Fet-Lor, Scotland’s oldest youth club, and Leith-based MS Therapy Centre will both feature on the forthcoming series of RBS – Finding Scotland’s Real Heroes, which starts on STV on Friday 15 August.
Presented by Carol Smillie (pictured above) and sponsored by the Royal Bank of Scotland, the STV series celebrates people whose tireless effort, resourcefulness, and kindness has improved local communities across Scotland.
The nominees were selected by a special jury and will feature in a series of programmes to be aired from 15 August with each episode on every Friday evening thereafter. Across the five episodes, ‘star reporters’ will visit each of the nominees to interview them about their work in the community and their thoughts on the nomination for a Real Hero award. The star reporters this year include The X Factor runner-up Nicholas McDonald, actress Clare Grogan, Taggart star Alex Norton and actor Bill Paterson.
The year’s shortlist includes deserving Scots from Wick to West Lothian, and Skye to South Lanarkshire, recognising the amazing work local people are undertaking in their communities across the country. The categories include Carer of the Year, Young Real Hero of the Year, and a new award for Hero Animal of the Year.
At the end of each programme viewers are invited to vote for the nominees they believe most deserve to win a Scotland’s Real Heroes Award, with the overall winners being celebrated at a glittering televised awards ceremony later in the year.
Elizabeth Partyka, deputy director of channels at STV, said: “The time has come to highlight the outstanding work modestly carried out by the finalists of the series RBS – Finding Scotland’s Real Heroes. We look forward to celebrating the enormous achievement of all of the nominees. Each story tells of a remarkable accomplishment and is very moving – all the finalists are considered to be most deserving however it is the STV viewers that decide who will pick up an award.”
Chris Wilson, Royal Bank of Scotland’s Managing Director of Branch and Private Banking in Scotland, said: “Everyone at Royal Bank of Scotland is looking forward to finding out more about this year’s incredible finalists. We think it’s important to celebrate those people who go that extra mile for their community. Each one of the finalists is deserving of recognition and we are all looking forward to seeing who the public choose.”
Fet-Lor, based on Crewe Road South, is Scotland’s oldest youth club and is a finalist in the RBS – Community Project of the Year category, while MS Therapy Centre champion Dean Reilly features among the finalists for the Scotland’s Real Heroes Courage Award.
Good luck to them both – the series first screens on STV on Friday 15 August at 8pm.