During a tough and testing year for many, the 2020 Self Management Awards went ahead for the first time virtually, with local charity ANAM CARA being announced as the Winner of the Self Management in the Community Awards – a testament to their work within both East and Midlothian.
Held virtually on ZOOM, the awards brought together 130 individuals to celebrate examples of good practice and to promote a range of innovative self-management activity which has happened over Scotland over the past 10 months. Hosted by Pennie Taylor and administered by Alliance on behalf of the Scottish Government, it was an exciting time for the team at ANAM CARA who work tirelessly in order to provide women with an exceptional support network in order to progress as individuals whilst battling issues such as anxiety, depression, domestic violence, alcohol and drug misuse amongst many other conditions.
With the awards being announced, the excitement was building for the team, who for the first time in their history took their self-management workshops online to ensure women were supported and connected during lockdown and the ongoing pandemic.
When ANAM CARA was announced as the winner, Founder Maria Martin was ecstatic. Maria explains, ‘ Being announced as the winner of this award was a huge honour not only for myself but also the team. To be recognised for our hard work and commitment to a cause we strongly believe in whilst continually supporting and helping women progress through their difficulties in life is incredibly rewarding. COVID 19 has been exceptionally difficult for many and for us to support those ladies in need during such a difficult time and be recognised for this is fantastic. We’d like to thank the team at Alliance, the Scottish Government, the SA Awards and the ladies who are part of ANAM CARA.’