A shortlist for the Dorset Hero Awards has been announced.

Each of the eight categories in the 2022 Dorset Heroes have been agreed.

We have poured over hundreds of incredible entries from Daily Echo readers, many of whom have been doing incredible work in their communities.

Tracy Hayden, Director of Advertising for Newsquest Dorset and one of our panel of judges said: “Once again we were inundated with entries from the general public and it was heart-warming to see such a tremendous show of support for people who do great things across the county”.

Bournemouth Echo:

Those shortlisted are as follows:

  • Hero of the Year - Sister Tama, Karol Swiacki, Wendy Lake
  • Best Fundraising - Andy Vaughton, Anna Doyle, David Wood
  • Best Key Worker - Sally Lord, Emma Wray, Janet Hunter
  • Unsung Hero - Claire Dallison, Stephen Nimmo, Sue Brown
  • Healthcare Team - UHD Research Team, Dementia and Delirium Team (RBH), Neonatal Unit, St Mary’s Hospital
  • Individual Healthcare Worker - Maria Salamon-Betlej, Debbie Tallick-Wyatt, Elena Whale
  • Mental Health Care Award - Dania Moussalli, Isabel Sommers, Jonai De Silva
  • Young Hero - Ola Hamilton, Calvin Glen, Poppy Douglas

The individuals and teams nominated ranged from volunteers, family members, neighbours, specialist teams and individuals doing great work in their respective fields.

Tracy Hayden, Director of Advertising added: “There were some stand out entries where individuals and organisations have gone above and beyond and, in some cases, we received multiple nominations for both teams and individuals."

The winners will be announced in a special awards supplement published in the Daily Echo and the Dorset Echo on June 30 and we would like to thank all those that took the time to nominate in the awards.

Without these nominations we could not shine a light on the wonderful work being done by the heroes in our communities. We would also like to thank our sponsors for supporting this worthy event.