THE Good Neighbours Awards is now in its sixth year and over the years it has showcased the best of Blackburn with Darwen.

It has been a great pleasure and also a humbling experience to meet people who do go the extra mile to make the borough a better place.

Last year was the best yet and we had more than 70 nominations.

All of the nominations told very powerful stories of what the person had done to improve the lives of their neighbours.

We heard about people like Nathan Pugh, a primary school pupil, who goes out nearly every day to pick up litter.

He also educates his class mates on why dropping litter is wrong.

Another young person who we highlighted last year was Jordan Bentley who was nominated because of the help and support he gave a poorly neighbour such as shopping for them, playing snooker and darts with them and helping clean up their house.

Dr Mohammed Naushad was recognised for the work he does in building bridges between communities, Janet Pearce for her sterling efforts as chairman of Friends of Ashton Park and other good deeds while we also celebrated Zara Hussain who, in her role as a 1V Scouts Leader, encourages children and young people to get involved in activities that boost their confidence, health and wellbeing.

There have been plenty more positive examples last year and also since the awards began.

The Good Neighbours Awards were set to give something back to the people who are stalwarts of the community; kind and welcoming people who make Blackburn with Darwen one of the friendliest places around.

Fostering neighbourliness is a key priority for our Council.

That is why we are committed to holding the awards each year to recognise good neighbours; why we work closely with residents, businesses and community groups through Your Call; and it is also why we support campaigns such as Kindness Matters.

But it is not something that can be forced. What the Council and its partners can do is highlight and celebrate powerful examples, support people to do more in their community through Your Call and support events that bring people from all backgrounds together.

I think everyone in Blackburn with Darwen wants the same thing – a borough people are proud to live in and work in as well as one people want to visit and invest in.

Finally, I want to thank all our sponsors and supporters who make these awards possible.