Inspirational young people recognised
Amazing young people in Midlothian have been recognised at a special ceremony held at Rosslyn Chapel.
Contribution to local community
The Midlothian Young People Awards (MYPA) are open to young people living, working or studying in Midlothian whose contribution to their local community deserves to be acknowledged.
Team work
The award scheme is a collaborative effort supported by the council’s Communities Lifelong Learning and Employability (CLLE) team, Midlothian’s Lord-Lieutenant & his deputes and the Midlothian Youth Platform and other young people.
Welcomed
Midlothian Council Chief, Executive Grace Vickers, welcomed everyone to the event which was hosted by Group Service Manager Annette Lang supported by S6 St Davids High School pupil, Eustace Oweh who did a fantastic job as the co-host.
Categories & winners
There are five categories of awards
The Caring and Volunteering Award
This recognises young people who volunteer in caring activities within Midlothian.
- The Winner in this category was Reuben Ferguson and Runner Up was Chloe Patterson.
The Sport and Physical Activity Award
This recognises success and outstanding improvement and achievement in a sport for a particular team of individuals or for one individual.
- The Winner was Aimee Aitken and the Runner up was Aimee Falconer
The Arts and Culture Award
This recognises outstanding achievement in performance, visual arts, music, singing, dance, creative arts and media.
- The Winner was the KP Glee Choir and the Runner Up was Kieran Burnett.
The Achievement in Learning Award
This recognises young people who are involved in educational activities at school, college, youth work, and training etc, who demonstrate a commitment in developing skills for work and care about the future of young people in Midlothian.
- The Winner was Jayden Bradley and the Runner Up was Rachel Leitch
The Local Community Award
This recognises the role young people play in their local community which make a real difference locally, to a village, town or local area.
- The Winner was Jake Mowatt and the Runners Up were brother and sister Blair and Aila Mackenzie.
The Midlothian Award
This goes to a young person who is chosen from all the nominations and recognises their outstanding contribution to Midlothian as a whole.
- The Winner was Rachel Pettigrew.
Presentations
Prizes were presented by Midlothian Provost, Cllr Debbi McCall and Midlothian’s Lord-Lieutenant, Lt Col Richard Callander.
Trophy
Each Winner and Runner up received a certificate and a trophy and a charitable donation will also be made on their behalf to a charity of their choice.
Amazing achievements
Commenting on the young people’s achievements for the Midlothian Young People Awards Lord-Lieutenant, Lt Col Richard Callander said:
“After receiving a record number of entries for this year’s awards, I am delighted to offer my warmest congratulations to all winners and runners up and thanks to everyone who made a nomination. Once again, these awards have provided an opportunity to highlight some amazing achievements by some of Midlothian’s exceptional young people, who are an inspiration to us all.’
Role models
Midlothian Provost, Cllr Debbi McCall said:
"Congratulations to all the winners at the Midlothian Young People Awards 2024. These awards provide a special opportunity to celebrate amazing and determined young people in our community. All the winners should be very proud of their achievements. They are role models and provide inspiration to other young people . A big thank you to everyone who made the effort to make a nomination.”
Midlothian Young Writers Competition
Success was also celebrated on the night for the winners of the Midlothian Young Writers Competition 2024 who were announced at the ceremony. Lucie Sloan from Beeslack Community High School won the S1 – S3 category and Oran Ritson from Penicuik High School was the winner in the S4 – S6 category. Lucie won for her story ‘Hope The Pencil’ – an original tale of life from a creative pencil’s point of view! Oran Ritson won for the story ‘Slain and Capture’ – described as an epic tale of princely revenge.
Event support
Catering for the guests attending the event was done by Midlothian pupils who are hospitality foundation apprentices. Local photographer Lee Live took photos of proceedings and kindly provided his services for free because he aims to support charities and organisations that are making an impact in people's lives.
Radio
Community radio station Black Diamond FM attended the event to interview the winners and will be broadcasting these interviews over the next few days.
More details on winners / runners up
Caring and Volunteering Award
Winner: Reuben Ferguson
Reuben founded and currently manages the Steading Chess Club, dedicating his time attending weekly after school. He started the chess club with no experience other than his knowledge of chess and a passion and determination to get it off the ground. Since then, he has welcomed new volunteer helpers, expanded the club’s resources, and introduced chess to a growing number of participants. He has shown dedication, commitment and enthusiasm working hard to balance his commitments to his schoolwork and making sure the club runs smoothly, and all attendees are made to feel welcome. His leadership has been instrumental in creating a warm and inclusive environment where local children are not only encouraged to engage with chess but also to learn in a way that is both fun and educational.
Runner up: Chloe Patterson
Chloe who is only 11, carers for her mum around 40 hours a week. She recently transitioned from P7 to S1. Moving to high school is one of the big milestones in a young person’s life and can be an anxious time but Chloe has continued to provide physical, medical, and emotional care to her mum. Chloe helps her mum around the house as well as running errands outside. She also helps to put bandages on her mum’s skin and support her emotionally. Supported by her mum she has managed to juggle her caring role whilst trying to settle in at high school, keeping up with schoolwork and fitting time in for friends.
