THIS year’s Airbus/Leader Community Awards have received a whole host of entries from good causes hoping to be in the running for a share of £20,000.

Those entries have now been shortlisted down to 10.

Each group will be featured over the next two weeks, with a voting form set to appear in the paper and online after each entry has been featured.

So make sure the group/organisation you think is the most deserving of the large cash prizes up for grabs gets your vote....

CHESTER'S first LGBT choir has been shortlisted for an Airbus and Leader Community Award.

Proud Marys was founded in April 2017 and has approximately 50 members.

The choir brings together members of the LGBT+ community of Chester and its surrounding areas.

It is now one of 10 projects which have been shortlisted for the awards - the top prize for which is £7,000.

Fundraising officer David Lawson spoke of his delight after finding out the news.

He said: "Thank you for the opportunity to put our case to the wider community and hopefully they will support our nomination.

"This is the first time Chester and surrounding areas has had an LGBT choir and the impact it has had in the community in bringing people out of social isolation has been phenomenal.

"Proud Marys has helped many of its members become more confident in their identities, enjoying the company of kindred spirits, able to feel accepted and unjudged."

He explained it is hoped the funding would benefit the choir by helping to purchase wooden blocks to create tiers for performances and a mobile PA system with microphones to help project in certain venues.

Mr Lawson said the choir also hopes to invest in publicity materials, adding: "We're looking to increase our visibility and to actually target particular groups.

"We'd like to increase the number of female voices in the choir, so we're also hoping to reach out to the lesbian community."

Proud Marys has performed at a range of events over the past year, including Chester Pride, Cheshire East Pride, community events over Christmas, charity concerts and in schools.

At the end of the current term, the choir will also be performing at Chester's Storyhouse.