Leith’s Naomi is Prince’s Trust Ambassador of the Year

HRH The Prince of Wales was joined by a host of celebrities on Tuesday (26 March) at The Prince’s Trust & Samsung Celebrate Success Awards, which recognise young people who have overcome issues such as abuse, drug addiction, homelessness and depression. And shining bright among all those stars was a local lass – Leith’s Naomi Johnston, who was named Young Ambassador of the Year at the gala event hosted by Ant and Dec.

Dame Helen Mirren, Homeland star Damian Lewis and Luther actor Idris Elba were among guests gathered at London’s Leicester Square Odeon to pay tribute to young people who have transformed their lives with the help of youth charity The Prince’s Trust.

Naomi Johnston, 27, from Leith in Edinburgh won the Mappin and Webb Young Ambassador of the Year Award after overcoming homelessness, a violent attack and a chaotic lifestyle to become a Prince’s Trust Young Ambassador and using her own experiences to inspire and support other young people.

Dame Helen Mirren DBE said: “All the young people here today are truly inspirational. Their remarkable stories have blown me away. Naomi has overcome a great deal and I feel very privileged to have met her and presented her with this Prince’s Trust award. She has shown that with resilience and hard work you really can reach your potential and be an inspiration to other young people.”

Justin Stead, CEO of Mappin & Webb, said: “I would like to offer my most heartfelt congratulations to Naomi for winning the Mappin & Webb Young Ambassador of the Year Award. She is a fantastic Young Ambassador for The Prince’s Trust and I wish her every success in the future.”

Television presenters, Ant & Dec hosted The Prince’s Trust & Samsung Celebrate Success Awards in front of the youth charity’s founder and president, HRH The Prince of Wales, and a 1,500 strong audience.

Other stars in attendance included rapper Tinie Tempah, producer Mark Ronson, actor Sam Claflin, presenter Laura Whitmore, actress Helen McCrory, interior designer Kelly Hoppen, and journalist Katie Adie OBE.

Athlete Victoria Pendleton attended having been earlier presented with a CBE by HM The Queen at Buckingham Palace. Laura Mvula, BRITs Critics Choice Award 2013 nominee, also performed at the event.

Youth charity The Prince’s Trust helps disadvantaged young people to get their lives on track. It supports 13 to 30 year-olds who are unemployed and those struggling at school and at risk of exclusion. Three in four young people supported by The Trust move into work, education or training.

Samsung and The Prince’s Trust are now calling on local people to raise money to help more young people like Naomi. Text TRUST RED to 70555 to donate or visit www.samsunggoesred.co.uk to find out more.

Naomi Johnston Celebrate Success winner

Drylaw Telford Community Council goes digital

Drylaw & Telford Community Council have set up a new website dedicated to the work of the Community Council. At last months Community Council meeting they agreed to pilot the website for a three-month period and review its success. Since its creation only 4 weeks ago they have had around 400 unique visitors to the site.

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You can check out their new website at www.drylawtelfordcc.co.uk

As well as there website they are now also on twitter so get following them for news and updates.

Driver spared jail over Groathill Road accident

A newly qualified driver has been spared a prison sentence for running over a five-year-old girl after a court heard she was “blinded” by bright sunlight.

Cara Harrison, 30, collided with the child at a zebra crossing just two days after she had passed her test, Edinburgh Sheriff Court was told.

The mother of two then drove on rather than stopping at the scene of the accident on Groathill Road North.

The girl, who was on her way home from school with her father, received emergency treatment in hospital and was said to have made a “good” recovery.

Police

Harrison, of Ferry Road, Edinburgh, admitted dangerous driving on September 28 last year, but said she had been unable to see clearly beacuse of the sunlight glaring through her car’s windscreen.

The court was told she was badly shaken by the accident and had no desire ever to drive again.

Sheriff Isabella McColl said she had considered a prsion sentence but opted instead to impose an order of 200 hours community service.

Harrison was also banned from driving for three years and ordered to pay £750 in compensation.

Defence lawyer Jackie McColl told the court: “The one thing that shines through all of this is Mrs Harrison’s complete and utter contrition for the charge.

“She understands how serious this offence is and it has always been her intention to plead guilty.”

Drylaw youths get to work on Granton tunnel art project

On Sunday afternoon a group from Fet Lor Youth Centre, who have been involved in the designing of the art project at the Granton tunnel, got a chance to expand their painting skills with a hands-on session.

Nine of the young people aged between 15-19 turned up and got a chance to make their mark on the project. The young people have been working with artist Chris Young from MS Creative to agree a design for the tunnel and over the past three weeks Chris has been working hard (in all weathers) to get the project completed.


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A spokesperson from Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre, who are managing the project on behalf of the Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust said “It was a great opportunity for the young people who have been involved in the designing of this project to get the chance to come to the tunnel and experience this first hand. The young people have really enjoyed being involved in the project and having the chance to learn new skills has been excellent.

If you would like the chance to get involved or have any further questions please contact Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre on 0131 315 4989

BATs to face Edinburgh Academy in Ed Saunders’ Cup

This year BATs U18 will be playing Edinburgh Academy for the Ed Saunders’ Cup on 17 April at Raeburn Place.

