THE search for the county’s unsung heroes got under way yesterday as the judges sorted through nominations for the Dorset Hall of Fame Awards.

Daily Echo and Dorset Echo editor Toby Granville joined Michaela Cotty and Jo Legg from Heart FM and Anne Maton from Teachers Building Society to identify the cream of a crop of 120 kind-hearted community and charity workers nominated by friends, family and those they have helped.

The five extraordinary winners will gather at the Pavilion Ballroom, off Westover Road in Bournemouth, for a glitzy prize-giving ceremony on October 10.

Heart FM’s Michaela said: “It took us four hours to look through all the nominations as it was such a hard decision, there were some really heart wrenching stories among them, and some amazing people from all around the county.

“However we managed to choose our five winners. We don’t have any categories and no one of our winning entries is better than any other.

“We are delighted to have received so many nominations, it shows that this event is going to get bigger and bigger every year.”

Toby Granville added: “The Echo is delighted to be part of the Hall of Fame Awards, and I have spent a humbling afternoon with the other judges painstakingly whittling down more than 120 strong entries to the handful of finalists and winners.

“Their stories will really pull at the heart strings at what is guaranteed to be an amazing night recognising all these fantastic Dorset citizens.”

The Daily Echo and Dorset Echo have teamed up with Heart FM and Teachers Building Society for this year’s awards.

This is the second year of the contest and last year five people were inducted, including the late Jim Cronin MBE who founded Dorset’s Monkey World in 1987, and drag queen Dame Kitty for her charity work.