Heroes of Laois communities honoured at annual awards night - in pictures

The heroes of local communities were celebrated by Laois County Council in association with Laois Public Participation Network at the Laois Community and Voluntary Awards.

More than 280 people gathered in The Midlands Park Hotel, Portlaoise on Tuesday 20th November for the 9th holding of the annual event.  The awards are hosted to recognise the tremendous contribution made by the community and voluntary groups to life in Laois.

All nominees were recognised as having made a significant difference within and beyond their local community, through giving of their time, co-operation, their imagination and their hard work to achieve rewards of successful clubs, events and fundraising within the community.

Each group and individual was congratulated on the night and presented with a certificate acknowledging their contribution to the community and voluntary effort in Laois.

The Leinster Express was honoured to be media partner on the night.

There's a flavour of the pictures taken by photographer Michael Scully with this story.

As part of our coverage, we will be carrying results and reports in the Leinster Express of November 27 and our Leinster Express annual to be published next week and which will be in your shops right throughout Christmas.

We will also be publishing more pictures online so keep in touch with our website for more stories, pictures and videos from the big night.