Greener Peebles
Funding
The support has allowed us to offer trips to national football competition for an increased number of Para Footballers, providing disabled people with a sense of belonging, pride and enhanced opportunities to compete at sport and live healthier lives. It’s also let us attract five new players through a subsidised places scheme.
As you will see from case study below it has also helped us support players on an individual basis with big, complicated issues. Involvement in the sport is key to their involvement in society and the more committed they are the squad the ore we find they are willing to open up and ask for help.
Peter M, who is in his late 50’s, is a player who has required a great deal of support from the Gala Fairydean Rovers Community Trust, our volunteers and his team-mates. Originally from Glasgow, Peter moved to the Borders when he married his wife, Lynn. Peter loves football and would often watch the Gala Fairydean Rovers first team before getting involved in our Trust by initially joining our Walking Football squad and then the Para/Disability squad. (Verbal and written communication present a challenge for Peter.)
In the months after the initial Covid lockdown, Lynn unfortunately passed away following a short illness. Understandably, Peter’s mental and physical health suffered in the months and years following the loss of his wife. He struggled to cope with his finances and often found it a challenge to communicate with agencies such as phone providers, energy suppliers and the vet who was treating his beloved dog. Before long Peter was in a financial crisis. He stopped coming to training and matches. He disclosed to a team-mate that he had considered taking his own life due to the stress he was under. The team-mate passed this information onto members of the Community Trust Board and we immediately set about helping Peter.
Along with alerting the relevant health authorities, members of the Board took a pro-active role in helping Peter resolve a number of the issues causing him worry and stress. We arranged for a series of meetings with the local Citizen’s Advice Bureau who contacted agencies on behalf of Peter and arranged a structured management of his finances. We contacted the vet to explain the situation in an effort to lower his crippling bills which often meant Peter went without food in order that his dog received its medication. The Trust is a supporter of our local food bank and we arranged with them for Peter to access their services and receive weekly food parcels.
We helped Peter attend the Walking and Para Football weekly training sessions where he could meet with team-mates, improve both his mental and physical fitness, participate in games and enjoy socialising with his friends. We covered the cost of kit, football boots and waived training fees. Using Community Trust funds, we supported Peter to attend regular social events such as team nights out and attending football matches such as the women’s Cup Final at Hampden, a tour of Tynecastle Stadium and away fixtures with the GFR first-team. Peter also became a regular fixture at first team games at Netherdale where the Trust and the Football club worked together to support him as a volunteer and get involved with match day duties.
Finally, members of the Trust Board assisted Peter apply for housing in his native Glasgow, where he could be close to his family and friends who could provide a support network. After a number of months on the waiting list, Peter was finally granted a move back to Glasgow in August of 2025. The Trust helped Peter find another football team where he could continue to play and have kept him registered with our Trust so that he can still play for GFR in national competitions. Peter is still part of our Walking and Para Football WhatsApp groups and remains very much part of out Trust and the broader GFR family.
The funding allowed one of our volunteers to enhance his football coaching career by obtaining a higher level of SFA approved licence which has in turn helped him with his college studies and brought benefit to our players. As a wholly volunteer ran group this sort of development is important to show the added impact of volunteering beyond ‘just’ the joy of coaching and helping people get the best out of themselves.
The big bonus from this funding was it guaranteed we could bring the group to national competitions in Grangemouth nine times this year. These form a real important part in the players social lives and a regular focus of interest and sense of impetus for them. They are representing their town and club and I can hand on heart say I do not think Lionel Messi would have taken the last World Cup final as seriously as our squad take these competitions.
We already have strong connections and roots in the area prior to funding but it has been good being plugged into the BCA Networks and be assured we read the newsletter and have taken a good few things from it. Certainly feel more connected.
As this project is ran by volunteers we do not have to rely on funding – although targeted support like this allows us to greatly enhance the experience for the people involved. We will continue to find new ways to support the Para squad and continue to grow this project which we know has deep social and sporting importance for our friends.
Fairly clear, straightforward and pretty jargon free. It was good to see projects that are ran wholly by volunteers receiving support as in the past we have seen funding processes that seemed at best ‘opaque’ and skewed towards charities that employ staff to write bids, deliver projects or have prior relationships with funder.
We strongly feel that local funding pots of this kind should have 25% of the total fund as a minimum commitment to groups who do not employ staff. Which is not to say that we do not attach value to any such paid work undertaken – simply that the playing field is too stacked in their favour when compared with groups like our own.
As a trust we would like to explore building our own rooms an facilities at Netherdale – most likely through a portacabin. Support on ‘capital projects’ like this would be of interest. Even in terms of getting a plan put together.
