Reporter Caroline Wilson's Review of the Year: Campaigning for change and a hospital in crisis

SCOTLAND'S busiest hospital was thrust into the UK media spotlight for all the wrong reasons in January after it emerged that two patients, including a ten-year-old boy with cancer, had died after contracting a rare infection, Cryptococcus, linked to pigeon droppings.

We revealed that protective, HEPA air filters had not been installed in the room where the child was being treated after a whistleblower came forward.

The Evening Times was the first newspaper, on January 22, to question the need for an inquiry into the £842million hospital that has been plagued by problems and infection outbreaks since it opened in 2015.

Later that day, Health Secretary Jeane Freeman ordered a review to look at the design, handover and maintenance of the hospital, specifically in relation to infection control.

That same month, we told how every fire door in the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital campus, including the children’s hospital, had to be taken off because the doors had not been fitted with “fire retardant” sealant.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has now launched legal action against Brookfield Multiplex, which designed and built the hospital.

Read more: No air filter fitted in room of child who died at Queen Elizabeth hospital

On February 5, we gave our full backing to an ambitious campaign by British Heart Foundation Scotland for mandatory, life-saving CPR lessons in schools.

Our first target was Glasgow, which has the highest number of cardiac arrests in the UK. Within a week the council had agreed and by April, all 32 had signed up, reaching 50,000 Scottish pupils.

In the same month there was sad news for supporters of the Glasgow Women’s 10k after we revealed that the popular event was being axed after 25 years.

The organisers blamed dwindling numbers taking part in recent years for the decision to end the UK’s only all-female race.

Gold medal-winning middle distance runner Liz McColgan was among the more high-profile supporters who praised the event for encouraging more women to take up running.

On March 2, we broke a tragic story about the sudden death of a young mum from Pollok.

Courtney Newlands, 19, lay dead in her flat for two days before police broke down the door, prompted by her anxious family. They found Courtney lying on the couch with baby Dylan beside her in his cot.

It is thought that Courtney may have suffered complications linked to Type 1 diabetes.

Glasgow’s only male midwife made the headlines in May, one of only a few in Scotland.

Former pub manager Kenny Gibson revealed his risky ice-breaker for labouring women: “I tell them I’ve had three kids and it didn’t hurt a bit.”

Read more: 'Toilet roll is a luxury: Meet the woman in charge of Glasgow's hardest working foodbank

There was more campaigning success for the Evening Times in June. After a six-year pressure drive, the Scottish Government passed a bill to make a historic change to the country’s transplant system.

Next year Scotland will introduce an opt-out system, whereby members of the public will be required to register an objection if they do not wish to donate organs after death.

In August we revealed the full details of a multi-million plan to boost the fortunes of fire-hit Sauchiehall Street.

London based firm Bywater Properties outlined its vision for creative industries, independent coffee shops and potentially a Finnieston restaurant “name” at the site of the McClellan Galleries.

The following month, we splashed a graphic image on our front pages by award-winning photographer Andy Buchanan of a drug addict injecting in an area of wasteground near Glasgow Green.

Councillor Mhairi Hunter, who leads health policy for the city, said the images “graphically highlighted” why Glasgow is lobbying Westminster for a change in the law which would permit addicts to bring their own ‘street’ heroin to a Safer Drug Consumption Facility (SDCF). I later accompanied police on a drive round  the city targeting dealers as officers pledged to take a more empathetic approach to addicts.

Read more: 'I don't go to bed thinking that's another day over': Meet the staff helping people with dementia to live well

The Evening Times paired up with our sister title The Herald in October to launch an ambitious two-year campaign which aims to improve the lives of Scots living with dementia.

We signalled our backing for Alzheimer Scotland’s Faire Care campaign, called for all patients with advanced dementia to have access to free health care.

In a week-long series we highlighted the financial challenges families face, heard from the people who are living well in spite of the disease and told of the projects providing ‘moments of joy.’

The charity later told how our high-profile Think Dementia campaign had lifted one of Scotland’s biggest health challenges out of the shadows.

On December 4, the Evening Times became the Glasgow Times and we marked the historic change with a direct appeal to our readers to help city families battling poverty.

We placed a paper bag in every edition of the newspaper to encourage people to donate to the city’s foodbanks and arranged drop off points across the city.

Hundreds of schools and city businesses backed our Bank.on.Us campaign and more than 5000 filled bags have been delivered to foodbanks so far across the city.