The award has been given by the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom (CLOtC), the national voice for teaching beyond the classroom which is known to contribute significantly to raising attainment and improving pupil and staff wellbeing.
As part of their submission for Gold status, St Andrew’s excelled in the following important areas:
capitalising on their resources, including nearby Corstorphine Hill, to ensure learning was based in local, accessible places
maximising commitment to learning for sustainability and their core ecological values; nurture, inspire, flourish
ensuring that their work was rooted in Curriculum for Excellence and that all learning was underpinned by progressive skills for learning, life and work
Rebecca Favier, Head Teacher at St Andrew’s, said: “Being awarded the gold mark is a tremendous achievement for all the staff and pupils. That we are the first school in Scotland to achieve this makes it even more special! It shows that we are providing our pupils with potentially life-changing opportunities to learn in meaningful contexts.
“We’re thrilled to get national recognition for our efforts, and we look forward to continuing to develop what we do, helping our pupils achieve their potential and to promoting the many benefits of taking teaching and learning beyond the classroom walls.”
Primary 5 pupil Billy said: I love learning outside my classroom on Corstorphine Hill. We do maths, language, science, nature studies and art and it’s fun doing it in the fresh air.
“Even when it isn’t sunny we keep our outdoor clothes in school for all weather. It makes learning feel like playtime with my friends. St Andrew’s is the best school ever!”
Councillor Ian Perry, Education Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: Well done to all the teaching staff and pupils at St Andrew’s who have made such a massive contribution to achieving this award.
“It’s great to see such innovative learning and teaching being taken out of the classroom and getting the national recognition that it fully deserves.”
Councillor Alison Dickie, Education Vice Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “This past year has been a real challenge for our young people and teaching staff so a massive thumbs up to St Andrew’s for leading the way in Scotland.
“This is creative learning at its best and these outdoor experiences both improve pupils’ academic attainment but also personal development and health and wellbeing.”
Kerr Willis, Chair of St Andrew’s Parent Council, said: “Big congratulations to all the staff and pupils for achieving Gold Award status in LOtC.
“It’s great to see the school making use of the incredible outdoor space near the campus to provide the children with a creative and practical approach to learning. Keep up the great work!”
Dr Anne Hunt, Chief Executive of CLOtC said: “Learning outside the classroom has many proven educational benefits as well as providing some of the most valuable and memorable experiences in a child’s school life.
“Achieving LOtC Mark (Gold) demonstrates that St Andrew’s Fox Covert RC Primary is a leader in providing learning experiences outside the classroom and that these sessions are a genuine part of the everyday life of the school, are available to all of their children and young people.
Creative projects from Edinburgh artists and creative organisations are in motion thanks to National Lottery funding awarded through Creative Scotland’s Open Fund.
A new poetry project from Neu! Reekie!, a community arts project focusing on Edinburgh’s history and a 50th anniversary commission from Meadows Chamber Orchestra are among the 53 projects in total sharing in over £1.2million of National Lottery funding.
These funds aim to support creativity across Scotland for artists, organisations and creative groups as they seek to build sustainability while emerging from Covid-19 restrictions.
With new funding, independent publisher 404 Ink will be continuing their development of new and emerging Scottish voices, including new poetry, novels and memoirs.
Co-founder and Publishing Director Heather McDaid says: “As a small publisher trying to survive and thrive through the pandemic, this is an incredible opportunity to put real resources behind authors and titles we fully believe in, and create a large network of freelance opportunities, while also being able to develop our paid internship programme and look to 404 Ink’s long-term recovery and sustainability.”
Neu! Reekie!’s forthcoming The New Now! will draw focus on Scotland’s poets. From #NeuVoices publishing their first poem to Scotland’s new Makar making their mark, The New Now! will offer poets and audiences alike, a year-long series of live shows and broadcast-quality digital events.
Neu! Reekie! Co-founder Michael Pedersen says: “We’re elated to see this vital project taking flight — through it we hope to make sense of the last bewildering period and gather gusto for the future.”
ReDrawing Edinburgh is a community-led creative project from Edinburgh City Archives designed to commemorate the centennial of the 1920 Edinburgh Boundaries Extension and Tramways Act.
Activities around this project will include the projection a short, commissioned archive multi-media installation onto five buildings in the five boundary extension areas, on five evenings during September 2021.
