We need you to tell us about the dedicated individuals and groups whose season of goodwill extends beyond Christmas.

The latest stage of the Glasgow Community Champion Awards launches in the Pollokshields and southside central area today.

The success of the initiative -- a partnership between Strathclyde Police, Strathclyde Fire & Rescue, Glasgow City Council, Glasgow Community Planning Partnership and the Evening Times -- relies on you telling us about the ordinary people who make an extraordinary mark on their area.

So don’t delay -- fill out a nomination form today by visiting our website, or we can post you out a hard copy.

This is the third of 10 stages in our hunt for unsung heroes. The southside search area covers Greater Gorbals, Govanhill, Pollokshields, Strathbungo, Shawlands and Toryglen.

There are six categories in the awards. We’re looking for Individual nominees who give up their free time to help others; Teams who make communities a better place to live; Individuals or Teams working in the public sector who regularly go beyond the call of duty; plus dedicated individuals aged under 18 for our Young Community Champion; and those aged over 60 for our Senior Community Champion Award.

The deadline for receipt of entries is Friday, January 8. Everyone is invited along to the gala awards ceremony at the St Francis Centre on Cumberland Street in the Gorbals on Thursday, January 21, to meet the shortlisted nominees and representatives from the awards partners.

All 60 winners from across the city will be invited to a gala grand final next Autumn.

Today we’ve picked out just three examples of people doing remarkable work.

 

BRIDGING THE GAP: Making a difference on the south side and beyond

ONE Gorbals project is all about bringing people closer together -- and Bridging The Gap certainly lived up to its name yesterday when around 250 people turned out for its Christmas party.

The organisation throws open its doors to people from the south side and beyond, helping break down barriers between asylum seekers, those from minority ethnic groups and the wider community.

Its five staff and 12 volunteers offered support and advice to residents affected by the recent fatal tower block fire in Waddell Court.

Established in 1998 as a church-led movement involving Gorbals Parish Church and the Blessed John Duns Scotus Roman Catholic Church, the work of Bridging the Gap has two main objectives.

Acting under the motto “Small steps, big successes”, the first strand of its work helps around 180 of Glasgow’s newest families make the most of life in the city through drop-in workshops, women’s groups, bingo, storytelling and drumming tuition held at the St Francis church hall.

The second strand is dedicated to helping 240 primary school pupils make a smooth transition into secondary education.

Its Go 4 It programme is a 20-week course in which S4 pupils from Holyrood Secondary and Shawlands Academy are paired with P7 pupils of the seven feeder primary schools in the area.

The secondary school students are also taken on a team-building weekend in Northern Ireland, while all pupils attend the annual prize-giving ceremony at Hampden Park.

Project co-ordinator Tricia McConalogue, who was a finalist in the Neighbour category of last year’s Glasgow Community Champion Awards in the Langside and Linn area, said: “The teachers have told us that they can see a difference in kids who have made that transition through our project and how much more confident they are.

“We want to make a more cohesive community. If you want full integration then you have to work with the whole community.”

 

HUMA ABASSI: Huma helps pupils step out for fun

WHEN Shawlands Academy appointed a new clerical assistant more than four years ago, it set in motion a chain of events that would take pupils on stages all over the city.

Huma Abbasi, right, is a qualified fitness and street dance instructor who founded the Shawlands Academy Dance Group in January 2007.

For the last three years, the single mum has coached hundreds of pupils aged 12-18 through routines and dozens of gala performances.

Her voluntary work involves leading after-school rehearsals three times a week, in addition to organising regular weekend showcases.

They performed in Winterfest in George Square on Saturday, staged a tribute to Michael Jackson in the school last week, staged performances at the Southside Festival in May, and were called upon to showcase their skills at a HM Inspectorate of Education event at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in November.

The group, whose members come from a rich multicultural background, learn street dance routines with a hint of Latin and Bhangra influences.

Huma, who has danced since she was five, and whose son Ali, 9, regularly attends rehearsals, is contracted part-time to teach dance to children from primary schools in the catchment area.

She said: “I have never seen such a diverse group of kids -- it is great to see them up there and with that confidence.

“It is about helping each other out and sticking up for each other - dance unites people and brings them together.

“It takes up a large part of my life, but seeing something that has been in my head and seeing these kids perform it makes me so proud. Although it is voluntary, the satisfaction is amazing. I can’t put it into words.”

Huma is preparing a final showcase for the troupe in late-January, before she moves to Luton to be nearer her partner and take up a job coaching dance to schoolchildren.

 

THE HIDDEN GARDENS: All is rosy in the Hidden Gardens

THE staff and volunteers at a tranquil Pollokshields haven are toasting their success after ­securing almost £50,000 for development.

The Hidden Gardens, located behind the Tramway arts venue, was last week announced as the only Scottish project in 15 UK initiatives to benefit from proceeds of M&S carrier bag sales.

The project will receive £24,000 to allow it to develop a demonstration hub for families and a wildlife habitat. The grant from M&S will be match-funded by a group of grant-making bodies including Veolia Environmental Trust and Abbey National.

The demonstration hub will host regular workshops on topics such as how to compost at home, recycling, and growing fresh fruit and veg. The money will also fund a part-time position for an environmental artist to engage with the local community.

Around 20 volunteers regularly work in the gardens, which were created in 2003 by environmental arts organisation NVA. The gardens became an independent charity in 2005.

Some volunteers, many of whom have mental health issues or are long-term unemployed, participate through its Task Force therapeutic gardening programme, while others with a keen interest in gardening participate through its Green Fingers programme.

Overall operating costs of around £250,000 a year are met by funding from bodies including Culture and Sport Glasgow and the Big Lottery Fund.

Director Amanda Patterson said: “We wanted to create a safe space that local people could use.

“We’ve deliberately not put a lot of signage or history about the project in the garden - people come and experience it for themselves.”

 

HOW TO ENTER

CALL 0141 302 7319 for an entry form, or apply on this website by clicking on the Communities tab on the homepage. You can request a form by post by writing to: Glasgow Community Champion Awards, Evening Times, 200 Renfield Street, Glasgow, G2 3QB.

Forms will also be available over the coming weeks from local police and fire stations, council offices and libraries.

Any nominations received for outside the Pollokshields and Southside Central area will be kept on file until the relevant month.