Kaya lands top award; Club make simple change to help on dyslexia

Friday 2nd October 2026

Team Scotland sprinter Kaya Slater won the Sportsperson of the Year title at a glittering awards ceremony

Twelve deserving winners were praised for their outstanding achievements at this year’s Black Scottish Awards.

The prestigious event, now in its fourth year, was founded by Dr Enoch Adeyemi to amplify the voices and successes of the Black community across various fields in Scotland.

‘When we launched The Black Scottish Awards, our ambition was simple: to shine a light on people whose achievements deserved greater recognition,’ said Enoch.

‘Four years on, the awards have become a celebration of excellence, resilience and possibility. I hope every young person who sees our nominees and winners then believes there is no limit to what they can achieve.’

Kaya was announced as Sportsperson of the Year, a category sponsored by sportscotland for the fourth year in a row.

The Falkirk Victoria Harriers athlete won relay silver with Great Britain at the 2025 European Athletics U20 Championships and made her Team Scotland debut at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, competing in the women’s 4x100m relay.

Alongside Alisha Rees, Lucy Fraser and Alyson Bell, Kaya helped Scotland finish seventh overall and set a new Scottish Native Record, with the team clocking 44.81 seconds.

After overcoming a serious injury and personal challenges, she earned multiple international selections while mentoring younger athletes, using her experience to inspire resilience, confidence and excellence both on and off the track

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Dyslexia Awareness Week 2026

Dyslexia Scotland have endorsed our short social media post this week about Declan, a middle-distance athlete with Law and District AAC.

Declan is dyslexic, and for him that can mean processing the sound of the starting gun takes longer. During cross country this wasn’t obvious as he could see the other runners move and follow. But on the track, particularly in an 800m race, starting from a diagonal line meant he could sometimes lose valuable time before he even had a chance to race.

His coaches listened. They spoke with Declan, learned more about how dyslexia impacts him and worked with the club to find a solution. Now, with support at the start, either a tap on the shoulder or a visual cue such as a white flag, Declan has the opportunity to react to the start alongside his fellow athletes.

The impact goes far beyond the start line. His confidence has grown enormously, and he has found a real sense of belonging within his team.

Dyslexia is about much more than reading and writing. It can impact how someone processes sounds, instructions, information and working memory, and everyone experiences it differently. Declan’s story is a brilliant reminder of what can happen when we work together to listen, learn and adapt.

Dyslexia Scotland said: ‘A brilliant example of a reasonable adjustment that works.’