The awards, introduced last year to recognise excellence in the public and voluntary sectors, are presented by The Herald in association with the Big Lottery Fund in Scotland.

It was another challenging year for our panel of distinguished judges, who nevertheless whittled down an initial entry of several hundred to just 33 outstanding candidates for the 12 categories up for grabs.

Announcing the shortlist, Dharmendra Kanani, director for Scotland at the Big Lottery Fund, said: “This year’s entries reflect the commitment and energy of people and organisations across Scotland’s public and voluntary sector.

“I for one was humbled and inspired by the stories of these unsung heroes who are making good things happen in communities up and down the country.”

 

 

The shortlisted entries are:

Education Initiative of the Year

 

Caledonian Club at Glasgow Caledonian University , a scheme to introduce children as young as three to university by involving them and their families in exciting educational projects.

 

Heads Up, the Tullochan Trust. This charity provides a support service to at-risk young people encountering problems, such as bullying and truancy, at two West Dunbartonshire schools.

 

 

Transitions to Learning and Work, John Wheatley College. A programme designed to address problems faced by young people leaving care, using outdoor activities and stand-up comedy as well as vocational and citizenship courses.

 

 

Community Project of the Year

 

The Friends of King’s Park.  Neighbours and users of the Glasgow park mounted an imaginative campaign to reclaim it from anti-social behaviour and make it safe and attractive to the local community.

 

Little Haven Community Care Centre. This charity set up by two Lanark women who had both been diagnosed with breast cancer, provides information and support to thousands of people who suffer from life-limiting illnesses, on a shoestring budget.

 

Starter Packs Glasgow. A charity which primarily exists to provide furniture and other essential items to homeless households when they are offered a new tenancy, but which has expanded with a number of other interesting initiatives.

 

Health Provider of the Year

 

The Corner Young People’s Health project -- Integrated Health Services. A drop-in centre for young people in Dundee providing health information and a range of advice, the Corner has achieved impressive take-up from its key users -- local 11-18 year olds.

 

 

Culture & Sport Glasgow -- Active Health and Physical Activity Team. A team involving the NHS, Glasgow Housing Association, Paths for All, Sportscotland and Glasgow City Council delivers a spectrum of targeted programmes providing opportunities for therapeutic exercise and increased physical activity for men, women and children of all ages.

 

 

Family Matters Project (Renfrewshire Council). A joint initiative by Renfrewshire and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Family Matters reaches out to families with young children which are affected by a range of disadvantages such as parental addiction, poor mental health or learning disabilities. Service Provider of the Year (working with Under 24s) Sponsored by the Association of Directors of Social Work

 

Service provider of the year - working with under 24s

 

 

Action for Children, Youthbuild Programme. Shortlisted for the second year running, this scheme by a major charity operates in seven council areas to provide recognised training for young people from disadvantaged communities, in the construction industry.

 

 

Central College. Glasgow’s Central College addressed problems within a digital media and computing course designed for those with few or no qualifications by working with the Columba 1400 residential course on Skye to transform the prospects of students.

 

The Mungo Foundation Campus project. Unique in its aims, this entry is for the charity’s residential project dedicated to a very vulnerable group -- teenage asylum seekers who have come to Scotland unaccompanied by their parents or other adults.,/li>

 

 

Service Provider (working with over 65s)

 

 

The City of Edinburgh Council -- Home Care Re-ablement Service. A bid to cut long-term dependence on social support and transform home care in the city by helping elderly and disabled residents to recognise and value what they can manage for themselves, maximising their independence and quality of life.

 

 

Edinburgh Leisure -- Ageing Well. A project run by volunteers, all of whom are older than 50, to support and encourage other older people to led an active and healthy lifestyle.

 

 

Good Morning Project -- Good Morning Glasgow. A befriending scheme which supports elderly residents of the city and helps protect them from isolation, by the simple reassurance of a daily phone call.

 

 

Environmental Initiative of the Year

 

Coatbridge College -- Coatbridge College Nursery, Greenhouse Project. Nominated for using a range of approaches to encourage nursery children to become aware of recycling -- including a greenhouse made from recycled plastic bottles which has enabled participants to grow their own food from seed.

