Renfrewshire’s inspiring community members honoured

Renfrewshire has honoured dedicated groups and volunteers for their work in the community as the Provost’s Community Awards took place this weekend.

Renfrewshire’s Provost Lorraine Cameron was joined by comperè Gina McKie to help celebrate the achievements of devoted community members who give their all to make Renfrewshire a better place to live.

The awards categories were split across six categories this year and included an inaugural Arts and Culture award, introduced to recognise the incredible cultural resurgence in the area in recent times.

The award winners were invited to a special ceremony at the Glynhill Hotel in Renfrew after being chosen from more than 70 outstanding nominations submitted by their peers in the local community.

Preceding the presentation of the awards, were the Paisley Opera Chorus who put on a breathtaking performance in both English and Italian for the invited guests in attendance.

The recipients of this year’s awards were:

Arts and Culture (sponsored by Renfrewshire Council) – Evelyn Laurie

Carer’s Award (sponsored by former Provost Nancy Allison) – Ruairidh Clark

Community Group (sponsored by the Piazza Shopping Centre, Paisley) – Renfrewshire Foodbank

Community Volunteer (sponsored by Glasgow Airport Ltd) – Margaret Mullen

Employer of the Year (sponsored by UNISON Renfrewshire) – RAMH

Sporting Achievement (sponsored by Acre Industrial Services Ltd) – Mark Fulton

Provost Cameron said: “This is my first Community Awards in my role as Provost and I feel privileged to be able to present these awards to the fantastic community members who were chosen as the winners.

“The standard of nominations, as with all years, was unbelievably high and it is heartening to see how much good work is going on within our communities, often unrecognised.

“These awards afford the opportunity to honour those people and groups who go above and beyond the call of duty without expecting anything in return.

“Each winner was completely deserving of their award and I hope they can inspire the rest of Renfrewshire to be the best community member they can be.”

The Provost’s Community Awards were first established in 1997 by former Provost Nancy Allison, who continues to sponsor the Carers Award today.

The awards have been continued by each subsequent Provost and have recognised more than 100 deserving community members for their commitment and devotion.

For more information on the Provost’s Community Awards, visit www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/provostawards.