Henry Sullivan, Information Asset Manager says: “The heritage of each community will be displayed to local audiences in their own community spaces in an innovative and engaging fashion.
“The hope is that this will be a model for future collaboration between content custodians, community organisations and local artists.”
Meadows Chamber Orchestra will celebrate its 50th anniversary with the commission and Scottish premiere of an exciting new orchestral symphony by renowned composer Eleanor Alberga.
Principal conductor and musical advisor, Peter Evans says: “As the Meadows Chamber Orchestra prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary in June 2022, the ensemble is particularly delighted to receive financial support from Creative Scotland for the commission of a new symphony from the Jamaican -born British composer, Eleanor Alberga. The new piece will be a joint commission with the Bristol-based Brandon Hill Chamber Orchestra.”
INTO THE ALTERED STATES is a year-long project by artist Benjamin Owen celebrating voices across Scotland and bringing together an intergenerational group of musicians alongside the voices of elderly individuals.
Benjamin explained: “This funding is a vital opportunity for me to develop as a participatory artist after a twenty-year career in arts education.
“It allows me to integrate all sorts of skills and experiences gathered in teaching into a more experimental and flexible environment.”
Joan Parr, Creative Scotland’s Interim Director of Arts and Engagement, said: “Thanks to the generosity of National Lottery players, who raise £30 million for good causes across the UK every week, these vital funds are helping artists to continue to develop and present their work and to bring extraordinary creative experiences to life within our communities.”
A full list of recipients of Open Fund awards is available on the Creative Scotland website.
I am writing to ask your readers to seek out and celebrate the epilepsy heroes in your community.
Epilepsy affects over 55,000 across Scotland, some of them helped by truly inspirational people. Those who think nothing of going out of their way to lend a hand or even save a life, when someone really needs it. This year, national charity Epilepsy Action wants to thank them and honour their efforts publicly with a Helping Hands 2021 award.
This past year has been such an unsettling time, especially for those living with invisible conditions like epilepsy. Pandemic or not, so many people and families have struggled behind closed doors.
Community heroes have often been a lifeline, stepping up in a crisis. It could be a teacher who has been a legend in lockdown. A total stranger who rallied during a seizure. Or a local group who took on an epic fundraiser for epilepsy.
Whoever they are, we want to hear all about them!
Last year, my daughter 8-year-old Sienna picked up an award for the care she gives to her sister, who has severe epilepsy and complex needs. Sienna does so much each day and this thankless job goes unnoticed by the outside world.
She is a remarkable little girl, who doesn’t even know the difference she makes to her sister’s life. I wanted to tell her – and everyone else – how proud we are of her.
This summer, Epilepsy Action would love for your readers to be inspired by amazing people like Sienna, and to nominate more Helping Hands heroes. To do this, visit epilepsy.org.uk/ awards before the 15th of August. We can’t wait to hear about your heroes, to celebrate and thank them on behalf of people with epilepsy everywhere.
Winners of the 2021 Society of Authors’ Awards announced
The Society of Authors has revealed the names of the winning writers, poets and illustrators from around the world who will share in the UK’s biggest literary prize fund, worth over £100,000, in an online ceremony.
“Graeme Armstrong: ‘I hope this prize speaks volumes to the young men and women in my community about the distinct possibility of their impossible.”
The acclaimed author of Chocolat Joanne Harris (above) invited an international audience to celebrate the 2021 Society of Authors’ Awards run digitally for the second year because of Covid-19 restrictions.
Speaking from her home in Yorkshire, Harris joined previous award recipients to announce the 2021 winners of ten prizes for debut novels, poetry, historical biography, illustrated children’s books, and lifetime bodies of work. The trade union – which counts such household literary names as Philip Pullman, Hilary Mantel, Kazuo Ishiguro, Neil Gaiman and JK Rowling among its members, as well as 11,500 jobbing writers, translators, illustrators and journalists – shared £105,775 between 35 writers, poets and illustrators in a celebration of the ‘phenomenal depth and breadth of books and words’
The winners included Thomas McMullan, who won the £10,000 Betty Trask Prize for his dark dystopian debut The Last Good Man; poet Paula Claire who this week celebrates 60 years of creating poetry as well as her Cholmondeley Award; Graeme Armstrong, who won both a Betty Trask Award and a Somerset Maugham Award for The Young Team; lawyer turned children’s writer Rashmi Sirdeshpande and illustrator Diane Ewen who won the Queen’s Knickers Award, now in its second year, for Never Show a T-Rex a Book; Waterstones Children’s Book Prize and British Book Awards winner Kiran Millwood Hargrave who won a Betty Trask Award for her debut adult novel The Mercies; and Pulitzer Prize winner Fredrik Logevall who won the Elizabeth Longford Prize for Historical Biography for JFK Volume 1.
