IT’S been a fantastic year for Baltic Street Adventure Playground.

Since winning the North East Team Award in last year’s Community Champions series, the project has gone from strength to strength.

And project co-ordinator Robert Kennedy believes their triumph in our popular awards programme played an important part in their success.

“Winning the Community Champions award was massive for us,” smiles Robert, who has been involved with the playground since it launched in 2013.

“We know how much these awards mean to local people – it’s the big one to win if you work in your local community.

“You know if you win one, then you’re doing a good job.”

There are just a few hours left to get your nominations in for the North East heat of the 2017 Community Champions awards, run in partnership with Glasgow City Council, Glasgow Community Planning Partnership, Glasgow Housing Association, Scottish Fire and Rescue and Police Scotland.

We want to hear your nominations for the following categories - Team Award, Individual Award, Public Services Award, Uniformed Services Award, Senior Award, Young Award, Health and Wellbeing Award and Sports Award.

The first heat covers the north east of the city, from

We will reveal the shortlisted groups in next week’s Evening Times and the winners will be announced on March 30.

Robert adds: “We were really proud to win and to get the chance to go to the City Chambers for the grand final was amazing.

“It’s also a fantastic way of showing the volunteers and the staff that this is the kind of thing that can happen when you work hard to make a difference to local people’s lives.”

Baltic Street Adventure Playground has made an enormous impact on the lives of children and families in the east end of Glasgow since it first opened in 2013.

Robert explains: “It used to be a derelict bit of land, and there were plans to build a statue on it as part of the Commonwealth Games Legacy programme.

“But when the arts organisations commissioned to do the statue came to see the space, they realised that to make way for the Games, plenty of play facilities had been demolished and there was really nothing left for kids in the area.”

He adds: “So they decided to build a playpark instead.”

This is no ordinary playpark, of course.

There are plank swings and tree houses, dens and tunnels and a large sand pit – but there’s also a water pump and splash pool, a vegetable garden, a fruit patch and a campfire.

There are kids aplenty – but there are also adults, on hand to keep the kids safe, help with cooking on the fire and guide them in their own play projects.

This is Scotland’s only supervised adventure playground, free for kids between the ages of six and 12, and younger children are welcome with parents or carers.

The children are in charge, and get involved in everything from the day-to-day management of the park to its ongoing development.

It was designed and built – with plenty of local input – by art and architecture collective Assemble (who won the 2015 Turner Prize) and arts organisation Create, supported with funding by Glasgow City Council, Clyde Gateway Development Corporation and Creative Scotland.

Our community champions partners Glasgow Housing Association have also supported the playground over the years.

Last year, it celebrated landing its first core funding from Big Lottery, as Robert explains.

“We received £150,000 over two years, which makes a huge difference as we can now make longer-term plans - previously, it was hard, going from project to project,” he says.

“This gives us and the children a guarantee that the playpark will continue to be here for the foreseeable future and that’s a great relief.”

Robert says the playground’s ethos, of being ‘child-led’ has had huge benefits for local young people.

“The best way to change a community is to help that community – give them jobs, make them proud of where they live,” says Robert.

“The kids love being connected to artists like Assemble and Glasgow School of Art. We’ve now got kids round here wanting to be architects.

“It’s not just a play park, it’s a community project that’s opening the eyes of the kids to what else is out there.

“The kids get involved in all kinds of things – not just the design of the park but the hands-on construction involved sometimes too, so they’re learning new skills.

“In generations past, you did what your dad did, or what your mum did. We want to show them there’s a big wide world out there.”

Since we launched the Evening Times Community Champions Awards 10 years ago, we have rewarded more than 350 groups and individuals from across the city.

Let us know if someone you know has made a difference by caring for others, campaigning for better services, or simply making life better for all around them.

You can enter via the website www.newsquestscotlandevents.com or email heather. steven@newsquest.co.uk. For more information call 0141 302 6018.