The finalists in this year's Dudley Community Awards have been announced.

The awards - in partnership with our headline sponsors Halesowen College and Birmingham Newman University look to honour our community heroes, those who help make the Black Country a wonderful place to live. 

The winners have been chosen by a panel of independent judges and the finalists in the 12 categories are:

Business of the Year 

  • The Health Factory 
  • Dudley Building Society
  • Dreamland 

New Business of the Year 

  • Mini Monkeys
  • Truly Scrumptious 

Independent Business of the Year

  • Eco Maniax
  • The Flower Cottage
  • One 4 You services 

Best Customer Service 

  • Gourmet Meal Care
  • Meadow View Mutts Secure Dog Field 
  • PW Optics

Best Community Project or Group 

  • Friends of Wollescote Park
  • Up & Downs
  • WeLove Carers

Volunteer or Fundraiser of the Year

  • Marwan Bakaili, the Halesowen/Dudley Yemeni Community Association
  • Emily Maher-Butler
  • Andrea Childs, Beth's Sunflowers 

Sports Team, Club or Personality

  • Dudley Academies Trust
  • Elite Dragon Martial Arts
  • Team Pumpkin Boxing

Teacher of the Year

  • Mary Edmunds, Old Park School
  • Derek Fletcher, Halesowen College
  • Zoe Turton, Dudley Academies Trust

Environmental Project of the Year

  • Gary Farmer, Posh Kutz
  • Tidy Stourbridge
  • The Woodland Trust

Young Person of the Year

  • Isobelle Barker
  • Lenny Liddell
  • Noah Potter

Diversity in the Community

  • Halesowen/Dudley Yemeni Community Association
  • Shades of Reality
  • Centre for Equality & Diversity

Care Hero Award

  • Annemarie Bayliss
  • Joanne Bourne, Independence at Home
  • Kirsty Shepherd

Healthcare Professional of the Year

  • Brierley Hill Project
  • Chadd
  • White House Cancer Support

The awards are organised by Newsquest - publishers of the Stourbridge News and Halesowen and Dudley News, and seek to celebrate all the wonderful things that are happening across the Dudley Borough and to shine a light on our region and its many, many success stories. 

Editor Alicia Kelly said: "Well done to all the finalists. The level of entries was once again incredibly high. It's been wonderful to find out more about some of the fantastic businesses, volunteers and projects working so diligently in our community. It made for a very tough decision. It's going to be a wonderful evening when the winners are announced."

This year's judging panel comprised of: 

Vi Wood, David Harcourt, Parmjit Sahota, Aaron Powell, Clive Sowerby and Alicia Kelly.

The winners of the awards will be announced at a dinner at the Copthorne Hotel, Dudley, on November 21.