The shining stars of our community

The awards, sponsored by law firm Pictons and held at Venue Central II in Leagrave Road, were attended by dignitaries including the mayors of Luton and Dunstable, and politicians including Luton MPs Kelvin Hopkins and Gavin Shuker.

Handed over on the night were cheques for £10,000 each for Keech Hospice Care and the Malawi Project – Unleashing Potential, which is supported by students from Luton Sixth Form College.

Mr Hopkins said: “It is a wonderful privilege to represent this fabulous place called Luton.

“People in Luton come from diverse backgrounds but we are all Lutonians. This sort of event demonstrates what the town is all about.”

Crowned Winner of Winners on the night was Debra Knight of Nine Red Presents... a project that helps victims of domestic abuse, violence and rape through arts projects. Debra also won the Community Arts Award.

Other winners included Volunteer of the Year Musthafa Hussain, Teacher of the Year Kay Crabtree, Carer of the Year Pamela Granger, Lifetime Achievement winner Peter Cowan, ‘Our Luton’ winner Mohammed Nadeem, and Mayor’s Award winner Stephen O’Reilly, pictured above.