Oxfordshire has its very own awards to celebrate the great work of all the charities, voluntary and community groups that work tirelessly to make the lives of the people of Oxfordshire better.

The awards are a way of saying thank you to all the charities as well as the fantastic volunteers who give their time and effort so generously.

The awards, organised by local charity Oxfordshire Community and Voluntary Action (OCVA), are called the Oxfordshire Charity and Volunteer Awards, and are held in the beautiful Oxford Town Hall, with the Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire and the High Sheriff of Oxfordshire in attendance. All the charities that are shortlisted for an award are invited to attend.

The winners are revealed on the night in a thrilling Oscar-style presentation.

Last year’s winners of the prestigious Charity of the Year Award, Base 33’s chief executive Claire Dowan said: “This huge accolade recognises the value and importance of our work. At a time when charities are finding it harder to generate income and resources are scarce it is particularly important to make sure that the valuable work of the voluntary sector is promoted in our communities, and the awards are a great way of doing this.”

Anyone can nominate a charity, voluntary or community group, big or small. You may work or volunteer for the group, or you may use its services.

There are nine different awards that charities can be nominated for.

The categories are Charity of the Year, Best new group, Lifetime achievement, Environmental Award, Management of volunteers award, Working Together Award, Best community project, Best team of volunteers, and the new Innovation award, which recognises an innovative and inspirational fundraising, promotional or other strategy that a group has used in the last 12 months.

You can nominate a group for as many awards as you like. You can also nominate one special volunteer from an organisation for all their hard work. Nominating a charity or a volunteer couldn’t be simpler.

Just go online to www.ocva.org.uk/awards2015 where you can download a simple nomination form. Send your completed form back to awards@ocva.org.uk

So get nominating to say thank you to all our wonderful charities and volunteers.If you have any questions about the awards, please contact OCVA’s Events Officer, Kanika Lang, on kanika.lang@ocva.org.uk