Ian Beattie with Giffnock North youngsters and the Lindsays Trophy (photo by Mark Gibson) 2025 Lindsays Trophy Finishers – final tables Giffnock North AC have reclaimed the Lindsays Trophy for the 2024-25 season after winning our Tier One title Our participation competition for the Lindsays Cross Country Season which places clubs according to finisher numbers has been played out once again in a league division format following a pilot the previous year Finisher numbers are tallied for three National Championship events over the winter – the Lindsays National XC Relays at Cumbernauld the Lindsays National Short Course at Kirkcaldy and the Lindsays National XC at Falkirk And Giffnock emerged on top for the fifth time in six years with victory by only eight athletes from Edinburgh AC who were original winners when the Lindsays Trophy began in 2015 Giffnock mustered 217 finishers in total to EAC’s 209 over the three events Cambuslang Harriers took third place with 145 and Central AC were fourth on 143 We’re delighted the three tier tables confirm no fewer than 94 clubs from the length and breadth of Scotland were represented at the Lindsays Cross Country Season To complete a special year for Giffnock they won the two overall trophies for the Lindsays National XC they won the AT Mays Trophy for combined male performances at Falkirk and the Pat Spence Trophy for combined female performances after an impressive collective effort at Callendar Park AT Mays & Pat Spence Ian Beattie with Giffnock duo Lynne Macdougall and Dudley Walker with the three cross country trophies (photo by Mark Gibson) Lindsays Trophy background and history helped us with the presentations at a club training night at Williamwood High School ‘This is a competition which seems to get stronger with every year which is a great reflection of the work carried out by scottishathletics and individual athletics clubs across Scotland,’ said Ian ‘It is fantastic to see how competitive the events have been throughout this year and our congratulations go to everyone who has taken part and made this such an entertaining Lindsays Cross Country Season ‘Through our support of scottishathletics we are proud to be helping encourage healthier lives through sport As we look towards another Commonwealth Games in Scotland we hope that running as part of a healthy lifestyle can continue to grow.’ Pat Spence and A T Mays trophies all in one fell swoop is an achievement the whole club is thrilled with from youngest U 11 to our oldest most experienced Senior and Masters athlete ‘The Lindsays Trophy of course is the prize that spreads the widest sharing the honour across all the age groups ‘It is set up for participation and as such encourages athletes to compete in and finish races which recognises all the hard work by coaches volunteers and families who help make the club what it is.’ Echoing those sentiments was Giffnock North Club Chair Chris Deery who said: ‘We are delighted to put the club name on the Lindsays Trophy for a seventh time reflecting the spirit of the sport as well as the club and it is great to have a knowledgeable sponsor so committed and in tune with the deeper values of athletics The three tier system operates promotion and relegation for the top and bottom four clubs Dropping down from Tier One for next season are: Kilmarnock Harriers Greenock Glenpark Harriers and Inverclyde AC Winning promotion are our Tier Two champions Fife AC (105) and second-placed Lothian RC (79) Also promoted are: VP-Glasgow (75) and Lasswade AC (70) Fife had Logan Rees leading the way as our Senior Men’s champion at Falkirk and that Lothian RC promotion reflects great work at that particular club – Lothian RC won our Tier Three trophy in 2024 so now thus complete back-to-back promotions Dropping down from Tier Two for next season are: PH Racing Our Tier Three champions this year are Stirling University with 50 athletes with Inverness Harriers in second place with 42 Also promoted from Tier Three are Strathearn Harriers (38) and Kirkintilloch Olympians (37) Ron Morrison and Logan Rees with the Tier Two Lindsays Trophy after success for Fife AC Network Rail and contractor AmcoGiffen will shortly begin work at Giffnock station as part of the East Kilbride Enhancement electrification project Preparatory work starts from mid-September in advance of a new accessible footbridge being installed at the station next year It’s all part of a wider £140m investment at the centre of the Scottish Government’s ongoing strategy to decarbonise passengers services across Scotland’s Railway Residents and businesses in the area are being invited to a community drop-in event at Giffnock Library on September 12 engineers will remove vegetation that’s sitting adjacent to platform 2 to create a safe working area to install the new footbridge in early 2025 The existing station footbridge will remain in use until it’s replaced by the new structure Piling work is due to start from October until the end of this year to install the foundations that will support the new footbridge Network Rail project manager for the station works said: “The upcoming work at Giffnock station is the first phase of activity as we gear up to install of the new footbridge next year “Replacing the footbridge is necessary to provide the safe clearance for the new overhead line equipment that will run underneath The new bridge will provide significant improvements as it will have lift access to both platforms This will