An East London charitable foundation is giving away grants to recognise young people from Hackney, other London boroughs and Essex who are helping their communities during the coronavirus outbreak.

The Jack Petchey Foundation is asking members of the public to nominate a young person who is helping out during the coronavirus crisis whilst practicing social distancing guidelines. The winners will be awarded £50 each in recognition of their community spirit.

The recently launched Jack Petchey’s Community nominations will be awarded throughout the lockdown to motivate young people and celebrate their contributions to society.

Trudy Kilcullen MBE, CEO of the Jack Petchey Foundation said: “At the Jack Petchey Foundation, young people inspire us all the time with the incredible work they do - that hasn’t stopped in the current situation.

We want to recognise more young people across London and Essex doing inspirational things to help their community and hope these community nominations will motivate others and truly showcase the positive things young people do every day.”

Members of the public wishing to nominate a young person should visit www.jackpetcheyfoundation.org.uk/opportunities/jack-petcheys-community-nominations/ and fill out the form to submit their nomination including contact details and their reasons for nominating.

The foundation is also running several campaigns and competitions for young people to get directly involved with:

· #TheGoodInWhereILive – a photography competition where young people are encouraged to take a photo of something they like about their area such as a park, a street, a sign, (whilst observing government guidelines), post it on social media with the hashtag and use the form on the Jack Petchey website to enter the competition. The winning entry will be awarded £250

· #21DaysofGratitude – a social media movement where we want young people and youth organisations to post for 21 days about one thing a day they are grateful for and challenge others to do the same. The campaign aims to spread positivity throughout youth networks and young people are in with the chance to win a £20 Amazon voucher by taking part and using the hashtag #21daysofgratitude and tagging @jackpetcheyfoundation.

· #Challenge21 – Simple exercises for your body and mind during this time.

· #InspiringMyGeneration – we are encouraging young people to connect with older generations by sharing what inspires them about an older person they know – this could be a neighbour, a family member, a friend, a teacher… anyone! Share these with us via our social channels.