On Monday, I attended “The
Buddy Club” event supported by Albion Rovers Trust. As a member
of the Trust, I was delighted to see the great work being carried out by the
volunteers and carers. The Buddy Club was initially set up in January 2015 with
a goal to be an inclusive, safe, stimulating experience for people with
learning difficulties from all ages and backgrounds and give support to their
carers’ by providing initiatives for community engagement and a chance to
interact with others sharing similar circumstances.
The Buddy Club has started
multiple community projects and meet up in Cliftonhill Stadium every Monday to
work on them. They range from gardening and ground keeping to organising day
trips to Loch Lomond. Members of the Club lend a hand to the team by doing
various tasks around the grounds and as highly valued members of the ‘Rovers
Family’, regularly attend games both at home and away. In addition to projects
within the grounds of Cliftonhill Stadium, they have also expanded their work into
the broader community by maintaining flower tubs at Coatdyke train station and
Tannochside which they visit on a regular basis. This operates in conjunction
with Abellio and Clyde Community initiatives. The group also regularly visit
The Ball Room in Coatbridge to play pool, darts and snooker.
During my time with the group, I witnessed
the positive impact the time spent together has on the clients. The
inclusiveness helps improve social skills and communication. One of the members
commented to me: “It’s great coming here
because I’ve met lots of new friends”. It also combats isolation and gives
clients a chance to learn new skills. It is designed to be a fun, all-embracing
group and I wholly enjoyed my time there.
The Buddy Group are hoping to
take on more projects in the future, they are looking into the possibility of
developing community plots within unused areas within the stadium and are
encouraged to take an active role in proposing and planning new projects. They
have also been nominated for a National Community Award and will be attending
the award ceremony In September.