The Pride of Gwent Awards really brightened up a rainy winter’s day

The news can sometimes be depressing, especially at the moment with everything going on in the world and with people struggling to get by closer to home.

But the Awards, run by the South Wales Argus, really shone a light on what’s best in our communities in Gwent.

The Pride of Gwent Awards are a real antidote to cynicism and negativity. They show that there are fantastic people in our communities, willing to give up their time to help others. People who’ve done inspirational things, facing adversity with vigour. People who’ve gone above and beyond the call of duty at work or in voluntary roles.

It was a particular honour to present six-year-old Logan Lewis with his Unpaid Carer Award for his efforts to help and support his big sister Eden, who is living with cancer.

Logan goes out of his way to make Eden’s life more joyous, from holding her hand when she’s feeling afraid to making sure she has everything she needs. Logan’s selfless and caring attitude at such a young age is a ray of sunshine and I saw how proud his family are of him.

The other award winners were similarly inspirational, from the team at the St David’s Hospice Care shop in Caerleon giving up their time to raise vital funds, to the Newport Foodbank volunteers.

Rose Willavise melted our hearts with her bravery and smile in the face of fighting leukaemia.

Dante Valaydon-Pillay, another young winner, showed us all just how much of a difference someone can make with determination to raise money for good causes.

The example of these winners, so many of them young people, shows there are people who care about others. They are, if you like, the total opposite of the brash narcissism and self-obsession we sometimes see on our television screens.

They are people willing to give up their time to make their communities better places to live in, help those in need or raise funds for good causes. People of action, not just of words – getting to work and making a difference, even when they’ve got good reason not to. People who seek to make a difference rather than just running down others.

A former Prime Minister once claimed that there is no such thing as society. The Pride of Gwent Award winners show just how wrong she was.