Gboyega Odubanjo, Milena Williamson and Cynthia Miller were among the young poets celebrated in the Eric Gregory Awards, while other award recipients included Forward Prize winner Kei Miller, award-winning columnist Lola Okolosie, playwright and education worker Lamorna Ash, and short fiction author and literary reviewer DM O’Connor.
Introducing the Awards, Joanne Harris reflected on the current challenges facing the author community, saying, ‘for authors, whose careers are precarious at the best of times, the challenge to sustain themselves right now is more acute than ever.’
She continued, ‘that is why all of us are here to celebrate the phenomenal depth and breadth of books and words. Authors at the very beginning of their careers. Authors that are well established. Fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and everything that lies in between. Literature as a treasure at the centre of society. Writing as a force to be reckoned with.’
In his acceptance speech, Kei Miller (above) described his Cholmondeley Award as ‘a wonderful reminder that we belong to so many societies and so many countries’. McKitterick Prize winner Elaine Feeney spoke of the ‘lovely boost’ the prize has given her, confirming ‘signs of life off the West coast of Ireland!’
Queen’s Knickers Award winner Rashmi Sirdeshpande thanked ‘everyone who has helped [Never Show a T-Rex a Book] find its way into the hands of a child’.
And Graeme Johnson whose novel The Young Team mirrors his own experiences of addiction and Scottish gang culture said he hopes his two awards will ‘speak volumes to the young men and women in my community about the distinct possibility of their impossible.’
As she closed the ceremony, Joanne Harris said, ‘There’s no better way to support authors than to read them, so I urge you all to pick up tonight’s winners from your local bookshop and discover their worlds.’
The winners for each award are:
The ALCS Tom-Gallon Trust Award
Sponsored by the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS), the ALCS Tom-Gallon Trust Award is awarded for a short story by a writer who has had at least one short story accepted for publication. Judged by Claire Fuller, Sophie Haydock, Billy Kahora, Ardashir Vakil and Mary Watson. Past winners include Benjamin Myers, Lucy Wood, Grace Ingoldby and Claire Harman. Total prize fund: £1,575.
Winner: DM O’connor for I Told You Not to Fly So High Awarded £1,000
Runner-Up: Sean Lusk for The Hopelessness of Hope Awarded £575
Betty Trask Prize & Awards
The Betty Trask Prize and Awards are presented for a first novel by a writer under 35. Judged by Sara Collins, Elanor Dymott and Vaseem Khan. Past winners include Zadie Smith, David Szalay, Hari Kunzru and Sarah Waters. Total prize and award fund: £26,200.
Betty Trask Prize Winner
Thomas Mcmullan for The Last Good Man (Bloomsbury) Awarded £10,000.
Betty Trask Awards Winners
Five winners, each awarded £3,240.
Maame Blue for Bad Love (Jacaranda Books)
Eley Williams for The Liar’s Dictionary (William Heinemann/Cornerstone Prh)
Kiran Millwood Hargrave for The Mercies (Pan Macmillan/Picador)
Nneoma Ike-Njoku for The Water House (Unpublished)
Graeme Armstrong for The Young Team (Pan Macmillan Picador)
Cholmondeley Award winners
5 winners each awarded £1,680
The Cholmondeley Awards are awarded for a body of work by a poet. Judged by Moniza Alvi, Grace Nichols and Deryn Rees-Jones. Past winners include Seamus Heaney, Carol Ann Duffy, John Agard and Andrew Motion. Total prize fund: £8,400
Kei Miller
Paula Claire
Maurice Riordan
Susan Wicks
Katrina Porteous
Elizabeth Longford Prize for Historical Biography
The Elizabeth Longford Prize for Historical Biography is an annual award for historical biography which combines scholarship and narrative drive. Judged by Roy FosterFlora Fraser, Antonia Fraser, Richard Davenport-Hines and Rana Mitter. Past winners include D.W. Hayton, Anne Somerset and Philip Ziegler. Total prize fund: £5,000.
