THE finalists for Glasgow’s exclusive black tie dinner, the Inspiring City Awards - PEOPLE MAKE GLASGOW 2016 have been announced.

Now in their fourth year, organised by The Herald and Glasgow Chamber of Commerce in association with award-winning city brand, PEOPLE MAKE GLASGOW, these awards celebrate the people and organisations that make Glasgow a remarkable place to live, work and play.

Working with AHR, amiExecutive, Glasgow Airport, Glasgow Caledonian University, European Championships Glasgow 2018, Glasgow Taxis, Developing the Young Workforce Glasgow, Loretto Care part of Wheatley Group, Virgin Trains, The Watson Foundation and Hacking & Paterson Management Services to celebrate the incredible talent in Glasgow, through business, education, arts and the environment by hosting the annual awards ceremony on Thursday, September 8, 2016.

Title partner, Councillor Frank McAveety, Leader of Glasgow City Council and Chair of Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, said: “We have received an outstanding selection of candidates for the PEOPLE MAKE GLASGOW Inspiring City Award. 

“The nominations recognise those who are working to make a difference at every level – from inspiring action geared at improving their local communities to enhancing the city’s reputation on a global scale.  “I have been impressed by the calibre of finalists this year and would like to congratulate all those who continue to make a lasting contribution to the city’s legacy.”

The Herald:

Finalists this year demonstrated a broad range of work across a variety of sectors, from caring individuals, environmental campaigns, achievements in the arts and investing in young people.  The judging panel was also impressed with the amount of businesses going the extra mile to give back to voluntary and community organisations.

The event will take place at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Glasgow, bringing together those at the heart of making Glasgow flourish.

Amanda McMillan, managing director of Glasgow Airport, said:  “Congratulations to all of the finalists at this year’s Inspiring City Awards. 

“It is a real privilege for the airport to be sponsoring the Lifetime Achievement category – after all, it is the people who make this city so special.  From experience, we know that when the city does well, the airport prospers, and it is fitting that this award will go to somebody who has gone above and beyond to make Glasgow the unique place it is today.  These awards are a fantastic way of giving credit to the people and organisations who make this city such a fantastic place to live, work and invest.  We are counting down the days until the Inspiring City Awards ceremony later this year.”

James Muir, Chair of Loretto Care, part of Wheatley Group, said: “We would like to congratulate all the finalists in the carer of the year category at this year’s Inspiring City awards.

"At Loretto Care we know how many people there are out there who go the extra mile, every day, to help people who need support. All of them deserve to be recognised for what they do. To have reached the final stages of this category is a huge achievement and we wish all the finalists every success.”

Alison McRae, Senior Director, Glasgow Chamber of Commerce said: “Congratulations to all finalists for this year’s Industry & Young People Innovation Award! We are delighted to have such a fantastic range of Glasgow businesses that are dedicated to making a significant difference to young people through various innovative projects.   Developing the Young Workforce Glasgow is immensely proud to be supporting this award and the Inspiring City Awards is an excellent way to recognise and showcase this very worthwhile activity while inspiring other businesses to help young people in Glasgow to reach their potential.  We wish all finalists the very best of luck on 8 September.”

John M Watson, Entrepreneur and philanthropist, The Watson Foundation, said: "Warmest congratulations to those who have become finalists. You are the cream of the crop and being recognised as finalists is a triumph in itself. Good luck as the excitement builds towards a splendid occasion in September."

To secure your table to attend the awards please visit: http://herald-events.com/inspiringcity or contact Lyndsay Wilson on 0141 302 7407.

FULL LIST OF FINALISTS:

  • Arts and Culture Award - Sponsored by AHR
  1. Glasgow Jazz Festival
  2. Glasgow Life
  3. Glasgow Women’s Library
  4. National Theatre of Scotland

Richard Blair, Director of AHR, said “We are delighted to be associated with the Inspiring City Awards 2016 and in particular the Arts and Culture category.  

“We know each of the finalists makes a significant contribution to the cultural scene in Glasgow either through their support of the arts or engaging with the community in art projects.”  “It has been a really great fit for us to sponsor this award and any one of the shortlisted candidates is a worthy winner”.

  •  Carer(s) of the Year Award – Sponsored by Loretto Care part of Wheatley Group
  1. Elaine Rafferty,  Mears Group
  2. Glasgow Carers Partnership
  3. Glasgow Council on Alcohol
  4. Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice
  • Best Corporate Social Responsibility Award - Sponsored by Glasgow Caledonian University – Glasgow School for Business and Society
  1. BeYonder Ltd
  2. Celtic FC Foundation
  3. Section33
  4. Seric Systems Limited
  5. Speirs Gumley

Professor Toni Hilton, Dean of Glasgow School for Business and Society at Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU), said: Glasgow School for Business and Society would like to congratulate all finalists and particularly, of course, those shortlisted for the Best Corporate Social Responsibility Award. To be shortlisted is itself an impressive achievement and we look forward to hearing how their organisations enhance lives and business in Glasgow.