Local Community Award
Winner: Jake Mowatt
Jake spends much of his free time litter picking all around Roslin. He also helps the Roslin guerrilla Gardiners with planting and maintaining community spaces. He loves making the village look lovely and takes great pride in the work he does.Jake who is also a young carer is passionate about nature & wildlife and always has a strong desire to help other people.
Runner up: Blair Mackenzie & Aila Mackenzie
Blair and his sister Aila were joint runners up as they are both very involved in Penicuik Guerrilla Gardeners Raising awareness of the Penicuik Witch Trials Penicuik Hunter & Lass gala day planning. Aila is also a wonderful caring little sister to her big brother Blair who suffers from a hearing condition which means he as to wear hearing aids. Blair accepts this and doesn’t allow anything to hold him back. He encourages his friends to think in the same way.
Sport and Physical Activity Award
Winner: Aimee Aitken
Aimee is a young carer. She is dedicated to her sport of Taekwondo and training young people. Amy is accomplished and highly decorated at national and international level. Her achievements include: Scottish championships gold, gold sparring British Championships silver, silver sparring, bronze special technique European Championships- silver sparring, gold adult team sparring, bronze adult team patterns, bronze junior team patterns Intra club- Gold patterns, Gold Sparring Student World Championships- silver team sparring, bronze team patterns. There are many challenges for Aimee as she has two autistic brothers - one who needs 24/7 care.
Runner up: Aimee Falconer
Aimee at only 17 is the coach of the Arniston Diamonds Under-14s team. Despite being just a few years older than some of her players, Aimee has emerged as an inspiring role model and leader, earning the admiration and respect of every girl in the team. Aimee dedicates countless hours to the team for training sessions and leading them through games on Saturdays. Thanks to her dedication, the team which was struggling in the lower half of the league table have experienced an incredible transformation. The team now sits at the top of the league, with an impressive record of 11 wins and just 1 loss after 12 games.
The Arts and Culture Award
Winner: KP Glee Choir
Ther KP Glee Choir are from Kings Park Primary school in Dalkeith. They competed in the Frisson Foundation Glee challenge in 2024 and were crowned East Scotland Regional champions. They show incredible support to one another and encourage everyone to showcase their individual talents, giving each member a chance to shine from solo singing, solo dancing or showcasing a gymnastics move. The choir provides an opportunity for children across the P5 - P7 year groups to come together each week and experience the joy of singing and performing in a supportive and inclusive environment. Team members are dedicated, show enthusiasm and are also role models for the younger children in the school.
Runner Up: Kieran Burnett
Kieran, an S6 pupil at St David’s High School, has demonstrated exemplary dedication and talent in the arts throughout his academic career. His exceptional musical abilities, including his accomplished singing and piano performances, These reflect his hard work and commitment to artistic development. Notably, Kieran was honoured with the school's Dux award for his outstanding academic achievements this year.
Achievement in Learning Award
Winner: Jayden Bradley:
Jayden does not attend school, but that doesn't mean he doesn't want to learn. In working with outreach teaching and Artlink, Jayden's self-learning and research have resulted in daily activity to design using a 3D printer, teaching himself graphics and animation, editing drone footage and gaining his National 3 Maths. He is currently studying robotics and circuitry. Jayden is a young person who has shown high resilience and commitment to learning and he has taken ownership of the direction of his education.
Runner up: Rachel Leitch
Rachel is an inspirational contributor to the arts and fine arts has conquered multiple barriers to learning. Social anxiety has impacted Rachel attending high school so she has educated herself at home with material provided by school and self research and successfully gained entry to Edinburgh University for Fine Arts degree. She is now working to help better support school non-attenders who are keen to learn.
The Midlothian Prize
Winner: Rachel Pettigrew
Rachel is inspirational, and a worthy winner of this award. She is a Volunteer Carer Relief Companion. This involves spending time in the home of someone who is cared for by a family member due to their health condition, so their carer can get a break. Volunteers work alone and must be able to cope in an emergency and be able to use medical equipment, supporting people who are experiencing poor health, limited mobility and/or ability to communicate.
As a Carer Relief Companion Rachel visits the home of a lady with dementia for several hours each weekend, to allow her husband, who is also her carer, some time to himself. Rachel has been doing this since shortly after her 16th birthday and appears unphased by a role which many volunteers with more life experience can find very challenging. As well as the Carer Relief Companion role, Rachel has stepped up to volunteer in Child Vaccination Clinics in her local community.
Rachel has continued to volunteer throughout her exams and study leave. Any time she has a holiday or another commitment she arranges to visit on an alternative date. The carer that Rachel supports has praised her highly.