Take a bow .. the people who put others first and make our region a top place to live
People who dedicate their lives to others, raise thousands of pounds for charity and support vulnerable children were celebrated at the Provost’s Community Awards.
Provost Lorraine Cameron was joined by comperè Jed McCabe to highlight the achievements of devoted community members who go above and beyond to make Renfrewshire a better place to live.
The award winners were invited to a special ceremony at the Normandy Hotel after being chosen from outstanding nominations submitted by their peers.
On the night guests were entertained by young people from Starlight Youth Music Theatre.
The Arts and Culture Award (sponsored by Renfrewshire Council) was presented to Caroline Gormley.
Caroline believes that art is for everyone and has spent the past six years helping people of all ages realise their artistic potential.
Together with partner Sandy Guy, she opened Made in Paisley in 2018, building on the momentum gained from Paisley’s bid for UK City of Culture.
The recipient of this year’s Community Group Award (sponsored by City Gate Construction) was Youth Interventions - a young people and family focused wellbeing centre based in Linwood.
As part of their support services, Youth Interventions offer two community groups each week, providing a safe space for young people to hang out, make friends, and be themselves without the risk of judgement.
The Community Volunteer Award (sponsored by Glasgow Airport Ltd) was won by Ronnie Brown.
Ronnie, who recently retired from a lifetime of service to others, is a household name in Lochwinnoch. He became involved with the 1st Lochwinnoch Boys’ Brigade as a boy, before continuing
to serve as an officer in the company for over 60 years – more than half of the company’s existence.
His services to the community however were not limited to the BB, as Ronnie was regularly seen collecting sponsorship money from local residents and businesses as he ran marathons and half marathons for various charities over the years.
Ronnie has sadly had to retire from his volunteering duties but continues to pay visits to the village and to the Boys Brigade whenever his health allows.
Louise Dempsey was the recipient of the Employee of the Year Award (sponsored by Unison Renfrewshire).
Louise founded Youth Interventions in 2013 after realising there was a gap in mental and emotional support services for local families and was nominated by the charity’s board of trustees.
As a single mum, Louise juggled her home life, studying and everything that comes with launching a new charity to ensure it would be built with the best knowledge and care.
The Sports Award (sponsored by Acre Industrial Services Ltd) was presented to Nicole Perry.
Nicole took up cycling during lockdown to help her mental health and allow her to make the most of the time allowed outdoors. She never imagined that a year and a half later she would be cycling the full Tour de France route as part of Cure Leukaemia’s Tour 21 Challenge.
Through support from friends, family, local residents and businesses Nicole was able to raise £34,000 for Cure Leukaemia, a charity very close to her heart.
Provost Cameron told the Express: “There’s so much fantastic work going on throughout Renfrewshire and the community awards are a great opportunity to celebrate those who continue to go above and beyond without looking for reward or recognition.
“The winners were nominated by their own communities and it’s an honour to reward them for their dedication and commitment.
“This year it was my honour to introduce a new award – the Provost’s Award for Outstanding Achievement. I love reading the nominations that come in every year and wanted to select one winner across all award categories that really stood out. I hope this will become a tradition that future provosts will also follow.
“Congratulations to all our winners, your hard work does not go unnoticed.”
Team Up to Clean Up were the lucky winners of the Provost’s Award. Since launching in 2017, the campaign has gone from strength to strength, growing an online community of over 5,000 members and over 1,700 volunteers of all ages who regularly take part in litter picks in their local area.
Team Up to Clean Up also work with local secondary schools to encourage behavioural change in pupils when it comes to lunchtime litter, and speak to primary school pupils about the environment, recognising that youngsters are key to long term sustainable change.