Meet the Edinburgh woman trying a different sport every week for a year

An Edinburgh woman has set herself an ambitious challenge to try out a new sport every week for a year.

For the past 44 weeks, Lorna Husband has been documenting her sporting journey on TikTok, trying everything from fly fishing, to fencing, curling and horse-back riding. She has also tried surfing, padel, cycling, diving and frisbee.

The 25-year-old, who has recently completed a master’s degree in sports journalism at Napier University, says the variety of sports she’s tried have made her step out of her comfort zone.

She told STV News: “I kind of went into it with an interest in discovering all these different sports and I didn’t think I would still be here doing them.

“But I think the biggest thing I have learned is that being an individual taking part in a sport as a beginner – to go along into a group or a club that’s already formed is quite scary.

“I wanted to show people that it’s okay, you can try something and you might be really good at it.”

Lorna surfing as part of 52-week sport challenge STV News

This week, Lorna has been trying her hand at climbing at Europe’s largest indoor climbing arena in Ratho on the outskirts of Edinburgh.

David Centeno Calvo is a coach and instructor at the Edinburgh International Climbing Arena and helped Lorna complete her session.

He said: “Being on the wall and the movement on the wall makes you forget about the problems you might have in life. It’s a challenge physically but also in your head – so it challenges you mentally as well as physically.”

Edinburgh Leisure has been supporting Lorna in her ambitious challenge.

Angela McCowan, sports development manager at Edinburgh Leisure, said: “Sport is just fantastic for not just your overall fitness but also for how you are feeling – especially when we are coming into the darker nights.”

Lorna has eight weeks to go until she completes her 52-week challenge.