Tele Community Champion Awards' Hearts of Gold nominees

Nominees shortlisted for this very special prize, sponsored by A & I Geotechnical, are the pride of Inverclyde.

We look forward to welcoming them to our glittering awards dinner and prize presentation evening at Greenock Town Hall on June 7.

Jim Gannon
THIS dedicated volunteer hospice driver has devoted 28 years of his life to ferrying patients for medical treatment as his way of saying thank you for the love shown to his wife in her final days.

Eighty-one-year old Jim, who has stepped away from his role after nearly three decades with Ardgowan, says he continued for such a long time in memory of his beloved Margaret.

The couple, from Wemyss Bay, both gave up their own time to help the hospice until tragedy struck and Margaret lost her life to cancer.

She was cared for at Ardgowan, where Jim saw first-hand the devotion of the staff at the hospice, a charity which relies heavily on donations from local people to keep the doors open.

Andrew Nisbet

GREENOCK man Andrew has helped to save the lives of tiny newborn babies and was honoured by blood bank bosses as he reached a remarkable milestone.

Andrew, 62, has been donating blood and platelets through the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service since the early 1990s. 

Around a year ago, he was asked by the service to donate his platelets to help neo-natals who need emergency treatment.

The avid Morton fan, who is blood type O negative, has now given blood and/or platelets more than 200 times. 

Andrew cannot say for certain how many lives he has saved but says he's very proud to have reached the amazing landmark.

Claire Forde

This brave Greenock woman who lost her sight overnight has spoken ten years on about surviving her darkest days - and how she has turned her disability into a 'gift'.

Claire was a schoolgirl with dreams of studying modern languages at university when a shunt she had fitted for hydrocephalus malfunctioned and she was left blind.

But from the very beginning she refused to be defeated, going back to repeat her final year at school.

Despite suffering setbacks along the way and being forced to overcome major barriers, she has become an award-winning disabled rights campaigner.

Richard Courtney
This hero Greenock firefighter is now helping to save lives off duty as well by donating his stem cells to rescue cancer patients.

Richard, who serves with Greenock station's White Watch, is on call with the Anthony Nolan Trust to step into aid a transplant when needed.

As well as his day job, the 35-year-old helped a patient stay alive for two years by donating his cells.

He was recently inspired by a visit to his station by both Greenock leukaemia survivor Gillian Duffy and her donor, who is a retained fire fighter in Germany.

Dad-of-two Richard said: "It really hit home to me when Gillian came to visit with her donor, the difference it makes."

Brendan Hamill

Brendan selflessly donated a kidney to his sister to save her life. His sister became severely unwell and suffered kidney, liver, and heart failure. She was told she would only survive five to 10 years on dialysis without a transplant. 

Now she has returned to her career in nursing and is thriving. 

Brendan's selfless act and bravery has now inspired other people to give greater consideration to donating their organs in the hope of improving the lives of others. 

Maria Cameron, of A&I Geotechnical, said: "We are a family-run business nestled in the heart of Inverclyde and we take immense pride in championing all that is positive in Inverclyde, amidst what at times can be an unfairly negative perception.

"Our area is brimming with remarkable individuals accomplishing extraordinary feats, and it is truly gratifying to acknowledge their contributions."