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Wednesday 18 May 2011

EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS ARTICLE

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Tragic Ewan funds to boost basketball

Published Date: 13 May 2011
THOUSANDS of pounds raised in memory of fallen firefighter Ewan Williamson have been used to help young basketball players.
Ewan, who died fighting a fire at the Balmoral Bar in Dalry Road on July 12, 2009, was himself a keen basketball player.

Following his death, his friends Tony and Vicky Coia raised more than £8000 by holding a fundraising memorial ball in his memory. The firefighter's mother, Linda, decided she would like the money to be used to help young people enjoy the sport her son had loved.

Initially she thought of setting up a scholarship to award a particularly promising player, but after some thought decided instead to share the money among several teams across the Lothians.

With the help of Basketball Scotland, the money has been used to help teams buy strips, trophies and to meet other costs associated with the game. Money will also be given to the sports department at Ewan's former school, Kinross High School.

Mrs Williamson said: "I thought long and hard about it and I thought it's not fair to pick out just one person in need of money, so I decided that the money would go to clubs who are putting a lot of attention to the younger-aged players.

"It will reach out to clubs who are struggling and help them get their strips and also the most beautiful silver salvers to go to the clubs and one for the national challenge competition, which was held this weekend."

Each of the strips and the salvers carries a Ewan Williamson Memorial Fund logo. An engraved silver bowl has also been purchased to be presented each year to the winner of the Lothians Men's League, in which Ewan played. Mrs Williamson presented it last weekend to this year's winners, Boroughmuir Basketball Club, along with salvers for the winners of an under 12s national challenge competition held that day at Deans Community High School in Livingston.

Mrs Williamson added: "It was emotional, but it's lovely to be able to do something so positive in Ewan's memory for children playing basketball, and also for parents and people who take the time to run these clubs. They need transport all around the country - I know that from my own experience with Ewan, so I wanted to give something back to other people.

"With all that we've gone through, it's about giving to others."

Janie McBrierty, of Basketball Scotland, said the clubs benefiting were the East Lothian Peregrines, Pentland Star, Edinburgh Lions and West Lothian Wolves.

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