Stan Szecowka, deputy editor of the Bristol Evening Post, has been shortlisted for a national accolade for his work in the community.

He has been nominated for the Community Award at the GG2 Leadership & Diversity Awards in recognition of his efforts to help celebrate the achievements of young people living in the inner-city areas of Bristol.

The winners will be announced tonight during an awards dinner at the London Hilton on Park Lane, which will celebrate Britain's rich multi-cultural society and diversity.

The event is due to be attended by over 750 leading personalities from the Asian and British community and Kabir Bedi, the veteran Bollywood actor, will be compering the evening.

Stan, (43), said: "I am very honoured and really looking forward to the event."

The awards have been endorsed by the Prime Minister and have the twin aims of promoting racial harmony and diversity in Britain and encouraging talented individuals in ethnic minority communities.

In 2000 Stan was awarded the Community Reporter of the Year title at the Yorkshire Press Awards for work he carried out with the Hull Daily Mail.

Since moving to the Evening Post he has been working closely with the Bristol Education Action Zone which is set in the centre of the city to combat the effects of deprivation in some of the poorest wards of the South West.

A high proportion of the pupils in the Zone are from black and minority ethnic groups - 55 per cent at primary level and 57 per cent at secondary level.

While this diversity brings cultural richness to the area, there is a large gap in attainment between white UK pupils in the Zone and other ethnic groups.

Evening Post projects have generated more than £110,000 of Government match funding to be spent in the schools.

This has included mapping and poetry festivals to help improve the artistic and literary skills of the students and to highlight their achievements.

Stan is also involved in the Business in the Community 'Partners in Leadership' programme, which is an integral part of the Department of Education's Leadership programme for serving head teachers.

The programme gives all head teachers the opportunity to be matched with a senior manager from the local business community, and Stan is matched with a primary school head in the Zone.

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