Winner: Fredrik Logevall for JFK Volume 1 (Viking)
Eric Gregory Award winners
7 winners each awarded £4,050
The Eric Gregory Award is presented for a collection of poems by a poet under 30. Judged by Vahni Capildeo, Andrew McMillan, Sarah Howe, Jamie McKendrick and Roger Robinson. Past winners include Carol Ann Duffy, Helen Mort and Alan Hollinghurst. Total prize fund: £28,350.
Phoebe Walker for Animal Noises
Michael Askew for The Association Game
Gboyega Odubanjo for Aunty Uncle Poems
Kandace Siobhan Walker for Cowboy
Cynthia Miller for Honorifics
Milena Williamson for The Red Trapeze
Dominic Hand for Symbiont
McKitterick Prize
The McKitterick Prize is awarded for a first novel by a writer over 40. Judged by Sabrina Mahfouz, Nick Rennison and Christopher Tayler. Past winners include Helen Dunmore, Mark Haddon and Petina Gappah. Total prize fund: £5,250.
Winner: Elaine Feeney (above) for As You Were (Harvill Secker, Vintage) Awarded £4,000
Runner-Up: Deepa Anappara for Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line (Chatto & Windus, Vintage) Awarded £1,250
Paul Torday Memorial Prize
Now in its third year, the Paul Torday Memorial Prize is awarded to a first novel by a writer over 60. The prize includes a set of the collected works of British writer Paul Torday, who published his first novel Salmon Fishing in the Yemen at the age of 60. Judged by Paul Bailey, Roopa Farooki and Anne Youngson. Past winners are Anne Youngson and Donald S Murray.
Total prize fund: £1,000.
Winner: Kathy O’shaughnessy for In Love with George Eliot (Scribe Uk) Awarded £1,000
Runner-Up: Karen Raney for All the Water in the World (John Murray/Two Roads)
The Queen’s Knickers Award
Now in its second year, this annual prize, founded by Nicholas Allan, author of The Queen’s Knickers, is awarded for an outstanding children’s original illustrated book for ages 0-7. It recognises books that strike a quirky, new note and grab the attention of a child, whether in the form of curiosity, amusement, horror or excitement. Judged by Alexis Deacon, Patrice Lawrence and Tony Ross. The inaugural winner of this award in 2020 was Elena Arevalo Melville for Umbrella. Total prize fund: £6,000.
Winners: Writer Rashmi Sirdeshpande and Illustrator Diane Ewen for Never Show a T-Rex a Book (Puffin) Awarded £5,000
Runner-Up: Alex T. Smith for Mr Penguin and the Catastrophic Cruise (Hachette) Awarded £1,000
Somerset Maugham Award winners
4 winners each awarded £4,000
The Somerset Maugham Awards are for published works of fiction, non-fiction or poetry by writers under 30, to enable them to enrich their work by gaining experience of foreign countries. Judged by Fred D’Aguiar, Nadifa Mohamed and Roseanne Watt. Past winners include Helen Oyeyemi, Julian Barnes, Zadie Smith and Jonathan Freedland. Total prize fund: £16,000.
Lamorna Ash for Dark, Salt, Clear (Bloomsbury Publishing)
Isabelle Baafi for Ripe (Ignition Press)
Akeem Balogun for The Storm (Okapi Books)
Graeme Armstrong for The Young Team (Pan Macmillan Picador)
Travelling Scholarships
5 winners each awarded £1,600
The Travelling Scholarships are awarded to British writers to enable engagement with writers abroad. Judged by Tahmima Anam, Aida Edemariam, Anne McElvoy, Adam O’Riordan and Gary Younge. Previous recipients have included Dylan Thomas, Laurie Lee and Margaret Drabble. Total prize fund: £8,000.
Edinburgh-based groups helping older people to re-connect, new parents feel less isolated and those with sight loss more empowered are amongst those today sharing in £1,483,518 of National Lottery funding.
The cash from The National Lottery Community Fund is being shared by 30 groups in the city helping local communities adapt and recover from COVID-19.
Neil Saddington, Equalities and Inclusion Worker with the group, said: “Most of the Spring Chickens group are elderly people who experience a variety of different health issues and disabilities.
“This essential National Lottery funding has enabled us to do valuable work to combat isolation and loneliness during the most recent lockdown. Now that restrictions are slowly being lifted, we are looking forward to one to one outdoor meet ups to support some of the most isolated members of the group get out and about again.”
