THE nominees in the crowded GESH Centre in Garthamlock spoke as one last night.

They said they were honoured to have been singled out for recognition.

And did it matter if they actually won a category?

Not in the least, they said.

Prior to the awards ceremony, hosted by Michelle McManus, the individuals and the organisations who had been put forward said they were just happy to be there.

Harry Cooper, chairman of the Gladiator Programme Magnificent Seven, a highly promising team of young champion weightlifters based in Easterhouse, and a contender for the Young Award, said: "This is a big night for us.

"The kids in the club are all under 14 and have put in so much work.

"They've come back from Austria with medals, they've broken all the schools championships records.

"It's amazing what they have achieved.

"They're young just now, but they'll be ready for the next Olympics."

Mary Dunn and Agnes Collins were nominees for the senior award.

Both are retired, and spend most of their time managing the Reidvale Neighbourhood Centre, looking after its cafe, attending community meetings and encouraging local people to enrol in the centre's classes.

Mary said: "It's nice to be recognised from our centre's point of view."

Among its many facilities is a community cafe with a learning kitchen for people with special needs, which has been boosted with the arrival of a new chef.

But the building needs money for its upkeep, and Mary and Agnes said the Community Champions nomination would help raise the project's profile.

"It's a privilege to be here, of course it is," said Walter Brown, of GEEAP - the Greater Easterhouse Alcohol Awareness Project, a nominee for the Health and Wellbeing Award.

A key part of GEEAP is The Sunday Social, a volunteer-run safe haven for adults recovering from alcohol and drug problems by involving them in alternative therapies, cooking sessions and leisure activities.

Walter added: "We're still in our infancy but we're pulling in between 50 and 60 clients every Sunday."

Equally pleased to be here was Margaret Simpson, chairperson of the Unity Lunch Club.

"Pleased, and surprised," she said with a smile.

"It did come as a shock," she added. "I mean, you just get on with life and think nothing of it."

The four-and-a-half-year-old Baillieston project was one of the hopefuls in the Senior Award category.

Collette Geddes, a committee member at Glasgow City Basketball Club, a nominee for the Sport Award said: "It's wonderful to be nominated.

"It's great for the players, and the volunteers. It's lovely just for volunteers to get recognition like this.

"It's not all about winning, at the end of the day - it's just about folk realising there is so much good work going on in the East End and all over the city."

Some nominees were surprised to be here.

"It was unexpected, to say the least," said John Riach, one of the contenders for the Public Service award.

By day, John is a handyman with the GHA.

By night, he tirelessly organises charity events and has raised thousands of pounds for charities.

He added: "I actually thought it was a wind-up at first until the GHA phoned me and said I'd been nominated.

"That was when the penny dropped, and I thought - this is for real. It's nice to be recognised.

"I don't do it to be recognised. If I don't win, I don't win."

That same humble story was the theme of the night.