A CEREMONY will celebrate staff and volunteers behind some of Oxfordshire's most valued community causes.

Charities and non-profit groups will congregate at the annual Oxfordshire Community and Voluntary Action (OCVA) Awards next month, which hail unsung heroes of the county.

Shortlisted nominees have been invited to a glitzy evening at Oxford Town Hall on Tuesday, May 9, where winners will be announced in a host of categories including charity of the year and volunteer of the year.

Grant Hayward, who has helped to organise the event in previous years, said: "I have a passion in sharing responsibility for social needs, and there are some creative ways to do that. The awards bring charity and voluntary sectors together."

The Eynsham resident is among several sponsors of the event this year, through his consultancy and training company Collaberant.

Entries for the awards ended earlier this month but were open to charities, voluntary and community groups, as well as not-for-profit enterprise groups and non-statutory groups.

Mr Hayward said: "There is an awful lot of fantastic work being done by people across Oxfordshire. Groups that are underfunded depend on volunteers doing tremendous work. This is a great opportunity to celebrate that and give those people the credit they deserve.

"I'm a great supporter of the competition - it brings organisations across sectors together and gives them support."

The awards will be presented in certificate form by OCVA's president Tim Stevenson, who is also currently serving as Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire.

In previous years winners have included Pegasus Theatre in Oxford, which provides drama and dance classes for youngsters, and food distribution charity Oxford Food Bank.

OCVA trustee Julie Baker said: "The awards celebrate the impact made by local people in the community. It's really about the most outstanding charities and volunteers.

"It's a celebratory event that notes how hard people work in the community and a recognition of the importance of their vital community work.

"We are very much looking forward to another great year for this very special event."

Categories at the ceremony will include Oxfordshire charity of the year, the award for working together, best community project, environmental award, innovation award, management of volunteers, best new group and good neighbour.

Several categories will have a runner-up as well as a winner.

The shortlist has not been made public yet this year but those who have caught judges' attention have been asked to attend.