On 18 December, Hilton Glasgow played host to the Community Giant Awards, a red carpet event to celebrate the champions within our communities who are often not properly recognised or celebrated. Thirty awards, ranging from “Care Worker of the Year” to “Sporting Hero”, were presented during the ceremony, which also featured reality stars Vangelis from The Voice, Caitlyn from X Factor and Z & Saffire from Britain’s Got Talent.
Among the recipients of awards were Salha Kaitesi, who won the Inspiring Woman Award for her work as a social entrepreneur. She manages two projects – Beauty of Rwanda, a not-for-profit organisation that economically empowers women and girls in Rwanda, and ElleAfrique, a blogzine dedicated to challenging the perceptions of African girls and women in the world today.
Volunteer of the Year was presented to Catherine Hughes who has been campaigning for over a decade to help secure the future of the NHS Centre for Integrative Care with the aim of improving access to holistic care for patients with a variety of chronic complex conditions. The nursing team from that hospital were also recognised in their own right with the Outstanding Nurse Award. “Their approach and ethos is quite different from that experienced elsewhere in the NHS, as patients are certainly not allowed to languish by their bed,” it was said of their nomination. “Group work sessions and also peer support help patients to engage and become more proactive and motivated in their own healthcare.”
Meanwhile, the Rev. Ralph Dunn, the recently retired minister of Wilson Memorial Church in Portobello, won the Lifetime Achievement Awards for his long years of service, during which he opened a food bank, and helped by feeding strangers to get them back on their feet.
A full list of Community Giants winners can be found here. The Wee Review congratulates them all and applauds their work in the community.