Scottish & UK Parliamentary Motions Praise Govan HELP’s Recent Achievements
The Govan Pantry, our flagship project tackling food poverty, was recently recognised at the 2023 SURF Awards as an outstanding example of community-led regeneration. By way of congratulations, several parliamentarians have submitted motions relating to Govan HELP’s recent successes.
Viv Sawers and Stephen McFadden accept the 2023 Surf Award for Community Led Regeneration on behalf of Govan HELP, presented by Joe Fitzpatrick MSP, Minister for Local Government Empowerment and Planning.
What Are Motions?
Motions are short statements written by an MP/MSP. Most motions raise awareness of an issue or recognise a group, business or individual. Motions can also suggest a topic for debate. Other MSPs can support a motion to show they agree with it.
Scottish Parliament Motions Concerning Govan HELP…
“Govan HELP's Govan Pantry Wins SURF Award”
Submitted by: Paul Sweeney, Glasgow, Scottish Labour.
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 December 2023
Motion reference: S6M-11654
That the Parliament congratulates the Govan Pantry, run by Govan HELP, on winning the Community Led Regeneration Award at the SURF Awards 2023; recognises that this is the 25th annual SURF Award programme, which highlights, celebrates and shares the achievements of initiatives that address physical, social and economic challenges in communities across Scotland; acknowledges that the ceremony took place on 7 December 2023 in Glasgow’s Voco Grand Central Hotel in front of over 270 guests; understands that, after SURF’s panel of 15 independent judges carefully assessed all the nominees, it awarded one of the five awards to the Govan Pantry for the work that it does to support people who are experiencing food poverty, while also providing training, volunteering and employability opportunities; celebrates the support that Govan HELP continues to provide to the community, and wishes the organisation all the best for the future.
Supported by: Karen Adam, Clare Adamson, Jeremy Balfour, Miles Briggs, Foysol Choudhury, Pam Duncan-Glancy, Kenneth Gibson, Pam Gosal, Bill Kidd, Stuart McMillan, Marie McNair, Paul O’Kane, Kevin Stewart, David Torrance, Tess White
“Congratulating Govan Pantry on Winning the SURF Award for Community Led Regeneration”
Submitted by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, Glasgow, Scottish Labour.
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 January 2024
Motion reference: S6M-11809
That the Parliament congratulates the Govan Pantry on winning the SURF Award for Community Led Regeneration; believes that the Govan Pantry does invaluable work supporting people who are experiencing food poverty in and around Govan, in Glasgow; understands that the Govan Pantry is part of the Govan Home and Education Link Project's (Govan HELP) most recent development, which initially began as a foodbank in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and that the Govan Pantry is a community subsidised shop, offering food and hygiene products for a weekly membership fee of £3; believes that this supports people in food poverty by alleviating the impact of being unable to afford basic essential items; understands that, since being launched, 2,834 members have registered to use the pantry from the G51 area of Glasgow, which represents more than 10% of the population of Govan; recognises that Govan HELP has also developed the project to have a training and volunteering focus, and to provide access to opportunities for local parents who want to learn new skills and gain experience through its Pantry Training Programme; understands that the Govan Pantry has helped to reduce social isolation and loneliness by bringing the community together, and congratulates all the volunteers and everybody at Govan HELP for what it sees as their invaluable work.
Supported by: Jeremy Balfour, Colin Beattie, Miles Briggs, Alexander Burnett, Pam Gosal, Dr. Sandesh Gulhane, Bill Kidd, Stuart McMillan, Paul O'Kane, Paul Sweeney, Sue Webber, Annie Wells, Tess White
UK Parliament Motions Concerning Govan HELP…
In addition to our mentions in Scottish Parliament, a motion was raised in the UK Parliament. This has only happened three times before for any project recognised by the SURF Awards.
“The Govan Pantry, SURF 2023 Community Led Regeneration Award”
Date lodged: 11 December 2023
Motion reference: EDM 196
That this House congratulates The Govan Pantry run by Govan HELP, on its recent success as winners of SURF (Scotland's Regeneration Forum) Community Led Regeneration 2023 award; notes the Judging Panel were impressed by the high levels of community involvement at every stage of the development of the project, and its constant response to local needs; further notes the Panel recognised the evolvement of the project more than just as a community subsidised shop to become an inclusive service providing access to a wider range of support services; recognises that this has allowed the project team to identify and address multiple challenges for residents many of whom would not have sought support through traditional means; further recognises that service users who have become volunteers have been supported through the projects training programme providing a route into meaningful employment; celebrates that the project has provided a catalyst to bringing the Govan community together; and wishes the Govan Pantry project continued success as a vehicle to eliminate food poverty and reaches those in the community most in need.
As a charity, we’re so proud that our achievements are being recognised and we’re excited to continue making waves in 2024.
