By PHYLLIS STEPHENFINLAY MENZIES (18) from Balerno
completed the Manchester Half Marathon,
raising funds for the Duke of Edinburgh’s
Award Charity.
It was no mean feat for the young man who
has cerebral palsy and used a three-wheeled
frame to help him balance, but he was focused
on his goal both for his own personal
achievement and as a Duke of Edinburgh
Award (DofE) Youth Ambassador. The race, as
well as the training beforehand, is part of his
Bronze and Silver DofE awards. Finlay also
coaches sports at the local disability sports
class, The Edinburgh Eagles and at Harmeny
Athletics, for the volunteering part of the DofE.
He completed the half marathon distance in
a personal best time of 1 hour and 39 minutes.
Finlay said: “It feels amazing to finish this
half marathon and I’m really proud that I
competed it.
“I love the sensation of whizzing down a
track as fast as I can. I have been racing and
training for the last six years at different levels
and I have never let my disability get in the way
of what I want to achieve. I’m aiming to run a
marathon next!”
Ashley Williams, UK Youth Engagement
Manager at DofE said: “Finlay is one of
many young people who have achieved
incredible things through their DofE. As a
charity, we’re determined to put young people
at the heart of everything we do and to connect
them with opportunities to make a positive
impact on the issues they care about – and we
can’t wait to see what our new cohort of Youth
Ambassadors achieve this year.
“As they navigate the ongoing after-effects of
the pandemic and a severe cost-of-living crisis,
it’s more vital than ever that all young people
get access to opportunities like the DofE,
which let them have fun, grow their resilience
and self-belief, and develop vital skills they
can’t always get in the classroom.”LOTHIAN COUNTRY will register
two new routes and extend
another in West Lothian from
3 December.
Service 72 will operate between
Kirkliston, Winchburgh, Broxburn,
Uphall, Uphall Station,
Pumpherston, St. John’s Hospital,
Livingston Centre, Eliburn,
Blackburn, Whitburn, Fauldhouse,
running hourly, from 7.00am to
9pm 7 days a week.
Service 73 will run hourly from
Livingston Centre and Blackburn
via St John’s Hospital, Livingston
North, Deans South, Boghall,
Bathgate and Wester Inch, Mon to
Sat from 7.00am to 8pm.Service 74 will run hourly
between Livingston Centre and
Fauldhouse via Dedridge, Polbeth,
West Calder, Loganlea, Addiewell,
Stoneyburn and Bents. Mon-Sat
between 0700hrs and 2000hrs and
Sunday between 9.00am and 7pm
Sarah Boyd, Lothian Managing
Director said: “Operating safe,
reliable services is the backbone of
our business and our teams have
worked extremely hard to stabilise
our existing operation to be able to
confidently provide a robust and
reliable service for customers.
“It is no secret that the last 3
years have been extremely
challenging for our industry and asa commercial operator, with only
0.4% of our revenue coming from
subsidised services, it is vital that
any new service achieves the level
of customer usage required to
make it financially viable.
“Lothian Country is proud to be a
part of the communities that we
serve and our team is absolutely
focused on running reliable
services for those who rely on us.”
Lothian Country took the difficult
decision last year and reviewed its
entire network, making significant
changes to services to improve
reliability while ensuring as far as
possible that all communities have
access to a bus service.THE FOLLOWING article is by Mike
Davis, Founder and Managing Director
of My Probate Partner, an Edinburgh
company created to reduce the stress
and cost of dealing with a death
in Scotland.
When a person dies, it falls to someone
else who will need to close down their
financial, tax and legal affairs.
While many of us are aware of the
importance of creating a will, few
understand the labyrinthine challenges
that can arise when it comes to settling
an estate in Scotland.
Depending on what makes up their
estate, going through an official court
process may be necessary. This is
broadly known as ‘probate’ or, in
Scotland, it is officially called
‘Confirmation’. This process is
required after about 50% of deaths.
Yet, despite the high statistics, most of
us are completely unaware of probate
and how it works and while ‘learning on
the job’ might be the preferred approach
by many – familiarising yourself and
knowing your options, could potentially
save you thousands of pounds.PROBATE IN SCOTLAND
Probate or ‘Confirmation’ is a document
issued by a Sheriff Court in Scotland,
which gives the people named a Will (or
the closest family member where there is
no Will) the authority to deal with a
deceased person’s estate.
Once Confirmation has been granted,
the assets that were previously frozen
can be accessed and the executor can
begin distributing them according to the
instructions in the Will, or by the law if
there is no Will.
Before paying anything out to the
beneficiaries, executors must pay off any
debts and taxes.SEEKING HELP
Handling a person’s death can be a
highly emotional and stressful
experience, especially if you are also
appointed as an executor of the estate.
Seeking help from a probate expert can
help alleviate some of the pressure and
ensure the estate is handled correctly
and without delay.
By dealing with the estate without a
solicitor and opting for the help of a
probate support service, not only could
you save a lot of time, stress, but also a
small fortune in legal fees.
http://www.myprobatepartner.co.uk3
Finlay finishes well
Lothian expand services in the west
Runner is just a little closer to achieving Duke of Edinburgh awards
Financial journey
after a loss
Finlay with his
mum Gillian