THE people and businesses who help make Malton and Norton a great place to live and work will be recognised at an awards ceremony this weekend.

Now in its eighth year, the annual Pride of Malton & Norton Awards will be held on Saturday, at the Talbot Hotel’s York House marquee. The awards aim to celebrate individuals, businesses and organisations for their efforts. The nominees are:

l Volunteer of the Year, sponsored by AXA - Louie Pinder, Heidi Guest and Elizabeth Parlett Rhodes;

l Business personality, sponsored by Crombie Wilkinson - Jim McMillan, Paul Tate-Smith and Winston Kobylka;

l Food and drink, sponsored by Tate-Smith - Malton Fisheries, Maison Du Vin and YO Bakehouse;

l Teacher of the year, sponsored by Crow Recruitment - Laura Ventress, Janet Spittal and Ray Morris;

l Customer service, sponsored by Boyes - Happy Paws, Norton Pet Shop and Aquarium, and No.1 Health and Beauty;

l Best established business, sponsored by the Fitzwilliam Malton Estate - Perfect Day, B Leefe & Sons and Yates;

l Local hero, sponsored by Malton Coachworks - Ryan Swain, Neil Suddaby and Anne Pegg;

l Bright young star, sponsored by McClarrons - Luke Woods de Lacy, Alise Kruze and Keane Duncan;

l Charity of the year, sponsored by Malton & Norton Community Events - The Perm Cup;

l Outstanding achievement award, sponsored by the Talbot Hotel - Malton in Bloom.

David McDonald, general manager at The Talbot Hotel, said: “We are extremely proud to be hosting this prestigious event at York House and are very much looking forward to celebrating the hard work of all of the nominees and winners on the night.”

There will also be a charity raffle and auction, with the money raised being split between Ryedale Food Bank and Ryedale Dog Rescue.

Mandy West, from Malton & Norton Community Events, said: “Every nominee across each of the awards plays their part in making our community a better place, be it through business, volunteering, education or other endeavours.

“We should use their stories as a reminder to take great pride in the place we live and work. To all our very deserving finalists - congratulations and thank you. I would also like to thank the award sponsors and local businesses who have supported the event.”

Tickets are available from the Talbot Hotel, priced £25.