DEDICATED council staff who go the extra mile in their work have been honoured at an annual awards ceremony.

The City of York Council's eXtra Factor Awards took place at the Park Inn on Monday, after more than 350 people were nominated.

Council boss Kersten England co-hosted the event with director of Children, Education and Skills, Jon Stonehous.

She said: “This night is always the highlight of the year for me. We have so much and so many people to celebrate and be proud of at City of York Council. And this year has been extraordinary - from the headline grabbing stuff involving us all pulling together to stage part of the grandest Grand Depart in history - to the daily work of all our people out on the street, getting the city ready for the day, supporting customers and being there for the people that really need us."

The awards included prizes for innovation, life saving, all round service, and community team work. The Life Savers award, sponsored by The Press, was presented by the newspaper's Managing Editor Steve Hughes.

The award went to life saving staff at Yearsley Pool - who lived up to their name when they rescued a man who had a heart attack in the pool earlier this year.

The other awards winners were:

• Zoe Hardy took the Bright Sparks award for her work on the Arts4Care youth project, after a touching tribute from one of the looked after children she worked with on the ground breaking project.

• Workers at Oakhaven Elderly Person’s Care Home won the All Round Service Excellence award. Residents has praised the staff for regularly giving up their free time to spend with residents, and improve their environment.

• The Community Stadium team took the top honour in the Community Champion (Team) Award. The award recognised the team’s relentless focus, hard work and commitment over many years.

• Volunteer of the Year was awarded to the Income Services Team for their part in the York Cares Greenfields Community Centre Garden project.

• Community Support Assistant David Allen was celebrated as Community Champion (Individual) for his devotion to helping adults with learning disabilities.

• Niall McVicar, manager of the council’s Family Information Service, won the Celebrating Diversity Award.

• Apprentice of the Year Sophie Barnes was praised for her sterling contributions and innovative work in the council’s Children’s Trust Unit, especially for the Children’s Rights and Advocacy Service and Children in Care, organising events and her ‘exemplary report writing and presentation skills’.

• Special Recognition Awards were also presented to social care manager Sue Newton; the Communities and Equalities team; and the Grand Depart project team.