By PHYLLIS STEPHEN
NINETY-NINE-YEAR-OLD HILDA MILLER
was so impressed with Steps to Hope charity
founder Richard Roncero that she took steps of
her own to mark his fundraising efforts.
Richard had been sleeping rough around
Scottish cities for eight weeks to raise funds
and awareness of the charity he set up in 2018
to help homeless people and those dealing with
addiction.
A resident at Croft-an-Righ housing
complex in Abbeyhill, lively Hilda pulled on
her shoes and accompanied by neighbour
Jacqueline Baillie, walked in nearby Holyrood
Park and passed the Palace and Scottish
Parliament en route.
Jacqueline said: “Hilda is an inspiration to
me. She goes to church on a Sunday, goes out
for a daily walk, and lives independently in her
own flat which is kept as neat as a pin. I walked
around the park with her for company and to
make sure she did the full route, which is much
further than she normally walks.”
The sprightly pensioner, known as “Queen of
the Croft” by fellow residents, sent pictures of
landmarks on the walk to Richard to keep his
spirits up during his Sleep Rough campaign,
which has so far raised an amazing £218,000.
And as Richard was “celebrating” his 40th
birthday during his two months of rough
sleeping, Hilda - who turns 100 on 12 June -
recorded a Happy Birthday video message for
him and congratulated him on his success.
Hilda said: “I had heard about Richie and I
have also met him and I just wanted to send
him a message of support.”
Looking ahead to her own big day this
summer Hilda said: “I don’t have any children
and only very few relatives but I will be going
out for a meal with them to celebrate my 100th.
I had a party here last year but this year it will
be a private celebration.”
Steps to Hope is a not-for-profit charity
dedicated to tackling homelessness and
addiction. More than half of its volunteers are
addicts in recovery who understand addiction
and homelessness and who are building a new
way of life.
The charity hands out basic necessities and
pays for accommodation and organises charity
and awareness events in Edinburgh. Its Sunday
Suppers and Monday Munchies events at St
Cuthbert’s Church in Lothian Road provide
welcome relief to the city’s homeless
population.
Hilda praised Richard’s efforts, saying: “It’s
ridiculous. There should be more places built
to take people off the streets. It is amazing that
Richie at 40 years of age was sleeping out on
the streets and raised that amount of money.”
Richard told The Edinburgh Reporter how
Hilda’s efforts had made him feel. He said: “I
was blown away to hear about Hilda’s efforts to
support the campaign.
“Hilda truly is an inspirational woman and
we are so grateful for her support.”
3
Hilda’s steps of hope
Sprightly nonagenarian puts best foot forward on Holyrood Park
walk to support charity tackling homelessness and addiction
Down on the farm
THE EDINBURGH REPORTER is one of
six independent community newspapers
nominated for Hyperlocal Newspaper of
the Year in the S&S Inks Award at The
2024 Newspaper Awards which focus on
“recognising excellence in the printed
newspaper” and the skill and expertise of
all the employees involved in producing
the printed publication”.
Phyllis Stephen, Editor of The
Edinburgh Reporter, said: “Our small
team is delighted to be nominated. Our
paper is a really different part of our
news coverage, and we take pride in
producing the best version of it that we
can each month. There are no assurances
of winning but we have our fingers
crossed and wish all other nominees- who are also our colleagues in covering
important local news - very well.”
The Reporter is
on the shortlist
By OLIVIA THOMASTHE ROYAL HIGHLAND &
AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY OF
SCOTLAND (RHASS) is to celebrate its
240th anniversary with a programme of
family-friendly events this year.
There will be a cuddly sheep scavenger
hunt during the Easter holidays and a
Munro Challenge, Harvest Thanksgiving
and also a year long audio and visual
storytelling project.
Hide and Sheep is sponsored by law
firm Turcan Connell and The Scotsman.
Thousands of sheep toys will be hidden all
over Scotland and once found their new
owners may keep them. There is a chance
of winning a VIP trip to the Highland Show
in June - but only eight of the sheep hold
the key to winning this prize.
The storytelling project, 240 Years of
Stories, is being put on in partnership with
Scene & Herd. There will be a podcast
series collating stories from the rural
community and the influence that farming
has had on lives and Scottish society.
Jim Warnock, RHASS Chairman said;
“The 240th Anniversary year is a huge
milestone for RHASS – and we hope that
these events will resonate with people
across Scotland by learning something
new about agriculture or the work of the
Society itself.
“This year of events celebrates the
achievements made over 240 years of
the Society and marks the beginning of
the next 240. Furthering support and
advancement of the rural agricultural
sector in Scotland.” Hilda MillerRichard Roncero was
welcomed back homeAlan Simpson