April Warrior of the Month revealed

• 15 May 2020

West End café owner Ed Avdiasi has been named as the McCrea Financial Services Warrior of the Month for April, after the Warrior Nation responded in their droves to nominate the unsung heroes inspiring their community.

Nominations
came from across Glasgow and the west of Scotland, ranging from long-standing
Glasgow Warriors supporters to those who have never previously attended a rugby
match.

After
receiving nominations from multiple sources, however, it was Avdiasi – owner of
Kothel in Broomhill – who was selected to receive the prize.

The café
owner has been keeping the local community connected during the COVID-19
pandemic, setting up a community mini-market and helping to deliver food to
those in social isolation.

Those over
the age of 70 have also received donations of cupboard staples such as bread,
rice and pasta, as Avdiasi and the Kothel team look to ensure the local
community continues to look out for each other.

Key workers
such as police officers and NHS workers have also been receiving donations from
Avdiasi and his team, whilst Kothel has also been supporting food banks, asylum
seekers and charities such as Brothers In Arms over the last two months.

“I’ve got
members of family who live in the parts of Italy that were affected by COVID-19
earliest,” Avdiasi told glasgowwarriors.org.

“Ed has worked tirelessly to help the community of Glasgow keep up with their necessities and ways of living […] We would be lost without Ed.”
Nomination

“I was
looking at the situation and was aware that it would soon arrive in the UK, so
I ordered a lot of stock and a gazebo 48 hours before lockdown was implemented.

“Glasgow and
the West End community looked after me when I first arrived in Scotland, and
the city changed my life. I wanted to do something to help the people that need
it most at this time, because the city helped me when I needed it.

“We’ve been
supporting the police and healthcare workers, as well refugees and asylum
seekers – a lot of them were forced to leave their own countries, and we want
to support them any way we can.

“We’ve also
raised about £4000 for Brothers In Arms – one of our regular customers sadly
lost her son not too long ago, so we’ve been doing our bit to help them raise
money wherever we can.”

“He has worked non- stop throughout and never refuses any request for donations. He has created an amazing community focal point that has given a little bit of normality back to people’s lives.”
Nomination

The news of
the award came as a surprise to the man himself, having set out solely to help
his community.

“I just
wanted to give back to the people that had helped me,” explained Avdiasi.

“When I was
told that someone had put me forward for this, I was driving and I had to pull
over to the side of the road because I had tears in my eyes!

“I’m really
proud to receive this award – thank you to everyone that nominated and thank
you to everyone out there doing their bit to support their community.”

Sponsor of
the award McCrea Financial Services said: “Our congratulations go to Ed and
everyone working so hard at Kothel for the benefit of the local community. It’s
fantastic to be able to recognise his contribution with this very special
Warrior of the Month.”

“Not only is he a gem for the community with these selfless actions, but he always manages to put a smile on everyone’s face too”
Nomination

Honourable Mentions

Mary Theresa
Crumlish

Looking
after both her family and neighbours, from picking up shopping to walking dogs.

David
Maguire

Providing
over 500 meals per day to NHS staff at Gartnavel Hospital through his
restaurant 1051 GWR.

Richard
McCombe

Diverted
resources from his company Matic Media Services Ltd to producing social
distancing stickers and other media free of charge for local businesses, as
well as designing and distributing face-shields.

Izzy Conway

Selflessly
devoting herself to charity work across Glasgow, including The Mungo
Foundation, Kindness Glasgow Homeless Street Team, Rogart SAS and Cumbernauld
Resilience.

Mark Feeney

Keeping
pharmacies open across the central belt in order to serve his community.

Jules
Silverton

A North
Stand season ticket holder and radiographer at Queen Elizabeth University
Hospital, seeing patients for imaging and carrying out her job with a smile on
her face.

Suzanne Hill

Working on
the front-line as an NHS nurse as well as home-schooling her two children.

Shan Murray

A carer in
the local community working overtime to care for those most in-need in her
local area.