 

 

City Building (Glasgow) LLP -- Waste Handling Area. The arms-length company set up by Glasgow City Council has transformed its management of building waste, diverting tonnes of bricks, metal, timber and white goods into recycling schemes, which have also turned the net cost of disposal into a profit.

 

Viewforth Nursery -- Bob the Builder Project. This nursery also engaged children in recycling, by getting them to assess their building for wasted resources and engaging local parents, community groups and schools in their efforts.

 

 

Campaign of the Year, sponsored by EVH

 

Babies on Buses campaign, Edinburgh. This campaign saw mothers in the city successfully rise up against an obdurate bus company which reversed the previous policy of allowing pushchairs to use disabled spaces when they were not in use, without warning or consultation.

 

 

British Heart Foundation -- Scottish Campaign for Cardiac Rehabilitation. The charity set out to change the policy of the NHS by convincing decision makers of the need for rehabilitation schemes for all those who have heart conditions, rather than just a minority, and succeeded with new government targets set for 2010.

 

 

Collaboration Award sponsored by Improvement Service

 

Aberdeen College and Grampian Fire & Rescue. An unusual pairing saw these two organisations working together to adapt unused space in a number of fire stations to allow members of the public to take part in college courses closer to home.

 

 

Cr aig Owl Communities -- The Dundee Employability Pipeline. A series of cross-sector initiatives have streamlined work with unemployed people in Dundee, assisting 7000 plus with training and support and helping nearly 2000 people find jobs.

 

 

North Lanarkshire Council -- North Lanarkshire’s Working. In the face of the current economic crisis, this service has helped more than 1300 people back into employment through a collaborative approach involving at least a dozen agencies.

 

 

Outstanding Public Service Worker of the Year

 

Caroline Connor. Nominated for her work at Glasgow’s Battlefield Day Care Centre, and her personal commitment to the centre’s users -- elderly Glaswegians on the south side of the city.

 

Jean Robertson. Lottery/External funding Officer with Scottish Borders Council, she was nominated for her efforts to help numerous local groups access lifeline funding.

 

 

Outstanding Public Service Team of the Year, sponsored by Unison Scotland

 

Fife Council -- Fife Employability Team. Working with disabled people and employers, this social work service provides coordinated disability employment support to help local people find and keep jobs.

 

 

NHS Lothian -- Microbiology  Service. A major shift in the provision of testing services to other NHS settings involved staff adopting a new 24/7 shift system, cutting the time patients wait for test results.

 

Ward 202 -- Releasing Time to Care -- NHS Lothian. Using the principles of lean management, members of staff achieved significant benefits in terms of the time nurses and other NHS workers were able to spend on patient care.

 

Equalities Award, sponsored by Royal Mail

 

Angus Council -- Angus supported Employment. Social Work and Health teams worked with adults with learning disabilities to help remove barriers which were preventing them finding work, including jobs within the council itself.

 

 

Donaldson’s -- Transitions Project. Scotland’s national school for children affected by hearing loss, speech and language difficulties, is nominated for its work to overcome the many problems some pupils face on leaving school for the adult world.

 

 

Unsung Hero Award sponsored by the Big Lottery Fund in Scotland

 

Elizabeth Murphy. Nominated for more than 40 years of working with the Brownies and Guides, Elizabeth epitomises the often unrecognised efforts of the many people who commit themselves week in, week out  to the uniformed organisations.

 

Margaret Manning. Working for the National Autistic Society Scotland, Margaret has run the Parent to Parent Service, providing a listening ear to hundreds of families despite the pressures of caring for her autistic son.

 

Seamus Corry. A volunteer at Yorkhill Children’s Foundation, the charity which works to support the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow, Seamus was nominated for his tireless fundraising efforts.

 

 

Awards Evening:

The awards will be presented at a prestigious gala evening on October 28, 2009, at the Hilton Hotel in Glasgow. Tables and places are available. For information, contact Alison Martin on 0141 302 7410 or alison.martin@heraldandtimes.co.uk