Edinburgh College student is crowned British Judo champion

An Edinburgh College student has fought her way to the top of one of the world’s toughest sports after winning gold in the U-70kg category at the British Judo championships.

Sally Conway, who studies Instructors Course in Fitness and Exercise at Edinburgh College, is a full-time judo athlete and competes for Great Britain. The young athlete recently tore ligaments in her shoulder whilst competing at the London 2012 Olympics but returned to full health to win gold at the British Championships in Sheffield.

This sporting success follows a European Cup gold in Malaga and three weeks of Grand Prix and Grand Slam competitions in Tokyo, South Korea and Abu Dhabi, where she won a bronze medal and $1500 in prize money. Sally now has her sights set on competing in the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

Sally said: “It was important to finish the year on a high with a medal. The plan now is to taper down a bit before heading out to a training camp in the new year. Over the Christmas period I will still be keeping active, nothing too serious, probably down to one session a day.

“I want to be ready for the Paris Grand Slam in February so I can achieve my main goal of 2014 – to compete and hopefully medal at the Commonwealth Games. To be selected as early as possible would be ideal as then the pressure of qualifying is off and I can focus on the competition.

“I’m so looking forward to competing at a Commonwealth Games, especially in my home country. I am sure it will be really fun. Already there’s such anticipation and everyone is asking me if I will be going to the Games.”

Sally is one of eight judoka to be nominated by Judo Scotland for scholarship support from Winning Students, the national programme that provides funding and assistance to talented athletes studying in colleges and universities across Scotland.

Sally, who is 26, added: “By the end of June, I will be qualified as a gym instructor and in delivering circuit training and exercise to music classes. I am also doing Lifeguarding and First Aid courses and there is the option of further study afterwards.

“I am loving being back in education. I left school at seventeen and went into full-time training until this year. After London, I said I want to get back into education again, both to break up the training, but also to let me have a different focus. It’s something which will give me more options for the future. I can’t see myself sitting in an office working at a computer; it was always going to be something around fitness and physical activity.”

Edinburgh College is brimming with sporting talent, with fellow judo champ Jodie Mullen, football players Lizzie Arnot, Lucy Graham and Sarah Laverty, and curling champion Jennifer Dodds all awarded Winning Student scholarships to compete in international competitions, such as the Commonwealth Games, Olympics and Paralympics.

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McScrooge brings Christmas spirit to Leith

Bah! Humbug! Residents from Port of Leith’s Jameson Place sheltered housing complex and pupils from St Mary’s Primary school were treated to a mini pantomime presented by Citadel Arts Group this week.

McScrooge, based on Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol, saw cast members play Alice and Marge, McScrooge and Ghost of Christmas Past, Present and Future, as well as McCratchit and McMarley.

Liz Hare, Artistic Director at Citadel Arts Group, said: “Citadel Arts Group regularly performs for Jameson Place residents and we are delighted to have been able to spread some festive cheer. The pantomime is part and parcel of Christmas and we’re pleased the audience enjoyed themselves.”

Elaine Edwards, Scheme Co-ordinator at the Port of Leith Housing Association’s Jameson Place Sheltered Housing Complex, said:
“Our residents look forward to performances by Citadel Arts Group, but this year’s performance was certainly their favourite and made everyone feel very Christmassy.”

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Seasonal food for thought …

Politicians praise voluntary sector efforts to tackle food poverty in struggling communities

The Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth John Swinney has praised the essential work of the voluntary sector at Christmas during a tour of Transform Community Development’s new-look Dundee premises.

Through its work with national charity FareShare the Dundee project aims to reduce food poverty and offers training and volunteering opportunities to service users and local people in the community.

During the visit Mr Swinney saw first-hand the efforts of the third sector organisation which provides balanced meals and shelter to homeless and vulnerable people in the city, before going on to tour the Jessie Devlin Hostel, one of Transform’s residential and sheltered housing accommodation for vulnerable people.

He said: “Christmas should be a time for fun and festivities but it can be tough for people across the country who are living in poverty.

