A CELEBRATION of community life in Cambridgeshire is about to begin again with the launch of the 2008 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Community Life Awards. The awards recognise the hard work of the groups and individuals who ensure that the county s comm

A CELEBRATION of community life in Cambridgeshire is about to begin again with the launch of the 2008 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Community Life Awards.

The awards recognise the hard work of the groups and individuals who ensure that the county's communities continue to thrive.

Organised by Cambridgeshire ACRE (Action for Communities in Rural England), the awards opened for entries this week and villages across the county are being urged to get involved.

Sponsored by Calor, Archant (owners of The Royston Crow) and others, there is a wide range of awards available, including the much sought after Village of the Year.

For the 2008 awards there have been a few changes to the categories with the aim of making them open to a much wider audience. For example, nominations for the Cambridgeshire Volunteer Awards are now open to groups as well as individuals.

And there have also been some alterations to the categories within the Aspects of Community Life (see right for more details).

The changes are only minor, but the overall aim of the awards is still the same: to highlight the positive achievements of your village, local group or possibly even your friends.

The entry process has been kept as simple as possible, but if you need support in completing the application forms, contact the Community Life Award co-ordinators, Sarah Johnston and Julie Weekes.

A spokesman for ACRE said: "Cambridgeshire ACRE believes that every community in the county will be able to find a category to enter.

"The application process is very simple and is also a fantastic way of bringing members of the community together.

"Tell us about your successes and make the most of this chance to receive the recognition your venture deserves.