Now that the dust has settled, we can truly appreciate what a wonderful night the 2025 Unsung Heroes Awards really was.

Nine fantastic winners, an amazing new venue, and hundreds of local people celebrating the selfless work and dedication given by these extraordinary men and women.

The awards process began in May, when we asked people across the district to nominate who they saw as lynchpins of their local communities…people who spend their days making life better for others. We had over 100 different names put forward, and our judges found it a very tough job whittling them down to the finalists we celebrated on October 16, at the Theatre Royal, Wakefield.

Read more about our finalists here.

The night began in true Oscars style, with ‘paparazzi’ photos of our guests taken by Kraft Media. Guests enjoyed champagne and canapes, which included Welsh rarebit, beef-filled mini-Yorkshires and more.

As the audience took their seats, they were treated to renditions from four very talented musicians, the wonderful Fanfare String Quartet.

Guests enjoyed short films that showed the background and impact of the nine finalists’ time and effort within their communities, before we broke for an interval. Then it was on to some light entertainment: songs from the Horbury Singers and comedy from Dai Malyn.

To wrap up the night, we had two special awards to give out. First was the People’s Choice Award: the culmination of a month’s worth of public voting. People across the Wakefield District overwhelmingly chose Arnold Newton as their champion!

Finally, came the all-important Overall Winner Award. The Foundation awards this accolade to the finalist we feel goes above and beyond for their family, friends and neighbours; someone who gives their time, experience and dedication, without asking for anything in return. The Community Foundation Wakefield District’s Overall Winner 2025 was: Lee Battye. Lee set up the junior football team just 18 months ago, and it has ballooned in such a short space of time. It’s clear how much of a role model and constant supporter he is for the young people in his community.

Feedback from guests showed how humbling the night was. As one person said, ‘It makes you want to put your overalls on right now, and get out there to do something for others!’ It was a fantastic evening, with nine very deserving heroes to celebrate.

It’s so easy to focus on problems in our local communities, which makes it all the more heartwarming and important to recognise and thank those who give up their spare time to improve things for others and who tackle such issues.

Lisa and her team would like to thank everyone who came to the awards ceremony, the incredible sponsors of the event for their continued support, and the people the evening was all about: Arnold, Ann, Joy and Debbie, Alan, Niall, Nic, Lee, Derek and Ghada.

Though the 2025 Awards may be over, it won’t be long before the team will begin planning Unsung Heroes 2026.