THE spotlight is about to fall on the groups and individuals who make our lives better. The latest stage of the Glasgow Community Champions Awards takes place tomorrow night at Partick Burgh Halls.

THE spotlight is about to fall on the groups and individuals who make our lives better. The latest stage of the Glasgow Community Champions Awards takes place tomorrow night at Partick Burgh Halls.

And since we launched this latest round of the Glasgow-wide search of local heroes our email inbox and postbag has been flooded with nominations.

Today we can reveal the names of those groups and individuals shortlisted in the west and central areas.

Everyone is welcome to come along and meet the nominees and awards partners over food and drink at thes gala event from 6pm.

The judging panel was made up of representatives from the award partners, including Jack Stuart of Glasgow Community Planning Partnership, councillor Gordon Matheson of Glasgow City Council, Tony Waters from Strathclyde Fire and Rescue, Superintendent Tony Keddie of Strathclyde Police and Evening Times' assistant editor Graeme Smith.

All 60 winners from each of the 10 city areas will be invited to a gala final at the City Chambers in October, where the Community Champions will be crowned.

INDIVIDUAL AWARD

Three campaigning citizens have made the shortlist of the Individual category.

Great-grandmother MARGARET HAMILTON is chairwoman and one of the founders of the Glasgow West Credit Union, working for a decade to ensure residents of Whiteinch get a fair financial deal.

MARGARET KHAN is chairwoman of the Garnethill Community Council and Garnethill Multicultural Centre. She organises clean-ups, pensioners' Christmas parties and worked to ensure the Garnethill community park was enhanced with new lighting and a restored water feature.

Despite his own health problems, DONALD URQUHART is an active campaigner in housing and social issues affecting the Drygate area.

He campaigned for CCTV cameras and arranged for residents to take over management of green spaces.

TEAM AWARD

THE COACH HOUSE TRUST is a community garden project which offers help to those with mental health, addiction or learning issues.

THE SAN JAI CHINESE FAMILY PROJECT was established in 1985 to provide a cultural hub for families from the city's Chinese communities.

The young patients of Yorkhill Hospital for Sick Children have a listening ear and a friendly voice in the volunteers at RADIO LOLLIPOP.

PUBLIC SERVICE INDIVIDUAL AWARD

Even in retirement, JOHN CAMPBELL is still the towering giant of basketball at Hillhead High School.

The former English teacher trains more than 50 pupils four times a week and even drives the minibus.

NICOLA McANDREW co-ordinates a modern apprenticeship training scheme for young people without the required academic qualifications to take a first step on the ladder to joining Strathclyde Fire and Rescue.

Elderly and disabled residents from black and ethnic minorities backgrounds have a community champion in RAMZAN SHAH.

The 51-year-old from Giffnock founded ASRA - meaning support or protection - in 1998 to provide a day centre to challenge social exclusion.

Some of the shortlisted individuals and groups
Mark Harvey, James Galbraith, Roddy McFarlane, Poppy Gibson and Ingrid Gurevitch of Coach House Trust	The rest of the helpers at Radio Lollipop	Margaret Khan at the Garnethill park	Youth Voices Nefertari Robertson, Wilma Mather, Chris Cameron, Alison Cloudsley	Nicola McAndrew with fire cadets

PUBLIC SERVICE TEAM AWARD

THE LAW CLINIC at the University of Strathclyde offers free legal advice and representation to those who don't qualify for legal aid but cannot afford professional fees.

The committee, staff and volunteers of GLASGOW OLD PEOPLE'S WELFARE ASSOCIATION (GOPWA) recently celebrated 60 years of helping the city's elderly population.

Operated from offices at Sandyford Place, it has four day centres.

The team at social enterprise body SCOTCASH have a mission to save Glasgow citizens £29 million in interest payments in next 20 years. Launched in January 2007, and a joint initiative between Glasgow Housing Association, Glasgow City Council and Communities Scotland, it provides affordable loans and bank accounts.

NEIGHBOUR AWARD

As one of the first residents of Townhead's high-rise blocks 40 years ago, BETTY DOUGAN began her community work with late husband Christopher by helping found a tenants' association.

Betty, 64, works to improve the lives of tenants as vice-chairwoman of the Compass Local Housing Organisation and the Estate Action Group.

VERONICA LOW was instrumental in encouraging residents of Drygate to take part in an Oral History Project.

GEORGE FRASER takes an active role in local health, social and housing issues. The Dundasvale resident is on the committee of the Queens Cross Local Housing Organisation and chairman of the Dundasvale LHO.

YOUNG COMMUNITY CHAMPION AWARD

The HILLHEAD HIGH SCHOOL CHARITIES COMMITEE has raised more than £8000 for charity in the last academic year.

The nine members organise charity events to raise money for Children in Need, Glasgow Old People's Welfare Association, Breast Cancer Care Scotland and Cash For Kids.

After losing a school friend to epilepsy two years ago, the FIFTH YEAR PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT CLASS at Notre Dame High School in Dowanhill has become motivated to help others.

Fundraising activities have included a teachers special of the Weakest Link, a Bollywood night, coffee mornings and afternoon teas, raising money for Ronald McDonald House at Yorkhill, Epilepsy Scotland and school funds.

Patients and former patients of Yorkhill make up the final Young category nomination, YOUTH VOICES.

The group of young people aged 12 and over acts as an advocacy service to improve the hospital experience for young people.

It represents the views of young people to the hospital's management, teaches student nurses on needs of adolescents, and lobbied Kathleen Marshall, former Commissioner for Children and Young People in Scotland.