AFTER more than two hours of deliberations, and reading through some truly inspiring stories, the judges of the pride of Swindon Awards have finally decided on this year’s deserving heroes.

But those lucky enough to make the shortlist will have to wait until the gala presentation event being held at Steam next month to find out if they have been crowned the toast of the town.

The judging panel – made up of representatives from Voluntary Action Swindon, Volunteer Centre Swindon, Nationwide, Zurich, McDonald's, Swindon 105.5, Excalibur and the Swindon Advertiser – pored over the nomination forms of 46 individuals and 14 teams to arrive at their shortlist this morning.

They have now drawn up a shortlist of 11 teams and 22 individuals who will all be invited to the presentation evening at Steam on Thursday, March 17, where the winners will be announced.

Over the coming weeks, The Adver will be meeting some of those who have made the shortlist and discovering their inspirational stories that struck a chord with the judges.

Tony Martin, Volunteer Development Manager of Zurich Community Trust, said the judging process had been as tough as it had ever been.

“We say it every year, but this year it feels like the quality of nominations has been better than ever," he said.

“We have had quality people in the past, but in terms of the number of quality people this year it has been astounding. Our job has been very hard this morning, getting down to those who really deserve to be recognised for their work.”

He added that the judging panel had been impressed by the scale of the nominations that had come in, with many unsung heroes from all walks of life being put forward by people who they have made an impact on.

Tony said: “I think the important thing about this year it feels like the first year we have got underneath the communities that really make a difference, not just for the last six months but those who have been doing this for the last 20 or 30 years, because they love their communities and that’s key. That is why it is called the Pride of Swindon Awards.

“The award event is always special – humbling sometimes, but fun and also a bit emotional. I am sure that when the awards are announced this year there will be some tears in the room. But I hope everyone there will leave feeling uplifted.

“Quite often these people don’t go looking for recognition for what they do, but for two and a half hours in their life they deserve to be recognised and for us to say 'thank you'.”