“The Scottish Government is committed to tackling and preventing homelessness. Official statistics published last month revealed fewer people are becoming homeless in Scotland, with a 14 per cent decrease of households living in temporary accommodation at the end of June compared with 2013.

“Transform’s work on Zero Waste Scotland’s Love Food Hate Waste campaign complements what they are doing with FareShare as it’s all about making the most of the food we have.

“Social enterprises, voluntary organisations and community organisations play an important part in Scottish society. They deliver superb services and help to connect with the most vulnerable people in our communities, which is especially important during the festive period which can be a particularly difficult time of year.

“It was an honour to meet the people who run and use Transform’s FareShare scheme and sheltered accommodation. Such excellent projects just show how charities can work in partnership with retailers like Asda and cut down on food waste and feed those in need at the same time.”

The charity collects donations of fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and dairy products from suppliers and retailers like Brakes, Nestle and Asda then hands them out to disadvantaged groups in the area.

The food, which would otherwise end up in landfill because of packaging errors, over production or short shelf lives, is redistributed to those in need in Dundee, Perth, Kinross and Angus.

Transform Community Development Trust’s CEO Simon Laidlaw said: “We have been involved with FareShare since it began and are extremely proud of what it achieves.

“In particular in times of austerity and public sector cuts it is good to be able to assist other voluntary organisations, taking some pressure off and enabling them to enhance the services they provide for vulnerable people.

“With food poverty on the increase it makes sense that we should be working with the industry to ensure that no good food goes to waste and that those in need get the benefit.”

Asda’s Scottish Corporate Affairs Manager Polly Jones, said: “With over 60 Asda stores in Scotland, even a couple of extra cases of food here and there can quickly add up to hundreds of tonnes of surplus stock. By working with FareShare we can ensure this good quality food doesn’t go to waste.

“Asda’s contribution provides 3.6 million meals for the good causes FareShare supports, helping to alleviate food poverty and saving the charities money to invest in essential services. The partnership is a simple and practical way for Asda to turn an environmental problem into a real benefit for the communities we serve.”

Edinburgh North and Leith MP has also highlighted the food poverty plight faced by many Scots families over Christmas.

Following a debate in Westminster called by the Labour Opposition on food banks, Mark Lazarowicz MP has highlighted that many ordinary Scots face crisis this Christmas due to the shocking increase in food poverty.

He pointed to the dramatic growth not just in food banks but all forms of help such as food vans and soup kitchens in Edinburgh and the rest of Scotland over the last two years as a response to real need amongst ordinary families struggling to put food on the table.

Speaking after the packed debate, Mark said: “In just two years the number of food banks in Scotland operated by the Trussell Trust, the main food bank charity, has dramatically increased from just one to forty-three today, with two more being planned in Edinburgh alone.

“But that’s just the tip of the iceberg with many other people either going without or getting into debt to get through the week.”

“The Government’s stock response is to point to all it is doing to support ordinary families but if so why has the scale of need grown so rapidly? According to Citizens Advice Scotland, half of those who use food banks are actually in work but their wages can’t keep pace with the cost of living – three-quarters of the rest turn to them because of delays in their benefits or changes to the benefit system introduced by the Government.

“I pay tribute to the civic responsibility and compassion of the volunteers and staff who run food banks and food vans but it’s a tragedy they are needed and needed they definitely are – not least because of Government policy.”

The North & Leith MP called for a thorough examination by the Government of why so many people need help followed by a major policy rethink if Citizens Advice Scotland and the Trussell Trust are proved right that Government policies are a key contributing factor.

At this time last year, the Prime Minister claimed that the growth in food banks was an expression of the big society. More recently, his Education Secretary has suggested that more people are turning to food banks because they are unable to manage their finances properly.

That is not borne out by either the findings of the Trussell Trust or a study produced by Citizens Advice Scotland tracking those they referred to food banks. Both pointed to the difficulty of in-work households in meeting basic bills because of low wages and the rising cost of living coupled with benefit delays and changes to the benefit system introduced by the Government as the main explanations.

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