{"id":144922,"date":"2025-05-30T19:48:25","date_gmt":"2025-05-30T19:48:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/144922\/"},"modified":"2025-05-30T19:48:25","modified_gmt":"2025-05-30T19:48:25","slug":"30-05-2025-the-nen-north-edinburgh-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/144922\/","title":{"rendered":"30\/05\/2025 \u2013 The NEN \u2013 North Edinburgh News"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Queen Margaret University (QMU), Edinburgh has been crowned\u00a0Higher Education Institute of the Year\u00a0at the prestigious\u00a0Herald Higher Education Awards 2025,\u00a0held in Glasgow on 29th\u00a0May. <\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Coming in QMU\u2019s 150th anniversary year, this accolade celebrates the institution\u2019s enduring commitment to academic excellence, community engagement, inclusion, innovation and student support.<\/p>\n

The university impressed judges with its outstanding achievements across multiple categories, securing wins for\u00a0\u2018Outstanding Contribution from a Staff Member<\/strong>\u2019 \u2013 honouring podiatry lecturer Evelyn Weir\u00a0for her decades-long service to Scotland\u2019s homeless community \u2013 and\u00a0\u2018Outstanding Contribution to the Local Community\u2019 <\/strong>for its pioneering Wooden Spoon Frame Running Equipment Hub, the first of its kind in Scotland.<\/p>\n

QMU was also shortlisted in four additional categories, reflecting the University\u2019s innovative approach to education, inclusivity, and public service. The judging panel praised in particular the University\u2019s holistic impact.<\/p>\n

Queen Margaret University\u2019s Principal, Sir Paul Grice, said: \u201cWe are over the moon to be awarded Higher Education Institute of the Year \u2013 particularly in the year that we celebrate our 150th\u00a0anniversary.<\/strong> <\/p>\n

\u201cThis accolade is a testament to the passion and dedication of our staff, students, and partners, and reflects our mission to make a real difference in the world, enabling people and communities to flourish.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Sir Paul continued: \u201cIt was particularly pleasing to see Evelyn Weir, Senior Lecturer in Podiatry, recognised for her outstanding contribution. Evelyn has dedicated 30 years of her life to supporting the homeless community and has encouraged our students and graduates to work alongside her in the running of specialist foot clinics for people living on the streets. <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cShe is also a staff member who goes \u201cabove and beyond\u201d \u2013 particularly for our care experienced students. She has never wavered in her personalised support of students \u2013 providing the extra care, encouragement and financial guidance required to ensure students have a transformative university experience, reaching their potential during their time at QMU and beyond graduation. <\/p>\n

\u201cShe epitomises the values of QMU in her education and support of students, and in her drive to be a force for good within the university, the wider community and the podiatry profession.\u201d<\/p>\n

QMU\u2019s pioneering role in advancing Frame Running for disabled athletes was formally recognised with the\u00a0Outstanding Contribution to the Local Community Award<\/strong>. Frame Running, a sport that utilises specially designed three-wheeled frames, empowers individuals with limited or no walking ability to experience the freedom of independent movement.<\/p>\n

The Wooden Spoon Frame Running Equipment Hub, based at Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow,\u00a0is the first of its kind in Scotland\u00a0\u2013 and is believed to be the first dedicated facility of its kind anywhere in the world. <\/p>\n

This ground-breaking initiative has been made possible by support from the Wooden Spoon charity, and is the result of a collaborative partnership between QMU, Neil\u2019s Wheel Charity, Frame Running Scotland, and ACE Frame Running, in conjunction with Scottish Athletics and Scottish Disability Sport.<\/p>\n

The Hub forms part of QMU\u2019s wider commitment to shaping the future of Frame Running. Through its research into athlete classification for para sport, the University is helping to build the foundations for fairer, more inclusive competition. The creation of the Hub reflects this broader ambition \u2013 translating academic insight into real-world impact for athletes and communities.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Sir Paul concluded: \u201cIn such a special year, we are delighted that a record number of our entries made it into the finals of the Herald Higher Education Awards.<\/strong> <\/p>\n

\u201cThe Award of Higher Education Institute of the Year allows us to honour our past, celebrate our present, and continue to lead with purpose \u2013 demonstrating that education can be a powerful force for good.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur thanks go to the Herald Scotland, and all of the college and university award winners, who together showcase so much of what is good about the education sector.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Queen Margaret University (QMU), Edinburgh has been crowned\u00a0Higher Education Institute of the Year\u00a0at the prestigious\u00a0Herald Higher Education Awards…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":13375,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8816],"tags":[748,1102,4884,712,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-144922","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-edinburgh","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-edinburgh","10":"tag-great-britain","11":"tag-scotland","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114598517770011524","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144922","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=144922"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144922\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13375"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=144922"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=144922"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=144922"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}