  • Education Award – Sponsored by Glasgow Taxis
  1. John Wheatley Learning Network
  2. Lingo Flamingo
  3. MCR Pathways
  4. Peter Crawford
  5. The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland

Stephen Flynn, vice chairman of Glasgow Taxis Ltd said: “The Inspiring City awards pay tribute to the many Glaswegian people and businesses who help make our city so special. People really do make Glasgow and teachers, lecturers and a huge variety of other educators play a key role in ensuring that those attending our nurseries, schools, universities and colleges are informed and educated to the highest standard. Congratulations must go to all the finalists in the category who have made a positive impact on so many lives. Glasgow Taxis Ltd is proud to show its support for the awards and play a part in celebrating this brilliant city.”

  • Environmental Award – Sponsored by Virgin Train
  1. Integrated Environmental Solutions (IES)
  2. North Glasgow Community Food Initiative
  3. Revive Eco Ltd
  4. South Seeds

Anna Doran, Virgin Trains’ General Manager for Anglo-Scottish services, said: “We’re pleased to see a really strong list of contenders for this year’s environmental category of the awards, recognising the great work that’s being done by individuals and organisations to lower their carbon footprints. Good luck to everyone who’s entered and we look forward to seeing who will be recognised at the awards ceremony.”

  • Industry and Business Award – Presented by The Herald
  1. Allied Vehicles
  2. Chompsky
  3. Glasgow Airport
  4. Tempo Tea Bar
  • Outstanding Contribution by a Young Business Leader Award – Sponsored by The Watson Foundation    
  1. Andrew Duncan, SwarmOnline
  2. Angela Prentner-Smith, This Is Milk
  3. Cameron Graham,  Storii
  4. Chris Torres, Senshi Digital
  • Outstanding Contribution by a Business Leader Award – Sponsored by amiExecutive
  1. Heather Matthews, Littles
  2. Ian MacRitchie, MCR Pathways
  3. Jim Campbell,  Skyform Scotland
  4. Petra Wetzel, WEST Brewery

Angela Morrison, Owner and Founder of amiExecutive, said: “We at amiExecutive are extremely pleased to see the list of finalists announced for the “Outstanding Contribution by a Business Leader” award at this year’s Inspiring City Awards. Everyone on the list should be incredibly proud of their achievement, we know from personal experience how competitive these awards can be, so getting to the final stage is an achievement you can be very proud of. We would like to say congratulations to every single finalist in every single category”.

  • Sport Award – Sponsored by Glasgow 2018 European Championships
  1. Fairtrade Sports Ball Ltd (Trading as Bala Sport)
  2. Glasgow Eagles Multi Sports Club
  3. Glasgow Tigers Speedway
  4. Homeless World Cup
  5. Street Soccer Scotland

Glasgow 2018 Championships Director Colin Hartley said: “Glasgow is one of the world’s top five sporting cities and the shortlisted finalists in the Inspiring City Awards are a fantastic reflection of why this is the case. They showcase everything that is good about sport in our city and each and every one of them deserves enormous credit for the work they do in communities across Glasgow. 

“Glasgow will take the next step in its proud sporting journey in 2018 when we host the inaugural European Championships, bringing together some of the continent’s top sports over 12 days in August. It will build on our proud track record of hosting world-class events and developing sport at a grassroots level, elevating the status of European champions and inspiring a new generation. That will be the lasting legacy of Glasgow 2018.”

  • The PEOPLE MAKE GLASGOW Award – Sponsored by PEOPLE MAKE GLASGOW
  1. Clare Cannon
  2. Glasgow Science Centre
  3. MCR Pathways
  4. Refuweegee
  5. Richard McShane
  • Industry & Young People Innovation Award – Sponsored by Developing the Young Workforce Glasgow
  1. Barrhead Travel
  2. ScottishPower Engineering Foundation Programme (Pre-Apprenticeship)
  3. Sense Scotland One Giant Leap
  4. The Engineering Academy, University of Strathclyde
  5. We are Snook and partners Aye Mind
  • Legacy Award – Sponsored by Hacking & Paterson Management Services
  1. Calton Heritage & Learning Centre
  2. Glasgow Disability Alliance
  3. Pinkston Watersports Centre
  4. Scottish Sports Futures
  • Lifetime Achievement Award – Sponsored by Glasgow Airport

To be announced on the evening.

  • Judges Award – Presented by Glasgow Chamber of Commerce

To be announced on the evening.

To secure your table to attend the awards please visit: http://herald-events.com/inspiringcity or contact Lyndsay Wilson on 0141 302 7407.