AWARDS ROUND-UP

BEST CLEAN-UP CAMPAIGN:

WINNER: SOUTHERN NECROPOLIS ACTION GROUP

It was second-time lucky for the Southern Necropolis Action Group, the hardy volunteers who have transformed a run-down cemetery into an educational, historical and ecological hotspot for the city.

The group, run by Colin and Elsie Mackie, were runners-up in last year’s Streets Ahead awards, so they were over the moon to claim the top prize this time.

“We are chuffed to bits,” beamed Colin, whose passion for restoring the graveyard to its former glory goes back to his schooldays, when he was inspired by a teacher to find out more about the place and its celebrated inhabitants.

The Southern Necropolis is the resting place for a raft of Glasgow dignitaries such as grocery giant Thomas Lipton and architect Alexander Greek Thompson but before SNAG got involved, it was overgrown and run down.

What started out as an occasional clean-up to cut back ivy and clear paths is now an acclaimed community project.

Thanks to the hardworking group’s superb efforts, the cemetery is back on the map as an important heritage venue and a cleaner, safer and more welcoming place to visit.

Colin explained: “As well as the weekly litter picks, we produced a Heritage Trail leaflet, secured funding for new lighting at the Gatehouse entrance, ran family events such as a Halloween Tour and Easter Egg Hunt and installed new seating and planters.

“The Southern Necropolis was originally opened in 1840 and laid out as a ‘garden cemetery’ with the purpose of encouraging families to visit the graves of their loved ones and appreciate the area as a ‘green space’ for the benefit of their health and wellbeing.”

Colin added: “This ‘green space’ idea is what we are trying to promote, and that’s what Streets Ahead is all about too, so it’s fantastic to be recognised by the campaign.”

RUNNER-UP: FRIENDS OF MARYHILL PARK

They are the ‘parkies’ of the 21st century, a dedicated band of volunteers who give up Sunday afternoons to take care of a much-loved local resource.

Over the last two and a half years, Friends of Maryhill Park have transformed a once run-down, neglected park into a popular community hub.

Volunteer Neil Hutton explained: “It’s been very rewarding to see people using the park, and hearing so many people tell us we have made a difference.”

The volunteers have improved drainage to prevent puddles and ice, have built a bog garden and started work on a community garden, planting beds to attract sparrows, creating a frog pond, planting fruit trees and restoring benches.

They have cut back overgrown shrubbery and regularly clear away litter and have long-term plans to develop the park’s old tennis courts and bowling greens.

Neil added: “The days of the ‘parkie’ are probably over, but we try to do what we can to get people using our park more often.”

RUNNER-UP: SCOTTISH WATERWAYS TRUST AND GLASGOW SCIENCE FESTIVAL

The problem of littering along the 250-year-old Forth and Clyde Canal was tackled with gusto by a team from Glasgow Science Festival working in conjunction with the Scottish Waterways Trust.

Around 90 schoolchildren, 40 community volunteers and three local businesses became ‘citizen scientists’ as part of the Cleaner Canals Science project, which saw them armed with buckets, bags, measuring tapes and scales, gathering information on the water.

A total of 620 pieces of litter were collected, transforming stretches of the canal, and the project created a floating laboratory to help everyone understand the harmful effects of careless littering on the wildlife and eco-system of the canals.

Rose Henderson, of Scottish Waterways Trust, explained: “The project was fantastic, helping communities take pride in their surrounding greenspace and teaching people about the importance of caring for the canals and the problems littering creates for wildlife and the environment.”

BEST SCHOOL RUNNERS-UP: ST STEPHEN’S PRIMARY AND JOHN PAUL 11 PRIMARY HEALTH HAWKS

The pupils of St Stephen’s Primary in Sighthill know a thing or two about planting – and poetry.

In collaboration with Greyfriars Garden, which was a runner-up in our Community Garden category, the children created poems for the city’s festival of architecture and transferred them onto materials such as bark, stone and wood slices which were then displayed around the space.

Principal teacher Janie McGraw explained: “Our main motivation was to encourage the kids to be interested in the garden and to really think about nature all around them.

“It was lovely to add a touch of soul and beauty to the garden – the poems will forever be a part of the place and will hopefully encourage more people to visit and find them.”

The children worked closely with the gardeners at Greyfriars, and have been inspired to grow their own plants, fruit and vegetables at school.

“It was really amazing, showing young and older people working together and continuing the education of gardening and growing for the children,” added Janie.

John Paul II Primary in Castlemilk won a Streets Ahead Award in 2012 and since then have continued to make a dramatic impact on their own surroundings and the local environment.

Depute head teacher Tony Donaghy is delighted the school’s Health Hawks team are runners-up in this year’s awards.

“The children are leading the way promoting sustainable futures by organising litter picks, recycling, planting and more,” he said.

“The Health Hawks organise a health week, link up with the school’s Junior Road Safety Officers to promote road safety and work with local groups like Castlemilk Stress Centre and Castlemilk Family Day Group.

“They have organised a Santa Fun Run for the last eight years raising £2300 for charity and helped produce a booklet and DVD highlighting all the good things about Castlemilk.”

He added: “Their work has helped create a cleaner, more pleasant environment and nurtured a sense of community pride.”