2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the creation of the West Midlands county and a new scheme aims to recognise volunteers making a real difference to local communities.

United By 2022, the Commonweath Games legacy charity are working with the West Midlands Lieutenancy calling on people to get involved in the West Midlands Lieutenancy 50forWM50 campaign which aims to recognise and thank volunteers who are making a real impact in their local area.

From March to April 2024, you can nominate a local volunteer hero via the United By 2022 website. Volunteers of all backgrounds and ages, helping their communities in any of the seven local authorities in the West Midlands, can be nominated for recognition.

There is no age limit for nominees, or time limit for how long the individual has volunteered – it could be one month, one year, or 50 years.

From these nominations, a dedicated judging panel will select 50 volunteers from each of the seven local authorities, who will be invited to join the ‘Big Thank You Bash’ in June.

Those 350 volunteers will then be narrowed down to just 50, and from that final shortlist, just one volunteer will be chosen for their outstanding contribution.

As a special thank you, the chosen volunteer will have a tram on the West Midlands Metro named in their honour, as a lasting tribute to their commitment to volunteering and positive impact on their local community!

To nominate a local volunteer hero, simply fill in the nomination form by April 17th 2024.