The East Lothian Courier Community Champion Awards 2025 in association with East Coast Buses will take place on Thursday, June 5th, venue TBC
The evening includes food, entertainment, and the awards presentation.
Host
TBC
Categories
BUSINESS AWARD – Sponsored by SSE Renewables Berwick Bank Wind Farm
This category celebrates a business or entrepreneur that drives growth and make a positive impact in their local community.
SPORTING CHAMPION OF THE YEAR
This award honours a local club, team, or individual making a real impact in local sports whether through outstanding performance on the field or dedicated efforts behind the scenes. Who is the driving force, the beating heart of local sport?
CHAMPION TEACHER OF THE YEAR
This award recognises teachers who are bringing learning to life by engaging and inspiring children and young people to fulfil their potential. This can be either in an educational teacher or vocational teacher.
COMMUNITY CHAMPION OF THE YEAR – Sponsored by East Coast Buses
This award honours a local individual, aged 18 or over, who goes above and beyond to support those around them. Their selfless actions make a meaningful difference, creating a stronger, more connected community for everyone.
YOUTH COMMUNITY CHAMPION OF THE YEAR AWARD
This award recognises a dedicated young person, aged 13 to 18, who volunteers and makes a meaningful impact in their local community. Too often, young people get a bad reputation, now’s the time to celebrate those who are making a real difference with their kindness, dedication, and community spirit.
HEART OF GOLD – Sponsored by PureMalt
This award goes to an exceptional individual who has made an outstanding contribution to East Lothian. We are celebrating an adult whose actions, achievements, courage, or kindness have touched the lives of others and made a lasting impact. A true local hero with a heart of gold.
HEALTH & CARE AWARD
The Health & Care Award celebrates the outstanding individuals and teams in health and care who make a real difference in our community. Their dedication, compassion, and hard work are at the heart of local healthcare and support services.
LITTLE CHAMPION OF THE YEAR – Sponsored by East Coast Buses
This award recognises an exceptional child, aged 12 or under, whose achievements, courage, or bravery inspire pride and admiration. Their actions have truly made a remarkable impact and fill our hearts with pride.
CHARITY CHAMPION OF THE YEAR
East Lothian is known for its big heart, and this award honours an individual or group who have dedicated their time and effort to supporting an incredible cause. It’s an opportunity to recognise the tireless work they do to make a difference in our community.
ARTS CHAMPION OF THE YEAR
This award celebrates the power of the creative arts in strengthening communities. It will be presented to an artist, performer, or creative group, such as a musician, theatre group, singer or dancer who is making a positive impact through their projects or performances.
GREEN CHAMPION AWARD – Sponsored by Sustainable Facilities Management
This award honours an individual or group dedicated to creating a more sustainable and thriving community. It recognises those who actively improve their local area while promoting sustainability. Whether through regular clean-ups, eco-friendly initiatives, community gardening, or other impactful projects, the recipient will demonstrate a commitment to making their community a better place for all.
How to Enter
It is quick and easy to nominate a group/individual for an East Lothian Courier Community Champion Award.
1. Choose A Category
Choose a category from the list below.
2. Choose an entry method
Either submit the form online by clicking the ‘Enter Now’ button, or download the entry form and submit it via email when ready.
3. Complete the form and send it
The form is just a few simple questions to give us an idea of why your nominee deserves to win.
If you have any questions regarding the entry process or require the entry form in a different format, please see the FAQ section below or get in touch via the details on the contact page.
Judges
Robbie Scott
Newsquest Scotland Group Editor
Bio coming soon.
Gaynor Marshall
Communications Director – Lothian Buses
Gaynor joined Lothian in 2013 as a short-term project lead on a new ticketing campaign. Three years later, she was appointed Communications Director with overall responsibility for all internal and external communications, marketing, brand strategy, frontline customer service, retail and accessibility across the Lothian Group.
Invested in the positive impact that good communication can have on wider organisational culture, customer experience and ultimately bottom line business results, Gaynor has over 30 years of business experience. Including early stints at John Lewis and Royal Bank of Scotland, before going on to lead her own marketing consultancy where she worked with a number of different organisations.
Commercially focused with a strong background in strategic stakeholder management, Gaynor is passionate about developing talent and encouraging diversity within the wider transport industry.
Ciara Jamieson
Stakeholder Engagement Manager – Berwick Bank Offshore Wind Farm
Ciara Jamieson is part of the Corporate Affairs team for SSE Renewables. Ciara joined SSE in 2012 as a Community Investment Manager for the company’s onshore wind portfolio and has since built a career there in community liaison, communications and marketing. Currently working in the stakeholder engagement team for Berwick Bank offshore wind farm, Ciara has been getting to know the communities of East Lothian and supporting local projects in the region since September 2023.
Councillor John McMillan
Bio coming soon.
David Walker
Managing Director – Sustainable Facilities Management
Bio coming soon.
FAQ
Who can enter?
Anyone can submit a nomination, but nominees must be East Lothian based.
Why should I enter?
By putting forward an individual, group or business for an award, you are helping the East Lothian Courier recognise the unsung heroes who are making a difference in communities.
How do I enter?
You must complete our entry form to submit a nomination. Head to the ‘How to Enter’ section above for instructions.
Can I enter more than one category?
You can submit as many nominations as you like across the 11 different categories. The categories and the criteria for each can be found in the ‘Categories’ section above.
What is the deadline for entries?
The entry deadline is Thursday, April 3rd at 6pm.
How much does it cost?
It is free to enter the awards and all finalists and up to 5 guests will receive free entry to the awards.
What happens next one I’ve entered?
Once you have submitted an entry, we will add your nomination to the judging pack for consideration. Once the judging has taken place, we will contact you to let you know if your entry has been shortlisted or not.
How does the judging process work?
All the entries we receive will be considered by our judging panel at the judging session in April. Please note that the shortlist and winners are decided solely by our panel and do not come down to a public vote or number of nominations received.
When will the shortlist be announced?
The shortlist will be listed in the East Lothian Courier and on this website in May.
When will the winners be announced?
The winners will be announced at our glittering awards ceremony on Thursday, June 5th, venue TBC, East Lothian.
What do I do if I have more questions?
We are happy to answer any additional questions you may have regarding the entry process or event. Please contact Alana Massie ,Event Manager , T: 07702807008, E: alana.massie@newsquest.co.uk