RADIO 2 presenter Jeremy Vine has been revealed as the host of this year's A Place to be Proud of Awards.

Mr Vine, a former news reporter and well-known voice of radio, will be making the journey to Basingstoke for the awards ceremony on Tuesday, June 7, in Festival Place.

The popular journalist, well-known for the Jeremy Vine Show on BBC Radio 2 and BBC1's The Politics Show, last visited Basingstoke in March 2004 to give a talk on business relationships with the media at BCOT.

Mr Vine (pictured) said he was looking forward to the awards. He added: "You get a great welcome in Basingstoke. I'm trying to remember where I've ever been welcomed as warmly."

The awards were launched last year and were a resounding success, recognising the individuals and groups that have made a difference.

This year's event is again being organised by Gazette Newspapers, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, Festival Place and the Local Strategic Partnership.

Mr Vine promises to entertain the Basingstoke audience with some of the fascinating stories he has to tell about his career - including his meeting with a former child soldier in Sierra Leone.

Nominations are still being encouraged in the closing weeks before the judging in May.

George Potten, last year's Good Citizen award winner, said: "People should go for it. The more people who get involved, the bigger it will become, and it's great for Basingstoke."