Nominations have opened for the 2026 Love Barrow Awards.
The awards celebrate people, groups and organisations making a difference in Furness.
From the nominations, 24 finalists will be selected to attend the awards night at Abbey House Hotel on April 16 next year.
Last year’s event received 674 nominations across eight categories. The People’s Choice Award also attracted more than 2,500 public votes.
Categories include Student of the Year, Community Focused Business of the Year, Teacher of the Year, Carer of the Year, Oak Tree Award, Group or Project of the Year, Citizen of the Year and Young Citizen of the Year.
Voting for the People’s Choice Award will open on January 10 2027. Two categories, the Spirit of Collaboration Award and Ambassador of the Year, are selected through a separate process.
A new podcast has also been launched for Furness, called Community Crumpet.
Hosted by Tony Callister, its aims is to share inspiring conversations with local people, community organisations and projects from across Furness.
Awards organisers said: “The podcast extends the spirit of the awards beyond awards night, creating a year-round space for stories that inspire, connect and celebrate the strengths already present within the community.”
David Guest, director of the Love Barrow Community Awards CIC, said: “Every community has people quietly making a difference every single day, often without expecting anything in return.
“The Love Barrow Awards give people the opportunity to say thank you by sharing those stories, while Community Crumpet allows us to keep sharing inspiring conversations throughout the year.
“Together they’re about helping people recognise the strengths that already exist within our community and reminding us that everyone has something valuable they can contribute.”
The launch event included an Asset Based Community Development networking activity to share skills and resources. It was supported by Barrow Rising, Furness College, the University of Cumbria and MKM Barrow.
