LOW entries are threatening the future of an awards scheme celebrating the best of Southend's community spirit, prompting a plea for nominations.

The Citizen of Southend awards recognise the unsung heroes who perform selfless acts of kindness or make an outstanding contribution to the community.

But so far, only a handful of nominations for this year's awards have been received, leading to a plea for entries.

Philip Miller, a member of the judging panel, said: "The whole ethos of Citizen of Southend was to give a special award to people who had given of themselves to help others and say a huge thank you to them – it is about reminding the whole community that we all have a role to play in helping others.

"Therefore it’s a really sad state of affairs if people can’t take the time to say thank you or appreciate what others do for them.”

He added that without more entries the awards would not be able to go ahead.

The awards have both adult and youth categories, and to nominate visit www.citizenofsouthend.co.uk