An initiative to celebrate the valiant heroes of the St Albans community is back for its fourth year.

Whether it’s someone who has lent a neighbourly hand, taken it upon themself to help clear out the streets of rubbish or raised thousands of pounds for charity, their story is worth being heard.

The Maltings Community Heroes campaign will run until September, and each month the shopping centre will be rewarding £100 to spend in their stores for one of these heroes.

To enter simply email your story to communityhero@hertsad.co.uk including the name of the nominee, their contact details and your name and contact details.

Centre manager Phil Corrigan said: “The Maltings is proud to be sponsoring the Herts Advertiser Community Awards and The Maltings Community Hero Category for the fourth year running.

“Community Heroes are all around us and the exceptional contributions they make to improve life in St Albans are all too often overlooked.

“They are the unseen fabric binding our community together. Here at the Maltings we believe their contribution deserves recognition, and that their dedication should be celebrated.

“As such, we are delighted to be a part of the Herts Advertiser Community Awards once again, and we hope that their stories will inspire others.”

The Herts Advertiser Community Awards will launch officially in April, and celebrate the achievements of our local unsung heroes.

There will be 12 categories to choose from, and you will be able to enter these online.

The overall winners of last year’s Maltings Community Heroes category were Team Ellie, a group of friends who took part in Pretty Muddy Watford 5K to raise money for Cancer Research UK after their friend Ellie Brewer was diagnosed with leukaemia aged just 13.

Olivia Stevenson, Jenna Hutton, Alice Rose, Tai Stojanovic, Kayra Karakus, Amy Narramore, Jade Albert and Abby Simpkin, who were all in Year 8 at Marlborough Science Academy, collected more than £2,000 after completing the obstacle course. Sadly, Ellie later passed away, but her memory lives on for all those whose lives she touched.