A campaign to highlight Richmond’s most Amazing Neighbours has been launched by a newly formed community interest company.

Richmond Yorkshire CIC hopes the scheme will make the town an even better place to live and visit.

The initiative invites people living in the DL10 postcode area to nominate their Amazing Neighbour. Whether it’s collecting someone’s shopping, picking up the children from school when they are ill or keeping a lonely person company, the CIC wants to hear about the town’s best neighbours.

Each month, an Amazing Neighbour will receive £100 in shopping vouchers in recognition of their kindness to others, with the nominator receiving two free tickets for the Station Cinema.

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Donald Cline, from Richmond Yorkshire CIC, said: “Sometimes, because there is so much negativity floating about, it’s easy to forget just how many small acts of kindness occur in our community every day.

“We thought it would be fun to formally recognise some of the individuals who find the time to go the extra mile for their neighbours and others, without having to think twice about it.”

The campaign will recognise a different Amazing Neighbour every month throughout the year with the first vouchers being presented in June.

Once a neighbour has been nominated, they will stay in the running for the monthly gift throughout the duration of the promotion, so there is no need to submit someone’s name more than once.

The judging panel includes Baroness Harris of Richmond, Chris Brown, CEO at The Station, Richmond School headteacher Jenna Potter, Hannah Chapman, editor of the Darlington & Stockton Times, and David Walker, CIC director and chairman of the Richmondshire Refugee Support Group.

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All of the judging will take place anonymously, with the judges not knowing who has made the nomination or the name of the nominee. The judges will also assess the nominations on their own to ensure one person’s opinion doesn’t influence the opinion of the other judges.

The initiative has been made possible with the support of local businesses and organisations including Cooper & Leatherbarrow Opticians, in Finkle Street, Richmond, Zetland Estates, Oliviers Furniture on the Gallowfields Trading Estate, North Yorkshire Council, Richmond Information Centre, the Darlington & Stockton Times, Purple Creative Studio and Richmondshire Today.

Ellis Leatherbarrow, owner of Cooper & Leatherbarrow, said: “As a small family business with almost 100 years of service in Richmond, we are 100 per cent behind any initiative that recognises the importance of people helping each other in the town.

“It doesn’t take a lot to identify situations in which we can all do little acts of kindness, even without necessarily being asked to do so.”

Nominations can be made on forms collected and dropped off from Richmond Information Centre in the Market Hall. Alternatively, they can be made at www.amazingneighbours.com.

So, what is an amazing neighbour?

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We’re talking about acts of kindness – someone taking time out of their own day to help someone else.

The acts don’t have to be big. We’re not suggesting people re-point their neighbour’s patio or look after their two German shepherds while they go on holiday for a fortnight in Gran Canaria to be nominated, although if they’re happy to do that then great!

We’re talking about people who give others a little lift in life. Small acts that can make a big difference. For example, is there someone in your street who calls round on those who can’t get out or don’t get that many visitors? Maybe they don’t make a big deal of it, they just ask if the neighbour needs any shopping picking up or a prescription collecting from the doctors.

For many people who are struggling, making tasty, wholesome food for themselves is not always a priority. Someone who calls round once a week with a home-baked cottage pie would be pretty great.

Can’t cook? How about cutting an elderly neighbour’s grass when you do your own or even just taking the bins out. If the weather isn’t great, this would be very much appreciated, as would helping clear snow to someone’s front door or maybe even throwing down some salt to get rid of the ice.

There’s plenty more you could do. Not everyone is a whiz on computers yet even simple tasks often require people to be computer-literate these days. If you do know your Windows from your Apples and your URLs from your USBs then it would be great if you spent time helping someone who didn’t with online tasks.

Sometimes you don’t have to ‘do’ anything at all, just spend some time chatting over the fence, taking an interest, showing that you care. That would be amazing.