My Place Awards 2025 Shortlist Announced
The My Place Awards continue to shine a spotlight on outstanding projects that celebrate heritage, regeneration, and community spirit across Scotland.
The 2025 shortlist honours an inspiring collection of community-led initiatives and individuals whose dedication has helped to shape and improve the places they call home.
From reinvigorated public spaces to creative reuse of historic buildings, and from grassroots environmental efforts to championing local heritage, each nominee represents the very best in place-based change.
The Awards have two categories: Community-led Projects and Community Champions. The winners of each category will be announced at a ceremony in July.
Community-led Projects
The Community-led Projects category recognises recent community-led built environment projects that have transformed their locality.
The shortlisted projects are:
Local Authority Area: Fife
Bowhill Housing, Fife
Nominated By: Ore Valley Housing Association
Architect or Lead Designer: ECD Architects
Bowhill Housing in Cardenden is a striking example of heritage-led regeneration. Spearheaded by Ore Valley Housing Association, the project reimagined the derelict Bowhill Miners’ Institute into energy-efficient homes while preserving the character of the original Category C listed building.
The development retained the historic polychromatic brick facade and rebuilt behind it to create ten sustainable flats, supported by an additional extension. Innovative features such as solar photovoltaics and passive design strategies contributed to a high EPC rating of 89 to 90 and carbon emissions as low as 0.3 tonnes per annum.
Local collaboration was key, with input from the Community Council, history groups, and tenants. Their involvement ensured the final development aligned with community aspirations. The project has had a lasting impact, transforming a neglected landmark into a proud symbol of local resilience and heritage.
Local Authority Area: Clackmannanshire
Carsebridge Cultural Campus, Clackmannanshire
Nominated By: Resonate Together
Architect or Lead Designer: John Gilbert Architects
In Alloa, Resonate Together led a bold vision to save and reimagine two abandoned 19th-century buildings. With no utilities and facing possible demolition, Ochil House and Harvey House were rescued by a passionate community movement.
Instead of traditional consultation, a Festival of Ideas invited locals to shape the site’s future. The result was Carsebridge Cultural Campus, a hub for creativity, training, and wellbeing. It hosts the Resonate Training Centre, arts initiatives, and Clackmannanshire’s COVID Memorial Project.
Sustainability and reuse are central to the plans, with a strong focus on skills training and cultural regeneration. This project highlights the strength of community placemaking, turning a forgotten industrial site into a thriving, inclusive space for all.
Local Authority Area: Aberdeenshire
Number 30, The Square, Huntly
Nominated By: Huntly Development Trust
Architect or Lead Designer: LDN Architects
Number 30, The Square has breathed new life into a formerly vacant department store in the heart of Huntly. With vacancy rates rising and economic challenges mounting, this community-led project transformed the landmark building into a beacon of hope and innovation.
Led by Huntly Development Trust and backed by £4 million in funding, the complex refurbishment created a multifunctional space with a cinema, café, gallery, meeting rooms, co-working area, travel hub, and Changing Places facility.
The project contributes significantly to Huntly’s wider regeneration strategy, Huntly 2030: Room to Thrive, and has already sparked additional private investment in the town centre. Sustainable technologies, including solar PV and heat recovery, have drastically cut emissions, saving approximately 89 tonnes of CO₂ annually.
Number 30 is now a celebrated focal point for learning, enterprise, and culture, helping Huntly’s community not just survive but thrive.
Community Champions
The Community Champions category honours individuals making an extraordinary difference to their local places. Their work spans heritage, environment, accessibility, and community empowerment.
The shortlisted are:
Elaine Collins
Local Authority Area: Fife
Description of Work Done in the Community:
Elaine Collins, a dedicated volunteer from Cardenden, Fife, has made a significant impact on local access, green spaces, and community wellbeing through her work with the Cardenden Walking Club and Ramblers Scotland. After caring for her mother until 2013, she redirected her energy into improving local paths and access routes. She founded a free, inclusive walking club which has grown to 60 members and has actively developed, maintained, and restored walking routes, including nearly four miles of paths in Pitcairn Woods.
Elaine has built strong partnerships with local businesses, secured corporate volunteer support, and led environmental projects including tree planting, signage, and greenspace restoration. Her leadership has also inspired wider community involvement and partnerships, such as with a local army major and the Community Payback Team. Her work encourages wider use and preservation of walking paths and reflects a deep understanding of rural access rights and the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.
Impact:
Elaine’s work has significantly improved local path networks, boosted community engagement, and increased footfall in previously underused areas. Through environmental restoration and creative community collaboration, she has left a lasting legacy for current and future generations. Her story is one of tireless dedication, humour, and hands-on leadership in preserving and enhancing Scotland’s natural walking heritage.
Philip Kerr
Local Authority Area: Scottish Borders
Description of Work Done in the Community:
Philip Kerr is a longstanding member of Southdean Community Council who has worked tirelessly to advocate for rural communities. Despite facing serious illness, Philip has remained an active, vocal representative for local interests in complex issues such as wind farm developments, land access, and planning proposals. He liaises with national organisations and wind farm developers to ensure transparency and community benefit, often representing several councils collectively.
More recently, he has focused on energy efficiency in rural homes, championing retrofitting schemes to improve EPC ratings and reduce fuel poverty in remote areas. He is a consistent and reliable voice in rural planning and sustainability, often volunteering behind the scenes to write reports, attend meetings, and form cross-community collaborations.
Impact:
Philip’s work has brought about tangible change, from negotiating wind farm community benefits to promoting long-term sustainability. His dedication ensures that rural voices are not only heard but respected. He gives people in small, scattered communities the confidence that their concerns matter and that change is possible with quiet, persistent effort. His cultural impact—strengthening rural identity and participation—is as vital as the practical improvements he champions.
Sandra Macinnes
Local Authority Area: Na h-Eileanan Siar
Description of Work Done in the Community:
Sandra Macinnes has led the successful campaign to rescue and repurpose Eriskay’s former school building, transforming it into the Ionad Eilean na h-Òige (Centre of the Isle of Youth). Built in 1878, the school had been abandoned and deteriorating until Sandra, through the Comann Eachdraidh (Historical Society), secured ownership and funding—over £2 million to date—for its regeneration.
Her vision includes a local museum, archive, café, wellbeing suites, gym, lettable space, and the island’s first launderette. She has launched a library and community warm space in the interim. Beyond Eriskay, Sandra supports other heritage projects across the Outer Hebrides, sharing her expertise through national forums, funding networks, and strategic partnerships.
Impact:
Sandra’s leadership has saved a vital heritage asset while sparking cultural and economic regeneration in Eriskay. Her commitment has reconnected generations, inspired pride, and offered tangible hope in a remote island community. With widespread community backing and national recognition, Sandra’s work is not only preserving history but shaping the island’s sustainable future. Her success has become a replicable model for community-led rural development.
A Shared Vision for Place and People
These shortlisted projects exemplify how design, heritage, and community commitment can redefine Scotland’s places. From the sensitive reuse of historical structures to cutting-edge energy performance, each development honours the past while embracing the future—making a real difference to people’s lives and local pride.
Stay tuned for the announcement of the My Place Awards winners, and join us in celebrating the people behind the places that inspire us all.