GILLIAN HAS THE DRIVE Award for work with kids

Milnathort Golf Club volunteer Gillian Wallace has been a major driving force in helping youngsters take up the sport over the past decade.

And her contributions throughout 2019 saw her recognised as the volunteer of the year at the prestigious Perth and Kinross Sports Awards.

Junior convener Gillian (51) has lived in Milnathort for the past 18 years and played a major part in encouraging over 70 juniors to join the club in what has become one of the largest youth sections in the area.

She did this by dedicating her time to arranging taster sessions at seven primary schools and organising after-school groups.

She was selected as a Solheim Cup ambassador last year at Gleneagles, whilst also coaching the beginners at the club throughout the season and managing the ‘Get Into Golf’ programme, taking adults from beginners to full members in three years.

Despite 2019 being a standout year for Gillian, receiving the award was a lot to take in.

She said: “I was quite shocked and quite delighted. It is nice to get some recognition for it.

“We’ve got a really good junior section at the club and we got 72 juniors last year, varying from different levels.

“We take them in from age four and the oldest is coming up for 18.

“I am the one who organises all the coaching for the juniors and the adults, but it is not just me who does it all alone there.

“We have coaching for the beginners and the club volunteers run that.

“Then we also bring in a pro from Noah’s Ark Golf Centre in Perth who does coaching for the more experienced golfers.

“There is something available for all levels.

“I was also going out to the schools. We have got a good link with the local primary school.

“We have had an after-schools club for the past few years, where they do taster sessions.

“I spent a day up at Arngask Primary with another couple of members and we did a taster session for the whole school.”

As a volunteer and club ambassador at the Solheim Cup, Gillian spent hours assisting with the coaching of visiting children.

“Every club in Scotland was asked to nominate a person to be their ambassador for the Solheim Cup,” she said.

“And I volunteered at the Solhiem Cup through Scottish Golf, so I was up there every day – they had an activity hub for the kids.

“The first couple of days we had 700 kids coming through and we helped to give them a taste of golf.

“There were different stations set up, one with long shots and one with putting, so they got a go on everything.

“Although I didn’t get to see much of the Solheim Cup it was a really good experience.”

Gillian was also involved in securing funding for a club buggy to assist disabled and elderly golfers around the course free of charge.

She added: “Milnathort is a very small course and it has not got a lot of spare money and one of things we didn’t have was a buggy.

“I thought it would be quite useful as my husband’s uncle is disabled and we could never get him out on the course, and he loved going out.

“We actually applied through the Arthur and Margaret Thompson charity not expecting to be awarded the money, but we got it.

“So there is access for everybody and it has been well used.”