Sponsors and candidates from this year's launch event for the A Place to be Proud of Awards

A RECORD number of borough businesses have come forward to sponsor and support the prestigious A Place to be Proud of Awards.

The 2008 awards are this year being backed by more than a dozen Basingstoke-based businesses.

The awards event, which honours individuals and organisations who make a difference to the town and borough, is now in its fifth year.

The deadline for entries is just over a week away - Friday, April 18 - and the awards will be handed out at a special dinner and presentation ceremony in Festival Place, on Sunday, July 13.

A full list of the categories and sponsors and supporters is featured in the panel on this page - and business leaders are pleased to be backing the event that has become a high spot of the Basingstoke calendar.

Ian Stuart, managing director of Barclays Asset & Sales Finance, said: "These awards celebrate the best in Basingstoke and we are proud to be involved by sponsoring the Arts and Culture category.

"I look forward to seeing nominations from all sectors of the thriving local artistic community."

The event is again being backed by the founding partners - Festival Place, Gazette Newspapers, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and the Local Strategic Partnership - and this year it is being co-ordinated by the Destination Basingstoke marketing agency.

Mike Loftus, chairman of Destination Basingstoke, said: "We are delighted to have such strong business support for the awards this year. It demonstrates how they have become a landmark in the local calendar."

It doesn't cost anything to nominate an individual, organisation or group for the awards, at which the guest speaker will be Hampshire celebrity gardening guru Charlie Dimmock.

Nomination forms can be downloaded from basingstokegazette.co.uk/campaigns/placetobeproudof/ and anyone wanting more information can contact Felicity Edwards at Destination Basingstoke by e-mailing felicity.edwards@basingstoke.gov.uk

Award categories and sponsors

• Arts and Culture Award - sponsored by Barclays
• Schools and Education Award - sponsored by Winterthur
• Good Citizen Award - sponsored by Gazette Newspapers and Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council
• Young Achiever Award - sponsored by Tenon
• Good Neighbour Award - sponsored by Sentinel Housing Group and Kingfisher Housing Association
• Unsung Hero Award - sponsored by CORGI
• Health and Care Award - sponsored by Queen Mary's College and Vitacress
• Basingstoke Ambassador Award - sponsored by Basingstoke and North Hampshire NHS Foundation Trust
• Judges' Special Award - sponsored by Absolutely Offices
• Student of the Year Award - sponsored by GAME

Eli Lilly is sponsoring the champagne reception at the awards evening and HCR Property Management will be supporting the event by sponsoring the string quartet that will perform at the ceremony,

10:49am Tuesday 15th April 2008

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