THE diverse community of Bolton was celebrated at a glittering awards ceremony.

The fourth annual Bolton Diversity Awards, held at the Mercure Last Drop Village Hotel and Spa, highlighted the achievements of Bolton people who have contributed to making the town proud of the diverse nature of its residents.

Award winners included the Johnson Fold Estate and The Swaminarayan Gadi Bagpipe Band, with the Special Achievement Award going to Tony Walton, the vice-chairman of the Respect Counselling Project for work and support offered across the diverse community.

Organised by APNA News, special guests included Mayor of Bolton Cllr Anthony Connell, while entertainment was provided by Chinese dragons, bagpipers and a selection of singers and dancers who performed at this year’s Bolton Bazaar.

Money raised from the raffle on the evening was split between the Mayor’s Charity and the Children In Need Appeal.

Event organiser Reena Chauhan said: “Hosting the evening was a real pleasure and challenge for me and Aazam Ahmad, the BBC fusion food chef, as every minute of the evening had been planned and rehearsed over the past two weeks.

“One of the highlights of my evening was the speech given by Evelyn Asante-Mensah, head of equality and diversity for the North West Development Agency and the Diversity Awards.”

Other guests included representatives from faith groups; Business Link; the Home and Communities Agency; Learning Skills Council; The Academy for Sustainable Communities; Greater Manchester Police; Bolton Community Homes; and Bolton at Home.

Last year’s winners included John Lord of Bolton Community Homes; Neil McAllister of Bolton Respect Party; and Ish Patel for his work with elderly members of the Asian community.