The star studded Local Heroes awards recognised the unsung people in our region at a glitz and glamour ceremony.

The show was headlined by eighties pop legends Spandau Ballet and X Factor stars JLS at the Contemporary Urban Centre, Liverpool.

Winners on the night included the Hillsborough Family Support Group, who won the Gold Award which was presented to them by LFC legend John Aldridge and Assistant Manager Sammy Lee.

Spokesman Trevor Hicks accepted the award and said: “We could not have gone all this time without the support of the city and this is an illustration of that. We are grateful to the families, the people of Liverpool and Radio City.”

Sammy Lee was honoured to help recognise the group’s work. He commented: “No amount of awards is going to bring back what they lost so it is important to show our support and appreciation to them and make sure the fight is never given up.”

An emotional Helen Newlove collected the Community Project of the Year award for the launch of radio station Newlove FM in Warrington following the death of her husband Gary outside his home.

World Champion gymnast Beth Tweddle scooped a Special Award with Everton’s FA Cup semi-final hero Phil Jagielka winning the public vote to collect the Sport Award.

The stars turned out in force to support the event including Hollyoaks stars Carley Stenson and John Pickard, and British super-middleweight boxing champ Paul Smith.

Tony Hadley and Spandau Ballet kicked off the night which honoured the bravery and skill of people from all over the North West. He said it’s important to pay tribute: “We should do it more often and praise people more often and give them more encouragement.”

Speaking about the Music Award the band collected, he added: “It’s a really nice award and is nice to be recognised.”

The X Factor boyband JLS stole the show with a stunning performance to end the night which included their Number 1 singles Everybody In Love and  Beat Again.

See pictures from the event here.