A CHARITY set up in memory of an Ormiston teenager has celebrated its first year of achievements, from the launch of a new football club for children to providing memorial Christmas trees around East Lothian to remember lost loved ones.

A Gift from Kieran was launched in tribute to Kieran Swinton, who died in a road accident in 2016, aged 19.

And it has already made its mark in his local community and further afield as it works to help local groups and provide fun activities and events for families.

The charity set up Ormiston Football Development Club for children aged from two to Primary 7 and sponsored a football tournament named after keen player Kieran. It also handed out community grants for everything from sand for the local bowling club to a part for a man’s motorised wheelchair.

And it supported other local causes with donations to a range of appeals including Help Luke, Action for Alex, Danny’s Wheels and Declan’s trike, as well as providing apples and satsumas for every jingle bag handed out by East Lothian Foodbank at Christmas.

It also put up Christmas trees in Ormiston, Elphinstone, Prestonpans, Pencaitland, Haddington, Musselburgh and Meadowmill where people could write messages to missed loved ones and hang them on the tree.

For 2018, the charity has a host of plans, including a proposed memorial in Ormiston Park, launching Ormiston in Bloom, supporting the youth section at Ormiston Bowling Club and afternoon teas for pensioners.

Kieran’s mum Amanda O’Neill is chairperson of the charity.

She said that members were keen to hear from any local community groups or projects that could be supported by A Gift from Kieran and listen to ideas from people about what they could do.

Amanda said: “The charity has grown much bigger than I first anticipated but I am so pleased with the way it has turned out.

“I’d like to thank everyone for their support, the volunteers who have helped us achieve what we have and also my fellow trustees.

“Everything we do in the local communities is in memory of Kieran and I just know he would be as proud as I am.”

To find out more about A Gift from Kieran, go to the website agiftfromkieran.co.uk or find the charity on Facebook.