Its vision is to develop leadership and skills for life, to provide a stepping stone to employment, encourage volunteering, reduce youth crime and to support healthier communities.  But young people in South Edinburgh actually enjoy it!

South Edinburgh Healthy Living Initiative recently ran a sports leadership course aimed at encouraging the use of life skills through sport. Young people attended Gracemount High School on Wednesdays and Sundays to learn about man-management skills, what it means to lead a team or organisation, or to coach players in a chosen sporting discipline.

Heather (pictured, bottom left) was full of praise for the course, saying she saw it as a good basis to begin a sports coaching career. She said, "You learn how to control a class and how to deal with a group of people, small or large.

"I think it's a really good first step into sports coaching, which is what I hope to do after I leave school."

The tail-end of the course, attended by pupils from both Liberton and Gracemount High Schools, coincided with the retirement of SEHLI's Val Munro.

Marion McCallum, depute manager at SEHLI, said. "Val is a motivated and enthusiastic worker and her upbeat approach will be missed in SEHLI.

"She has contributed to the development of Active Lifestyles work for the past two years and we wish her fun and health in her retirement." To learn about more courses run by SEHLI, call 664 0555 for information, or simply look out in The Echo for announcements.

• Pictured are Tracy Neill (far left) and Val Munro (far right) with some of the secondary school pupils who took part in the Sports Leadership course at Gracemount High School.