A charity partnership, with the Scottish Men’s Sheds Association (SMSA) and 12 Guitars, is supporting a young budding musician through a spectacular guitar giveaway.
Social enterprise 12Guitars.org has been working in partnership with the SMSA to reach Men’s Shed members to learn new skills, help communities through a musical boost and provide fun challenging musical events. 12 Guitars receives donated guitars for recycling and upcycling from a variety of sources across the country and gifts them to people who cannot afford or who may not have access to a guitar. The social enterprise also provides guitar tuition, physically and online, and also have workshop facilities to service, repair and restring donated guitars.
SMSA Chairman, David Gardner, originally won the high-quality electro-acoustic guitar at a recent Men’s Wellbeing Day on Zoom at which 12 guitars was a guest presenter. David said: “I was extremely grateful to win this exceptional guitar however, after discussing it with Ken Morton of 12 Guitars, I wanted to pass this excellent prize on to help an upcoming young musician fulfil their dreams and explore their talent.”
Josephine Young, 16, was selected by David as the worthy winner. Josephine’s mother, Nicola Young, who nominated her daughter for the competition said: “Jo has just passed her National 5 Music as an additional subject over and above her allocated subjects at school. She plays piano at grade 6 level and practices every chance she gets. Before lockdown, she was also volunteering and playing piano to entertain older people at a local nursing home.
“Jo saved up her pocket money and bartered to buy an old guitar for £6 at our local charity shop and has been teaching herself to play. She is a kind, hard-working, girl and it is an absolute dream for her to now play and own such a beautiful instrument as this.”
Josephine said: “I was so surprised to hear that I had won as I did not even know that my mum had entered my name into the competition. I am totally blown away to win such an amazing guitar and can’t wait to start playing.”
Ken Morton of 12 Guitars said: “12 Guitars is proud to be working with the SMSA to find good causes where guitars can be donated to young people and others in our society who need a boost and who really want to learn to play guitar. There are so many benefits to learning to play. David Gardner has generously donated this beautiful prize to Josephine and we applaud that decision wholeheartedly.”