Community Links AGM

Today myself and the formidable Mrs Shannahan took a group of 18 pupils to the Community Links AGM and Volunteer Awards held in the new community centre adjacent to Blantyre Miners Welfare Social Club.

It was a great couple of hours and we were made to feel very welcome by all the regulars. We were one of two schools, Calderside in Blantyre attended.

From an Educational point of view our students saw a real life AGM taking place and learned a few details about the differences between Charitable status and the advantages given to such organisations.

Our students also took part in a quiz using the PPV pads which was a lot of fun and we nabbed 3rd place earning one of our pupils a box of chocolates. If I had have known Ringo Starr was older than John Lennon we would have been spending i-Tunes vouchers like there was no tomorrow.

Community Links are involved in so many worthwhile projects, helping support the regeneration of Blantyre and Hamilton, as well as really bringing people together whether it is helping put PCs into people's houses or writing, editing and publishing the Community Matters newspaper.

I hope we shall be going every year and also I hope our classes, our school, indeed our community can offer some help to the already great volunteers who do such a worthwhile job.

Perhaps some of our students in Hamilton Grammar may end up as Volunteers in the future.

When you see the contribution in terms of the most precious thing we have - time - given by people it makes you realise that together as a community great things do happen every day. A brilliant tonic to the doom and gloom we read and see in the news.

So on behalf of Hamilton Grammar and the S6 Business students, thanks once again for having us.

Oh - and the lunch was superb!!!