Community heroes were celebrated at a glittering event in Barrhead last Thursday night (March 7).
A total of 220 guests attended a thoroughly successful evening at the Dalmeny Park House Hotel for the fifth annual All About Barrhead Awards.
The sold-out ceremony was hosted for the third consecutive year by STV presenter Laura Boyd and celebrated the outstanding contributions of businesses, organisations, and individuals who continually push to improve the area and town's community.
It saw a host of groups and individuals honoured across a range of categories including Young Person of the Year, Employee of the Year and Initiative of the Year.
The coveted Barrhead Star award was awarded to Jane McCulloch, who has been a teacher at St John’s Primary for the past 24 years.
She was praised for her “genuine warmth and love for her students which has created a nurturing environment where each child feels valued and supported to grow both academically and personally."
Jane was also hailed for extending her care to “families in times of need with remarkable compassion and selflessness."
Her impact was said to go beyond teaching by instilling in her pupils the values of "perseverance, confidence and empathy - shaping them into better individuals.”
Jenny Dunlop, Barrhead Improvement District (BID) manager, told the Barrhead News: “Jane was nominated by parents who said she has done an amazing job helping their children, not only academically, but also in terms of emotional support in difficult times.”
The runner up was announced as Teresa O’Hara, manager of East Renfrewshire Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) for the past 25 years, who was recognised for her years of commitment to community empowerment.
“Teresa has seen CAB grow from eight people to 21 staff members and they do a fantastic job for the community," explained Jenny.
“Teresa was an exceptional candidate.”
It was also a successful night for Include Me 2 Club (IM2C) with their team celebrating three awards on the evening.
A post on their social media page praised the "awesome people who make up the town's businesses, projects and initiatives.
“Well done to all the finalists and nominees. You are all champions and winners for everything you do," added the Barrhead charity.
Among the three awards they picked up was the Initiative of the Year Award which went to the IM2C Bike Hub's bike loan scheme.
The hub, which is based at the town’s Cowan Park, was celebrated for its inclusivity and affordable access for all the community, including school groups.
NellyBoxes was named as runner up in this category.
The whole IM2C team, meanwhile, picked up the Impact in the Community Award for its transformative initiatives.
The runner up in this category was East Renfrewshire CAB.
IM2C's young volunteer James Gribble won the Young Person of the Year Award recognising his remarkable dedication to volunteer work with the Boys’ Brigade and IM2C.
In a heart-warming moment, a voice note from eight-year-old Michael Williams, who was not there to receive his runner up award, was played to attendees and with some excitement and emotion he said: “Thank you, I wasn’t expecting to get this award, but thank you very much and have a good night.”
With the support of the parishioners at St John's Church, Michael has raised £1800 for Mary’s Meals over the past couple of years by taking on 10k and 11k walks.
The Kevin Paul Finnell Memorial Award, which is not open to public nomination but chosen by the All About Barrhead Board of Directors, was presented to Bud Gauld, a revered figure in Barrhead's business community, for his significant contributions to positive change.
The Customer Excellence Award went to F&M, while the runner up was Café 136 for for their outstanding commitment to customer care.
The Independent Business of the Year Award was won by Jilly and Friends Salon, while the runner up was Anderson Landscaping.
The National Business of the Year Award was East Renfrewshire CAB and the runner up was local independent, turned national Barrhead Travel.
The Employee of the Year Award went to Kimberly McArthur from F&M hairdressing and the runner up was Aimee Caldwell from CAB.
The ceremony also featured a charity raffle in support of The Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity, offering attendees the chance to win prizes generously donated by local businesses.
"These awards are a fantastic way for All About Barrhead to recognise the amazing work that is done to improve our community by businesses, organisations, and groups," added Jenny.
She went on to say: "We have had another year of incredible entries and absolutely everyone that made the shortlist should be very proud of themselves.
“We’re still reeling from the excitement of it all, but we wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who made last night such a success.
“To the fantastic staff at the Dalmeny Park House Hotel for all of their help and hardwork, Almond Blossom Florist for providing the beautiful flowers for our winners and Laura Boyd for yet again being such a fantastic host.
"(Thank you also to) our wonderful sponsors East Renfrewshire Council, East Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce, F&M Hairdressing, Barrhead Travel, D Moodie & Co., East Renfrewshire Citizens Advice Bureau and Mackinlay & Suttie Solicitors and of course the businesses of the All About Barrhead businesses - without whom none of this would be possible.
“Congratulations to all of our nominees, runners up, and winners."
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