WHO should be crowned Glasgow Community Champions for 2019?
The public vote to determine the winners of the regional heats kicks off on Thursday – so it is time to get behind your favourite.
The Evening Times awards, in association with Glasgow Fort and supported by our other partners Glasgow City Council, Glasgow Community Planning Partnership, Glasgow Housing Association and Trades House of Glasgow, celebrates everything that is great about the city and its people.
This year, for the first time in the long-running event’s history, Evening Times readers will determine who triumphs in each category in the north west, north east and south of the city.
Over the last two days, we have announced the finalists for the Team, Individual, Public Service, Uniformed Services, Senior and Young categories. Today, meet the finalists in the remaining three categories – Health and Wellbeing, Sport and, new for 2019, Teacher of the Year.
On Thursday, all details of how to vote will be revealed. The winners will go through to the Grand Final at the City Chambers on December 6.
The Health and Wellbeing Award finalists for the north west are Baby Loss Retreat, which supports families who have suffered stillbirth or neonatal death; the Coach House Trust’s Community Garden Team; Just Like Us mental health project at Love Milton; and Shakespeare Street Youth Club’s Health and Wellbeing Group for young people.
The four contenders in the south are Home-Start Glasgow South, which supports vulnerable families; Lauren Tonner and Natalie Stevenson from Glasgow South PANDAS support group which helps parents suffering from mental health illnesses; On the Ball, which encourages football grounds to supply free sanitary products; and PDA Goes Green from Pollokshields Development Agency, which runs a community fridge to help beat food poverty.
The Sports Award finalists in the north west are James Davidson, dedicated coach at Drumchapel united under-11s girls team; Robert Sinclair of Glasgow Eagles; and the West End Road Runners, one of the fastest-growing road running clubs in the UK.
In the north east, Glasgow Disability Badminton Club, Red Star Athletics, dedicated Active East volunteer Ryan McAulay and Wheelchair Rugby 7s will battle it out for the title; and the contenders in the south are Alan Bigham of Glasgow Tigers Youth Team, hardworking active schools co-ordinator Alan Donaldson, John Gibson of John Gibson Goalkeeping Academy and St Brigid’s Primary, who have transformed attitudes to sport and physical activity within the school and community.
The three city-wide contenders for the Teacher of the Year award are Craig Hayworth of King’s Park Secondary School, Frank McArdle of St Roch’s Ceili band and Harriet Ward of Lingo Flamingo. Maths teacher Frank has taught and inspired generations of young musicians over the last 40 years; Craig is a driving force behind giving young people who may not otherwise have the chance to access a range of activities; and Harriet is a dedicated volunteer who has inspired many to learn a new language.