1 What is your earliest memory of Edinburgh? It was when I was 11-years-old. I was Christmas shopping in Jenners with my mother and brother, who was about seven. He wandered off looking for his own Christmas presents and got lost. O
ne hour later and after a stream of tannoy announcements he turned up – with a present for mum! It was a small cafetiere and she still has it.
2 What are your memories of school? My first school was in St Andrews where I did a lot of drama. My senior school was Kilgraston in Bridge of Earn and I have good memories of enjoying sports. The best part though was being a weekly boarder so I had all the fun of being at boarding school but got to go home every weekend.
3 Where is your favourite place in Edinburgh and why? It has to be Edinburgh Castle. I love its towering presence over the city, its history as well as the views.
4 What are the best things about Edinburgh? The quality of life. Having lived in London for over three years it has really made me appreciate how good we have it up here. I love the Festival and the Georgian architecture in the New Town. I also enjoy visiting places such as the Botanic Garden and walking along the Water of Leith.
5 What would you change about the city? Less road works.
6 Describe a perfect Edinburgh day/night out. I would begin the afternoon at the Musselburgh Races with a group of friends, followed by heading into the city centre for a drink on George Street or at Rick's on Frederick Street.
7 Which sports are you interested in? The main ones are horse racing, eventing, tennis and skiing.
8 What was your most embarrassing moment? It was walking into the jockey changing rooms on my first race day. As soon as they saw me, they promptly dropped their towels (which is all they were wearing) – something I'm told you get used to.
9 What is your greatest achievement? It would have to be getting married and being offered the job as commercial manager at Musselburgh Racecourse – both in the same week. It was quite a celebration.
10 Sum up Edinburgh in three words. Sociable, cultured, fun.
The full article contains 402 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
