Recognising Glasgow’s North West Champions

We recently travelled to Glasgow to recognise the Wheatley Group Neighbourhood Champions who are working hard to improve their communities.

Having launched the award in January 2024, we’ve already celebrated those making a positive difference in Edinburgh and West Lothian, so we were grateful to be able to honour those in Glasgow’s Northwest who are enhancing the lives of everyone living in Wheatley Group properties.

From the nominations we received from Wheatley Group’s staff, we are delighted to award Linda Bell, of Love Milton and Friends of the Memorial Garden, and Fraser Devine, of Men Matter Scotland, with Neighbourhood Champion Awards and celebrate the breadth of activities and initiatives these two groups from Milton and Drumchapel undertake.

Linda has long been an active and respected member within the Milton community; a great ambassador for the area, and voice for bringing all walks of life within the community together. Her work, and that of Love Milton, have both been great assets to the Wheatley Group, to changing perceptions within the area, and to deepening the connection between tenants and the Neighbourhood Environmental Teams.

The Love Milton group has been active in taking a leading role in helping develop further sustainability initiatives. This has included the maintenance of the community memorial garden and adjoining space into a conservation area, seeding this with wildflowers and planting trees. They are well aware this is not an ambitious initiative but want to make an impact on their local area, developing the space further to be used as an area for outdoor classrooms (as a consultation and education piece). As a result the area has seen fewer instances of anti-social or littering issues.

Fraser has been a tenant of Wheatley Homes for over 30 years and was nominated in his capacity as a founding and organising member of Men Matter Scotland, a men’s mental health and suicide prevention charity.

The Community Hub, ran by Fraser and supported by volunteers is located in the heart of Drumchapel and is a focal point that provides a range of services to support those struggling with mental health concerns; ranging from talking therapy, music therapy and physical wellbeing, to meditation, education and skills development.

Whilst the main focus is on men’s mental health, it is the wider impact that this has on family, friends, and community rehabilitation that saw Fraser and MMS be nominated.

Alexander Stevenson, our Environment and Place Officer, said: “It’s an honour to be able to celebrate the achievements of Linda and Fraser and the extraordinary difference they have made to their communities.

“What’s clear is the passion both groups have building personal and community resilience by investing in people and creating spaces where they can find a sense of belonging.

“In doing so, the activities have helped to create better, healthier communities and more inclusive environments. We are delighted to select these projects and individuals as our Neighbourhood Champions for Spring 2024.” 

Linda Bell said: “Really pleased for the group to get this award, it’ll be great to share with those who have worked so hard in the area.”

Fraser Devine added: “We have a great relationship with Wheatley and this recognition means a lot to us.”

John Ross Jnr, Environmental Service Delivery Lead at Wheatley, said: “NETS/Wheatley are always looking to support and work alongside groups to enhance our neighbourhoods and communities; the two recipients of this award are very deserving and so vital to their areas, and we look forward to continuing to work alongside them for many years to come.”

Our work with Wheatley Group through a bespoke version of the National Award for Environmental Excellence®  – a framework for continual improvement, recognising and awarding best practice in environmental management, maintenance, waste management and community engagement.

The National Award for Environmental Excellence® supports businesses and organisations to improve environmental practices through a process of assessing policies and strategies, as well as on site audits, helping you to understand your impact on our environment and respond to the risks, opportunities and responsibilities ahead.