Inspiring members of the Renfrewshire community were honoured as the 20th Provost’s Community Awards took place.
Renfrewshire’s Provost Anne Hall was joined by compère Gina McKie to help celebrate the achievements of local community members who go above and beyond the call of duty to make Renfrewshire a better place.
Over 80 outstanding nominations were collected across five categories before a judging panel came together to choose the winners.
They, along with an invited guest and their nominator, were invited to a special ceremony held at the Normandy Hotel in Renfrew.
This year’s winners were:
- Sporting Achievement (sponsored by Acre Industrial Services)– Jackie Turley (Paisley Pirates)
- Community Volunteer (sponsored by Glasgow Airport Ltd)– Jake Fulton (Houston Litter Crew)
- Community Group (sponsored by Piazza shopping centre, Paisley)– Sma’ Shot Cottages Volunteers
- Carer’s Award (sponsored by former Provost Nancy Allison)– Samantha Webster
- Employer of the Year (sponsored by Council Leader Mark Macmillan)– City Gate Construction
The prestigious Freedom of Renfrewshire was also awarded- for only the fifth time- to the 102 Field Squadron for their service to the area as they celebrate their 50th anniversary this year.
The Squadron are a support arm to the Armed Forces both at home and abroad and have been a valuable resource for the Renfrewshire community. They helped rescue residents from their homes during the extreme flooding in Paisley in 1994 while they have also provided reserves to operations abroad in Iraq, Afghanistan and Cyprus.
Other recipients of the award include Finding Your Feet founder Corinne Hutton, sculptor Sandy Stoddart, Charleston Drummer Tony Lawler and the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland.
The awards ceremony also recognised the achievements of fourteen outstanding members of the community through the awarding of the Provost’s Distinction Certificates.
The certificates were awarded to James Goodfellow, George Gaughan, Tommy McShane, Joan Morris, Alice Robb, Mary McArthur, Gordon Powrie, Liam Farrell, Jim Smith, David Rowand, Jennie Durward, Gordon Anderson, Paul Cardona and Tommy McGrory.
Provost Hall said: “This will be my final Community Awards and I feel privileged to have been able to recognise so many outstanding members of our community during this time.
“We are fortunate to have a community in Renfrewshire who are so willing to be selfless and work together to make this area a wonderful place to live.
“My congratulations go to all our award winners and they have deservedly been recognised for their work within the community.
“I must give a special mention to the 102 Field Squadron who have served Renfrewshire for over 50 years and fully merit receiving the highest possible civic honour.”
Employer of the Year (sponsored by Council Leader Mark MacMillan) – CGC
City Gate Construction (CGC) employ a total staff of 123 and place a great emphasis on recruiting from Renfrewshire. They currently employ 8 apprentices who will learn their trade with the company and most have stayed on permanently after the end of their apprenticeship. The company works with a number of different charities and local organisations to further their philosophy of social justice. They have also put their support behind Paisley’s bid for UK City of Culture 2021 for the advancement of the area as a whole.
Sporting Achievement (sponsored by Acre Industrial and Cleaning Services) – Jackie Turley
The Paisley Pirates are run by the Turley family with Jackie undertaking the day-to-day running of the club and off-ice activities while son Iain is the player/manager- with all family members playing some role within the club. The Pirates have been transformed into a not-for-profit club and rely on sponsorship and donations to survive. Despite this the club have achieved continued success winning the Scottish Cup and the league on numerous occasions in recent years- including this year.
Community Volunteer (sponsored by Glasgow Airport Ltd) – Jake Fulton
Jake was nominated for his work creating the Houston Litter Crew who are cleaing the streets of Renfrewshire as a community. He was a part of a similar project in his home town of Maybole, but since moving to Houston he has inspired a large number of people to come together and make the area a nicer place to live. He, and the group, have collected over 720 bags of litter across his years in the village but he has managed to inspire a real sense of community pride, cohesion and spirit which has been of real benefit to the area.
Community Group (sponsored by Piazza shopping centre, Paisley) – Sma’ Shot Cottages
The Sma’ Shot Cottages are 19th century weavers cottages which have been returned to their original state, furnished in a traditional manner and opened as a free museum during the summer months.
The volunteers at the Sma’ Shot Cottages give their time and service in many ways. During their open season (Apr-Sep), several volunteers act as tour guides and give visitors tours of the cottages. An insight into the lives of 19th century weavers is given as well a chance to see an array of artefacts from Renfrewshire’s history. The volunteers help preserve Paisley and Renfrewshire’s culture and they are activiely supporting Paisley’s bid for UK City of Culture. Without the volunteers the cottages would fall into disrepair and the area would lose one of its historical gems.
Carer’s Award (sponsored by former Provost Nancy Allison) – Samantha Webster
Samantha has been a carer for her mum since she was 12 years old and in her first year at high school. Her mum was involved in a car accident and now faces severe mobility issues and often uses a wheelchair to get around. Following her traumatic injury it was recommended that Samantha and her sister would be better in foster care but the family pulled together and have remained a tight unit. Samantha has been involved with the Renfrewshire Carers Centre and has been a part of helping older carers with modern technology and has also looked after younger carers at the centre.