There was more good news for another North Edinburgh project as FetLor youth club has also received National Lottery support.
The club said in a statement: “FetLor are delighted to have received an award from The National Lottery Community Fund. We plan to use this funding to support our young people as they return to the Club after lockdown.
“FetLor is a club at the heart of the north Edinburgh community and this funding will support the young people from that community as they make a return to what’s important; being with friends in a safe and supportive space.”
FetLor Director, Richie Adams said, “This last year has been challenging both for our members and for our community. As we move out of lockdown, we are delighted to be welcoming young people back into their club.
“We are looking forward to supporting our members build resilience, achieve their potential and have great fun doing so! The support from the National Lottery enables us to do all we can to make sure our members have a fun time thriving and growing at FetLor”
Based in Edinburgh and working Scotland wide, Sight Scotland offers support to anyone impacted by sight loss, as well as their relatives, friends and carers.
Thanks to an award of £150,000, its Family Wellbeing service will providea range of support to address the loneliness and mental health impacts of sight-loss, and the additional impacts of Covid-19.
Mark O’Donnell, Chief Executive of Sight Scotland, said: “A huge thank you to the National Lottery Community Fund for this funding. It will enable us to provide practical and emotional support to even more people affected by visual impairment in communities across Scotland via our recently established Family Wellbeing Service.
“With the number of people with sight loss in Scotland set to increase by 30,000 to over 200,000 in the next decade, it is vital that Sight Scotland is there for people with sight loss and their loved ones whenever and however they need us.”
An award of £107,000 goes to Passion4Fusion to deliver a health, wellbeing and support service for Black African people in Edinburgh and West Lothian.
Welcoming the award Jonathan Ssentamu of Passion4Fusion, said: “We are very excited and really grateful for the support of the National Lottery Community Fund to enable us to develop this much-needed project which will help to address the complex issues and needs that Black Africans are facing.
“Experience has shown us that many Black Africans living in poverty and deprivation would choose to be ‘invisible’ rather than admit to needing help and in turn seeking the help they need. Our Project will support people directly within their local community, making it as easy as possible to access culturally sensitive services that will allow them to thrive in life.”
“This essential National Lottery funding has enabled us to do valuable work to combat isolation and loneliness during the most recent lockdown. Now that restrictions are slowly being lifted, we are looking forward to one to one outdoor meet ups to support some of the most isolated members of the group get out and about again.”
Dads Rock will deliver group sessions to fathers on topics such as parenting advice, health and safety and mental health, thanks to an award of £9,950.
Lisa Holder, Fundraising Manager, said: “This funding will help us give online support to around 1000 parents across Scotland over the next year, helping them to feel less isolated and learn new skills.
“It will enable them to become more confident and resilient and their children will feel safe, loved and supported.”
Networking Key Services Limited is a community organisation working closely with South Asian and other ethnic minority communities in Edinburgh.
Welcoming their £103,840 award, Naina Minhas, Manager, Networking Key Services Ltd, said: “The National Lottery funding we have received in the past has enabled us to set up a forum for South Asian female carers in Edinburgh.
“This new award will go a long way to address the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on South Asian communities and will enable us to support communities in their recovery from the challenges that have further widened pre-existing inequalities.”
Across the country 246 community projects are today sharing in£10,922,832.
Announcing the funding, The National Lottery Community Fund’s Scotland Chair, Kate Still, said: “It’s great to see such a variety of projects being funded in Edinburgh to help local people adapt and recover from the physical and mental health impacts of COVID-19.
“National Lottery players can be proud to know that the money they raise is making such a difference, connecting local people to others in their communities.”
National Lottery players raise £30 million every week for good causes in the UK.
– Morrisons The Best English Sparkling Brut Vintage 2010 crowned the best English sparkling wine –
– At just £18, the wine is a fraction of the price of others on the market –
Morrisons The Best English Sparkling Brut Vintage 2010 has been named the winner of the Good Housekeeping Institute and Cosmopolitan taste tests. At just £18 a bottle it is notably cheaper than renowned English sparkling brands; making it an affordable choice for a special occasion.
In a week where Morrisons was the most-awarded retailer at the International Wine Challenge, the supermarket has scooped yet another endorsement for its great quality wines. The Best English Sparkling Brut Vintage 2010 was described by the GHI experts as having ‘Super smooth bubbles and a touch of honeymaking this a rich and exceptionally easy-drinking drop.’
