Each week, we at The Whitehaven News help you to shine a light on the unsung heroes within our communities.

From setting up support groups and checking on neighbours to hosting street-wide, socially-distanced concerts and getting the whole village singing together, we’ve seen you do it all over the past few months.

And with his endless nominations for his spirit-raising nap group for all of Bransty and beyond, Martin Clark has been named our Person of the Week.

The former soldier set up the horse betting group when the pandemic began, in a bid to keep the community interacting and having fun together.

Each player donates a bet of £5, giving them the chance to win a prize, as well as feel the excitement of pre-lockdown life, and, of course, have a lovely load of fun with neighbours and friends.

On top of his widely-loved group, which now has more than 150 members, the 34-year-old has been using funds to donate food packages and hampers to frontline and key workers across the county, including NHS staff, ambulance crews, posties and fire stations.

The nap group has raised more than £17,000 for the nation’s heroes, with burger vans, Easter eggs, cheese boards and even beauty products scattered across Copeland and stretching into Allerdale – and none of this has gone unnoticed or unappreciated.

Those who nominated Martin couldn’t sing his praises enough, saying: “He has ran round tirelessly from the minute lockdown was imposed, ensuring all the vulnerable residents of Parton and Lowca have their essentials delivered and prescriptions collected.

“As a frontline nurse, we at West Cumberland Hospital couldn’t be more appreciative of this generosity, as I am sure all other key workers feel the same.”

And the support and thanks didn't stop there, with another of Martin's fans saying: “The group also offers a bit of entertainment and allows people to keep in touch and have a chat and a laugh together.”

n Help us to spread some joy across Copeland by sending in your nominations, with details of where they’re from, what they do, and why they deserve a round of applause, to emma.walker@newsquest.co.uk.