Glasgow 2014

MSPs in the Scottish Parliament recently had a chance to meet Clyde, the thistle-inspired mascot of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Clyde, designed by 12-year-old Beth Gilmour of Cumbernauld, will be visiting Scottish communities throughout the journey to the Games and will play a major role in key moments. I hope he will inspire children and young people to get involved in Scotland’s largest ever sporting event.

Communities, organisations and individuals must work together if the Games are to be an outstanding success and produce a lasting legacy. There are various ways to get involved, such as the Cultural and Volunteer Programmes and the Queen’s Baton Relay.

We have excellent facilities here in Dunfermline to ensure we benefit from the Games. These include our refurbished Carnegie Leisure Centre, with its full-sized swimming pool, and Carnegie Hockey Club, recently the beneficiary of a Big Lottery award to encourage young people to take up hockey. Pitreavie Athletics Club has produced some great athletes, including Delhi 2010 silver medallist Eilidh Child who, I hope, will build on her success in Glasgow 2014.

The above was originally written for Bill’s Dunfermline Press column. This version may vary slightly.