Hardwork put in by local professionals going beyond the call of duty in their roles.

The judges said: "Judging this category has been a truly rewarding experience.

"We've been most impressed by the humility shown, with all outstanding finalists keen to impress upon us the support of the team they worked with as a major factor in their success.

"All the finalists have shown a commitment to making the lives of their clients easier and help them overcome their personal challenges."

The award winner, sponsored by Grovemere Property Limited, was Thomas O'Connor.

Meet the winner

Thomas O'Connor

Thomas works as a Dentist at the Princess of Wales Hospital in Ely. He treats adults and children with special needs.

Due to the range of Thomas' patients, varied approaches are needed to accommodate their conditions in an empathetic way.

Thomas will always take the time to understand his patient's background and needs in order to adapt his approach.

In line with this Thomas has Most Amazing Professional developed an "App" that allows very young children to have a virtual reality experience of the hospital beforehand making a visit to the hospital fun and non-intimidating.

His nominator says of Thomas "I have witnessed first hand the differences he makes, his patient is always his foremost concern, these patients would never get this kind of support elsewhere."

Alison Kilby

Alison is the Area Performance Manager for adult learning and skills based in Ely.

Alison's keen desire to improve her own situation resulted in her taking an adults Beginners IT education course, seeing the impact on her own life gave her the confidence to volunteer at the centre helping others achieve their goals.

Alison progressed to be a tutor and eventually to take on a management role overseeing five centres for the adult community education.

Alison's passion for helping people with mental health issues shines through, her nominator says "Alison works tirelessly, inspiring fresh chances to each individual"

She works to break down barriers to learning that are experienced by people who have been out of education for a long time and that are potentially intimidated by classroom learning.

Charlotte Kirin

Working in the local Neighbour Care Team, Charlotte provides valued social care in the community.

This care enables vulnerable people to retain their independence connecting and supporting them in the community.

Her nominators say she is not a "busy-body social worker", she is very well respected by her colleagues and in the local community.

Charlotte makes a huge difference to those she comes into contact with, very much shining through as an extremely empathetic, and compassionate lady.

Content taken from the Ely Hero Awards brochure 2019 with thanks to Metro Rod Cambridge and Infiniti Graphics.