In a year of cuts, cutbacks and protests, dozens of campaigns have been launched – whether people were fighting against new supermarkets, solar parks, changes to pensions, or changes to election boundaries.

In Shepton Mallet, youngsters are currently fighting to save their skateboard park.

And in the public referendum in November there was a resounding "No" to the controversial proposal to build a new civic hall in the town.

A total of 488 people voted – that means just 6.48 per cent of the available electorate bothered to turn out and vote – while 93.52 stayed at home.

Of those 488 votes cast – 50 (10.25 per cent of the vote) were in favour of Shepton Mallet Town Council building a new civic centre/community rooms in Shepton Mallet by using the town council's reserves and raising loans over the next 20-25 years.

And 438 (89.75 per cent of the vote) were not.

The town council is currently considering increasing the precept for the coming year by three per cent, axing the CCTV provision in the town and using the money instead to help safeguard threatened youth services.

A decision will be made at the town council meeting on January 3.

But without a doubt, the biggest – and most successful – campaign this year was the one to save Shepton Mallet library.

Shepton was one of 20 of Somerset's 34 libraries which were earmarked for closure by the county council to save cash.

More than 100 packed out a public meeting in the town to voice their anger and dismay.

The film We Love Libraries became, on Love our Libraries Day throughout the UK, the most shared video in YouTube's non-profit video category section.

Shepton councillor Garfield Kennedy, who was one of the team of film makers behind the video featuring people protesting against library closures, said at the time: "It is has been quite astonishing.

"It climbed to number 3 on the first day it was released and then hit number 1.

"We are pleasantly surprised to say the least.

"And it's pretty good and very exciting for little towns like Glastonbury and Shepton Mallet to achieve such an accolade."

Mr Kennedy and fellow filmmakers Kevin Redpath, Ken Kutsch and Martin Wells took the film to London to stage a "guerilla style" screening of it on the walls of the British Library where it obtained substantial TV coverage.

The 10-minute broadcast featured contributions from award-winning screen-writer Julian Fellows, Big Issue founder John Bird and Glastonbury Festival founder Michael Eavis alongside people of all ages and from all walks of life.

Mr Kennedy said at the launch of the video: "The film has received an incredibly positive response from far and wide. It is very heartfelt. It taps into people's real lives and they are clearly very angry."

In November a High Court judge ruled proposed library closures in Somerset and Gloucestershire were "unlawful".

Judge Martin McKenna, at London's High Court, said the planned closure of the libraries did not comply with "public sector equality duties."

So for all his work helping save the libraries the campaigner of the year award must go to Councillor Garfield Kennedy.