LOCAL volunteers and mentors specialising in drug and alcohol-abuse support will be celebrated at a special event in Winchester.

They will be recognised at a ceremony at the Middlebrook Centre for their work to support local residents in their battle against substance misuse on Thursday December 4.

Over 100 people are expected to attend the Oscar-themed night of glitz and glamour, including representatives from Public Health England.

There are nine categories of awards from the Dedication Award to the ‘Hep C Excellence’ Award.

The Crime Reduction Initiative will also present Level 2 Award Progression certificates to all of the peer mentors that have completed the training within the last year.

CRI peer mentor coordinator Louise Joell said: “Last year’s award ceremony was a great success and we are really looking forward to the event this year.

"All of our volunteers and peer mentors have worked incredibly hard and have done some amazing work to help people turn their lives around.

"We hope this ceremony will recognise and thank these dedicated individuals, without whom we wouldn’t be where we are today.”