BRIAN Miller, Alan Shearer, Nat Lofthouse, Sean Dyche, Danny Ings...the heroes tripped off the tongue when finalists were quizzed by MC Andy Ashworth to name theirs at the fourth annual Lancashire Telegraph Grassroots Heroes Awards.

But it was plain for everyone to see who had gathered at Mytton Fold Hotel on a wintery evening that the real heroes were the finalists themselves.

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It was a night where everyone was a winner, not just the recipients of the10 main awards but the other 20 on the shortlist.

Each and every one of them a hero in their own right. And for the first time, they all went away with a trophy - a nice touch from sponsors and supporters United Utilities who have been right behind the awards since their launch in 2010.

 

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But those 30 clubs, teams and individuals that turned up were just the 2014 representatives of amateur from across East Lancashire - an area that has again shown it is as rich as it is diverse at this level.

The awards never fail to inspire and impress - stories of success, tales of triumph and magical moments and memories of sporting dedication.

Grass roots sport is often about going that extra mile to make sure you achieve your goal and guests, celebrities, family and friends definitely did that as they battled through the snow blizzards just to get there.

All white on the night? It certainly was and it conjured up memories of 2012’s candlelit ceremony when a power cut followed the snow storms.

Thankfully, this year the lights stayed on and the show went on.

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To everyone’s credit - and the growing reputation of the awards - it was a near full house and only a very few failed to negotiated the untimely arctic blast.

And once safely in from the cold the night was lit up with heart-warming tales of amateur sporting excellence - whether the competitive kind or stories of commitment by those unsung heroes who work so hard behind the scenes.

From the opening category of the night, a battle between three national champions - Ribble Valley Netball Club U14s and the girls and boys football teams at St Bede’s and Moorland respectively - all vying for the junior team of the year to the ‘seen-it. done-it and still doing-it’ trio short-listed for the lifetime achievement award, everyone in the room was transfixed by what they were hearing.

Four years the awards have been running and those stories haven’t diminished - and the surfaced as barely been scratched when it comes to highlighting all the efforts put in at this level.

And it was a night to celebrate those efforts and put grassroots sport and its loyal supporters and competitors in the spotlight.

Bill Maynard, winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award, summed it up perfectly.

“It was a night when we were all made to feel like VIPs.”

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Grassroots Awards roll of honour

Junior team of the Year
Winner: Ribble Valley Netball team; Finalists: Moorland School football team, St Bede’s Girls football team

Senior Team of the Year
Winner: Blackburn Northern Hockey team; Finalists: Ivy FC, St Paul’s Snooker ‘A’.

Coach of the Year
Winner: John Turner, St Bede’s girls football team; Finalists: Mike Wilson, Kimberley Sharples.

Unsung Hero

Winner: Rick Wilson; Finalists: Chris Byrne, Pete Fryer.

Community Club

Winner: Towneley Community Tennis Club; Finalists: Blackburn and Darwen Acro Club, Burnley Bobcats.

People’s Choice Winner: Burnley and District Under 13s Cricket team; Finalists: Lucy Horrocks, Becky Daly.

Spirit of the Sport
Winner: David Barnes; Finalists: John Timperley, Eric Wallace.

Young Sports Personality
Winner: Niamh Robinson; Finalists: Megan Shackleton, Aneila Afsar.

Senior Sports Personality
Winner: Chloe Love; Finalists: Tommy Hannan, Bethany Widdup.

Lifetime Achievement
Winner: Bill Maynard; Finalists: Angela Caton, John Pilling.