DUMBARTON and the Vale’s top citizens have swept the awards for their work in the community.

Hugh Currie, who has volunteered for 40 years and raised thousands of pounds for charities and community groups was named Citizen of the Year at the Provost’s Awards ceremony on Friday.

The Dumbarton resident also took home the community/voluntary champion individual award, beating Balloch’s Christopher McColl and Cameron McIlroy.

Through Hugh’s race nights, bingo and other charity events, he went above and beyond to support local schools, children’s charities, community groups and football teams.

He even picked up and dropped off members of the community who would otherwise have struggled to attend.

Unfortunately, due to his own health deteriorating, Hugh was forced to give up his work in the community two years ago.

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But residents flooded West Dunbartonshire Council with nominations for the Provost’s Awards to acknowledge his tireless work, calling him “one in a million”.

Provost William Hendrie, who hosted the event, said: “The commitment and dedication shown by Hugh is something you don’t see every day. When the judging panel and I read the stories about him in his nominations, we were amazed at how much he had done for his community.

“His tireless work over more than four decades has changed the lives of so many people, and raised thousands for charity. He is an inspiration, and I’m so glad he got the recognition he deserves.”

Nine-year-old Emma Rose Robb took home the prize for youth champion after winning three gold, one silver and two bronze medals in javelin, shot put, football hockey, swimming and cycling at the National Dwarf Games earlier this year. This was despite suffering joint pain and fatigue brought on by conditions Achondroplasia and dwarfism.

Alexandria singing duo Ava and Alfie, who wowed audiences on ITV’s The Voice Kids this year, were named Arts and Culture Champions.

The Friends of Dumbarton Foreshore were named Community/Voluntary Team Champion for work to clear litter and debris from the foreshore of Levengrove Park to ensure the area remains a place of natural beauty.

And Emma McIntyre, an elite Dumbarton bowler with an impressive array of titles under her belt, including both under-25 and senior international from 2017-2019, was named Sports Champion.

Provost Hendrie added: “This year we received hundreds of nominations from our residents.

“There were so many worthy and inspirational candidates, and every single one has done something fantastic within our community.

“As always, I’m delighted to have properly recognised these efforts and the hard work undertaken to better West Dunbartonshire. It’s one of the most humbling events in my role as Provost and I want to thank you all for the dedication, time, and commitment you have invested in our local community.”

Other nominees shortlisted from 150 submissions included Balloch teenager Caitlin O’Sullivan and the From Living Memory to Memorial project, which saw a group of six volunteers at Dumbarton Heritage Centre undertake an extensive research project of local war memorials.

Up for the Community/Voluntary Champion Individual award was Balloch’s Christopher McColl, who set up his graveside maintenance business Forget Me Not after losing his father at a young age.

Friends of Dumbarton Foreshore thanked everyone for their support for their gong and shared it with fellow finalists The Phoenix and the Good Life Group. And they urged residents to keep working to make the community beautiful.

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They added: “We would also like to extend a warm welcome to newcomers on our September picks including our litter survey for Keep Scotland Beautiful’s Upstream Battle on September 14-15.

“As part of this we’re asking people to be careful with balloons, as they can harm marine and farm animals if they escape outside.”