CLEAN GLASGOW ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVE

WINNER: LOVE MILTON

It was second time lucky for Love Milton, who were runners-up at the Streets Ahead awards in 2014.

“It’s fantastic to be part of Streets Ahead,” smiles spokesperson Hannah Buss. “The campaign has been very supportive of us and we’re excited to be involved.”

Love Milton has worked hard in the area in recent years, bringing to life a range of fantastic projects from outdoor classrooms at local schools to turning derelict land into attractive community spaces.

Their work has helped reduce flytipping and litter and encouraged people to take more of a pride in the area.

But its most recent project is its biggest and most impressive yet.

Hannah explains: “We want to equip local people with the skills to build the first ever environmental self-build community and training centre.

“We hope to build it on land behind local shops, and we have applied for £1m of funding to make it happen.”

Volunteer Karen O’Brien completed one of LoveMilton’s Building with Wood courses.

“I had never done anything like this before – I didn’t even know how to use a drill,” she says. “Coming to the course and learning new skills has been amazing. It’s really built up my confidence in lots of ways.”

RUNNERS-UP:

BIG GREEN FEET/ DUMBARTON ROAD CORRIDOR ENVIRONMENT TRUST

Big Green Feet is the first organisation in Scotland to collect waste from companies with customised cargo bikes.

The Giffnock-based group replaces environmentally-unfriendly lorries with the bikes, making streets safer and reducing carbon emissions.

Managing director Steve Taylor said: “We get businesses and communities working together, cut costs for restaurants and takeaways and help the environment. If other cities follow suit we think this could be a lasting legacy for communities all over the UK.”

Popular community group Dumbarton Road Corridor Environmental Trust have been working hard to improve local cycle paths and surrounding areas for the benefit of everyone.

Trust chairman Tam Munro said: “Our nomination is great, it’s all about the recognition. It’s also about the people that put the work in.

“Our group runs various projects encouraging people to recycle and we also work with school children as it’s important to educate them on this issue.”

BEST COMMUNITY GARDEN

WINNER: WOODLANDS COMMUNITY GARDEN

Since first winning a Streets Ahead award in 2012, Woodlands Community Garden has continued to make a huge impact on the lives of local residents.

Its latest approach to tackling food poverty is a community cafe which offers a ‘shared meal’ alternative to the support provided by traditional food banks.

“The food we serve is healthy, sourced locally and freshly often using produce grown in the garden,” smiles manager Tim Cowen.

“Around 2000 people have benefitted so far, and the feedback has been very positive.”

The meals are cooked by trained volunteers who also provide ‘front of house’ support.

Dörte Diestel, who is one of the volunteers, says: “It’s a fantastic project, which brings people together and helps them learn skills that we have somehow forgotten are important, like cooking and budgeting.

“In these times of austerity, those are skills we all need.”

The community cafe, which runs once a week, runs cookery classes and demonstrations.

“We are running a crowdfunding appeal for £15,000 to keep the project going when funding runs out at the end of June,” adds Tim.

“It’s become an important local resource.”

RUNNERS-UP: GARROWHILL GARDEN ESTATE COMMUNITY GROUP/GOVANHILL NEIGHBOURHOOD CENTRE INTEGRAL GARDEN

Govanhill Neighbourhood Centre Integral Garden, which runs gardening classes for families, are delighted to be part of Streets Ahead.

Children use the space as an outdoor classroom, and the group is helping to spread the message that healthy eating and healthy lifestyles benefit everyone.

Chairwoman Irene Gillies said: “It’s such a great achievement to be recognised for a well known award.”

“The space we have built is so easily accessible and has brought the community together.”

The dedicated volunteers of Garrowhill Garden Estate Community Group, led by Barrie Linning, continue to make the east end of the city a vibrant, beautiful place to live.

They have now created six vibrant garden areas on previously derelict and ignored spots, much to the delight of local businesses and residents.

Local resident Katrina Kirkpatrick said: “The changes this group has made have raised people’s expectations of what they should have around them and made them think about what they can contribute to making Garrowhill a better place to live.”