Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
NFL star salutes his Angus past
ARBROATH’S $12 million NFL star Graham Gano has rekindled memories of his life growing up on a US military base in Angus.
Graham went back to his roots to conduct a twoday youth football camp for 150 military children at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia.
The Carolina Panthers kicker said he felt it was a duty of his to give back to children growing up.
He said: “Anytime I have the chance to give back, especially to the kids that have a similar background to the one I had growing up, I always like to take that opportunity and make the most of it.”
His father Mark’s posting to RAF Edzell as a US Navy master chief petty officer means Graham has Arbroath on his birth certificate from his arrival in the town on April 9 1987.
Graham said: “I remember when I was a kid I always wanted to meet the pro athletes and you see them on TV and it’s kind of like they’re not real.
“So, it’s fun to be able to show the kids that we are just like you.”
An image provided to the Tele by a concerned resident shows one of the teenagers scaling the Wishart Archway Flats in Princes Street.
The man who took the picture said he saw two youngsters on the scaffolding, adding that they “hurled” abuse at him when he tried to warn them of the dangers.
He told the Tele he warned the youths they were risking their lives.
The resident, who declined to be named, said: “It was around 9pm on Monday.
“I was walking down Princes Street, on my way to Tesco’s beside HMV, and two teenagers were at the top of the scaffolding.
“The building is a Hillcrest Housing block of flats and is just a short distance east of the Wellgate Shopping Centre. The two teenagers were at the very top at one point.
“I told them it was silly behaviour. I didn’t see the point in telling them to get down because they were descending at the time. They just thought it was fun and weren’t concerned.”
The man said that the youths reacted angrily to his advice and added: “I just got abuse from them.”
Maryfield councillor Georgia Cruickshank called on Hillcrest to step up its security at the site in order to prevent a reoccurrence.
She said: “This is a very dangerous practice. Hillcrest should be putting safety measures in place so that members of the public can’t climb up on the scaffold. They could maybe put up some fencing or something like that.
“It is a dangerous practice in terms of the young man pictured, but I think Hillcrest needs to be responsible.”
Ms Cruickshank added that people
YOUNGSTERS climbing on scaffolding eight storeys high are “putting their lives at risk”.
living in the blocks should be extra vigilant.
She added: “If any residents see people climbing up the scaffold then I would say that they should contact the police immediately. That might possibly deter the people from doing it.
“At the end of the day, they are putting themselves in danger and they are also putting other people at risk.
“It is not a pretty sight to see someone fall from a height and it’s something we need to try to avoid happening.”
A spokeswoman for Hillcrest Housing said: “The safety of our staff and the local community is paramount to the Hillcrest Group of Companies.
“We have employed the Tayside Group to provide security on the site at Wishart Archway, where an external supplier is currently erecting scaffolding for works to be completed. The scaffolding will be manned with security personnel from this evening until the works have been completed in a few weeks.
“In light of this incident, we have engaged with the scaffolding company and are planning to deliver awareness sessions on the dangers of scaffolding to local schools after the summer break.”