: Feed Newport, Lisa Thomas and the Helping Caring Team, Mia Beechey (Caerphilly Scrubbers).
  • Environment Award, sponsored by Newport City Council: Richard Evans (Project Nestbox), Mandy Powell and Kelly Davies (The Good Wash Company), Lauren Morse (Journey to Zero Waste in Torfaen).
  • Charity Champion Award, sponsored by Knauf Insulation: Abergavenny Elvis, aka Keith Davies, Ieuan Padfield, Kevin and Cath O’Connor (Welsh Ambulance Service).
  • Life Saver Award: PC Mark Powell (Bedwas Station, Gwent Police), Ros Bennett and Andrea Reeves (Caerphilly Community Resource Team) and Red Watch Malpas (South Wales Fire and Rescue Service).
  • Charity Award: Pride in Pill, Feed Newport, Helping Caring Team.
  • Community Hero Award, sponsored by Gwent Police and the Police and Crime Commissioner: Bernard Dawson (Caerwent), Dennis Hughes (Swffryd) and Dawn Derraven and Tara Holloway Scott (Risca CV19 Volunteers).
  • Achiever Award, sponsored by Admiral: Nicola Wheten, Hayley Thomas, Joseph Jordan-Richardson.
  • Volunteer Award, sponsored by United Welsh Housing: Lisa Olsen, Adele Hurn, Zuhaib Ullah.
  • Local Hero, sponsored by Coleg Gwent: Josephine Doe, Dennis Hughes, Cathryn Davies.
  • Carer Award, sponsored by Melin Homes: Hayley Thomas, Sally Anne Griffiths, Adele Delaney.
  • Courage Award, supported by the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board: Emilie Allen, Steve Blackshaw.

For more on the South Wales Argus Pride of Gwent Awards visit: https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/prideofgwent

USW is proud to sponsor our awards

THE University of South Wales is one of the UK’s major higher education institutions, with students from more than 120 countries studying the full range of degrees of a large modern university.

USW is a key player in the regeneration of Newport city and the regional economy of the South Wales Valleys.

In the last five years, more than 900 nurses, midwives and teachers from the Gwent region have graduated from the university.

The engineering sector has benefited from more than 400 graduates in Gwent over the same period.

Our Newport Campus is one of the city’s most iconic buildings, offering a vibrant, professional space where students obtain skills and knowledge to fully equip them with the all-round experience demanded by their professions.

From our Newport campus, we are training the next generation of cyber security experts and business professionals.

Our Kegie Centre for Therapies is a purpose-built suite, delivering a range of counselling and psychotherapeutic services to the public and the region’s schools.

Our hotel and hospitality management degree, run in direct partnership with the five-star Celtic Collection, is located at the Newport campus, producing the next generation of hotel and hospitality managers.

As the region’s university, with a campus in the heart of Newport city centre, USW is proud to be an official sponsor of this year’s Pride of Gwent Awards and to have the opportunity to demonstrate our support of the region.

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