make it easier for people with reduced mobility or those travelling with luggage “We do appreciate the impact our activity will have on the community particularly those living closest to the station I would like to thank people for their patience and would encourage residents to come to our community drop-in event.” the site compound already in place at Giffnock station is expanding This will allow the safe mobilisation of plant and machinery It will involve utilising 68 parking spaces in total starting from 16 September 2024 until June 2025 The remainder of the station's parking spaces will continue to be available The East Kilbride Enhancement project is due to be completed in December 2025 For the latest information and updates on our works, follow on X (Twitter) @NetworkRailScot or visit www.scotlandsrailway.com to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years Neil Gourley will race Josh Kerr this weekend in the opening meet for Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track project The Scottish duo are set to go head-to-head over both 1500m and 800m such is the nature of the new event Jamaica is the far-flung location for the Grand Slam Track opener but the less salubrious high school tracks of Eastwood and Williamwood on the south side of Glasgow played host to Neil on a flying visit home by the World Indoors silver medallist The Giffnock North AC family rolled out the welcome mat for a very special guest at training at two locations on the same night last week Neil Gourley was less than 24 hours off the flight after a long journey back to Glasgow from Nanjing where we won silver in the Men’s 1500m at the World Indoors But it gives the perfect illustration of his commitment to ‘Inspiring the Next Generation’ – title of our recent Young People’s Forum Conference – that he made returning to his grassroots a clear priority during a short break Bringing along his Nanjing bling was just an added bonus for the Giffnock youngsters Clare Stevenson was Neil’s first coach and was there at Eastwood as ever coaching U11s when her former prodigy strolled onto the track with that global medal around his neck Neil moved on to Williamwood where Dudley Walker and Lynne Macdougall were coaching more groups ‘If I can inspire youngsters at my old club here at Giffnock North or indeed across athletics in Scotland then I’m happy with that,’ grinned Neil ‘Winning global medals wasn’t on my mind when I started out You just want to enjoy it at that age and try and get better Neil relishes arrival moment after hopeful travel Neil meets young Giffnock North AC athletes at training at Williamwood (photo by Bobby Gavin) ‘I have had a fair number of setbacks in my career Most athlete will have disappointments – maybe some more than others ‘But I have always been kind of resilient Maybe it is a stubborn nature and refusing to take ‘No’ for an answer ‘I have always been able to pick myself up after lows I also consider myself very lucky to have had a number of highs as well ‘When something ‘bad’ happens I usually take 24-48 hours to dwell on it and allow myself to feel sorry for myself about the low point it is a case of picking yourself up doing whatever you can to improve the situation and work with what is within your control.’ who won a silver medal at the European Indoors in Turkey two years ago added his global gong in Nanjing by finishing second to Jakob Ingebrigtsen (as in Istanbul in 2023) we noted that nine of the last ten major championship events in athletics have featured at least one Scot among the medals It is a fantastic run which started at the World Champs in Oregon in the summer of 2022 when Jake Wightman won gold and Laura Muir took bronze – both in the 1500m ‘That stat about Scottish athletes is brilliant,’ said Neil ‘It just was not the case when I was growing up that we would have such consistency at a very high level of international track and field there is an expectancy that this Scottish high level will be there and be maintained ‘Recently it has and I hope it will continue ‘I am really proud to be a part of that line of success It is not something I ever thought I would be so I’m very glad to do my bit.’ IT’S school assembly time with a difference for pupils from Giffnock Primary School this week Not only are the youngsters getting together at the weekend They’ll do it all at the National Stadium Hampden Park Pupils from the school are the latest recipients of Queen’s Park FC’s fantastic Tickets for Schools initiative And they all agreed Grant Savoury came top of the class when he dropped by before they finished up for Spring Break The Spiders star spoke about his career and chatted all things football with the kids – and now it’s time for part two of the session and a visit to the big game with Dunfermline on Saturday Thanks to our Tickets for Schools partners McDades Coaches each pupil will be bussed to the game and they’ll look the part with matchday memorabilia celebrating on the southside with the Spiders Grant said: “Visiting Giffnock Primary was a brilliant trip for me – and I’m sure they’re going to have a brilliant trip to Hampden for the game “I look forward to seeing some familiar faces in the stand cheering on the team The players really appreciate the support from the groups coming along in the ‘Tickets for Schools’ programme “Thanks to all the staff and kids for making me feel so welcome.” Queen’s Park FC head of commercial added: “Our programme has been a brilliant success again this season bringing pupils from all across the southside and beyond to experience our brilliant club.