‘Tell us who should win’: Public vote opens for Glasgow Community Champion Awards

IT is time to reveal the magnificent men, women and children in the running to be crowned Glasgow Community Champions for 2024.

The public vote to determine the winners of the regional heats opens today (Wednesday, October 16) so it is time to get behind your favourite.

The Glasgow Times Community Champion awards, in association with Glasgow City Council, Allied Vehicles Charitable Trust and St Enoch Centre, celebrate everything that is great about the city and its people.

Once again, our readers will have a say in who triumphs in each category in the north west, north east and south areas.

This year, there are four categories where entries will be judged on a citywide basis (Little Champion, Youth Champion, Senior Champion and Sport Champion.)

It is free to cast your vote and voting closes on October 30. The winners of each heat will go through to a final judging session, and will be announced at the Grand Final at the City Chambers in December.

You can vote online here at https://newsquestscotlandevents.com/events/glasgowcommchamps/

This year’s contenders for the North East Arts Champion are Impact Arts; Glasgow Libraries Stained Glass Trail; Platform’s Free Festivals; and the Necropolis Flower Memorial.

Those in the running to be crowned North West Arts Champion are Singing Through and Beyond Menopause; Make It Glasgow; and Boom Community Arts.

The shortlisted nominees for South Arts Champion are Big Noise Govanhill; Castlemilk Piping Centre; Lorraine Kirkwood; and Anne and Ted Simpson.

Mount Vernon Primary and Smithycroft Secondary are contenders for North East School of the Year; in the North West, Drumchapel High take on Oakgrove Primary; and the schools in the running for South School of the Year are Ibrox Primary and St Conval’s Primary.

Drumchapel High pupils

Drumchapel High pupils (Image: Colin Mearns/Newsquest)

One of the most hotly contested categories is Champion Team. In the North East, the contenders are Sunny Cycles, AutisFun Group and University of Strathclyde Law Clinic.

In the North West, the finalists are North United Communities; Ruchill Credit Union; MusicALL Pathways; and Possobilities Volunteers.

The teams vying for your vote in the South are CYC Employability Team; Indepen-dance; Glasgow Helping Heroes; Scheme Maws; and Urban Community Project.

The Scheme Maws

The Scheme Maws (Image: Colin Mearns/Newsquest)

For the title of Community Champion North East, the finalists are Lynne Millar, Tina Blakey Dale and John Barclay; in the North West, contenders are Amanda Ford, Catriona Smith, Linda MacDougall, Jon Craig and Jill Mackay; and in the South, Kelly Bruce, Colin Mackie, and Sammie-Jo Miller.

We had a great response to our new Environmental Champion category – finalists in the North East are Denmilne Community Project; Volunteer Tutors Organisation Climate Project; and R:evolve Recycle.

The contenders for North West Environmental Champion are Claypits Nature Reserve; Glasgow Eco Trust; Friends of Victoria Park; Townhead Apple Orchard; and the Teeny Greenies.

The South nominees are Izzie Eriksen; Saltire Project – St Angela’s Primary; Friends of Richmond Park; and Friends of the Southern Necropolis.

Another fiercely competitive category is our Health and Wellbeing Champion award.

Chalk the Walk and Have the Talk; Walk and Talk YoMo Glasgow; Scott Richards; and Shettleston Keenagers are the North East finalists.

The North West contenders are Springburn Food Hub; ADHD Parent Support West Glasgow; Amma Birth Companions and Chara Centre.

In the South, the finalists are Men With Issues; Help Keep the Wee Govanites Cosy; Meet Me in Govan and ACVC Hub.

In the first of our city-wide categories, the Little Champion award finalists are Dylan Dowling, Georgia Shaw, Spencer Marshall, Emily Marshall, Chloe Hughes and Kaiden Gemmil.

The Senior finalists are Maureen Ferrie, Kevin Scott, Mary Osei-Oppeng, Arthur Morrison, Pat McCanley and Abdul Khalid.

Our Sport Champion finalists are Force Taekwondo; Andrew Tomlinson; Clydesdale Hockey; Flair Gymnastics; Castlemilk Community Football Trust; David McCallum; and Easterhouse Henosis.

The public vote is now open

The public vote is now open (Image: Colin Mearns/Newsquest)

Last but most definitely not least, our Youth Champion contenders are EVIP The Listening Heart; Logan McGhee; Abbie McMahon; Aimee Love; Finn Mackie; and Keira Laidlaw.

Glasgow Times Editor Stacey Mullen said: “The groups and individuals in the running for this year’s awards are fantastic and have given us one of our strongest line-ups ever.

“Every year, we are blown away by the incredible work happening around the city, by people who deserve so much more recognition than they are given.”

She added: “Now it is time to get voting, and to make sure your local heroes get their moment in the spotlight.”

George Reader, Centre Director at St Enoch Centre added: “St. Enoch Centre is proud to be sponsoring the 17th annual Glasgow Times Community Champion Awards, which honour the unsung heroes improving lives around the city every day.

“These wards truly are a celebration of the many selfless, hard-working people who make up Glasgow, and who so often go unrecognised. We’re looking forward to applauding all the nominees and hearing their unique stories.”