Residents in Ripon are being asked to nominate people who they feel make a positive contribution to life in the city.

The St Wilfrid’s Stars scheme has been designed by the organisation Ripon Together to thank “those people and organisations who do so much for Ripon”.

The Very Reverend John Dobson, Dean of Ripon and chair of Ripon Together (pictured above), said:

“Ripon is an incredible city, full of wonderful people who do so much for the community.

“Many are volunteers who give much of themselves, and also receive much in return, enjoying what they do. There are also many organisations vital to our life.

“None of these individuals and organisations do what they do in order to gain recognition. But this shouldn’t stop us wanting to express our gratitude by recognising them in this way.”

This year marks the 1,350th anniversary of the building of the cathedral’s crypt by St. Wilfrid, whose symbol is the star.

The plan is to display a star in the cathedral for each person or body nominated.

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Simon Hewitt, Ripon Together director, said,

”We want to fill the cathedral with stars, but that can only happen if people nominate those they believe should be recognised.

“The same person or body can be nominated in several different categories and people can make as many nominations for different people as they want.

“The point is to nominate all those we wish to thank, not just those we think might win in any category.”

As well as volunteer of the year, there’ll be awards in the following categories:

Business – A business or individual who has demonstrated a significant achievement in the development of their business during the past year.

Community – An individual who has made a difference to local people or the wider local community.

Culture – The organisation or individual who has made a significant contribution to cultural activities in the Ripon locality.

Sports – An individual who has excelled in their sport during the past year.

Tourism – The organisation that can demonstrate a significant contribution to improving the locality’s offering as a tourism destination over the past year.

Environment – An individual or organisation that has made a significant contribution to protecting or improving the environment during the past year.

Youth – The young person (up to 18 years of age) who has demonstrated a significant achievement during the past year.

Nomination forms can be obtained from the cathedral, the library and Community House on Allhallowgate, or downloaded here.

They can be returned to the same places or emailed to info@ripontogether.com.

The deadline for nominations is August 31.