“The players enjoy it the pupils love it – and I think the staff and parents get a kick from it too!“We’ve given some kids memories to last a lifetime – some at their very first football game – and the backing they give the players is definitely appreciated.“I’m sure the latest group will have just as good a day as the last and we look forward to hearing them cheer for Queen’s Park throughout the game and hopefully at more matches in future too.” Match ticket enquiries –tickets@queensparkfc.co.ukHospitality enquiries – hospitality@queensparkfc.co.ukSponsorship/Commercial enquiries – kieran@queensparkfc.co.uk The Queen’s Park Football ClubThe city StadiumMount FloridaGlasgow Phone: 0141 632 1275Email: generalenquiries@queensparkfc.co.uk Monday 5 May – ClosedTuesday 6 May – 10am – 4pmWednesday 7 May – 10am – 4pmThursday 8 May – 10am – 4pmFriday 9 May – 10am – 4pm © 2025 The Queen’s Park Football Club Designed by IanCairnsMedia XFASTINDEX AmcoGiffen’s work at Giffnock station is part of the £140m East Kilbride Enhancement electrification project for Network Rail the contractor will clear vegetation next to platform 2 to create a safe working area Network Rail project manager Ailish Allan said: “The upcoming work at Giffnock station is the first phase of activity as we gear up to install of the new footbridge next year The entire East Kilbride Enhancement project is due to be completed in December 2025 Got a story? Email news@theconstructionindex.co.uk 5 hours Ebbsfleet Development Corporation is undertaking early market engagement for infrastructure works. 22 hours Following a recent expansion into North America, Murphy Group has now entered Australia. 5 hours Innovative tracked carrier manufacturer among 2025 King’s Award for Enterprise recipients 5 hours Modular construction business Integra Buildings has received royal recognition for its approach to sustainability. 6 hours MTX Contracts has been selected as the preferred bidder to build a diagnostic centre in Pitsea, Essex. 6 hours House-builder Springfield Properties has promoted Darren Thomson to construction director for its north of Scotland operations. © 2025 The Construction Index [Company No ' + response[i].created_nice + ' ' + response[i].description + ' EVERYONE at Queen’s Park FC is looking forward to the SPFL Trust Trophy Final in Falkirk on Sunday Livingston are the opponents and the Spiders will be cheered on to our first national cup final for 125 years by a significant travelling support – including the next generation of fans from the southside of Glasgow The club and partners have worked together to ensure more than 200 youngsters from nearby schools will be in the stands to take in the big game – live As part of our successful Tickets for Schools programme further seats were secured by Queen’s Park FC for primary school pupils at partner schools Battlefield Head of commercial Kieran Koszary said: “This has been a combined effort from a variety of our valued sponsors and partner companies at Queen’s Park Football Club “We are looking forward to this extension of our Tickets for Schools programme and are very grateful to all who have assisted in bringing the pupils to one of the club’s biggest days in the last 125 years “We hope they have a fantastic experience and we’re delighted they’ll be joined by other youngsters from within the Queen’s Park Football Club community too.” Not only will the next generation be in the stands Queen’s Park are delighted to have issued tickets to players parents and coaches from the Foundation and Academy squads on the big day Players from our Foundation programme and the QPSFC will be part of the half-time entertainment at The Falkirk Stadium on the day Tickets are still available for the club’s big day via our ticketing website HERE John Carruthers said: It was a great treat to visit my old school Battlefield Primary after 50 years to support Queen’s Park FC’s wonderful Tickets for Schools initiative The kids were able to meet Josh Scott who was mobbed for his autograph In answer to the question “what did it feel to knock Rangers out of the cup?” The simple answer was “the highlight of my career so far” The renewable energy organisation have proactively expressed their support for the women’s game at all levels The company received nominations of a community club working to develop women’s and girls football from the captains of six SWPL sides would receive six kit packages which included bibs With the Giffnock coach receiving their prize at a training session Nicola Docherty expressed her own passion for the project She said: “I think what they’ve done at the club is fantastic The number of girls who are participating in football here is great to see It’s really important that the girls have access to the right kit and proper equipment to support them in becoming better footballers so it’s a great club to be able to support with ScottishPower “My advice to younger players is to always just enjoy it I probably didn’t appreciate that as much when I was younger if you have a dream just go and believe in it I think there’s a lot of challenges in football but if you believe in yourself to go and chase it ScottishPower’s Chief Executive shared his intention He declared: “We want to energise women’s football for both current and future generations and build a community of players that