THREE volunteers from Helensburgh and Lomond have won top awards at a ceremony held to recognise the very best of Argyll and Bute’s unpaid community supporters.

Mary McGinley, chair of the Helensburgh and Lomond Foodbank, was named Volunteer of the Year at the annual Argyll and Bute Volunteer Awards on Friday.

Ten-year-old Fraser Gildea was named as the awards’ Helensburgh and Lomond Regional Hero for his work with the Grey Matters Active Ageing group, while Simon Kershaw Yates won the Volunteer Sports Coach accolade.

The virtual ceremony was hosted jointly by the Argyll and Bute Third Sector Interface (TSI), the umbrella group for the area’s volunteer and community organisations, and Live Argyll, the charitable trust which owns and operates the area’s former council-run library and leisure services.

More than 70 people attended the event, which featured a mix of videos and volunteer interviews showcasing the valuable contribution volunteering makes to Argyll and Bute.

Mary, who has led the local food bank’s efforts to go above and beyond to make sure locals wouldn’t go without food in spite of the effects of the pandemic, said: “I’m very pleased but I’m more pleased because it recognises all the good work that all the volunteers do.

READ MORE: Helensburgh groups benefit as cheques mark 150 years of the Freemasons

“It’s good to see that those that are working hard to help others are recognised, and I’m pleased that we won the award.

“It also helped to recognise the amount of community there is for supporting those that do need a wee hand up.”

Fraser, meanwhile, has been helping out Grey Matters Active Ageing - a local group who helps the elderly stay active with weekly activities - since he was a baby.

His mum Ali told the Advertiser: “Fraser is absolutely delighted. He had no idea about the award and it was a complete surprise to him.

“He really enjoyed the evening and hearing about the other volunteers too.”

Fraser is currently in P3 at Lomond School and celebrated his 10th birthday the day before the awards.

READ MORE: Meet the Helensburgh Kiltwalkers who did their bit for charity in 2021 event

He said: “I am so pleased to win this award for my volunteering.

“I enjoy helping Grey Matters Active Ageing and I will put the award next to my Kiltwalk medals.

“Thank you to Argyll and Bute Third Sector Interface for a lovely evening - it’s heartwarming to see the impact of volunteers in Argyll.”

The evening’s host, Takki Sulaiman, chief executive of the Argyll and Bute TSI, said: “We received 78 nominations across the nine categories for the Volunteer of the Year awards and judges had a tough time selecting the winners as the standard has been exceptionally high.

“We are lucky that in Argyll and Bute there is a strong culture of volunteering and during the past 18 months our communities benefitted from an increase in those coming forward as demand soared.

“These awards provide a platform for acknowledging the important contribution of all volunteers and not just those who were lucky enough to win!”