STARS of the region’s sporting community will descend on Darlington this week for the 15th annual Northern Echo Local Heroes Awards.

The awards celebrate the contribution made by sports people across the North-East and past winners have included Olympians and title-winners through to unsung groundsmen and coaches.

This year’s ceremony takes place at the Dolphin Centre on Thursday and welcomes VIP guests including Sunderland legend Kevin Ball and top athletes turned broadcasters Steve Cram and Allison Curbishley.

The evening will include a performance from the Deerness Gymnastics Academy and the County Durham Community Foundation is funding two special awards which will be announced during the ceremony.

Peter Barron, editor of The Northern Echo, is compere for the night.

He said: “The Local Heroes Awards is always a special event and the 15th year will be no exception.

“Some exceptional stories of courage, dedication and world-class achievement will be told on another memorable night.”

More than 800 guests are confirmed for the night which will see winners chosen from ten different categories – Sporting Excellence (senior and junior), Remarkable Achievement (senior and junior), Team of the Year (senior and junior),Sir Bobby Robson Leading Light award (senior), Unsung Hero (senior), Most Promising Newcomer (junior) and Outstanding Performance (senior/junior) – as well as the final overall Local Hero award.

A £5,000 grant will be provided to a County Durham or Darlington-based club, group or team which has displayed exceptional grassroots achievement or community involvement in the last 12 months, with a £2,000 Local Heroes bursary being granted to the individual who most impresses the judges.

A number of local businesses have also lent their support to the event and The Northern Echo is grateful to Teesside University, BMI Woodlands Hospital, Virgin Money, Tees Active Ltd, Tees Barrage, Northumbrian Water and Right Lines Communications for their sponsorship.

Last year’s top award went to veteran grassroots sports organiser Charlie Donaghy who was honoured for his work in a range of sports that include darts, pools, billiards, bowls, snooker and basketball.