Tag: competition

Could Claire Sweeney find an unsung hero in North Edinburgh?

Bingo fans reveal that their living rooms are in biggest need of a revamp

Lots of things have gone on hold this year, and despite spending more time at home, investing in revamping the house hasn’t made it to the top of the list for most people.

A poll in the meccabingo.com chat rooms last month revealed that 38%* desperately want to give their living room a makeover, with the sofa being the item that people want to replace the most.

And because it’s been a pretty tough year all round, the team at Meccabingo.com have teamed up with TV favourite Claire Sweeney to find the most deserving person in the country – and they could be coming to your town!  The prize will be for a real unsung hero – a life changing home makeover worth over £20,000.

Mecca and Claire will be scouring the land this month, asking people to nominate their unsung hero – someone who’s done something remarkable this year – whether that’s helping out in the community, raising money for a charity or being one of our much loved key workers – it could be anything.

All you have to do is head to Meccabingo.com and follow the instructions. Upload a video that’s 60 seconds long or less and at the end of September a shortlist of nominees will be announced.  A few days later, the unsung hero will be crowned and told about their amazing prize.

By Christmas, they’ll have a beautiful new lounge to chill out in, a dining area to enjoy meals together in and bedroom to get a good night’s sleep in. But who will win?

Do you know and unsung hero?  If so, get nominating now!

Visit www.meccabingo.com and follow the link.

Meet The DunBear

A pupil from Dunbar school has won the competition to name the sculpture of the bear, which forms part of the mixed-use Hallhill Development at Dunbar in East Lothian.

The bear is a five-metre high steel sculpture created by renowned Scottish artist Andy Scott (also creator of the much loved ‘Kelpies’).

Emily Hotchkiss, from S5 at Dunbar Grammar School, was awarded the prize after her bear name “The DunBear” was chosen.  One of Emily’s prizes was a picture of the bear signed by Andy.

Following the recent unveiling of the Dunbar bear in November, a competition was held with students from Belhaven Hill School, Dunbar Primary and Grammar to name the bear. The winner was chosen from nearly 3,000 entries.

The Dunbar bear sculpture, located off the A1 in close proximity to the Spott roundabout at Dunbar, represents the legacy of one of East Lothian’s most famous sons, John Muir.

John Muir, born in Dunbar in 1838, played a key role in the development of America’s national parks. He emigrated from Scotland in 1849 and is famous for petitioning the U.S. Congress for the National Park bill, establishing Yosemite National Park. The bear is symbolic of John Muir’s travels through the far-off wilderness of America’s west, in the Rockies and his advocacy for National Parks.

The sculpture forms part of the mixed-use Hallhill development, which started on site in 1999. It has already delivered sports facilities, 56 acres of community woodland together with 1,200 homes including over 200 affordable family homes with approximately 320 currently under development, as well as school provision and commercial and retail outlets.

“The DunBear” took the prize after students from Belhaven Hill School, Dunbar Primary and Grammar entered their own names to the competition. The top 10 names from each school were then selected by the head teacher and passed onto the prefects of the school to narrow down the selection.

The final name was chosen by Andy Scott and stakeholders from Hallhill Developments, who commissioned the piece.

Ken Ross, from Hallhill Developments, said: “I’m absolutely thrilled and would like to congratulate Emily Hotchkiss on her name for the bear. Every entry represented real enthusiasm for the project and, at the end of the day, community, history and talent is what this unveiling has been about. 

“The DunBear celebrates the incredible legacy left behind by John Muir. His advocacy for national parks and the environment in general is a lesson to us all that we must do what we can to protect our precious environment.

“Going forward, we hope that many more children, young people and adults alike take an interest, visit and take an interest in ‘The DunBear’.”

Pictures: Colin Hattersley

Youth rugby team scores prize fit for Pro’s

Ardrossan Accies under 16s won a rare opportunity to spend a day in the shoes of their sporting idols thanks to Courtyard by Marriott Edinburgh West and Oriam.

The four-star hotel, situated on Heriot-Watt University campus, joined forces with Oriam, Scotland’s national performance centre for sport, to offer one lucky team a money-can’t-buy training day – and the Ayrshire youngsters recently redeemed their prize.

The 16 boys spent 24 hours in the life of a professional player, which included a two-hour training session in world class facilities coached by Scottish Rugby Union professional Gavin Scott.

Following the high-octane training at Oriam, they relaxed in the hotel’s Heriot suite – often used by national visiting teams. The suite was kitted out with sofas, an Xbox, projector screen, table tennis table, arcade machine and lots more.

All players were given the VIP treatment including protein-rich lunch, dinner and snacks at The Avenue Lounge & Dining within Courtyard by Marriott Edinburgh West. They then enjoyed an overnight stay within the large, bespoke designed team bedrooms with breakfast before check out.

