1 What is your earliest memory of Edinburgh? I remember a hot summer Sunday morning sometime in either 1979 or 1980, when I spent two weeks at Redford camp with the army cadets and marching behind a pipe band to Colinton village church.
2 What are
your memories of school? My first school was Leurbost School on the Isle of Lewis in the Western Isles. I think my first memory is of our daily bottle of milk that we each had at primary.
3 Where is your favourite place in Edinburgh and why? I love Kebab Mahal because it sells the best chicken bhuna in town and has the friendliest staff.
4 What are the best things about Edinburgh? I love the Pentland Hills, the Canal, the Water of Leith – where do you stop?
5 What would you change about the city? I would make more social housing available.
6 Describe a perfect Edinburgh day/night out. I would enjoy a meal at Kebab Mahal with my wife, Catarina, possibly a movie at the Dominion in Morningside, topped off by a walk through the Hermitage and a bottle of wine on Blackford Hill.
7 Which sports interest you? I enjoy running but love watching rugby and helping out with my nine-year-old son Samuel's rugby training sessions at Boroughmuir Rugby Club. I also enjoy doing the Rat Race in Edinburgh.
8 What was your most embarrassing moment? One of the most embarrassing early memories I have is when leaving a hotel disco with my friends in Stornoway. We all jumped into a Leyland Mini to get a lift home, though we did not pay much attention to who was driving. The next thing we knew the Mini was in reverse and descending the steps to the hotel entrance. Thankfully it stopped before we hit anything! We all had to get out very red-faced and seek help to lift the mini up the hotel steps. Needless to say the driver shall remain nameless.
9 What is your greatest achievement? It has to be marrying Catarina and also being present at Samuel's and my six-year-old daughter Iris's birth.
10 Sum up Edinburgh in three words. Worth a look!
Donations can be made by visiting www.justgiving.com/greyfriars
The full article contains 402 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
