GLASGOW’S Community Champions Awards are back – and we want to hear who you think deserves to win.

The successful long-running Evening Times initiative, in association with Glasgow Fort and supported by our other partners Glasgow City Council, Glasgow Community Planning Partnership, Glasgow Housing Association and Trades House of Glasgow, gives our readers the chance to celebrate all that is great in their communities.

Exciting new changes for this year include a new format, a public vote to decide regional winners and a fabulous new category dedicated to teaching staff across the city.

There are nine categories - Team Award, Individual Award, Public Service Award, Uniformed Services Award, Senior Award, Young Award, Health and Wellbeing Award, Sports Award and Teacher Award – covering three areas of Glasgow, the south, the north-east and the north-west.

Over the next few weeks we will be catching up with previous winners to inspire you to get involved – today, groups in the south of the city take a turn in the spotlight.

Fantastic heat winners from the south triumphed in three categories at the Grand Final in 2018.

Coming Home Centre picked up the Team Award; Givin’ it Laldie won the Health and Wellbeing prize and Demi Mitchell won the Sport Award.

Music programme Givin’ It Laldie runs free choirs, instrumental groups and workshops alongside community events, all aimed at helping to reach everyone in the Gorbals community, from young and old, to people with health or addiction issues, through the common language of music.

Read more: Givin’ it Laldie in the Gorbals proves music is good for the soul

The group, which started up as a church choir around seven years ago, offers a diverse range of free music sessions for local people - no auditions, no experience and no ability to read music required.

Manager Clare McBrien said the small team was very proud of its Community Champions Award, and of the impact the project has had in a short time.

“One of the best aspects of winning that award was the effect it had on the people who nominated us,” said Clare.

“The gentleman who nominated us, whose wife is in one of the dementia units we work with, said our award was like winning the lottery, it meant so much to him. That means a lot to us – that side of our work is hard to quantify, so Tommy’s reaction reaffirmed, in a way, our belief in the power of music.”

Demi Mitchell won the Sport Award for her role as lead youth worker at Shell Twilight Girls Govan session, a fantastic project which encourages black, Asian and ethnic minority girls to be active in their communities.

“It was a big surprise to be nominated but I feel honoured,” she said. “It’s very rewarding to be able to help young women overcome challenges to take part in sport.”

Read more: Glasgow Community Champion Awards 2019: Search begins for city heroes

Coming Home Centre, provides support to veterans and their families in Govan.

It has helped more than 400 veterans over the last three years, providing everything from warm meals and financial support to jobsearch assistance and help with housing.

Operations manager Ian Hopkins said: “We didn’t expect to win at all, we were just very happy to be part of this.

"These awards are a great way for us to raise our profile, to let people who need us know that we are here.”

There are many more wonderful community heroes like Demi, Coming Home Centre and Givin’ it Laldie out there – get in touch before the closing date of September 17 and tell us all about them.

HOW TO NOMINATE

WE want to hear about inspirational individuals and great groups in your area - who do you think deserves recognition for fantastic community work?

You can nominate anyone, from the hardworking coach of young person’s sports team, to a nurse who goes above and beyond the day job; from an inspirational teenager making waves at school to a pensioner who campaigns for better services.

Tell us why they should win and remember to include lots of detail and photographs to support your entry.

You can nominate on the website at http://newsquestscotlandevents.com/events/glasgowcommchamps/

The closing date for entries is Tuesday, September 17. A shortlist will then go to a public online vote to determine the winners in each area, who will then progress to the Grand Final at Glasgow City Chambers on December 6.

A judging panel made up of representatives from the awards’ partners, will decide the Grand Final winners.