Denny and Dunipace Gala to celebrate whole community with awards

This year's Denny and Dunipace Gala will not have a traditional crowning ceremony but an awards ceremony instead.

Denny and Dunipace Gala Day will have a different look this year as the decision has been taken not to have at traditional crowning ceremony.

Instead the annual event will feature an awards ceremony celebrating what is going on in the community and  recognising people’s hard work and dedication locally.

And organisers are keen to hear from the public about who they would like to see receiving the awards on  Saturday, May 30.

Sharon Tait, chairwoman for the gala committee, said the change came about for a number of reasons.

She said one reason was logistics as the gala is organised by a very small committee, who also work and have families of their own, so it was proving  difficult to keep up with the organisation, rehearsals and meetings.

She said: “Looking at the crowning ceremony on the day, it wasn’t well attended, with probably only relatives of the children there.

“It is maybe time to move away from an outdated ceremony and concentrate on celebrating what is happening around us now.

“We led the way in starting the gala days back up, so perhaps we will lead the way in changing people’s thoughts on highlighting the good in our community.

“We are excited about the awards ceremony as we can can be inclusive of the whole community, recognising hard work, talent and community spirit.

“We want to celebrate the dedication of the people of Denny and Dunipace.”

Nominations are currently being sought for the awards, with categories for carer of the year; fundraiser of the year; volunteer of the year; sports hero; musical hero; environmental champion; community initiative champion; neighbour of the year; bravery award and coach/teacher of the year.

An overall award winner will be selected by the provost from the ten award winners.

However, despite the change to the ceremony, organisers are keen to stress the other gala events will go ahead as usual, including the parade, fun fair, entertainment and stalls.

And we’re told there are lots more surprises planned too.

Anyone wishing to nominate someone for an award can find the information on the Denny and Dunipace Gala social media sites or paper copies of the forms can be collected from, and returned to, Denny Library.

You need to include details of the person you are nominating and for which award, as well as a brief outline of why you think they deserve the award.

Nominations can also be phoned or texted to Sharon Tait on 07886641034.