HEARTS of gold shone in the spotlight at a special awards ceremony at The Duke of Cornwall Hotel last night.

Plymouth's finest unsung heroes, including charity fundraisers, a police officer, carers and a kidney donor, were honoured at The Herald and First Devon and Cornwall sponsored Gold Star awards.

The glittering event, attended by the Lord and Lady Mayoress, Councillors Ken and Wendy Foster, was hosted by Martin Mills, the breakfast show presenter for Heart South Hams and included a celebration dinner.

Accolades, an engraved glass trophy, were handed to a winner for every month of the year.

And special awards were given to Annie Wakeham, announced as the overall Gold Star winner for the year and teenage twins Dan and Amy Cormack, who won the Stephanie Hammacott award.

Steve Callaghan, a driver for First Devon and Cornwall was also handed an award for acting with courage, putting his passengers needs first when his bus was involved in a collision.

Marc Reddy, managing director of First Devon and Cornwall, said: "Once again it has been an uplifting, inspiring and emotional experience hearing the stories of all our winners. First Devon and Cornwall, with our head office in Plymouth, is a company which is rooted in the community it serves but also owes the people of Plymouth a great deal for their loyalty.

"We are delighted that we are able to honour some of the people who put so much into the city through these awards."

Cllr Ken Foster said: "We're really pleased to be here tonight. It's fantastic to know that there are so many good people out there and it's great to see that they are being honoured for all their hard work."

Bill Martin, editor at The Herald, said: "It always astonishes The Herald team how many people there are out there putting in countless hours of their lives to help others.

"It's an extremely tough decision picking our winners throughout the year and then one overall. Every person here tonight demonstrates Plymouth's strong community bonds and spirit.

"Occasions such as these reflect the positive work being done quietly behind the scenes every day that benefit us all and make the city an even better place to live.

"Congratulations to everyone. By highlighting the good work you do, I hope we can encourage others to get involved."

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