Do you know someone who has made a difference to their community over the past two years?

The Rotary Club of Stratford is looking to recognise people who have gone above and beyond to help others at the third annual east London Community Heroes Awards.

The awards are open to those who live or work in east London - including the boroughs of Newham, Barking and Dagenham, Redbridge and Tower Hamlets - with applications welcome in 10 categories.

These include community hero, young community hero and group of the year, as well as more specific categories recognising outstanding contributions to health and wellbeing, education and training and the response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Nominations must relate to work that has either started since January 2020 or been ongoing, and self-nominations are allowed.

Himanshu Jain, foundation chairman of the Rotary Club of Stratford, said: "We aspire to inspire community groups to achieve, and are big believers in acknowledging and praising efforts and acts of kindness.

"In this difficult time, this is no exception. A lot has happened in the last year, and we have come a long way as a community."

All finalists will receive a certificate and invitation to the awards ceremony, with the winners also receiving a trophy recognising their achievement.

There is also the opportunity for entrants to secure match funding for their community group or organisation, with nine projects having received money in this way in the past two years.

Previous winners have included Lola's Homeless, a group which supports rough sleepers, and Newham All-Star Sports Academy (NASSA), which aims to use sport to keep young people away from crime.

Good Hotel London, a floating hotel based in the Royal Docks, previously won the business community partnership award, and the Thames Ward Community Project in Barking won the improving access to services category.

Nominations for this year's awards close at midnight on Sunday, October 24 and the winners will be announced at a virtual ceremony on the evening of Thursday, November 25.

For more information about the categories or to submit a nomination, visit rotarystratford.london/awards