As we start reuniting with friends and family, the winning fizz will be the perfect choice to toast to the Great British summer. Each bottle has been stored in cool cellars for eight years to develop its fine bubbles and intense biscuity flavours which sit alongside a citrussy palate. The ultimate pairing for fish and chips this summer.
Morrisons wins didn’t stop at just wine, with its The Best Gin being ‘Good Housekeeping Institute Taste Approved’ from the Best Supermarket Gin Taste Test.
Mark Jarman, Senior Wine Sourcing Manager at Morrisons said: “Our English Sparkling Brut Vintage has always been popular with customers and wine experts alike, so it’s great to receive this recognition from the Good Housekeeping Institute.
“To be crowned the best in the category when our bottle is one of the cheapest really aligns with our aim to provide great quality at affordable prices.”
This year’s inaugural Scottish Retail Food and Drink Awards saw Aldi enjoy enormous success as the most-awarded supermarket, winning an impressive 19 accolades for a variety of its high-quality Scottish food and drink.
After almost three weeks of intensive judging involving hundreds of products and more than 60 expert judges from across the food and drink sector, a range of Aldi’s Scottish products from various food and drink categories were announced as the winners.
As well as scooping three Gold Awards in the beer, gin and spirit categories, Aldi also took home two of the six highly sought-after Platinum Awards for their Specially Selected Steak & Ale Pie and 12-Year-Old Speyside Whisky. Both products were described as being “well-balanced”, “exceptional value for money” and of “absolutely outstanding quality”.
Helen Lyons, Scottish Retail Food and Drink Awards Co-Founder, said: “My congratulations go out to all our winners and a big well done to Aldi for their sweeping success this year, which is thoroughly deserved. Their championing of Scottish produce is so clear.
“The Scottish Retail Food and Drink Awards recognises and celebrates the best produce available in Scotland. Our goal has always been to get more Scottish food and drink products onto more shelves, and it has been such a joy to see the high standard of entries this year.
“Receiving a Scottish Retail Food and Drink Award is a stamp of excellence. Aldi should be very proud of their many successes this year, especially their two Platinum Awards.”
Graham Nicolson, Group Buying Director, Aldi Scotland, added:“I am thrilled that 19 of our Scottish products have been recognised by the Scottish Retail Food and Drink Awards. Our success really demonstrates our commitment to providing our customers with the best quality produce that Scotland has to offer at an affordable price.
“I am also so pleased that Aldi has been highlighted as leading the way in Scottish sourcing. The awards and this recognition are a testament to the hard work and dedication of our Scottish suppliers.”
Aldi leads the way with local sourcing and stocks some of the finest quality food and drink from over 90 Scottish suppliers. After reaching their initial goal of stocking over 450 Scottish products by the end of 2020, the supermarket has now increased this target to stock over 500 locally sourced products in the next two years.
The complete range of Aldi Scotland products that have won at the 2021 Scottish Retail Food & Drink Awards are:
The hard work and commitment of Edinburgh’s tennis community has been acknowledged by the sport’s national governing body which has selected a local university, club and residents as finalists for four of the most coveted awards in Scottish tennis.
Heather Hooker has been shortlisted for the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award which honours individuals who have made an exceptional contribution to tennis for more than 30 years.
Heather’s (above, right) involvement in tennis began at secondary school and continued when she joined the WRAF aged 17 where she played in inter-station competitions.
Heather subsequently joined Craigmillar Park TC in 1983 and has since become an asset to the club. Throughout 2020, she took the opportunity to revamp the clubhouse and surrounding grounds to provide a welcoming environment as tennis returned to the community.
Meanwhile, Heather’s club Craigmillar Park TC has earned a place on the Club of the Year shortlist as a result of demonstrating outstanding community links and growth in 2020.
Clive Minshull, member of fellow Edinburgh club Meadows City TC, has been shortlisted for the Volunteer of the Year Award which recognises an outstanding voluntary contribution made to inspire others to participate in the sport.
Acknowledging innovative attempts to ensure students of all abilities could continue to develop throughout lockdown in 2020, the University of Edinburgh received shortlisting for the highly desired Education Award.
The shortlist for the Tennis Scotland Awards 2021 has been unveiled to recognise the contribution of individuals, clubs, programmes and competitions which played a key role in helping tennis to thrive last year as participation continued to grow across the nation.
