A select few of Somerset’s many unsung coronavirus heroes are unveiled today as the first ever winners of the Somerset Medal. 

The Somerset Medal has been launched by Somerset County Council to say a heartfelt thank-you to the best of the best – with the winners announced as the county celebrates Somerset Day. 

They include vaccination volunteers, food deliverers, PPE producers, pop-up shop keepers and a whole host of other good Samaritans who all went above and beyond to make sure Somerset kept going during the pandemic. 

Councillor David Fothergill, Leader of the County Council, said: ”The number and quality of the nominations we received were quite astounding. It was humbling and immensely heartening to read so many stories of how people have responded so positively to the coronavirus crisis, putting others’ wellbeing first and foremost.” 

The cross-party judging panel – Cllr Fothergill, Cllr Christine Lawrence, Cabinet Member for Customers & Communities, Cllr Jane Lock, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, and Cllr Leigh Redman, Leader of the Labour Group – reviewed every nomination before coming to their decision on the winners. All nominees will receive a letter from the panel thanking them for their efforts. 

Cllr Fothergill added: “On behalf of all the judges I would like to thank everyone who put forward a nomination, and I would thank all the nominees for their incredible efforts. Awarding the medal shines a light on those who have done so much for their communities during the past very challenging year. 

“There’s no better way to celebrate the spirit of Somerset than to honour our unsung heroes on Somerset Day.” 

Due to the high quality of the entries and the number of worthy community groups put forward, the judges unanimously agreed to open up the Somerset Medal to a second round of nominations – this time for community groups and teams.  

To nomination a group, please submit a maximum of 250 words, providing the nominee’s name and location and describing why they deserve the medal. Please provide your own name and contact details, too. Please email DemocraticServices2@somerset.gov.uk and put ‘Somerset Medal nomination’ in the subject field. The second round will close on Monday 31 May, with the announcement of winners to follow. 

All the winners will receive their medals later this year when Covid restrictions allow.