Bedford's unsung heroes were honoured in a glittering ceremony at the Pride In Bedford Awards on Thursday (May 7).

The town's charity champions and outstanding achievers were presented with their prizes by EastEnders star Ricky Groves, better known as grease monkey Gary Hobbs.

The awards ceremony, held at The Park Inn in Bedford, was the culmination of a 15-week search by Bedford Borough Council and the Times & Citizen for our town's brightest stars.

Paul Gibson, managing director of Premier Newspapers, which publishes the Times * Citizen and BedfordToday, gave the opening address and winners were met with camera flashes and rapturous applause from the audience.

Brave three-year-old Gabriel Davies deservedly won the Child of Courage Award for his ongoing battle against a rare and aggressive form of cancer.

After being diagnosed with an Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumour (AT/RT) of the brain and spine in August last year, Gabriel has undergone stem-cell transplants and has just had his first cancer-free scan.

His mother Christine Davies, of Trafalgar Drive, Flitwick, said: "We absolutely did not expect to win, especially when I heard about the two other children nominated.

"You don't think or get to hear about other people's lives often, they're are all so brave."

Highly commended awards went to Ben Wright and Michal Brzyski.

Neighbourhood Watch volunteer Mahmoud Mehdizadeh picked up The Safer Community Awarded for his foresight in caring for those in Kempston.

For the past ten years he has looked out for the staff of Project 229 opposite his takeaway pizza business in Bedford Road, who often work early mornings and late nights.

Mr Mehdizadeh said: "This is a great surprise and not at all expected.

"Most of the people that work across the road are ladies and have to come in late at night to lock up and it's natural instinct to make sure they are safe and well."

The highly commended certificate went to PC Dave Hawkey.

Charity the King's Arms Project won the Living In Faith Award for its 20 years of work with Bedford's homeless.

Affiliated with the King's Arms Church, the project has around 40 volunteers and runs a night shelter, a hostel, a floating support and guidance service, plus a weekly Friday night meeting and meal for the town's homeless.

Joy Barham, from the King's Arms Project, said: "This award was not expected at all, we were not sure who was in the category.

"Basically we have fantastic staff and it is a real privilege to do all that we do.

"Everyone we work with is proud to be able to have a relationship with the people in Bedford."

Grace Community Church in Kempston was highly commended.

For the second year running WH Smith customer assistant Harminder Mahi won the Service With A Smile Award.

Nominations described her as "number one in assisting people" and a "genuinely nice, good citizen of Bedford."

Highly commended certificates went to Bedford's Limes Cafe and 5th Avenue Hair & Beauty.

Helen Evans, owner of the Lime Street cafe, said: "All credit to the people that work here. It's people like this that makes us better than the rest."

Kerry Cash, owner of the Howard Street salon, said: "Tonight has been great fun, but we always try to look forward.

"Later this year we will be supporting the moonlight walk for St John's Hospice, and making a donation to that.

"And one of our hair teams has got through to the grand finals of the Redken Tribe competition which is open to stylists from the whole country."

Bedford Bangladeshi Women's Association won the Pat Olney Leisure and Culture award for their work helping the town's growing community.

Set up in 1998, the group of around ten volunteers organise a range of events and classes for Bangladeshi women, including English classes, food hygiene qualifications and a recent trip to London Zoo.

Jasmin Nessa, from the association, said: "First generation women living here could not always access adequate services like healthcare, lessons and everyday things.

"The association was set up in order to help them, as some were our own mothers and aunts."

Bedford has a Bangladeshi population of around 8,000, and the association has provided support for hundreds of women and continues to grow.

Bedford Fringe Festival was highly commended in the category.

Academic superstar and top RAF cadet Emma Wong walked away with the evening's Young Achiever Award.

She said: "I am very pleased. I put a lot of this success down to everyone who has helped me at the cadet force, especially Mr Blacklock, the officer commanding at Bedford School CCF RAF section who has been very supportive.

"I have also had so much support from my family, who have been behind me all of the way.

"Being here tonight has been great fun and I am very proud."

Highly commended in the category was young tennis ace Joshua Sapwell.

Owner of the award-winning 5th Avenue Hair & Beauty Spa Kerry Cash won the Adult Achiever award.

She said: "I am just lost of words, absolutely flabbergasted.

"We have had a really good year, and this has been one of the highlights.

"We always try to be proactive, and I hope this award reflects that.

"We are always looking for new ideas, new ways of doing things, and new challenges. That is why I love this job."

Photographer Kacey Jones was highly commended in the category.

Winner of the Winifred Fowler Services to the Community Award was Boy's Brigade leader Michelle Eglington.

After becoming involved in the organisation a few years ago, Michelle set up a new group specifically for boys with physical disabilities.

She said: "I am very happy. I've been part of the Boy's Brigade for two years now, and the whole reason was that I wanted to open it up and make it inclusive to all children.

"The work is every so rewarding, especially seeing as it means they get to do so many activities they wouldn't otherwise have a chance to try.

"I get to see all of them grow up into superb young men."

Dance group leader Marianne Dent received the award's highly commended certificate.

Eco-minded East Side Community Group won the Hazel Mitchell Environment Award for its work cleaning up Bedford's streets.

Carol Lynch, from the group said: "The whole night has been brilliant.

"We honestly didn't think we stood a chance of winning, and we don't do this for any sort of reward, so this is the icing on the cake.

"We are only a small group at the moment but we do a lot of events for the whole community.

"This is the first time I have been to an awards ceremony, and it has been a great night out. I'm a big EastEnders fan too so it was great to meet Ricky Groves, even if I did keep calling him Gary."

Jayne Murden's MIND group were given the category's highly commended prize.

The Santosh Asian Women's Refuge took home the 2009 Helping and Caring For Others Award for its work with victims of domestic violence.

Officially set up in 2008, the refuge provides a place of safety for South Asian women and children fleeing from home due to domestic abuse.

Alina Kaur project manager from the refuge, said: "It is a great honour and it makes me very proud to be recognised for the work we do, myself and my staff team are extremely committed and passionate about supporting women and children fleeing domestic abuse.

"Initially, it was doubtful that there would be a refuge and it has taken five years to get to where we are today. There were many hurdles to jump but thankfully we got there in the end. I thank everyone who has donated funds to support this much needed project."

Supported by Raglan Housing Association the refuge itself is named after someone who has devoted much of her life to helping the community and in a recent Supporting People quality assessment framework the refuge was graded A's in all of its seven areas.

The final special award of the night, chosen exclusively by Times & Citizen readers, was the People's Choice Award, which went to Bedford Bangladeshi Women's Association.

Three of the association's project workers, Shamela Khatun, Jasmin Nessa and Nasmia Khatun, collected the prize.

Jasmin said: "It's nice to be recognised for all the hard work our volunteers do.

"The success has been down to the hard work of the women and their families. It's also in our faith, we believe by helping others we will be rewarded if not by people in this life then by a higher power."