Community awards have been handed out to those who have achieved recognition or gone the extra mile in their area.

Commonwealth games medal winners, charity fundraisers and volunteers have been given special recognition and community awards.

Gymnast, Georgia-Mae Fenton, 17, of Bartlett Road, Gravesend, who won gold in Australia at the Commonwealth Games in April, has been given a special recognition award alongside Cheavon Clarke, a Gravesend boxer who picked up bronze in the same games, and Reverend Chris Stone, for his service at St George’s Church and across the borough.

Matt and Becky Baxter was given a community award for running Gravesend’s junior park run, a 2km run for young people aged four to 14 years, which takes place every Sunday at Gravesend promenade while Wendy Daws was recognised for developing a Gravesend art group for mature sight-impaired residents.

Chris Hart, over the last 18 months has volunteered his time to provide over 130 people with welfare benefit and debt support.

He, along with Lesley Gould, who has been a volunteer with the Chaplaincy Team at the ellenor Hospice, in Northfleet, since 1995, and Sandra Price, a part of Meopham’s community who over the past five years has raised over £40,000 for the Royal British Legion from their annual poppy appeals, have also been given Gravesham Community Awards.

Annette Garland, has helped numerous people locally and nationally who suffer or are affected by Multiple Sclerosis (MS) as well as creating the MS United coffee afternoons held every Wednesday afternoon in the Asda Community Rooms, and Sanctuary Homeless Shelter, who has been providing shelter to rough sleepers, have also been given awards.

Leader of the Gravesham council, Cllr David Turner, said: “The Gravesham Community Awards highlight and celebrate the efforts of many of our residents and organisations that make Gravesham a great place.

“This year we have a fantastic range of truly deserving award winners.”

The Gravesham Community Awards, which have been running for a decade and were presented at the council's annual meeting on Tuesday, May 8, are open to anyone who lives, works or studies in the borough.