Blane Dodds, Tennis Scotland chief executive, said: “The response of the tennis community played a pivotal role in enabling the safe resumption of tennis in 2020. This year, more than ever before, it feels important to acknowledge exceptional contributions which are being made within our sport.”
“The Tennis Scotland Awards provide the perfect platform to celebrate the success stories of the year. With nominations of a particularly high standard, each shortlisted nominee should be very proud of their achievement.”
In total, 27 nominees have been announced across 10 separate categories, with the eventual winners subsequently securing a place at the LTA British Tennis Awards. Winners of the Tennis Scotland Awards will be announced online on the 23rd of April, with a ceremony to be held at a later date.
Among the winners last year was Yvonne Birnie who received the Lifetime Achievement Award for outstanding services to Rothiemurchus and Aviemore Tennis Club.
Elsewhere, Scotland’s number-one ranked women’s player, Maia Lumsden, earned the International Player of the Year Award, whilst the 12U Boys North County Cup Team received recognition for magnificent performances and team spirit which secured their title of Team of the Year.
The full shortlist of finalists can be viewed here:
Local housebuilder awarded 5 stars for customer satisfaction for a record 12 years in a row
Local housebuilder Barratt Homes East Scotland has received the maximum 5-star rating in the new Home Builders Federation (HBF) annual New Homes Customer Satisfaction Survey.
The number of stars awarded is based on customer responses to the question “would you recommend your builder to a friend”? For Barratt to have been awarded 5 stars means that over 90% of its customers would recommend their homes to a friend.
This is the 12th year in a row that Barratt has achieved the 5-star rating – a record unmatched by any other major national housebuilder.
It comes on top of the recent Supreme Win at the NHBC Pride in the Job Awards, where Barratt site manager Kirk Raine scooped the top award out of a possible 11,000 site managers across the country – marking the fifth Supreme win for Barratt site managers in six years.
The HBF New Homes Survey is one of the largest surveys of its type in the country and is completed by nearly 50,000 people who have recently bought a new build home. The simple 1-5 star rating system was developed to give customers an easy to view ranking system of which housebuilders have the most satisfied customers.
The high satisfaction rates are a testament to Barratt’s commitment to building high quality homes and great places that its customers are proud to call home. The customer is at the heart of everything Barratt does, and it is this focus on making customers happy which results in such high recommendation scores.
Stewart Baseley, executive chairman of the Home Builders Federation, said: “The survey demonstrates that the industry is delivering an excellent level of service in the opinion of over 90% of its customers.
“The fact that we have seen four successive years of improved satisfaction levels shows the clear focus builders have been putting on the customer. That this level of satisfaction has been delivered during a pandemic that saw sites closed and builders unable to access homes for a period makes it even more of an achievement.
“To achieve a 5-star rating, meaning that at least 90% of your customers would recommend you, is a fantastic achievement that requires commitment from everyone within the organisation.”
Alison Condie, managing director at Barratt Homes East Scotland, said:“We’re incredibly proud to have been announced a 5-star housebuilder for a record 12 years in a row.
“We work hard to look after our customers, both before and after they buy their new homes, so it’s great to know that our customers rate us so highly, and that so many of them would recommend us to a friend. We will continue to give all of our customers a 5-star service.”
Barratt is currently building a range of quality new homes across the east of Scotland.
National charity Living Streets is asking people to nominate local groups or individuals who have gone the extra mile to improve their community for walking this year.
Living Streets, the UK charity for everyday walking, is looking for inspiring entrants for the Charles Maher Award – Walking Champion 2021.
The award was set up in honour of Charles Maher, a campaigner and longstanding supporter of Living Streets – formerly the Pedestrians Association – and recognises an individual, group or organisation who has helped achieve a better walking environment and got people walking.
After a year which has seen streets improved so people can walk while socially distancing and seen more people walking for exercise, the charity is keen to celebrate the people who have made this possible.
Mary Creagh, Chief Executive, Living Streets said:“We know there are some dedicated people out there who work tirelessly for their local community to transform their streets into safer and more attractive places.
“We want to recognise the brilliant work they’ve done which has helped people to stay healthy, happy and connected during the pandemic.”
Individuals, local groups, organisations or local authorities can self-nominate themselves or others for the Living Streets Charles Maher Award.
Nominations close on 16 February 2021. The nomination form is on the Living Streets website: www.livingstreets.org.uk/maher
