THE heat winners for the 2024 Glasgow Community Champion Awards have been decided.
Inspirational individuals and great groups from all over the city entered this year’s contest, and thousands of votes were cast in the public poll to decide who should triumph in the North East, North West and South regions.
Today, we reveal the winners, who will now all go through to the Grand Final on December 4.
The Glasgow Times awards are run in association with Glasgow City Council, Allied Vehicles Charitable Trust and St Enoch.
In the North East, Platform’s Free Festivals, which are organised by the Easterhouse venue for families across the East End, won the Arts category; Mount Vernon Primary, whose remarkable gala day brought the whole community together, won Champion School; Autisfun, a much-loved group set up by selfless parents for children with autism, won the Team prize; John Barclay of Glasgow Street Aid won Community Champion; recycling charity R:evolve Recycle came top of the Environmental category; and Scott Richards, who runs a walk and talk group for people suffering from mental health issues, won the Health and Wellbeing title.
In the North West, pioneering ceramics social enterprise Make It Glasgow won the Arts prize; Oakgrove Primary won Champion School for its inspirational Home is Here project; Possobilities Volunteers, who support people with disabilities, triumphed in the Team Award; Amanda Ford, who wanted to give back to her community after the death of her daughter, won Community Champion; Claypits Nature Reserve came top of the Environmental category; and Springburn Food Hub won Health and Wellbeing.
The South winners were community orchestra Big Noise Govanhill in the Arts category; eco-garden creators St Conval’s Primary, who were named Champion School; veterans’ support group Glasgow Helping Heroes, who won the Team prize; powerhouse youth worker Kelly Bruce, crowned South Community Champion; Saltire Project – St Angela’s Primary in Environmental; and men’s health group Men With Issues in Health and Wellbeing.
Four of this year’s categories – Little Champion, Youth Champion, Senior Champion and Sporting Champion – are citywide, so while there are no regional heat winners, the top three in each category will go through to the grand final and the winners will be announced alongside the overall winners in the other categories on the night.
Going through in the Little Champion category are powerchair footballer Kaiden Gemmill, taekwondo star Dylan Dowling and dance instructor Georgia Shaw.
The Youth Champion finalists are volunteering superstar Aimee Love, EVIP: The Listening Heart project; and talented artist Fynn Mackie, who designed the Glasgow 850 mascot.
The Senior contenders are kind-hearted Gartnavel volunteer Pat McCamley, Kevin Scott, who runs walking tours, and activist and community stalwart Mary Osei-Oppong.
The Sporting finalists are Andrew Tomlinson, inspirational marathon runner who has cerebral palsy; FORCE Taekwon-do, a grass-roots sports club at the heart of its community; and wrestler David McCallum, aka Ravie Davie, who has overcome adversity in his own life to support young people in Govan.
There will also be two special awards announced at the grand final – an Editor’s Award, and the Lord Provost’s Special Recognition Award.
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Glasgow Times Editor Stacey Mullen said: “We’re delighted to have had such a great response to the public vote. It shows just how much the Glasgow Community Champion Awards mean to our readers, to the groups and individuals involved and to the city.
“All of our heat winners are fantastic and we can’t wait to share their stories with you all.”
She added: “Everyone on the Glasgow Times team, and our generous partners, are looking forward to welcoming everyone to the grand final on December 4.
“It promises to be a wonderful event.”
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