Latest news with #AuchmutyHighSchool
Scotsman
10-08-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
The deaf Fife teenager on the challenges overcome to compete for Team GB at Deaflympics
The winger is heading to Tokyo later this year for the Deaflympics 2025. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The referee's whistle is something millions of football players across the world instinctively recognise, signalling when to stop and restart play. However, for deaf players of the sport, their peripheral vision has to spot a flag the referee raises, alongside blowing their whistle, all while players have to focus on the game itself. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad There are other in-game obstacles. Players cannot listen to shouts from fellow teammates with the ball and have to face multiple hurdles with the sport itself, including limited access to interpreters and specialist coaching. These are all challenges winger and deaf football player Christina Murray, from Kirkcaldy, has taken in her stride - and she will soon embrace playing on the sport's biggest stage. She first found out about about the Deaflympics during a seminar in Glasgow where deaf sporting athletes and coaches told her about Team GB and the international competition. The Deaflympics, first held in Paris in 1924, takes place every four years and is an international multi-sport event for deaf athletes. It is the second oldest international multi-sport event in the world. Ms Murray is the only one in her family who was born profoundly deaf. At the age of two, she had an operation to receive two cochlear implants. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The football fan, who recently turned 17, has been playing the sport for the past ten years and says it has helped her grow in confidence. After being selected during a trial south of the Border, the Auchmuty High School sixth year was told she will be making the trip to Tokyo in November to play for Team GB in the Deaflympics. Christina Murray was recently told she earned a place on the team heading to the Deaflympics. | Supplied 'My journey [playing football] has been good, although there's been a lot of challenges being a deaf player,' she told The Scotsman. 'Like not hearing players shout, the wind causing problems, players not understanding why I wore a helmet to protect my cochlear implants, finding it difficult to hear coaches' instructions. But I got there with the help of my teammates.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ms Murray started her football journey with Raith Rovers Girls FC when she was only seven. Then, when she was 14, Ms Murray had the opportunity to play for McDermid Ladies and moved to them a year later. Recently, she transferred to Glenrothes Strollers Ladies team in April. Murray 'said yes right away' when asked to join Team GB on Tokyo trip Ms Murray was only told that she would be competing for the women's football team at the Deaflympics last month. The trial was in Nottingham where she played a match against Long Eaton United FC Women - a non-deaf team. Make sure you keep up to date with news from across Scotland by signing up to our free newsletter here. Ms Murray's team won 3-1 and she scored despite feeling nervous. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad She said: 'After the game, the coaches said I played well and asked me to join the team to go to Tokyo. I said yes right away. I felt shocked, happy and excited.' Christina Murray is preparing for the Deaflympics later this year. | Supplied Ms Murray said the Deaflympics were so important as the event allowed 'all of us deaf people to get together and do our sports'. Not only is she the only Scot on the team, but Ms Murray is also one of the youngest players. The youngest set to represent Team GB is 16 overall. In the future, Ms Murray said she would like to be a deaf football coach and hoped to also work with children. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I found being deaf hard when I was younger but realise I still have a talent which is my speed and my football' 'It is difficult being deaf as I miss a lot and I just want to be like everyone else,' she said. 'People find it difficult to understand me and I find it difficult to understand some people. 'I found it hard when younger, but realise I still have a talent, which is my speed and my football. Sports is good and everyone should try. 'I was helped at Disability Sports Fife and [coach] Pamela [Robson] encouraged me all the time. She coached and helped me with my special speed and gave me confidence.' To those who are deaf but want to know more about sports, Christina added: 'Be confident, join local sports clubs or even clubs like Disability Sports Fife and reach for the stars. I love it. I'm happy.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Christina as a child playing for Raith Rovers Girls FC. | Supplied Ms Murray lives at home with her parents, as well as sisters Morgan, 21, and Natalie, 18. She is the only one who has hearing loss in her family. Her father, Christian, said: 'Along with myself, my wife and girls are so proud of Christina. We have seen the challenges she has met in her life, especially with the social aspect. But to see her thrive on the football field is amazing.' Grandfather Eric is also the 'biggest fan come matchday' of the three girls, who have all played football in their lives. Christina, pictured when she was younger, also joined Disability Sport Fife in their running section. | Supplied Christian said: 'Christina spent years learning football and athletic techniques and to be told that Team GB wanted her to be part of the team was amazing. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'All those years of being the parent, encouraging your daughter through the tough times, good times, the journeys every parent makes, [the Team GB selection] just made it all explode like a firework of happiness for her.' Unlike many Olympic athletes, deaf sport in the UK receives no government funding, which means every player must cover the full cost of attending the Deaflympics themselves. This led to Christian creating a fundraiser for Ms Murray's journey to the Deaflympics. 'The support we received as a family was phenomenal,' he said. 'Christina managed to break the £4,000 mark within three weeks. The support from family, friends and people we don't know was just brilliant.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Despite already reaching the goal, Christian is continuing to raise money through fundraisers for other athletes and coaches who have not yet met their £4,000 target. 'Every barrier she breaks down sends a powerful message to future deaf girls' He said: 'On the pitch, Christina can't rely on shouted instructions or hearing the referee's whistle. She adapts, communicates visually and gives her all every single time. 'Every match she plays and every barrier she breaks down sends a powerful message to future deaf girls - that they belong in sport too and they can dream big and proudly represent their country.'
