#LoveSouthTyneside 2026
The Love South Tyneside Awards took place at The Customs House on 4 June 2026 where we celebrated local community heroes. The awards recognised and highlighted community spirit and civic pride across the Borough.
The nominees and winners were honoured at the special awards ceremony where the community came together to celebrate their achievements and contributions. It was a fantastic night celebrating and supporting people, groups and organisations who have gone above and beyond to make the community a better place.
The awards are a community-led nomination process which means our own communities identified people whom they see as involved, supporting and leading others within our community.
We’d also like to say a big thank you to all our sponsors who help make the awards possible.
Awards were handed out to winners across ten categories. Congratulations to all of our winners and nominees, you truly make South Tyneside special.
Supporting Others
Winner: Tia Leonard
Runner Up: Angela Reay
Runner Up: Billy's Lifeline
This category celebrates special people who volunteer their time to support other people, particularly in their time of need.
Sponsored by Banks Group
Environment
Winner: Liam Steel
Runner Up: NECA Commnity Gardens
Runner Up: Growing Together Project
This category recognises those who volunteer their time to improve the environment in South Tyneside.
Sponsored by Pentagon Assurance
Pentagon Assurance is a North East business, with offices in South Shields. The Pentagon team support local businesses in the Engineering, Manufacturing, Energy and Construction Industries. They support the Industry to achieve Health, Safety, Quality and Environmental standards. A great sponsor for our Environment Award.
Above and Beyond
Winner: Alison Clarke
Runner Up: Billy's Lifeline
Runner Up: Ben McGregor
This category celebrates those who bring something extra special to their 'day job' that is recognised and valued by customers or colleagues. This category is for anyone who is employed in a role in South Tyneside and who truly goes above and beyond their role to support our community.
Sponsored by S. Walton Eye Care
Business Supporting the Community
Winner: Wendy Stead
Runner Up: Northern Rights
Runner Up: Luna Blu NE
This category recognises a business, which includes sole traders, social enterprises, community interest companies and SMEs, that play a part in South Tyneside life. This could be through structured programmes such as volunteer days for employees, to ad-hoc activity, including fundraising, donations of equipment or skills – or anything that constitutes corporate social responsibility.
This category is for businesses only. Nominations made for registered charities will be considered within the other Award categories.
Sponsored by TEDCO
Inspiring Talent
Winner: Sharlize Sowden
Runner Up: Aaron Martin
Runner Up: Georgia Towart
This category celebrates those who voluntarily share their talent or teach new skills to others, through sport, art, music or culture.
Sponsored by JH Property Connect
JH Property Connect is a Property Portfolio Building Business focused on helping clients build sustainable property portfolios in the North East, while also supporting the communities they invest in.
Heart of the Community
Winner: Key to Life
Runner Up: The Red Bench Project
Runner Up: WHiST
This special award celebrates those with big hearts who have laid foundations or led initiatives that have seen community organisations grow and flourish over a number of years. It's also for someone who brings diverse communities together, building community connections.
Sponsored by Newcastle Building Society
Newcastle Building Society has been at the heart of South Tyneside for many years. With a branch located at the Denmark Centre in South Shields, they offer local residents a variety of mortgage and savings products, along with face-to-face financial advice from Newcastle Financial Advisers Limited. It's great to have this stalwart of the community sponsoring our Heart of the Community.
Team of the Year
Winner: Impact Family Services
Runner Up: North Marine Junior Parkrun
Runner Up: WHiST
This award recognises those teams who work together as a whole to make a difference and make South Tyneside a better place. The judges will be looking for those teams who welcome new team members, help and support one another, nurture training and development and generally work better as a team.
Sponsored by Total Resources UK
Total Resources UK are a South Tyneside company with exceptional depth of experience in the highways industry. They support customers with site inspections, design, construction and delivery across all aspects of traffic management, road resurfacing and event management. They are very much a company based on Team Work, employing local people into local jobs.
Uniformed Services
Winner: Hebburn Sea Cadets and Royal Marine Cadets
Runner Up: Veterans for Veterans in Care
Runner Up: Jess (Badge Number 1248)
This category recognises an individual or a team who plays a part in our uniformed services including armed forces, blue light and rescue, prison and probation, cadets and reservists.
Nominations could include those who volunteer with the services, as well as paid employees, and children and young people who participate in cadet programmes.
Judges will be looking for examples of exceptional performance including actions which make a difference to individuals or our community as a whole.
Sponsored by Kelly's Wharf - Hebburn Riverside
Kelly’s Wharf is a fantastic new landscaped riverside community of high quality modern living and public spaces in Hebburn.
Young Volunteer of the Year
Winner: South Tyneside Youth Council
Runner Up: South Tyneside Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust Young Persons Group
Runner Up: Edith Thornes
This category recognises an individual volunteer or group of volunteers aged under 18 years old. The nominee may have joined an existing voluntary organisation and consistently given time and effort to contribute to the organisation’s aims. The nominee may be an individual or group who have set up a new activity, either individually or collectively and who have gone above and beyond to make a difference for our people or our place.
Sponsored by Dogger Bank Wind Farm (Equinor)
#LoveSouthTyneside Award
Winner: Luke Hedley BCyA
Runner Up: Hillary Morgan
Runner Up: Wayne Rambo Groves
This category celebrates passionate people who work tirelessly to create opportunities, events and activities that inspire, promote pride in their area and involve people from all walks of life.
Sponsored by Jarrow Hall