The moment of truth in over 24 hours

Well, I cannot believe it. Tomorrow night, I find out if my speech package has clinched the top prize of 'Best Speech Package' at the National Hospital Radio Awards in Bristol - I was nominated for reviewing the hit political play, "The Confessions of Gordon Brown", and interviewing the man who wrote it, Kevin Toolis. I'm too modest for my own good at times, but I cannot keep my own feelings to myself about this weekend and couldn't resist blogging before I start my journey south later tonight.

Earlier today, I started to think deeply about how big things have really become. Admittedly, I'm also beginning to feel a little apprehensive, but I guess that's normal before the outcome of any competition or awards ceremony, is it not? It was only just over a year ago when I started out with my own weekly programme for Victoria Radio Network. If you had said to me back then that I would be looking ahead to a nomination for a nationally recognised award then I would have laughed so hard that my hernia would have been unable to take the strain of my own laughter. And yet, I'm laughing - but for reasons of joy.

I don't want to push expectations up too much, because I know for a fact that the competition will be very intense and the entries for the award will be of a high quality. To even have my speech package nominated for a national award is just an incredible achievement. It is also an achievement that I will treasure for a long time to come and one that is of significant importance in my own professional development of my career in the media.

I only started getting to work this month with my studies for my journalism diploma with the NCTJ (National Council for the Training of Journalists) and, regardless of the outcome tomorrow night, the nomination is a major confidence boost in my own abilities in compiling a high standard of programming to people who listen to me.

Regardless of the result tomorrow evening, this achievement of being in contention for a major award for my work is a celebration and I'll be waving the flag for Victoria Radio Network and for Scotland and hoping to come home with a winning result. You can find out what has happened by following me on Twitter @OfficialAnasSCO or by liking my Facebook page which you can locate here. Wish me luck!

Advertising myself in a Glasgow train station: a self-evaluation

Very few written words from me in this blog entry - just watch the video below of my recent participation in the International Speakers Contest at Waverley Communicators (part of Toastmasters International) where I self-assessed my advertising campaign at Glasgow Queen Street in front of an audience. This happened earlier this month.

And I finished in third place in the contest by the way. Result!

For more information of what I was up to in Glasgow between February and March, please click here.

FOSIS Scottish Independence Debate: Civilised and a big win for Yes

The debate took place in Glasgow on Sunday evening

People calling for a Yes vote in the forthcoming referendum on Scottish independence celebrated an emphatic victory on Sunday night after a majority of people who attended the Federation of Student Islamic Societies Scotland debate on Scottish independence backed the idea of Scotland becoming independent.

Two polls were held, one before the debate commenced and one after the debate had finished. In the pre-debate poll, out of the people who voted, 52% voted Yes and 41% voted No. 7% were undecided. Then a debate was held for approximately two hours where issues such as the economy, education and immigration were discussed. The panellists who took part in the debate held inside the McCance Building at Strathclyde University in Glasgow were Humza Yousaf MSP, Shabana Naz, Yvonne Ridley and Anas Sarwar MP. Na'eem Raza chaired the debate.

There was a lot of passion in the room and many issues were explored and discussed. I had never attended a debate like this in Glasgow until last night and I have to say I was so impressed with how civil everyone was with one another. Disagreements maybe, at times (but with an issue as fundamentally important as this, anyone would expect differences of opinion), but there was support amongst the panellists and audience for everyone to make their point heard and, if anything, that is something that should be celebrated and commended.

In the final poll, out of all the people who voted after the debate, the Yes side surged to 68% - a gain of 16 points. No dropped to just 28% - a drop of 13 points. The number of people who were still undecided dropped by three points to just 4%. 

A major thank you to FOSIS for putting in all of the effort and time to organise the event and I also have to admit that my attendance there was just out of personal interest and a last minute commitment. I was at a conference in the city centre earlier in the day and only just decided an hour before the debate to come along. An engaging debate and there's no doubt more of those kind of events will be happening before September.