Daily Record
03-07-2025
- Daily Record
Paddleboard tragedy teen's school to celebrate his life on last day of term
Auchmuty High School has said the day will allow students and staff to "share stories, laugh, cry and support each other". The school attended by a Scots teenager who tragically drowned while paddleboarding is to honour him on the last day of term. Alexander McNab, 15, was reported missing from the water at Lochore Meadows in Fife on Saturday, June 28. A major search effort began and tragically his body was recovered on Sunday afternoon at around 1.20pm. He was a pupil at Auchmuty High School in Glenrothes, which has announced it will use the day to remember him as the school year ends on Thursday, July 3. Students and staff have been invited to wear pink to celebrate his life, with a book of remembrance set up for anybody from the school community to leave a tribute. A post on social media said the day will include opportunities for people to "remember Alex, share stories, laugh, cry and support each other". It added: "Our thoughts, prayers and support remain with his family." On Monday, Alexander's family shared a statement via Police Scotland in memory of their "much-loved son". In it, they said: ' Alexander was much loved, caring, adventurous, bold, hard-working, ambitious and always looking out and caring for others. 'He is a much-loved son, brother, grandson, cousin, friend and boyfriend and a big part of his local community. 'Alexander will be forever missed by those that knew him and loved him. 'The family would appreciate privacy at this emotional time.' Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Detective Sergeant Duncan Thompson said: 'Our thoughts are very much with Alexander's family at this very distressing time and we have specialist officers supporting them.' A major search was launched to find the schoolboy at around 5.25pm on Saturday after emergency crews received a report of concern for a boy who had been out on the water. Police Scotland, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, the Scottish Ambulance Service and HM Coastguard were in attendance to carry out extensive searches. Since the tragic news of his death broke, a fundraising page has been set up to raise funds for his mum to help with funeral costs. It has since raised over £24,000 as of July 2.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Deaf pupil wins legal fight for BSL interpreter
A deaf teenager has won a legal fight against Fife Council to have a British Sign Language interpreter in her class for school lessons. Niamdh Braid, 16, from Glenrothes, launched an action against her local authority last year after missing out on essential learning. She has been deaf since birth and wears hearing aids, but the teenager struggles to hear in noisy environments. Her preferred language is British Sign Language (BSL). Niamdh often cannot understand what is taking place during class time and her learning has been affected as a result. Her efforts to try to keep on top of her lessons without an interpreter left her "exhausted". She told BBC Scotland News: "At the end of the school day I'm so tired. I have to leave class sometimes and take a break because it is just so much. "I come home and I have to go to my bed at half past seven or eight o'clock at night. That's not normal for a 16-year-old." Auchmuty High School, where Niamdh is an S5 pupil, does have specialised deaf provision through teachers of the deaf. This is a qualified role used in schools across Scotland. But in some cases the post only requires a BSL level 3 qualification. A BSL interpreter must have at least Level 6 BSL qualification. Niamdh and her parents had previously asked the school for a BSL interpreter but their request was turned down. A complaint to Fife Council was also rejected. Following this, and with financial support from charity National Deaf Children's Society, Niamdh raised her own legal action against the local authority. Niamdh said: "Deaf children are eight times more likely to leave school with no qualification and that shouldn't be the case because deafness is not a learning disability. We are able to learn, we are able to achieve anything." Early last year in a tribunal, it was ruled that Niamdh was being placed at a "substantial disadvantage" and was "at risk of feeling isolated, withdrawn, unsupported and not listened to" without advanced BSL interpretation. The ruling also stated that Fife Council's BSL provision was only up to Level 2 qualification During the case, Fife Council had argued that there was no spare capacity to assign Niamdh regular input and BSL support without the need to recruit additional staff. The tribunal rejected the complaint. The tribunal's ruling said the failure to provide advanced BSL support meant the claimant was "missing things in class and does not know what she is missing". Fife Council initially appealed the decision but in December that appeal was rejected. The local authority has now said it will not challenge the ruling any further. Fife Council must now provide BSL support at a qualified interpreter level in all of Niamdh's National Qualifications classes. A recruitment process is under way. In a statement, Fife Council's head of education services, Angela Logue, said: "We have been working very closely with Niamdh and her family to meet her needs as identified by the tribunal." Niamdh's father Steve Braid told BBC Scotland News: "It's disgusting that we've had to fight as hard as we have, and as hard as Niamdh's had to fight. We've been quite lucky as, in the end, we've got to where we have but there's a lot of people out there who won't fight as hard or don't realise what they are entitled to. "I'm immensely proud of what's she's done. She's so passionate about wanting to take this all further and prove that just because she's deaf doesn't mean to can't do something. She's very stubborn." The legal action was funded by the National Deaf Children's Society. Mark Ballard, its head of policy in Scotland, told BBC Scotland News: "Deafness, by its very nature, means that children can just disappear into the back of the classroom. "That's why we hope that every local authority in Scotland will look at this and put in place the support that deaf children need, rather than those children and their parents having to go all the way to a tribunal to get what should be theirs as a right." Perfecting Scots dialect in sign language Inventing sign language for scientists Plans for sign language use in daily life
