Blooming Lutterworth is the district's community group of the year. Every winner and runner-up from the awards night at Kibworth, from Hallaton to Fleckney.
Blooming Lutterworth has been named Voluntary and Community Group of the Year at the 2026 Harborough District Community Awards.
The winners were presented at Kibworth Community Hub on Thursday 1 October. Harborough District Council published the full list of winners and runners-up the next day. There were seven awards, and the winners come from across the district: Lutterworth, Hallaton, Houghton, Fleckney and Market Harborough among them.
Residents nominated people and groups over the summer. Panels then judged them. The panels included council officers, a representative of Voluntary Action LeicesterShire, the Market Harborough Chamber of Trade and Commerce and members of the Harborough District Youth Council.
Every winner and runner-up
| Award | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| Voluntary and Community Group of the Year | Blooming Lutterworth | Fleckney Duckpond Players |
| Young Person of the Year (11 to 18), presented by the Youth Council | A student at Welland Park Academy | A student at Robert Smyth Academy; a young volunteer with the Rotary Club of Market Harborough |
| Volunteer of the Year (19 to 59) | Aaron Oldham, Dunton and Broughton United FC | Andrew Reeves |
| Volunteer of the Year (60 and over) | Ernest Gamble, a volunteer in Houghton | Pippa Underwood, VASL |
| The Citizenship Cup | John Morison, Hallaton | None listed |
| Stronger Together: Workplace Impact Award | Lynne McConnachie, Leicestershire County Council | Chloe Goode, Craft-I-Trims |
| Business-Community Impact of the Year, sponsored by the Chamber | Market Harborough Building Society | Hinckley & Rugby Building Society (Lutterworth branch); The Roebuck, Market Harborough |
The council named the young winners in its release. We have not, because they are under 18.
Two building societies took the business award places. Market Harborough Building Society won it, and the Lutterworth branch of Hinckley & Rugby Building Society was a runner-up alongside The Roebuck pub in Market Harborough.
What the organisers said
Cllr Amanda Nunn, the council’s Cabinet lead for wellbeing, said the awards “recognise their contributions and give us the chance to say thank you”.
“It was inspiring to hear about the work of everyone who was shortlisted,” she said.
Dr Gareth Thomas, president of the Market Harborough Chamber of Trade and Commerce, which sponsored the business award, said: “Businesses have a vital role to play in the communities they are part of, and it’s great to see so many local organisations using their time, resources, and expertise to make a difference.”
The awards have run every year since 2024, so this was the third.
What it means for you
- Know someone who should have been on this list? Nominations for these awards open over the summer. The council has not yet given dates for 2027.
- There is another set of awards open now. Nominations for the Harborough District Physical Activity Awards close on Sunday 11 October. They cover coaches, volunteers, clubs and people who took up something new, not only competitive sport, and the winners are named at Harborough Leisure Centre on 18 November.
- Want to volunteer? Voluntary Action LeicesterShire, which sat on the judging panels, lists volunteering opportunities across the county at valonline.org.uk.
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