ON a windy Monday morning, dodging the summer showers, Steve Koepplinger is hard at work in Knightswood Park.

“I’m just doing bits and pieces today, general maintenance,” he explains, his accent a mix – like him – of American and adopted Scot.

“I am overwhelmed to win this Streets Ahead award – it’s really lovely of everyone who nominated me.”

Ohio Steve, as he is known to locals (although he prefers KP) is the winner of our campaign’s first Spirit of Streets Ahead award.

The prize is given to someone who sums up exactly what our initiative is all about – doing your bit for your community, rallying friends and neighbours to improve your local areas for all, spotting something that needs done and – rather than leaving it to someone else - stepping up and getting it done.

Steve ticks all of those boxes and more. Since moving to Scotland in 1995, he has been a one-man community whirlwind, driven by his belief that teenagers should have lots of fun, active things to do after school.

In 2013, he started work on the derelict Maryhill Park tennis courts, rallying local volunteers who cut away trees, levelled the ground, put up nets and made the space playable again. (Judy Murray recently tweeted in praise of the project.)

Read more: Derelict Maryhill tennis courts get the Judy Murray treatment

He set up After School Activities Programme – now called Get Go Teams – to encourage local young people to take part in sport.

Last year, he turned his attention to some of the city’s neglected running tracks, restoring them to use in Maryhill, Eastwood and most recently, in Knightswood Park.

He turned up with a spade and a wheelbarrow and started digging away overgrown grass and “squelchy, gooey stuff” that had formed across the top of the track.

“Steve removed tons of soil, using his own time and money,” explains Knightswood Primary teacher Jo McKendrick, one of the people who nominated Steve for a Streets Ahead award.

“He is incredible – the running track is now back in use and it’s fantastic. It’s encouraging our children to get out there and get fit and healthy, which is amazing.”

The school’s pupils made their own tribute to Steve, painting small pebbles with bright colours and thank-you messages, which sit at the bottom of a small cairn.

“It’s a lasting reminder of the project, and a lovely thing for our pupils to say they were part of – maybe returning to the park in later years with their own children,” says Jo.

Steve is touched by the tribute. “It was a very sweet thing to do,” he smiles. “For me, seeing local people out using the track, whether it’s members of serious running clubs, or people running for fun, or local kids, is fantastic.”

Rae Duncan, who lives nearby, has come in to use the track.

“I run for myself, to keep fit, to get some time and space away from my busy life as a stay-at-home mum to twins,” she laughs.

“Steve is an inspiration, really kind and encouraging – what he has done here in the park and elsewhere around the city is just awesome.

“I used to come here in the winter and it was awful – really boggy and wet, you couldn’t run on it at all. Now it’s fantastic – I’ve been telling all my friends about it.”

Steve grew up in Ohio, where the idea of stepping up for one’s community was instilled in him from an early age.

Read more: Meet the Glasgow Streets Ahead finalists

“Community spirit is more important than many people even realise,” he says.

“I have known since my schooldays, that doing things to bring neighbours together benefits everyone.

“I went to a great school, where there was always something happening after school. When I came here, I was really keen to set up activities for young teenagers to keep them busy and interested.

“That’s what drives me.”

Former teacher Steve met his Scottish wife Helen Minnis, a GP who is originally from East Kilbride, on a volunteer building project in Guatemala. The couple now have two grown-up children, Ellie, who is 22 and 17-year-old Sam.

“Helen is the reason I came to Scotland, and we have stayed here ever since,” he smiles.

Steve turns 50 later this year, and his approaching birthday inspired him to take up running again.

Realising some of Glasgow’s tracks lay unloved and unused, he rolled up his sleeves and set about restoring them.

Through Get Go Teams, he is focussing on five activities – pickleball (“like a cross between tennis and table tennis but much easier,” he says) frisbee, dodgeball, 16-inch softball and running, all aimed at young people aged over 14.

“I hope local people will get a lot of enjoyment out of using the track,” he says. “I want to give teenagers especially the opportunity to take a space and make it their own, get away from computer games and television, get out in the fresh air.”

He adds: “Eventually I hope young people will set up their own teams – multiple projects, in multiple communities, in multiple locations all over Glasgow, bringing people together – that’s the dream.”