Self Management Awards 2024: Winners Celebrated at Parliamentary Reception

150 people gathered in the Scottish Parliament to celebrate nominees and winners of the Self Management Awards.

The ALLIANCE hosted the annual Self Management Awards at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, celebrating people and organisations across Scotland who represent the best of Self Management.

The ceremony was hosted by Laura Boyd and attended by Gillian Mackay MSP and Neil Gray MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, and included speeches from the MSPs along with Michelle Howieson, Winner of Self Management Champion of the Year 2023, Niamh Millar, Terrence Higgins Trust, and Sara Redmond, Chief Officer of Development at the ALLIANCE.

A new Humans of Scotland book, ‘H is for Human,’ written in collaboration with Terrence Higgins Trust, was launched during the ceremony. The book is a collection of stories, marking 4 decades of HIV in Scotland.

Congratulations to all of the nominees, shortlists and winners, a full list of winners is below.

Self Management Resource – in partnership with ALISS (A Local Information System for Scotland) and sponsored by ConnectingYouNow

End of Life Aid Skills for Everyone (EASE)

End of Life Aid Skills for Everyone (EASE) is an innovative course enabling people across Scotland to be more comfortable and confident supporting family and community members with issues they face during dying, death and bereavement. It’s delivered free of charge by volunteer facilitators. EASE uses films, reading, activities and discussion to explore topics such as planning ahead for ill-health, dying and death; common symptoms towards the end of life; and practical support we can offer people who are caring, dying or grieving. Participants learn and share in a supportive environment, helping to build a sense of community and empowerment.

Self Management Digital Innovator – in partnership with the ALLIANCE Digital Hub and sponsored by Tactuum

The Black Door Shop

The Black Door Shop is a vibrant charity that thrives on the generosity of the local community, collecting donations of computers/laptops, clothing, books, toys, tools, bedding and household items. These contributions primarily support asylum seekers and refugees, many of whom arrive with few possessions, and often little more than a sense of hope. The organisation also extends its aid to other vulnerable individuals in the Southside of Glasgow and East Renfrewshire. Local volunteers work tirelessly, offering not only material aid but also compassion, hope, and a sense of belonging. The hub features a kitchen and small workshops, providing a communal space for everyone’s benefit.

Self Management Champion – in partnership with Humans of Scotland and sponsored by Strata Health

Corinne Hutton

In 2024, Finding Your Feet celebrates 10 years since Corinne Hutton founded the charity to support amputees and those born with limb loss across Scotland. Corinne underwent quadruple amputation of her hands and legs below the knee following sepsis in 2013. Within a year of this life-threatening event, showing unfaltering determination, Cor established a charity to support others to live well despite the challenges of experiencing and living with limb loss. Finding Your Feet now supports over 1000 people across Scotland living with limb absence, and Cor continues to shine a light on how to turn adversity into opportunity.

Empowering Self Management Project – in partnership with the Health and Social Care Academy and sponsored by Thistle Foundation

Stand by Me, University of Stirling

Adults with a learning disability enjoy long-term relationships and marriage. Many face conditions of older age, such as dementia in one or both of the partners. No information was available to support couples with a learning disability in this situation – a gap that the Stand by Me project has filled by gathering and sharing stories of couples with a learning disability affected by dementia. This project was driven by the experiences of married couple Andrew and Lynn, and their desire for other couples to have access to essential and reliable information. They are here tonight along with Louise. All three have been active collaborators in the development of new resources and information.

Sensory Impairment: Positive Self Management – in partnership with the Scottish Sensory Hub and sponsored by Sorenson

Deaf Links

Deaf Links is a charity working across Tayside supporting people who experience sensory loss. They provide a wide range of services and learning opportunities for their community, including:

• BSL training, delivered by Deaf, native BSL users.
• Communication support for Deaf, hard of hearing and deafblind people.
• Free, confidential advocacy services to anyone who is Deaf, hard of hearing, deafened, deafblind or visually impaired.
• Violence Against Deaf Women Project – supporting Deaf women who have or are experiencing any form of abuse or coercive control.
• Deaf Women’s Health Project – supporting Deaf women to increase their understanding of their own health issues, and of available support.
• Social groups – including a signing choir (translating songs into BSL).

Self Management through the Arts – in partnership with ALLIANCE Live.

Art in Healthcare

The goal at Art in Healthcare is to make the benefits of art for health and wellbeing available to everyone. They offer visual art workshops for those typically underserved by mainstream art programs. Their projects include ‘Caring Spaces’ for unpaid carers, ‘Taking Art Home’; online workshops for those with long-term health conditions, and ‘Room for Art’, a social prescription project across Edinburgh for people experiencing mental health challenges. They take a person-centred approach encouraging experimentation and exploration of different art materials and techniques, providing space for creative expression. Their projects aim to develop skills, improve mental and emotional wellbeing, foster connections, and build strength to cope. Participants value the support, safety, and creative freedom they provide.

Self Management in the Community – in partnership with the ALLIANCE Links Worker Programme and sponsored by Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland

Moira Anderson Foundation – Glasgow Hub

The Moira Anderson Foundation (MAF) provides support and therapy for people who have been affected by childhood sexual abuse (CSA). In response to an identified need, and a recognition there were no similar services available in Glasgow, MAF Glasgow Hub opened in April 2023. We provide a unique progression pathway through trauma informed support, therapy, self management and peer support for adults in Glasgow living with long-term health conditions as a result of childhood sexual abuse. Services empower people to take control of their lives, manage their health conditions, and enable them to become active members of their community.

Photo Credit: Iman Tajik

End of page.