The Edinburgh Reporter February 2024

21

Getting into

lifeguarding

Ice cool Grant on penalties and picking up points

The Prince’s Trust will help young people

dip a toe in the water of a new career

By STAFF REPORTER

YOUNG PEOPLE are encouraged to Get into

Lifeguarding by joining a free course offered

by Edinburgh Leisure in partnership with

Prince’s Trust.

The course will take place on 8 February

2024 at Ainslie Park Leisure Centre. From

participants ten candidates will then be

chosen to take part in a further three week

long course.

This course will help young people aged

between 16 and 30 to get into employment,

education and training. The programme also

includes a week’s work experience with the

charity which runs pools in Edinburgh. Travel

expenses will be reimbursed and there will be

support offered to successful candidates for six

months after the programme.

Interested applicants should apply by Friday,

2nd February 2024 to be considered for this

opportunity. Email matthew.rooney@

princes-trust.org.uk with their name, telephone

number and email address or alternatively

apply via the Prince’s Trust website or call

0800 842 842.

Alyson Coats, Manager at Leith Victoria

Swim Centre, explained: “This will be the

second time Edinburgh Leisure has run such a

programme. It’s a win-win – with young people

having a great opportunity to learn with

Edinburgh Leisure and gain valuable

experience, which we hope sets them up for

employment in the future, either with us or

another opportunity in the leisure industry. For

many young people this could be life-changing

for them.”

Lorenzo D’Silva, who came through the first

cohort in July 2023, and secured a job as a

lifeguard at the Royal Commonwealth Pool on

finishing the course said: “The National Pool

Lifeguard Course (NPLQ) was only one week

but the Prince’s Trust also gave us the

opportunity to gain valuable skills in team

building and interview techniques during

the process which really helped when I was

offered a job interview with Edinburgh

Leisure. If you’ve not been in the mindset of

getting a job it helps you to understand how to

present yourself.

“I started working full-time in September at

the Commie. It’s a great place to work with a

great team. Everyone’s friendly and genuine

and it’s a very inclusive place to work. There’s a

great sense of camaraderie – like a big family,

which is great as I come from one myself.”

Successful candidates will have to be available to take part in

all the training days. The programme schedule is...

• 8 February - Pre-selection Day at Ainslie Park Leisure Centre


• 19-23 February - NPLQ course at Portobello Swim Centre


• 26 February – 1 March - Work experience at one of Edinburgh Leisure’s venues


• 4 March - Interview experience


• 6 March - Post course celebration event at Meadowbank Sports Centre

By NIGEL DUNCAN

JORGE GRANT looked ice cool as

he cradled the ball in his arm

waiting for the green light to take

a pressure penalty against

Aberdeen which helped take the

Jambos well clear of the rest and

comfortably in third place in the

cinch Premiership.

Banbury-born Grant slotted after

57 minutes with aplomb and later

explained to the assembled media

how he took over penalty duties

from regular spot kick exponent

Lawrence Shankland.

A switch had been on the cards

after Shankland missed against

Hibs, Livingston and Dundee, and it

was the 28-year-old, Glasgow-born

striker who made the decision to

stand down according to head

coach Steven Naismith.

Step forward 30-year-old Grant.

He admitted to watching Aberdeen

goalkeeper Kelle Roos in the

warm-up and said: "There was a lot

of time to be fair obviously with

VAR and stuff and waiting to take

the penalty."

The former Nottingham Forest,

Notts County, Luton Town,

Mansfield Town, Lincoln City and

Peterborough United player said he

had previously taken penalties and

talked to Shankland in the

changing room before the game.

They also chatted on the pitch

during the game and Grant added:

"Lawrence has scored so many

penalties for us but, at the moment

it is not working, so if I can take a

bit of pressure off him then fine.

"It is about the team and I

watched the (Aberdeen) keeper

before the game and saw where he

was diving and so I knew it was

going to go that way."

Grant added: "We have a great

group (of players) but we have

things to work on."

The 5ft 9in midfielder, who

arrived at Tynecastle in 2022, also

conceded that there were items in

his own game he needs to fine

tune and added: "The manager put

his trust in me during December

and playing games is good for me.

"It was probably lucky that there

was a short period of games before

the break and that gave me more

time to recover (from a knock)."

On the rest of the season, Grant

said there were still a lot of games

to go and the squad need, in his

view, to take it game by game.

Grant said: "If you start looking

too far ahead that is going to be a

problem.

"We have to try and pick up three

points every time we go out there.

Last year, we were four or five

points clear before the winter break

and it was a learning experience for

the boys who were here last year.

Hopefully, we can push on.

"We work on patterns of play in

training and those things are

starting to come out in games and

we have good movement between

attackers."

Lorenzo

D’Silva

Jorge Grant