Age Scotland Awards 2014 - winners announced
The winners of the Age Scotland Awards 2014 were announced at a ceremony at the Scottish Parliament last night.
Held on Older People's Day, the Awards aim to celebrate later life and our ageing population. They highlight the tireless efforts of voluntary and member groups, and reflect the diversity of projects and services run by and for older people which are making a difference in their communities.
Winners include a campaign to bring health services closer to local people, and a choir that has performed everywhere from lunch clubs to a BBC talent show. Projects range from helping people prepare for retirement to using the arts to reach out to people suffering from dementia.
This year's Volunteer of the Year is Andy MacDowall, 82, who dedicates countless hours each week to driving, gardening and providing other help for older people in Argyll. Although he suffers from profound hearing loss and is waiting for a hip operation, this has not stopped his commitment to groups including Oban in Bloom, the local "Soup Group" and the Frail Walking Group.
Brian Sloan, Age Scotland Chief Executive, said: "Choosing today's winners has been a humbling experience. It is wonderful to see the amazing work going on around the country - both in support of our older population but also, often, being carried out by older people.
"I think our winners demonstrate the breadth of activity going on in communities across the country, which Age Scotland exists to champion and support."
This year's Services for Older People Award winner is the multicultural Milan Day Support Service, Edinburgh, which tackles isolation by providing information and social activities to vulnerable older people in their own languages.
A partnership between the Citadel Arts Group and Midlothian-based Community Links Dementia is recognised for improving the health and wellbeing of people with dementia. The groups' Living Memory Project, which resulted in a play performed by local primary schoolchildren, helped it win the Patrick Brooks Award for Best Working Partnership.
Clackmannanshire Older Adults Forum will be presented with the Jess Barrow Award for Campaigning and Influencing for its successful effort to preserve bus services to nearby hospitals and bring some healthcare services closer to the community.
NHS Lanarkshire, the Older People's Employer of the Year Award 2014, is leading the way in actively supporting and training older people in the workforce, and helping employees prepare for retirement. Its pre-retirement seminars, run with Age Scotland, help people with financial planning, health and wellbeing issues and finding volunteering opportunities.
Merkinch Community Centre's Singing for Pleasure group was named the Member Group of the Year. With over 50 members, the singers perform regularly at theatres, churches and nursing homes, and featured on BBC One's talent show, Last Choir Standing.
The awards are sponsored by Specsavers, Solicitors for Older People Scotland, David Urquhart Travel, McCarthy and Stone, Damart, and Age Scotland Enterprises.
You can read more about all the winners here.
