A mother who campaigned for tighter restrictions on the sale of knives following the death of her son has been named a community champion.
Lisa Petrie was recognised for her work at Harbour Homes’ annual north Edinburgh Community Awards on Wednesday September 30.
She began campaigning after her 22-year-old son, John McNab, was stabbed to death in Leith in September 2025.
Her campaign aims to have all knives placed in locked cabinets to prevent shoplifting and ensure sales are closely monitored.
The awards ceremony featured food, music, bingo and celebration, bringing together tenants and local community members.
Residents nominated neighbours, volunteers and community groups across four categories: Good Neighbour, Community Champion, Community Group and Special Recognition.
Ms Petrie’s campaigning work caught the attention of the media and residents across north Edinburgh, leading to her nomination for the Community Champion Award.
Alongside campaigning for locked cabinets for knives in shops, she has been distributing bleed kits across Edinburgh.
Her work was recently recognised in the Scottish Parliament, where First Minister John Swinney committed to making the kits available at community hubs across Scotland.
Speaking about her award, Ms Petrie said: “I’m absolutely delighted. I didn’t expect it. I’m overwhelmed.
“I started this to raise awareness and to save someone else from going through that, kids and adults. So I’m absolutely blown away by this.”
Ms Petrie is now hoping to get into schools across Edinburgh to tell her story.
She said: “I think kids relate more to a realistic story than something from a textbook, so if I need to go around every school in Edinburgh to tell my story and John’s story, then I will.
“We’re looking at changing the law and we’ll keep pushing for bleed kits.”
In the Good Neighbour category, Joan Robertson won the award after being nominated by her neighbours who described her as a lifesaver.
Robertson takes in parcels, looks after pets and keeps contact details for emergencies to look after her neighbours.
She was also nominated for Community Champion for her work in the wider Leith community, including at the Leith Polisbox.
On winning the award, Robertson said: “I’m absolutely gobsmacked.
“You just get on and do it. Do as you would be done by.”
The Community Group award was shared by the Girls Wellbeing Groups, run by YMCA Edinburgh, and the Pilmeny Development Project.
The groups provide a safe space for girls to develop confidence, friendships, self-care and life skills, addressing issues such as anxiety, stress and low confidence.
Dawn Munro from YMCA Edinburgh, who runs the groups, said: “I think the girls will all be really chuffed with it.
“It’s really important to empower young girls with life skills. Our group is all about improving physical, emotional, mental and social wellbeing.
“The world isn’t in a great place for young girls and women. But because our group starts at age eight, we can then transition the girls throughout the key stages of life.”
Nicola Hutchinson, from the Pilmeny Development Project, said: “We’ve worked hard to get the group to where it is and it’s nice to have some recognition in the community because it’s been going for over five years.”
Munro and Hutchinson were joined by Robyn, who started out as an attendee at the Girls Wellbeing Group and now works with the group as a young volunteer.
The final award of the evening went to a group of Harbour tenants called the Leith Legends, who received special recognition.
The group set off on a 3,070-mile journey from Easter Road Stadium in January this year.
Their challenge was to complete a virtual march to a match by walking the distance from Edinburgh to Boston at locations around the city.
They finished in time for Scotland’s first World Cup game, before walking enough steps to make the return journey home.
