Charity workers and volunteers from across the region are named as this year’s Fusion award finalists.
This year’s awards will take place on Saturday, June 1 at the Premier Suite, Ewood Park, the home of Blackburn Rovers.
The awards aim to celebrate the contributions of all members of the community. This unique event has been supported from local and national organisations in the past seven years and continues to break new ground.
The event supports members of all communities through their endeavours in youth leadership, entrepreneurship, volunteering, charity work, public service and sport.
This year’s final list includes, the Bolton Christian Cohesion Group. They join Ali Amla of Preston and the Primary School Programme initiated by Neeli Mosque Rochdale as finalists of the Community Cohesion Award.
The Woman of the Year award this year features Jan Mohammed, a  designer who has helped to inspire people across the world with her sewing tutorials on YouTube. She is joined by fundraiser Akhtar Hussain, Yvonne Leech, who has volunteered for our local M.E support group for thirty years and volunteer Alison Robinson.
In the Man of the Year section is volunteer presenter Zain Shabbir who is named alongside fundraiser Oscar Brogden and Jonny Weinberg of the Muslim Jewish Forum.
The Community Group of the Year category includes the Ivy Street Community Centre, the Rochdale Foodbank and the Oldham Street Angels.
Dancers Sonalia Kaur & Aashana Devi Kaur from Manchester are included the Youth Leadership Award alongside, the Abu Hanifah Foundation Scout Group, volunteer Aamir Shah, Nelson and Colne College student Ameenah Bi and fundraiser India Sidhu of Padiham.
The Young Neighbourhood champion, the Uclan Education Achievement Award and the Community Achievement awards will be named on the night.

This year's event is sponsored by BAE Systems and UcLan.
Tickets for the event are again going be in high demand. All finalists will recieve two complimentary invitations. Everyone else wishing to attend or wanting to get hold of an invitation are asked to call 01254 298263.

Woman of the Year
Akhtar Hussain, Fundraiser (Blackburn)
Jan Mohammed, Designer (Burnley)
Yvonne Leech, Charity Worker (Bury)
Alison Robinson, Volunteer (Fleetwood)

Man of the Year
Zain Shabbir
Asif Khan
Oscar Brogden
Jonny Weinberg

Entrepreneur of the Year
Saira Hussain (Hussain Architectural Design)
Bina Limbachia (Neesh Events Ltd)
Salma Chaudhry (Halal cosmetics company)
Charlotte Yates, Rachel  Behan & Tracy Lowe (Fable and Promise Ltd)

Youth Leadership Award
Aamir Shah
Sonalia Kaur & Aashana Devi Kaur
Ameena Bibi
Abu Hanifah Foundation Scout Group
India Sidhu

Community Cohesion Award
Neeli Mosque Rochdale
John McGhee of the HYPE Foundation
Harsha Shukla
Ali Amla
Bolton Christian Cohesion

Public Service Award
Tariq Rafique
Beverley Taylor
Nafysa Patel
Neharun Nessa
Irfan Syed

Community Group of the year
Ivy Street Community Centre

Bolton Hindu Forum
Rochdale Foodbank
Oldham Street Angels
Indian Senior Citizen Centre