From a 12-year-old to a Pompey star and a D-Day veteran - 50 inspirational people to make you proud of the Portsmouth area

Welcome to Inspirational People, a special e-mag produced by The News in Portsmouth and sponsored by BAE Systems that celebrates some of the remarkable individuals who live and work in our communities.

The 50 people chosen to feature range in age from 12-year-old charity ambassador Eddie Hall from Southsea to Gosport D-Day veteran Ron Cross MBE, who is 99.

They also include Pompey star Jack Whatmough, Orkambi campaigner Gemma Weir from Paulsgrove, Victorious Festival co-founder Andy Marsh, Shaping Portsmouth CEO Stef Nienaltowski, Heart of Portsmouth boxing coach Q Shillingford, charity founder Lewis Hine from Havant and Westbourne astronaut Tim Peake.

Some may have achieved fame, but this is certainly not a power list or celebrity directory. It’s a varied selection of men, women and children whose achievements, determination in the face of adversity and dedication to helping others are a shining example to all of us.

Of course, there are far more than 50 inspirational people in the Portsmouth area, so the process was not easy. First, journalists from The News put forward people who they felt deserved to be included. Then we opened up nominations for readers of The News to suggest individuals who had impressed them and made a real difference.

Finally, we had to whittle this down to 50 people who represent all that is good about this part of the world.

We hope you enjoy reading about them and feel suitably inspired. To read the e-mag, click here