East Renfrewshire Council hosted its annual employee celebration event – The We Are East Ren Awards – to recognise hard-working employees going above and beyond for local residents.
More than 100 employees gathered at the Dalmeny Park Hotel, Barrhead, to mark the achievements of colleagues from across East Renfrewshire Council and Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP). Awards were handed out in 10 categories, and the event was sponsored by Cala Homes (West).
The winners in each category were:
Putting People First – Maureen Pollock – Rent Support Officer
Maureen is a rent support officer and plays a crucial role in ensuring tenants receive advice, assistance, support and information related to their rent.
Going the Extra Mile – John Paul Murray – Principal Teacher STEAM Innovations
As a teacher of technical who entered the profession from a background in graphic design, his passion for imparting knowledge and inspiring young designers has led to some outstanding outcomes for young people.
Young Employee of the Year – Josh Stevenson – Customer Services Officer
Since joining the Customer Services team, Josh has brought an infectious energy, a genuine desire to learn and a consistently positive attitude that uplifts everyone around him. This category was kindly sponsored by Unison.
Unsung Hero – Jim Gormley – Assistant Technical Officer
Jim works tirelessly with a positive, can-do attitude that uplifts everyone around him. Whether responding to emergencies out of hours or stepping in to support colleagues, he approaches every task with quiet determination and a genuine willingness to help.
People Leader of the Year – Roslyn Graham – Family First Team Manager
The period the awards cover has been one of change for Family First, as well as being Roslyn’s first full year as team manager; after working as part of the team since the very beginning. Roslyn has led the team while consistently displaying all the Council values of ambition, kindness and trust.
Team of the Year – ICT Team
Over the past 12 months, the ICT team has been on a transformational journey, starting to modernise legacy infrastructure to improve ICT service provision across the Council. The team have overcome each technical challenge presented to them, continually demonstrating their commitment and a willingness to improve; through modernisation, engagement and prevention, they put the customer at the heart of everything they do.
Our Values – Giffnock Primary School colleagues
On 14 November 2024, a pupil had a cardiac arrest in a situation where the school had no prior knowledge of any health concerns. Due to the speed of action and team work that a group of colleagues managed that day, in the immediate time after the cardiac arrest and before the emergency services arrived, the medical services later explained that they felt that the child’s life was saved.
Learning Achievement of the Year – Brian Dunigan – Money Advice & Rights Team Manager
Over the past four years while leading a team full-time, Brian has successfully completed a BA (Hons) in Business Management at the University of Strathclyde, alongside a CMI Level 5 Diploma in Management and Leadership. Brian achieved his degree with flying colours, gaining a ‘First’.
Workplace Achievement of the Year – M365 Classification & Retention Project
East Renfrewshire is one of the first local authorities in Scotland to implement a fully integrated M365 classification and retention framework at this scale. The approach, combining technical enforcement, clear policy, and accessible training, has attracted interest from other councils keen to replicate our model.
Chief Executive’s Award – Tommy Kelly – Property Team Leader
Starting public service in East Renfrewshire as an apprentice close to 40 years ago, Tommy has worked tirelessly and demonstrated ambition to become a senior officer of the Council today. His kindness in giving so freely his knowledge and energy across the Council and the wider East Renfrewshire community is very noticeable and in doing so Tommy has become a trusted colleague to many.
Chief Executive Steven Quinn said: “Congratulations to all our winners at the We Are East Ren Awards. It was fantastic to celebrate the amazing contribution made by so many of our employees and hear all the stories of the work which goes on day-in day-out to ensure our residents receive the best possible service.
“Throughout the event we heard inspiring stories of young people thriving in their new careers, individuals who exemplify our values in different ways, leaders who guide their teams with kindness and dedication, and teams who carry out sector-leading projects that benefit not only our communities but our employees as well. All their outstanding work made the judging process an incredibly challenging task. I’d like to extend my thanks to Cala Homes (West) for supporting this event, allowing us to celebrate our employees and their many achievements.”
Graham McNeil, Land Director at Cala Homes (West) said: “As sponsor, Cala are proud to be part of the We Are East Ren Awards 2025. We have been building homes throughout East Renfrewshire for many decades and have had the opportunity to work closely with the Council on many successful projects, and so it is a genuine honour to recognise the positive contributions made by the team at East Renfrewshire Council throughout the past year.
“This event very much aligns with Cala’s values, in particular our commitment to quality, respect, passion, delivery, collaboration, and community. At Cala we believe it is of the utmost importance to create a culture we are proud of – after all, our people are the driving force behind any success enjoyed by a sustainable business. The awards ceremony highlights that these values are commonly shared and demonstrate a healthy community spirit within East Renfrewshire. The awards also recognise the importance of recognition which is vitally important. Congratulations to all of the very deserving winners.”
A total of 28 finalists were shortlisted across the 10 award categories before a panel of judges decided on the winners.
The winners were selected for showing absolute dedication to their role, often going above and beyond to ensure they delivered the very highest standards for the people of East Renfrewshire.
