‘ We will continue to fight to improve the lives of city families’

Reigning champ North Glasgow Community Food Initiative has gone

WANT to know what makes the North Glasgow Community Food Initiative so special?

Just ask the men, women and children who turn up at its workshops, food hubs, gardening sessions and fruit- and- veg- barras.

There’s the young volunteer, who has fought back from an addiction to drugs, who says helping out in the Milton Community Garden has helped him look more positively at life; the grateful parents, who say their children try different types of food after taking part in growing sessions; the new mum who learned what foods were better for her baby’s health; and the keen gardener, whose time on the allotment is helping him enjoy life again, after a rough spell of ill health.

Food poverty has taken hold in communities all over Glasgow. The NGCFI was set up in 2001 to help people struggling to get by on low incomes and it has grown into a respected support network for thousands of people in Mi l ton, Royston and Springburn.

The group’s fantastic work – they run fruit barras, cookery courses, gardening sessions and community events – impr e s s e d Gl a s g ow Community Champions judges last year and the team, led by manager Greig Sandilands, won the Health and Wellbeing Award in the North West heat.

The 2018 North West heat takes place very soon and the Evening Times and its partners – Glasgow City Council, Glasgow Community Planning Partnership, Scottish Fire and Rescue, Police Scotland, City Building and Glasgow Fort – are o n t h e h u n t f o r nominations.

If you know of a group like the NGCFI, or an individual who goes the extra mile for others, we want to hear about them.

We are looking for your nominations for the following categories – Team Award, Individual Award, Public Service Award, Uniformed Services Award, Senior Award, Young Award, Health and Wellbeing Award and Sports Award.

This heat covers the North West of the city, from Yoker and Yorkhill to Lambhill and Springburn and everywhere in between. This is the third heat of 2018 and the winners from all three will take part in the glittering grand final at the City Chambers in November.

The closing date for entries is Wednesday, August 15 and the event will take place on Tuesday, October 2.

You can enter via newsquestscotlandevents. com/ event s / g lasgowcommchamps or by calling Hannah Docherty on 0141 302 6037 or emailing hannah. docherty@ newsquest. co. uk

For Greig and the team