A retired police officer is up for a £1,500 Amazon prize for his dedication to the community.

Charles Agwu, who works at Amazon's distribution centre in Dartford, has been nominated for a Star award thanks to his photography of the Sittingbourne Parkrun.

He was nominated by his son, Ogechukwu, who also works at the online store's warehouse.

Ogechukwu wanted to recognise his dad for his talent as a photographer, and his dedication to the local community.

In his spare time, Charles attends his local Parkrun to photograph the participants, while encouraging and cheering them on.

He shares the images he takes on the Sittingbourne Parkrun website and has been told that seeing these photographs is a highlight of the event for many of the runners, as they can track their progress towards their goals.

The inspiration behind Charles’s love for photography is his brother-in-law, who died during the pandemic.

Charles said: “I like to see happiness on people’s faces – that makes me happy.

"It’s great to be able to spread happiness to others and remind them of joyful times in their lives.

"That’s why it’s so important for me to take pictures at Sittingbourne Parkrun, and I’d like to expand what I do to include other charity events and school proms so that people will always have memories to hold on to.

“I initially attended Sittingbourne Parkrun to take pictures of my wife as, due to back problems, I couldn’t run myself but still wanted to stay active and get out and about.

"I never expected that it would grow into something more, but I’m so glad it did."

Prior to joining Amazon, Charles worked for the Metropolitan Police for 20 years, retiring from duty in 2020.

He also spent some time working as a retail salesman and as a banking advisor.

But after leaving the Met, he hoped to find an opportunity that would allow him to utilise the skills he had gained throughout his career.

Charles' support of his local Parkrun was what saw him receive a nomination in this year’s Amazon Stars awards programme.

Now in its third year, Amazon Stars is a UK-wide campaign that recognises and rewards Amazon employees who make an outstanding contribution to the local community by using their skills, time and knowledge to help others.

Charles' will find out in the coming weeks if he has won a Dream Box.

The dad could win one of three Dream Boxes – the top prize awarded as part of the Amazon Stars programme.

A Dream Box, worth up to £1,500, is a personalised prize to honour Amazon’s community heroes.

He added: “I’m always talking to my colleagues about the importance of staying fit and healthy, so I’m humbled to be recognised as a potential winner of an Amazon Star award.

"I’d like to say a big thank you to my team for the nomination.”

Priyanka Bernard, general manager at Amazon in Dartford, added: “The Amazon Stars programme is our way of saying thank you to our colleagues who go above and beyond to have a positive impact on the community.

"Charles does some incredible work with charities and community organisations in Dartford and everyone at Amazon is proud of him.

"Charles is fully deserving of this fantastic nomination, and I wish him the best of luck ahead of the big reveal of this year’s winners.”