The contribution of volunteers has never been so important and National Volunteer Week is the perfect time to say thank you. The past 12 months has been challenging for our community and there is no better time to recognise those local heroes who've gone above and beyond to help others.

The NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards are a great way to recognise the incredible work of our volunteers and I would encourage everyone to nominate someone so we can make this year's awards the biggest yet.

The awards, run by The Centre for Volunteering, are in their fourteenth year and have grown to become one of the largest celebrations of volunteering in Australia.

READ MORE:

You can nominate someone for one of the following seven categories:

Adult Volunteer of the Year, Young Volunteer of the Year, Senior Volunteer of the Year, Volunteer Team of the Year, Corporate Volunteer of the Year (Individual), Corporate Volunteer of the Year (Team), Excellence in Volunteer Management

Regional finalists are invited to the State Ceremony at the end of the year, where winners are selected across each category and the NSW Volunteer of Year is announced.

Nominations close on Friday 3 July. For more information or to nomination a volunteer, visit www.volunteering.com.au/awards.

NSW residents are being urged to check if they are eligible for a portion of the millions of dollars waiting to be claimed through Revenue NSW.

More than $442 million in forgotten money is sitting with Revenue NSW, including share dividends, trust accounts, refunds, commissions, deceased estates and money from a range of other sources.

In the Port Macquarie-Hastings LGA, there is $813,000 waiting to be claimed.

We know many people are doing it tough, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, and households are having to keep a close eye on their budget, which is why people are being encouraged to check their eligibility.

Read more: Ocean Drive, Port Macquarie $50 million upgrade welcomed

You could have hundreds or thousands of dollars that you didn't know about.

Revenue NSW holds more than a million unclaimed items from private companies, State Trustees, local councils and government agencies that can't be returned to the owner because their contact details are out of date and they cannot be tracked down. It's quick and easy to check if you have unclaimed money.

Simply visit the Revenue NSW website and type your name into the free search tool.

If you do have a claim, notify Revenue NSW and collect your money.

The NSW Government holds unclaimed money indefinitely until it is claimed.

While you're with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox from the Port Macquarie News. To make sure you're up to date with all the news, sign up here. If you would like to support our journalists you can subscribe here.