LATEST NEWS: Local Lockdown Legends commended by city Council award

Two Edinburgh ‘Good Neighbours’ have been recognised with an adopted tree and commemorative plaque unveiled in their honour in Craigmillar Town Centre in recognition of their work and the support they give their local communities.

This year’s Good Neighbour Award has been won jointly by Mags Minty and Satnam Singh who were nominated for the invaluable contribution and charity work they do in their community, especially during the pandemic.

At the tree and plaque unveiling Mags Minty said:

I was very humbled when I found out I’d been nominated. We had hit hard times ourselves as my husband Rab had lost his job due to the pandemic. We wanted to do something to raise spirits as we knew the struggles some families would be facing and that some elderly neighbours wouldn’t be able to get out. I delivered hot soup to those that called me for help, and selection boxes to kids in the area – seeing their faces light up made it all worthwhile in such hard times.

Satnam Singh said:

I’m really touched and taken aback to have been nominated for this. The charity work I do in my community is a real passion so to be recognised for it is just the icing on the cake. It’s been amazing to see my name on a plaque, together with Mags, and to have my daughter and a close friend here to celebrate this with me is very special. I’d like to thank my colleague Sabrina Tickle for nominating me, I’m really touched.

The City of Edinburgh Council’s Good Neighbour Awards, established in 2016, recognises those living in our communities who have gone that extra mile and have made an outstanding contribution to our local areas. It is a great way for tenants to pay tribute and nominate a fellow Council tenant or resident who has helped them.  

The tree adoption has been organised by TreeTime Edinburgh, an initiative of Edinburgh and Lothians Greenspace Trust that works to plant over 6,500 trees in Edinburgh every year, with support from public and corporate donations, thereby supporting the city’s Million Tree City by 2030 ambition.

Councillor Kate Campbell, Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener and Charlie Cumming, Chief Executive, Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust met Mags and Satnam to hammer in the plaque and speak to them about what they did to be nominated and named the overall winners.

Councillor Kate Campbell said:

I’d just like to say thank you to Mags and Satnam for everything they did to support their communities throughout what has been one of the hardest years. And all they continue to do.

The Good Neighbour Award is one of my favourite awards because it recognises the value of helping people, in our day to day lives, in our communities. Mags and Satnam have both gone above and beyond, but if we all did a little of what Mags and Satnam do, the world would be a better place.

And this year we went green, dedicating a tree to these two inspiring women so that even the award will grow and benefit the city for years to come. There are so many people across our city doing so much to help others and to strengthen our communities. It’s so good to have this award which recognises just how important that is.

Councillor Mandy Watt, Vice Convener for Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work added:

It’s lovely that Mags’s and Satnam’s kindness towards others has been rewarded in a way that they never expected and having a tree to mark the occasion is brilliant.

Charlie Cumming said:

We are delighted to support the Good Neighbour Award in association with the Tree Time initiative. The tree adoption and plaque are a great way for the recipients to have a lasting legacy.

Nominations for this year’s awards are now open and should be emailed to the Council by the end of February 2022 at housing.research@edinburgh.gov.uk or by phone on 0131 529 7805.

The winners will be announced on the Council’s social media channels and in an edition of the Tenants’ Courier, the Council's newsletter to all tenants.

Nominees and those who cast nominations will also be entered into a prize draw for a chance to win a £100 shopping voucher.