This game not only gives the BATs team some exposure to one of the better teams in Scotland, but it helps raise money, through the gate and raffle, for BATs funds.

The BATs side will be made up of the best available on the night from the North Edinburgh community – from BATs U18, Trinity Academy, Craigroyston Community High School, Broughton High School and Fettes.

The game takes place at Raeburn Place, the home of Edinburgh Accies on Wednesday, 17 April with a 5.30pm KO.

Admission £5 (for BATs club funds) with Under 18’s FREE.

Mens Rugby: Oban provide East v West test in National Bowl Semi Final

Broughton Men will travel to Oban Lorne to take on the West Regional Bowl champions in the National Bowl semi-final, writes Mark Brown.

The Regional Bowl winners were pulled out the Murrayfield hat at lunchtime today (Monday 04/03). In the other semi-final, Grangemouth Stags welcome Kinloss Eagles.Oban Lorne, who we last played in a pre-season friendly in 2006 at Glencruitten, sit 2nd top of the West League Division 3 and defeated current table toppers Loch Lomond by the narrowest of margins in the West Bowl Final, a 21-22 win.

Whilst we get to travel to exotic places such as Penicuik and St Boswells, our opponents have lovely scenic trips across the water to Isle of Arran and Isle of Mull. We’ll leave you, dear reader, to decide who gets the better deal…. A quick glance of our opponents website and it’s big No.8 Corrie Louw and Outside Centre Cammy Smith who stand out, having contributed to almost half of the team’s tries between them so far this season, with Craig Wright showing himself to have a trusty boot on him too.

Broughton Rugby in action. (Picture: Mark Brown)
Broughton Rugby in action. (Picture: Mark Brown)

Broughton remain undefeated in 2013 and Head Coach Rhys Williams has shown what his squad can do when allowed to play regular rugby after a winter which broke up any momentum and saw the team play just one game a month in November, December and January!

However, it’s 80 minutes on the day that will decide who will progress to every rugby players dream – to play on the hallowed turf at the National Stadium at Murrayfield.

Man dies after Inverleith flat fall

A MAN has died after falling from a window near Inverleith Row.

The incident happened shortly after 2pm – it is understood the man fell from a back window into a rear yard. Emergency services are still on the scene.

A police spokesman said: “Police in Edinburgh responded to an address in Inverleith Row at around 2.10pm after a man in his 30s was found injured.

“The Scottish Ambulance Service were also in attendance and the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

“Enquiries are ongoing to determine the full circumstances surrounding this incident.”

North Edinburgh to tackle dog fouling in new initiative

Environmental Wardens Team Leader Mark Bannon on a forthcoming initiative:

NORTH  NEIGHBOURHOOD TEAM

Dog Fouling Exercise 8 April -12 May 

Introduction

This planning is well underway and involves SfC partners to address dog fouling issues. A partnership initiative approach will provide, education, multi-agency working and enforcement to target problems encountered in an effort to minimise this anti social behaviour.

Main Aim of this Initiative:-

To reduce dog fouling and enforce on those offending. Encouraging changes in public behaviour and attitudes is a complex and lengthy business. Who would have thought twenty years ago that most buildings and workplaces, both public and private, would now have implemented no smoking policies? This has been achieved largely via consensus between smokers and non-smokers. In order to succeed, anti dog-fouling policies must achieve that same level of agreement between dog owners and non-owners.

The North Neighbourhood Environmental Wardens, Community Safety Officers, Safer Neighbourhood Team and CCTV 

  • a high visibility and low visibility presence from  an enforcement role helping to create a clean environment for members of the public in our local community
  • patrol areas of local ‘Hot Spots’ known for dog fouling. Referrals will be made to the Task Force on a daily basis
  • take enforcement action against anyone found to be contravening the Dog Fouling (Scotland) Act 2003.

Mark Bannon

dog fouling

 

 

Working It Out helps MS Therapy Centre

MStherapy1Fourteen young people from the Working It Out project have donned their overalls and redecorated the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Therapy Centre in Leith. The centre, which offers practical therapies to people who live with MS, had appealed for volunteers to help with its first makeover in more than a decade. When the young people from Working It Out heard, they were only too happy to get involved.

Working It Out is a four-month programme run by Tomorrow’s People, which aims to instill confidence, motivation and offer support to unemployed 16 to 24 year olds in Edinburgh. Heather Law, Task Force Leader, Tomorrow’s People said: “Working It Out supports young people into work, training or education. We also work on various community challenges, so we were delighted to volunteer our services to help the MS Therapy Centre.

“It’s been a real opportunity to find out about the work the centre does and it’s great to know that the young people’s hard work will be appreciated by those who use it. Helping out with the redecoration gives our young people a real sense of achievement as they improve something in their community. We are all very much looking forward to it.”

Speaking before the redecoration began, Nancy Campbell, Operations Manager at the MS Therapy Centre said: “I am delighted that Working It Out has agreed to help us. It is a great project and I am sure that the young people will do an amazing job redecorating the centre. We are trying to create a more welcoming and therapeutic environment for our clients and volunteers and with the help of local tradesmen who have donated materials and the young people who are doing the painting, I am hoping to see a transformation! “

I think Nancy gor her wish!

Images for MSTC Lothian