TWENTY FIVE YEARS AGO Saturday May 30, 1998

A rallying call has gone out this week to the people and businesses of Lochaber urging them to get behind an ambitious drive to transform the fortunes on and off the pitch of the area’s senior football club.

It comes after Fort William FC’s annual general meeting, when four leading local businessman came forward to pledge major support for the Highland League’s basement side.

With the unanimous backing of the club committee, coaches and playing staff, Stewart Maclean, Drew Purdon, Stewart Leitch and Gerald McIntyre will work closely with office bearers in a bid to revitalise the cash-strapped club and take it out of “the last chance saloon”.

As well as injecting their own finance and sourcing new funding and sponsorships, the businessmen will seek to transform the overall governance of the club.

This could include transferring the club from an association model to a community interest company, a move which could open up a number of new funding avenues.

It is hoped this change could be complete in time for the start of the 2013-14 Highland League campaign, with Fort hoping to improve on last season’s disappointing last-place finish.

Addressing the annual meeting, property manager Stewart Maclean said: “We all believe in this club, the sole West Highland representative in the Highland League.

“We recognise the important role the club plays in the development of youth football in the area.”

Fort William solicitor Mr McIntyre will lead the community interest company proposal. He said: “If we opt for this set-up we can open the club up to community membership and it also opens up avenues for grants not currently available to the club.”

Mr Leitch who runs the Moorings Hotel urged local businesses to come forward and invest in the club. He said: “The club is important for the community and we really need to get everyone behind us.”

Established local property company, Tourism Developments (Lochaber) Ltd has confirmed that agreement has been reached with the present operators for a takeover of the £1 peppercorn lease of the local-authority owned multipurpose hall at An Aird, Fort William.

The company is understood to be seeking the introduction of a commercial/retailing element into the lease terms which, the company believes, will be necessary for the viable future operation of the multipurpose hall, which has come to be known locally as Marco’s An Aird. 2013: John Watssman, vice chairman of Fort William FC; Stewart Maclean; Mike MacEachan, assistant manager; Gerald McIntyre and Ronnie Maclean, chairman. All look to improve the fortunes of the club.

The £4.3 million leisure and recreation centre was built six years ago on a quid pro quo basis, for Lochaber District Council, owners of the reclaimed land which is An Aird.

Since it opened, the multipurpose hall has been run primarily on a leisure/recreational basis with occasional one-day sales being staged there by out-of-town enterprises.

Councillor Neil Clark, who is chairman of the area cultural and leisure services committee, said: “I want to see the facility remain basically as a multipurpose sports and leisure centre, run at no extra cost to the ratepayers. If it remains so I would have no objection.”

Dance

A grand Whitsun dance was held in the hall in Balivanich on Tuesday under the auspices of the Benbecula Airport Club.

Music was given by Houston’s travelled to and from Glasgow by occasion.

The MCs were Messrs Roderick McIntosh and Callum MacMillan. Pipers Malcolm J Campbell and Archie McPhee also assisted with the music. band, who air for the

Princess’s visit to Paris protest from Free Church Assembly

A protest against the Sunday programme in Paris of Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh was made last week at the Free Church Assembly meeting in Edinburgh.

The clerk to the assembly, Reverend John Shaw, moved that the assembly express their grief and concern that the itinerary included attendance at racing, theatre and nightclub dancing on the Lord’s Day.

The Assembly unanimously accepted the motion which took the form of an addendum to the deliverance of the committee on public questions, relations and morals.

The convener, Reverend William Fraser, said: “We very deeply regret the account given of this event.”