THE red sandstone of Maryhill Community Central Hall forms "the bricks and mortar symbol" of a community. And inside its doors, the remarkable individuals who are its beating heart were honoured.

More than 200 local people, charity representatives, school pupils, youth groups and public service workers made last night's Maryhill, Kelvin and Canal ceremony one of the noisiest, liveliest events of the Glasgow Community Champion Awards calendar to date. VIEW the full list of nominees in the Glasgow Community Champion Awards by logging on to our dedicated community websites for the north of Glasgow:

lambhill.eveningtimes.co.uk milton.eveningtimes.co.uk maryhill.eveningtimes.co.uk summerston.eveningtimes.co.uk possilpark.eveningtimes.co.uk kelvindale.eveningtimes.co.uk

Rousing cheers and thundering applause greeted each of the 19 finalists as the winners of the six awards categories were revealed.

It was an emotional night for siblings Colin Tavendale, 44, and Mairi Riley, 50, who watched their long-serving parents HUGH and MARGARET TAVENDALE jointly pick up the Individual Award for their tireless dedication to housing and social issues in Summerston.

Colin, from Milngavie, said: "Since they've retired you can't get hold of them because they're always out doing something."

Mairi, from Troon, said: "They're happy doing community work and they get a lot of satisfaction from it."

Friends Rachel McGrath and Evelyn Mathieson gave big vocal support to Team Award winners GOOD MORNING GLASGOW, a telephone befriending service used by vulnerable people across Glasgow.

The Possilpark pals met through the group's regular cinema and social outings, and it has proved a lifeline for Evelyn, 86, who lost her husband and has fought breast cancer in the past three years.

Evelyn said: "I had been full of life and good times before then but I was right, right down when they got in contact. I'm very grateful to them - and of course I met Rachel."

"They say we're joined at the hip now! That's nice, isn't it?" added Rachel.

TV sports presenter Jim Delahunt gave his celebrity backing to Individual nominee SHEILA MacTAVISH, 86, a retired Kelvindale GP who has volunteered for more than 40 years at Riding For The Disabled.

Sheila said: "My life would have been very empty without this work.

"Tonight is very heart-warming because it shows there's no one way to help your community. There are many ways."

It was standing room only in the build-up to the ceremony as visitors and representatives from the Awards partners mingled over refreshments and sandwiches.

It gave Ruchill mum Nadine McQuade, and daughter Nadine, 8, a chance to talk to Patricia Ferguson MSP about primary school closures - as well as cheer on nephew DAVID McGOWAN, 15, who was nominated in the Young Community Champion category for his work with Shakespeare Street Youth Club.

SADIE GORDON - who was described by Strathclyde Chief Constable Steve House as a "powerhouse" - was humbled by the nomination for her community work in Possilpark.

The 68-year-old said: ""I've stayed in Possilpark all my life and I wanted to give back something from what I've got."

Strathclyde Fire & Rescue chief officer Brian Sweeney paid tribute to the community, which rallied round in the wake of the Maryhill factory disaster in 2004.

Guests browsed stalls set up by the awards partners: Strathclyde Police, Strathclyde Fire & Rescue, Glasgow Community Planning Partnership and Glasgow City Council.

Visitors to the event also learned about the dedicated Evening Times websites from community news editor Helen Smith.

Many of the guests included nominees from the field of more than 60 entries.

Mark and Fionna Eden-Bushell, founders of FRIENDS OF THE RIVER KELVIN, sported T-shirts in support of their organisation, which runs projects to clean up the river and surrounding area.

Michelle Coulter, team manager of PHOENIX FUTURES, a resettlement project for people with drug and alcohol issues, said: "It's a big achievement seeing the group being nominated and their efforts being recognised."

The evening drew to a close with a performance from youth arts group Depot Arts, which was set up in the spare bedroom of Public Service Individual finalist JAIN McINTYRE nine years ago.

The seven-strong troupe performed a five-minute excerpt from recent show Searchlight, a spoof of X Factor-style audition shows.

They were led out by Laura Brierley, 17, a volunteer for the Disability Community and Young Possil Futures, who hasn't let being deaf put her off pursuing a career in performing arts.

"People who are deaf aren't holding themselves back because they have a disability," she said.

"We're getting out there and doing things, and we've got an amazing leader in Jain."

The awards ceremony was the latest of 10 free events to be staged across the city.

Councillor Jim Mackechnie said: "There's such a wealth of commitment to our local community in the hall tonight.

"We had a nominee who is 86 right down to the youngsters, who must be seven or eight.

"They all made really excellent contributions to our community and the diversity of that contribution is something we should celebrate." From next week, we'll be looking for nominations of outstanding groups and individuals living or working in the neighbourhoods surrounding Ibrox, Govan, Craigton, Kingston, Bellahouston, Mosspark, Cardonald, Penilee, Crookston, Corkerhill and Pollok.

The deadline for entries will be March 12, and the ceremony will be held at the Pearce Institute on March 26.