Obair La
Sunday 17 April 2005, 6.05pm, STV and Grampian
Back To The Future - D A MacLeod
The remarkable achievements of the Back Recreation Centre in developing sports and fitness among local youth is featured on television this week when community worker Donald MacLeod invites the Obair La cameras to shadow him during his working day as a Children’s Services Coordinator in rural Lewis.
Previously employed in the oil industry; both in the North Sea and at the fabrication yard at Arnish Point, Stornoway, he is a key member of a dedicated team of coaches and volunteers who have created an enviable reputation for improving the fitness and sporting potential of youngsters living on the east coast of Lewis.
Born in the neighbouring village of North Tolsta, ‘DA’, as he’s known to his friends and colleagues, looks back on his own career where he has been actively involved in sport all his life, playing many years for Back FC at both junior and senior level.
As a young lad growing up in Tolsta, he recalls how the village children were always engaged in outdoor pursuits and games, particularly football. But he believes that children’s fitness has suffered over recent decades because modern living offers less healthy pastimes for the young, with computer games and television replacing the more physical activities enjoyed by earlier generations.
Located beside pristine football pitches and overlooking Coll beach, the superb sports facility at Back was officially opened in 1994 by footballing legend Andy Gray; who played for Back FC between the ages of 15 and 17 before he moved on to greater things with Dundee United, Wolves, Everton, Aston Villa and Rangers, as well as gaining 20 caps for Scotland.
DA recognises that the early development of local sporting talent has seen the emergence of excellent youth teams, particularly in football where many have progressed to senior level. He credits Back FC’s status as the 2004-05 Highland Amateur Cup holders with this sports development programme, with several of the current first team’s players being the product of the hard work and dedication that staff and volunteers at the Centre have put in over the past decade.
He is proud of the various success stories, such as Jenna Stewart: a keen young sportswoman and another recent ‘graduate’ of Back’s youth development initiative. Jenna is currently studying sport at Jordanhill College in Glasgow and offers valuable expertise and support at the Back Centre when she’s home on holiday.
Back Recreation Centre is keen to work closely with key agencies to ensure they deliver the best service to the community. The Western Isles Health Board has sponsored uniform kit for the Centre’s junior clubs and has also arranged for Health Promotion officers to advise on issues such as diet, drugs, alcohol, smoking and general health and fitness.
The Centre has also recently forged links with the nearby Lews Castle College. The Stornoway based college doesn’t have sports facilities within its campus and, as the magnificent facilities at Back were under-utilised during the daytime, the two bodies were able to establish a mutually beneficial partnership to deliver structured sports and leisure courses. This means that students interested in these courses no longer have to leave the island, or can study nearer home to gain the necessary access qualifications required for higher level courses at mainland institutions.
A keen sporting community for decades the older players become coaches in a structured and organised club, where it appears that Back and its neighbouring villages are setting new standards for youth development in Lewis.
Produced and directed by Magaidh MacKinnon of Paracas Media, edited at Studio Alba in Stornoway and funded by Seirbheis nam Meadhanan Gàidhlig, Obair Là will be broadcast on STV and Grampian on Sunday 17 April 2005 at 6.05pm.
For further information:
Magaidh MacKinnon, Paracas Media
Tel: 01851 810 269
