The owners of Spar A&J Alloa Road Shop in Stenhousemuir, and staff and owners of the Nisa Local in Abbeyview, Dunfermline, have been honoured with Pride of Scotland Awards.
Asiyah and Jawad Javed got the surprise of their lives back in May when Sanjeev Kholi, AKA Naveen the shopkeeper from cult Scottish comedy, Still Game, entered their Spar store to announce that the retailers had won a Special Recognition Award.
”We were thinking why is he even here? How did this happen? We couldn’t believe it!” Asiyah told SLR.
The couple headed to The Hilton in Glasgow on 23 June to attend the glittering awards ceremony, where they were praised for having donated more than £100,000 of food and medical assistance to people in their community since the pandemic.
During covid, Asiyah and Jawad spent thousands of pounds creating care parcels for elderly and vulnerable people.
Asiyah regularly visits nursing homes to chat with the elderly and drop off biscuits and drinks and she has just helped local care home resident, Caroline, raise over £400 for a Sponsored Silence. She also works with Falkirk council, who get in touch if they know of people who are struggling to access food and the store delivers supplies to their house.
Meanwhile, shopworkers at the Nisa Local store in Abbeyview, Dunfermline, received an Outstanding Bravery Award for their incredible actions when the store came under attack last summer.
A masked man armed with a handgun entered the store last June and ordered staff to give him all the cash from the till. He pointed the gun at post office worker, Cheryl Gourlay, but she refused to hand over the money. The man then climbed over the counter to access the till, but he was stopped in his tracks by shop worker, Bob Bell, who jumped over the counter and hit the would-be robber.
Shop owners Aisha Javid and her son Usman ran to help and they managed to get the man to the floor and remove the gun from his possession, in addition to a knife he had hidden on his person.
The gunman, Robert Danskin, was jailed for seven years for attempted robbery with an imitation firearm.
Reflecting on the incident, Aisha said: “We didn’t have time to think – we just acted. It was instinct. We work hard, and we look out for each other and our customers. The support from our community since then has been overwhelming.”
Taranjit Singh Dhillon, Head of Retail at Co-op Wholesale, said: “What Aisha, Bob, Cheryl and Usman did was extraordinary. Their bravery, selflessness and dedication to their community embody everything we value across our retail network. We are incredibly proud to see them recognised at the Pride of Scotland Awards.”
The team continues to serve the Dunfermline community with pride, regularly supporting local causes and providing essential services through their Nisa store and post office.
