NEW awards are set to recognise the contribution made by community enterprises to improving rural services.

The Plunkett Foundation Rural Community Ownership Awards recognise projects by rural residents who have set up or run a social enterprise to improve their local community.

Plunkett helps communities to set up enterprises in rural areas that are owned and led by those communities.

The awards build on the success of the Plunkett Community Shops Awards, which were held last year. All forms of community enterprise are able to apply for this year's awards.

Nominations and applications are welcomed from until Friday 7 May. A shortlist will be announced on Monday 2 June with the winners being announced at an award ceremony on 1 July.

James Alcock, head of frontline at the Plunkett Foundation, said: "We are really excited to be launching today the first ever Rural Community Ownership Awards.

"Last year we were overwhelmed by the response from community shops that entered the Community Shops Awards and it is a natural progression to hold awards to encourage applications from all forms of community enterprise."

Mr Alcock said the awards aimed celebration of what made community-owned enterprises great – their co-operative ethos, community engagement and approach to overcoming problems together.

The Rural Community Ownership Awards aim to commend the committed teams of people who deliver edvital services to their community, he added.

This included community land trusts and woods, community shops and bookshops, and cafés and co-operative pubs - as well as commodities and services that were becoming increasingly more important.

Award sponsors include the Hastoe Housing Association, Triodos, Ecology Building Society, Community and Co-operative Finance, Wine Box Company and Suma Wholefoods.

For details, click here.