Helping Hands Penarth is welcoming nominations to recognise people that went above and beyond during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Winners will receive ShopAppy vouchers as a thank you for their work and support throughout the pandemic, whether they are frontline workers, volunteers or individuals who made a difference.

The scheme marks two years since Helping Hands Penarth was set up and two years since the pandemic started.

Zoya Yousef, 19, who used to live in Penarth and is now at university in London, told Nub News about how Helping Hands Penarth started: "Kathryn, who started the group, set up a Facebook group advertising for volunteers willing to help anyone who was isolating – it just blew up from there," said Zoya.

"There was a huge need for volunteers to help out with picking up prescriptions, shopping, even just a friendly call to see if they were okay."

Zoya joined the group around two weeks into the first lockdown. "We had an announcement to say our A levels had been cancelled," said Zoya. "I was revising for them and then it was like, 'what do I do now?' So, I jumped on board to help Kathryn and we handed out leaflets all over Penarth – we covered the whole of Penarth within a couple of weeks.

"Once we started to get volunteers, they would then post leaflets through people's doors with their contact details, listing what they could help with, and we then started a scheme where volunteers were connected with neighbours who lived nearby."

Helping Hands Penarth created activity boxes around Penarth that included board games, books, and DVDs for people to take and swap.

The group also raised more than £2,000 for University Hospital Llandough and Heath Hospital and supplied staff with personal protective equipment (PPE) and refreshments.

Helping Hands Penarth started a sewing group to create reusable face masks to sell and donate the money to unpaid carers.

People can start nominating volunteers from March 23 on the Helping Hands Penarth website and voting will close on April 23.

Nomination forms are also available at Rowley's the Jewellers on Glebe Street. You can send a message to the group on Facebook, or email [email protected]