TODAY, The Gazette tells you how people and organisations can get in the running for the A Place to be Proud of Awards.

Sponsored by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, Festival Place, Gazette Newspapers and the Local Strategic Partnership, these awards are about celebrating the best of our community.

We want to know about individuals, groups, places and initiatives that are making a real difference in each of the following categories:

Safe Community

Healthy Community

Learning

Creativity

Customer Service

Good Citizen

Sense of Place.

There are individual and group awards up for grabs in all categories except the good citizen section, where only an individual can win.

In the safe community category, nominations could be made for people like local beat bobbies or Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinators, while organisations which have contributed to improving safety are also eligible for an award.

In the healthy community section, nominees could include a nurse, doctor or health visitor or even a surgery.

In the learning section, a teacher, pupil or school could be in the running, or perhaps a community-based learning scheme would be a worthy winner.

In the creativity category, nominations may come in for local artists or others who have made a creative contribution to the borough - and the same goes for organisations.

Customer service will focus on the people and places who have provided the best service to people within the Basingstoke area.

The sense of place award will recognise those people and places who have made a contribution to the borough's heritage, culture or environment.

If you would like an application form or more details about the A Place to be Proud of Awards 2003, please phone Natalie Sweet on 01256 845270 or e-mail n.sweet@basingstoke.gov.uk

The closing date for completed application forms is Friday, December 12, 2003.