A TEACHER who used his free time to create protective visors during the first lockdown won £5,000 at Ebor Festival.

John Hendricks, who lives in Halifax, was one of 22 heroes celebrated at the inaugural Ebor Community Hero Fund at York Racecourse.

The fund was set up to thank, celebrate and reward some of the incredible people who have served their communities throughout the pandemic.

After calling on the British public to share the names of the most deserving heroes, the Racecourse went through hundreds of recommendations before whittling the list down.

The chosen heroes were invited to a VIP day out on Saturday with each person being assigned a runner in the Sky Bet Ebor.

The hero attached to the winning horse was promised a prize of £5,000 for themselves and £15,000 for their chosen charity.

Racecourse spokesman James Brennan has since revealed that John won the prize with trainer Johnny Murtagh's Sonnyboyliston. 

John used his lunch breaks and after-school time to fabricate visors during the first lockdown - all the while running errands and shopping for the at-risk elderly community.

Speaking to The Press, Mr Brennan said: "He fabricated 2,000 face visors - a worthy community hero."

Among the 22 heroes was a woman from Bradford who volunteered as a traffic marshall for a GP surgery during the initial vaccination programme, someone who helped set up IT fora domestic abuse charity looking to provide online counselling and a musician who played songs for strangers on social media in need of a boost.