Team Manager Ali Cairns said: “I entered on behalf of the boys, I think they’re a special group and really deserved an opportunity to be treated like professional players. The team is embedded in the local area and is always looking at ways to help others – it was great to give something back to them.”

Comments from the team throughout their VIP day included; ‘wow’, ‘best experience ever’, ‘superb training session’, ‘I wish my bedroom at home looked like this’ and ‘if this is what winning gets you, I want to win more often’.

Ali added: “For me, it was amazing to see the boys being spoiled. The hotel team made every one of them feel special and the Oriam experience was superb thanks to our coach for the afternoon, Gav Scott.”

Will Macpherson, General Manager at Courtyard by Marriott Edinburgh West, said: “With world class sporting facilities next door, we regularly accommodate sports teams and travelling athletes in our custom designed guestrooms. We wanted to offer a youth team the opportunity to train like a pro and spend a day in the shoes of their sporting heroes.

“Our competition asked amateur teams to apply with an email explaining why their team should have this ‘professional athlete experience’ and the application from Ardrossan stood out to us. We’re delighted Ardrossan Accies had such a great experience with us – we hope they’ve been inspired and we wish them the best of luck for their future sporting careers.”

Courtyard by Marriott Edinburgh West is operated by RBH, the UK’s leading independent hotel management company.

www.rbhmanagement.com

Edinburgh students urged to take on the £10,000 Amazon Campus Challenge

Amazon has announced the launch of its new Campus Challenge competition and is encouraging students in Edinburgh to sign up for the programme to be in with the chance of winning up to £10,000 for their team. Continue reading Edinburgh students urged to take on the £10,000 Amazon Campus Challenge

Heart Research UK grant to develop Scottish players for the World Dwarf Games

The Scottish region of the Dwarf Sports Association (DSA) has been awarded a £5,000 grant from Heart Research UK to provide a variety of sporting activities across Scotland for children and adults with dwarfism. Continue reading Heart Research UK grant to develop Scottish players for the World Dwarf Games

Win afternoon tea for two with Home Store + More

Retailer thanks local community for going the extra mile

To celebrate this year’s national Afternoon Tea Week, Home Store + More, Your Quality Homeware Specialist, is inviting members of the public to nominate people in their local community they think deserve a treat.

Nominations can be submitted for friends, family, work colleagues or local people who have gone the extra mile for their community. Winners will receive a £50 voucher to spend in Home Store + More’s Craigleith branch, along with a luxurious afternoon tea for two at The Waldorf Astoria (Caledonian) Hotel.

Rachael Neill, store manager at Home Store + More’s Craigleith branch, said: “There is a wonderful community spirit in our area with so many members of the community helping each other every day to make this a fantastic place to live and work.

“At Home Store + More, we want to give back to our local community and thank those who have gone above and beyond with a special celebration during Afternoon Tea Week.

“We will be encouraging our followers to nominate anyone they think deserves a treat. Winners will enjoy a relaxing and tasty afternoon of treats as well as a complimentary gift voucher to redeem in store.”

It’s quick and easy to nominate someone in your community who you think should enjoy a little indulgence. Simply find us on Facebook where nominations will open at 8am on Friday 9th August 2019 and close at 3pm on 12th August 2019 – that’s this afternoon!

With an array of baking, cake decorating and cookware supplies in store, Home Store + More has everything you need to host the perfect Afternoon Tea party.

Full competition details can be found on our Facebook site.

Frazzled parents and holiday blues: holiday competition

Edinburgh mums and dads could be in for a treat this summer, as Drayton Manor Park is giving away £500 cash, as well as FREE theme park tickets and hotel stays to parents who are frazzled by the summer holidays.

The giveaway comes after a survey by the family attraction found that Edinburgh parents will last fewer than three weeks into the summer holidays before they start feeling completely fed up – and one in five confess they find it the most STRESSFUL time of the year. Continue reading Frazzled parents and holiday blues: holiday competition

Wella in! Edinburgh College student reaches final of national hairdressing competition

An Edinburgh College hairdressing student is on the path to becoming a national champion after winning a regional heat of a major competition.  Level 3 Hairdressing student Gintare Dambrauskaite was one of four student winners at the Scotland, Ireland and North-East heat of Wella’s XPOSURE competition which was held at Granton Campus yesterday. Continue reading Wella in! Edinburgh College student reaches final of national hairdressing competition

Get Snappy in Stockbridge!

Get Snappy in Stockbridge
Digital photography competition
Send us your favourite image taken in and around Stockbridge.

Open to all levels but you must be library members, you can join online here – https://bit.ly/2vwmOim

Please email your entries to stockbridge.library.edin@gmail.com

Subject: Get Snappy in Stockbridge
Please supply your name and library membership number
5MB limit on images.
Closing date: 1st April 2019
The prize for the winning entry is a lovely framed art print of Stockbridge [courtesy of Wee Blue Coo]

An exhibition of all entries will shown in the library from 8-30 April.