Last week I was lucky enough to attend the 10th Anniversary of the Young Scot Awards at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh. Since its launch in 2006, the Sunday Mail Young Scot Awards has celebrated the inspirational contributions of thousands of young Scots who have made a difference to communities across Scotland.
I was there as a finalist in the Arts category alongside conductor Ross Gunning and ‘Hey I’m Alive!’ – a group highlighting the difficulties of living with cystic fibrosis. I was really pleased for Ross who picked up the award, and made a fantastic speech. A very deserving winner! It was great to hear about all the other finalists and winners across all the categories, and the amazing things they have achieved.
The evening began with a red carpet entrance and ‘mocktail’ reception, followed by a lovely 3-course dinner and then the awards ceremony. DJ Edith Bowman presented the event, with entertainment provided by Prides, winner of The Voice Stevie McCrorie and Conor Maynard.
It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening, which was made even better when my dad won a raffle prize of 24-carat gold earphones, complete with Swarovski crystals! I am looking forward to seeing him sporting them in the tractor soon!!
It really was such a privilege to be there as a finalist. Even though I didn’t win the award, I had a brilliant night. A huge thanks goes to Caroline Menzies who nominated me.
You can see a full list of winners from the evening here:
http://youngscotawards.com/2015/05/06/winners/
And my finalist’s video:
Coming up in the next couple of weeks are Moniaive and Orkney Folk Festivals, which I am really looking forward to performing at.
Claire Hastings
http://www.clairehastings.com