A proud day...

Last week's opening of the new Parklea Community Sports Hub was a very proud day for me as we delivered on our promise to provide new top class facilities for our local clubs, including a new home for Port Glasgow Juniors. It was great to hear Scotland Manager Craig Levein pay tribute to the huge investment we have made in sports facilities across Inverclyde and the benefits this will bring to the local community.

The opening also brought back memories of my own, all too short lived, football career, much of it played at Parklea.

Indeed the new pitch opened last Friday lies partly on the scene of my greatest triumph in 1975 when I was part of the St Michael's Primary School team that won the 'Port-A-Go' Cup, beating heavy favourites Holy Family 4-3 in the Final. This was one of only two medals I ever one.

'Port-A-Go' was a festival organised to mark the end of Port Glasgow's separate Town Council with the formation of the new Inverclyde District Council. Not that I knew much about local politics in those days!