Tir Conaill Harps

I had the pleasure of being invited along to the Tir Conaill Harps Awards Dinner on Saturday night.

The Harps run lots of activities for young people, including gaelic football, hurling, camogie, women's shinty and ladies gaelic football. They also run exchange trips to Ireland for young people from Glasgow. I've attended an event in the past where some of the young people involved have spoken about their experiences, and I know they got a lot out of it. Mainstream sports like football aren't for everyone, and it's clear that a bit of variety and the chance to try something different really has an appeal; it also has the benefit of getting young people to participate in exercise.

It was inspiring to hear about their work over the past year, and to join in celebrating the success of committed coaches, teams and young people. We were also given a demonstration of Irish dancing by some prizewinners from the recent Championships held in Glasgow. I'm very grateful for the warmth with which I was welcomed, and thank Tommy Main and all involved for having me along.

The Harps minibus and the sports equipment stored inside was recently set on fire, and they have been fundraising hard to obtain replacements. If you'd like to help with the appeal, please contact the Harps through their website linked to above.

Exercise

I went swimming last week for the first time in at least a year. It's not because I saw this report, or was particularly influenced by any health campaigns - instead, it's more that the suits I bought when I got elected are starting to get a bit tight.

I reckoned it was time to face facts, and instead of going to a "panic session" of Body Combat whenever I feel a bit flabby, I really need to find time for regular exercise. I've done gym inductions, but have never really been back since. I have no excuse! From where I live in Dennistoun there are great facilities for getting fit - Alexandra Park, Haghill, Whitehill Pool, and the East End Healthy Living Centre.

Although it sounds like it, I'm not actually any kind of exercise-phobe. At school, I played hockey every Saturday and trained during the week. I played all the inter-house sports, and ran the school cross country. I opted to do a session of PE in fifth and sixth year (very few girls did likewise). When I went to Uni, I tried a bit of netball in first year and occasionally played badminton with folk from work. Since then, I've really fallen out of the habit. I loved team sports, and feel a bit shy about joining anywhere on my own. I'm worried too that I wouldn't be able to give the time necessary to stay involved. If there's any teams out there that would have me, I'd be glad if someone let me know!

I went back to the pool this morning for the 7.45am session and it wasn't as hard as I expected. I had an early night last night, and was weirdly very awake this morning. I had plenty of time to fit in a forty-five minute swim, and got back home in time to get changed and catch the train into town with my husband. Now I have proof that it can be done, it's just a small matter of keeping the routine going.

East End 5k

Today was the East End 5k, and as last year, I never quite got round to doing any kind of training before the race.

My running buddy from last year, David Linden, was determined to prove that a diet of kebabs, chips and cheese was no hindrance to a faster time and sprinted off into the distance. I was delighted to finish in 31 minutes, an improvement on last year's 37 minutes. I didn't think it possible!

I was also mildly chuffed to find that I'd come in ahead of my ward colleague, George Redmond, and his running buddy Frank McAveety MSP. They finished well ahead of me last year, and since I hadn't seen them on the run, I reckoned they must've been further up the field. I'd collected my banana and goody bag, found Joe (who had given up his Sunday lie-in to cheer me on!) and David, and settled down for a wee rest when I heard their name called crossing the finish line. George is claiming a niggly Achilles' problem, but I'm not so sure! The challenge is on for next year ...

Well done to all who took part - it was an ace day, with lots of people, stalls, entertainment and fun. I chatted to lots of people, and bought some beads from the Happy Club, lovely soap from a lady called Angela who runs "Bubble Beauty", and enjoyed a smoothie and a fruit kebab from East End Kids and Co.

PS - George and Frank chickened out of swapping their football shirts! Sorry to disappoint those who requested photos - you're stuck with my before and after shots!

Commonwealth Games

Today's Herald carries news of Glasgow's bid for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. I'm really excited about this, not least because significant parts of the games will be held in the area I hope to represent come May.

Looking around just now, there are huge gaps in the landscape, areas left vacant and decaying. Some of the land is contaminated by long-gone industries. In my view, the East End of Glasgow has been neglected by the Council - so many areas seem so uncared for.

I don't believe that the East End of Glasgow should have to rely on the Commonwealth Games to get investment, but I do believe it's a great opportunity to provide new facilities.

The plans show that Dalmarnock will be the location for the athletes village - which afterwards will provide much-needed new housing in the area. I hope that the East End in it's entirety is considered as part of the plans - it's easy to build a shiny new "village", but if the problems (poor health, vandalism, anti-social behaviour, crime and lack of decent housing) that many residents face are not dealt with, the area will continue to be left behind. I intend to fight to ensure that all residents benefit from the investment the Games will bring.

I still have a niggling worry that if Glasgow doesn't get the games, that the Scottish Executive will pull the plug on funding regeneration, especially after reading this part of the Bid website:

"The Scottish Executive and Glasgow City Council have agreed to underwrite the costs of staging the Games. This will be on the basis of an 80/20 split. It is expected that the majority of the 80% of costs to be covered by the Executive will be new money committed to the sports and major events budget."

With this kind of split, the Council might not be able to pick up the massive funding gap. So I'll keep my fingers crossed til the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) make their decision on the 9th November this year.