The groundbreaking Fusion Awards are a celebration of the achievements of the community.

The awards is to reward people from different backgrounds and cultures who help make the United Kingdom a better place to live and work. And that is what makes puts the Fusion Awards in a class of their own.

It is the first awards ceremony organised by an ethnic minority organisation which aims to be inclusive of the wider community and their efforts to promote community cohesion.

The concept of the awards is to give recognition to those who take part in so much community work but do not always remain in the public domain. We are also here to reward the region's entrepreneurs, sporting potential and public officials.

For the majority of our nominees this is the first time they have been recognised in this way.

They are the life-blood of all our communities and in a small way we are here to thank all those individuals and groups who help make the region a better place to live.

Congratulations to all the nominees and being a finalist is a worthy achievement in itself.