inspire even more people to play and enjoy the game.” Highlighting the company’s commitment to supporting communities and growing women’s football sustainably Keith Anderson also said: “That means working with our partners at SWF and the SWPL to help clubs and players overcome barriers to their growth and operation.”The giveaway celebrates the partnership between Scottish Women’s Football and ScottishPower It provides an inspiring insight into the work being done to move the game forward for all Adran Premier League: Everything to know for the 2024/25 season Temwa Chawinga breaks NWSL record with Kansas City Current Time has been called on a disused commercial building at Burnfield Road under plans to replace it with a detached dwelling Hoko Design is to develop the 284sq/m triangular site in an affluent suburb of large family homes with a modern four-bed property of render blackened timber and black zinc arranged over three levels A matching boundary wall will be built fronting the road for privacy Outlining their proposals Hoko wrote: "The proposal aims to rectify the disconnected ground floor plan and introduce a better relationship with the garden whilst maximising natural light throughout Introducing a generous social space is paramount for family living whilst consolidating the living spaces to a dedicated wing of the home prevents these spaces being lost to circulation Locating the social spaces towards the western boundary provides privacy from the main road and surrounding properties." The open-plan ground-floor living space will take full advantage of south-facing garden views with floor-to-ceiling windows.   All comments are pre-moderated and must obey our house rules Alasdhair Maclean anchors Giffnock North AC to golds in the Young Males race – and they won silvers Results Lasswade AC were formed back in 1981 and in more than four decades since then their best performance at the Lindsays National XC Relays was fourth place All that changed in the Cumbernauld sunshine on Saturday as the Young Females opened the four-race programme the Young Males podium was awash with yellow and blue as Giffnock North AC teams went 1-2 in an impressive display of collective strength White vests became gold in the Young Females as Lasswade’s anchor leg runner worked hard to hold off the challenge from defending champions Giffnock (who had to settle for silver this time) What a moment for the East champions with their team having had to change since Livingston due to a holiday commitment Opening runner Isla Madhra and second leg runner Cerys Wright were in superb form to help towards a win by 23 seconds Taking third place on that podium was another smaller club well worthy of acclaim – Strathearn Harriers It was a first-ever podium place for the Perthshire outfit where an emerging group has shown recent signs of national impact Well done to the athletes and coaches at Strathearn All three athletes are part of the group coached by husband and wife team ‘I’ve been involved in coaching at the club for about 20 years and Kirk came in a little later after that,’ said Linda ‘We enjoy it and the athletes are great to work with We had to change the team but Bethan came in and had a really strong run as well as Isla and Cerys ‘Looking back over the years we had a strong team around the time that Sarah Tait and Lauren Dickson were coming through – but the best they managed was fourth ‘The athletes are chuffed today and have been rewarded with chips from the van on the course they work hard and support each other and for a club like ours to have champions at the National XC Relays feels special.’ Bethan Kitchin anchors Lasswade AC to victory in the Young Females race – and their first ever National team title (photo by Bobby Gavin) Giffnock powered home to golds and silvers with Team East Lothian keeping chase and being rewarded with bronze medals Giffnock’s winning team on this occasion featured Evan Tyler (U13) Louie Muir (U15) and Alasdhair Maclean (U17) Coach Eilidh Macdonald said: ‘We are thrilled with gold and silver medals in the same race and this is a great group of boys we have at the moment ‘In the youngest age group for today we have U13s who are quite competitive with each other and clearly that helps the club ‘Then we had U17 Alasdhair Maclean on the anchor leg and the boys look up to Alasdhair after recent Scotland vests in hill running ‘I think there is also a role model effect happening From Neil Gourley in the final of the Olympics to others who very recently have moved to America there are examples of what athletics is doing for Giffnock lads and what they can do in athletics ‘We even saw a number of those from our clubs competing for their Uni today and that’s another inspiration A FAMILY-run Glasgow butchers which has been open for more than 40 years has scooped a top regional award Thomson Bros, situated on Fenwick Road in the city's Giffnock area bagged the title of Best Butchers at the Scottish Business Awards 2025 is highly rated by locals for its "customer service and high-quality produce" A spokesperson for the firm said staff were delighted to bag the coveted accolade They said: "We're all really pleased about it and we weren't expecting it We don't actually know who it was that put us forward for the award." The butchers will now go head to head with other Scottish firms across the country at the highly-anticipated national Grand Final in November "The customer reviews always mention how happy and friendly we are. "The quality of the produce is highly rated and everyone works so hard so it is a well-deserved win." The butchers boasts a slew of five-star rave reviews online from satisfied punters. first class produce and irreproachable service Another said: "Terrific local family-run butcher shop selling top quality Scotch beef the square with the spring onions and pork links are my favourites they are always ready to go the extra mile to keep their customers happy." A third gushed: "I can’t praise them highly enough Everything we have purchased from them has been amazing "We have tried a wide selection of meats from in-house made sausages to the amazing fillet steaks They are so knowledgeable and so very helpful." Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click here engineers will be working around-the-clock for 16-weeks to deliver major engineering works as part of the project to electrify the railway between East Kilbride and Glasgow which is being delivered by Network Rail and is part of a Scottish Government investment in the line will help to decarbonise rail services as well as improve reliability for passengers from Saturday 25 January until Sunday 18 May no trains will run on the line between East Kilbride and Thornliebank stations while work is carried out to the track bridges and overhead line equipment along the route This critical period in the electrification project will also see 22km of new overhead power cables installed and the lengthening of the double-track between East Kilbride and Hairmyres The existing track will also be lowered at locations near Busby Clarkston and Giffnock stations so that overhead line equipment can be accommodated under some bridges on the route said: “This programme of extended engineering works is a critical point in the delivery of the electrification of the East Kilbride line “Closing the railway is never an easy decision but the engineering work taking place over these 16 weeks can only be done when no trains are running This approach allows the completion of these major works in the most efficient “We do appreciate the impact this will have both on those living closest to the line and to our passengers We hope that by advising people three-months ahead of the work starting this raises awareness and allows people the time to consider alternative travel arrangements.” said: “The works being carried out by Network Rail are absolutely critical in the latest phase of the project to electrify the railway on the East Kilbride line we will be unable to operate trains to and from East Kilbride and an alternate transport plan will help to make sure customers are still able to travel we will communicate the plan through all our customer information channels including where replacement buses will operate and the other routes available for customers.” Transport Scotland’s head of rail projects and technical services said: “This announcement marks the build-up to the latest phase of progress on the East Kilbride electrification project “Whilst any disruption to passengers is unwelcome we acknowledge the careful consideration which has gone into delivering the significant improvement works taking place during the closure “It is welcome that Network Rail and ScotRail have listened to passengers in planning these works and that they will continue to work closely together to ensure these passengers can make informed journey planning choices.” no train services will run to East Kilbride To help minimise disruption for passengers a replacement bus service will be in place during this period At the same time as the 16-weeks of work finishes the new Hairmyres station is scheduled to open to the public The overall electrification project will be completed in late 2025 Information on the bus replacement service will be available in the coming weeks and customers advised to check at www.scotrail.co.uk or via www.nationalrail.co.uk when planning their journeys over this period For the latest information and updates on our works, follow on X (Twitter) @NetworkRailScot or visit www.scotlandsrailway.com The bond between the grassroots athletics in Scotland and our elite athletes is precious We have seen numerous examples of that during Paris 2024 – with the likes of Edinburgh AC Giffnock North AC and Inverness Harriers getting behind their athletes in Olympic finals There’s no better example than today and photo above of a ‘Welcome Home’ party for Neil Gourley from Giffnock North AC Neil was pictured on TV on Sunday night at the Closing Ceremony – we’re pretty sure he would have been partying with Tom Cruise – and less than 24 hours later he’s playing role model to dozens of young athletes As Giffnock put in on Twitter: ‘Neil was a little speechless initially to find 100+ people in his garden but autographs and chats soon followed.’ The connection is further written in the faces of folk photographed at the Edinburgh AC Josh Kerr ‘Watch Party’ and there are other instances Restrictions by the Olympic Games organisers in the Mixed Zone – where athlete conduct media interviews – unfortuntely made it impossible for us to carry post-race comments from Scottish athletes This was definitely a disappointment as we’ve had a superb service of this in recent years from Diamond Leauge and European championships events (with thanks to Stuart Weir) So we were delighted to jump through a couple of hoops and receive messages as posted below from Laura Muir and Nicole Yeargin