IT IS almost time to reveal who has been crowned 2019 Glasgow Times Scotswoman of the Year.

Coronavirus has put paid to plans for a glittering gala dinner, held in association with St Enoch Centre and supported by Grand Central Hotel, Scottish Passenger Agents Association, Mackay & Inglis and Jones Whyte LLP.

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Instead, all this week we are paying tribute to the remarkable women in the running for SWOTY and Young SWOTY.

Yesterday we revealed that climate change activist Holly Gillibrand from Fort William is our 2019 Young Scotswoman of the Year, following in the footsteps of last year’s inaugural winner of the award, athlete Maria Lyle.

Today, here is a reminder of the six outstanding finalists in contention to succeed MND campaigner Lucy Lintott as SWOTY 2019.

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ZAKIA MOULAOUI

Zakia is the woman behind Invisible Cities, which trains people who have experienced homelessness to become walking tour guides of their own city. Passionate about ending the stigma surrounding homelessness, Zakia set up the project because she was sick of seeing people struggle on the streets and being unable to do anything about it.

Zakia, from Edinburgh, is a former director of the Homeless World Cup Foundation, a global network of street soccer competitions. She was recently listed on the NatWest WISE100, a list of the UK’s leading women in social enterprise and impact investment.

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VICKI MCCARTHY

Vicki, from Greenock, is the heart and soul of Reach for Autism , a charity she set up five years ago after discovering there was a lack of support services for older children with the condition.

It has grown into what she calls “her Reach family”, supporting more than 40 children each week with after-school activities, a toddler group, art group and social events.

Its youth training group visits schools across the country, raising awareness about what it is like to live on the autistic spectrum; and Vicki and the team run training sessions police and legal groups.

In 2019, Vicki was awarded an MBE. She works tirelessly to ensure the voices of families affected by autism continue to be heard.

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ELAINE WYLLIE

Former headteacher Elaine Wyllie came up with the idea for the Daily Mile in 2012 and it has transformed the health and wellbeing of children across Scotland.

Concerned about her pupils’ lack of physical fitness, Elaine decided to get them moving for 15 minutes every day.

Thanks to her drive and tenacity, the scheme has since been adopted by the Scottish Government who have committed to rolling it out across all schools to make Scotland the first Daily Mile nation.

In 2019, the charity celebrated a huge milestone – more than 10,000 schools and nurseries now take part, reaching two million children in 68 countries around the world.

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CORINNE HUTTON

Quadruple amputee Corinne Hutton is a force of nature. The Lochwinnoch woman lost both her hands and lower legs when she contracted sepsis in 2013. Realising how little support existed for people who have lost limbs, she set up Finding Your Feet. In five years, it has raised more than £1.2m and helped countless amputees with a range of activities, including swimming and skiing.

In January, after a six-year wait, Corinne became the first Scottish person to receive a double hand transplant.

She has set four world records, including becoming the first female quadruple amputee to reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, and she devotes her life to mentoring, motivating and inspiring those who have experienced limb loss.

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PAULINE MORIARTY

Pauline set up the charity Beautiful Inside and Out following the suicide of her 13-year-old daughter Jenna.

Struggling to cope with her loss, she discovered a lack of support for parents and siblings of suicide victims and was determined to change that.

The charity, which runs counselling, music and play therapy sessions all over Scotland, now has around 15 therapists. It also funds music and drama projects for vulnerable young people in nurture groups in schools.

Despite her own grief, Pauline, from Kilmarnock, works tirelessly to raise awareness of the issues surrounding suicide and her charity continues to save lives and make a difference to bereaved parents and siblings across the country.

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SARAH MARTINS DA SILVA

Infertility expert Sarah is one of Scotland’s leading gynaecologists.

As a senior lecturer in reproductive medicine at the University of Dundee, she is focussed on finding solutions to male infertility in a bid to stop women from being subjected to invasive fertility treatments such as IVF.

Her dedication and passion singled her out as the only Scot on the BBC’s 100 Women of Influence list in 2019 and her groundbreaking work in harnessing science, technology, investment and innovation in male reproductive health has the potential to change the world.