COMMUNITY spirit prevailed in Neilston as groups joined forces to create a legacy for a young man who tragically died six years ago, writes Monica Gibson.

Neilston Juniors teamed up with members of the Neilston and Uplawmoor First Responders to bring safety equipment to the football club’s new physiotherapy suite.

The project was inspired by a fundraising event staged in June to honour the memory of Gavin Currie, who was killed in a road accident just days after Christmas 2011.

Steven Galbraith, who is a committee member at Neilston Juniors, told the Barrhead News: “Our first intention was to give money to charity but then we decided we wanted to do something more permanent that would create a legacy for Gavin.

“We raised about £6,000 and we set about creating a brand new physio suite at Brig O’Lea Stadium.

“We also realised there were no defibrillators in the area and we thought it would be a good idea to use some of the money from the fundraising event for that.

“We got in touch with the Neilston First Responders. They have a plan to get five defibrillators into the area, so we thought we could work together.

“They were very helpful in pointing us in the right direction and giving us training so we know what we’re doing.

“The defibrillator is something we don’t want to have to use but it is certainly a comforting feeling to know we have one.

“The device is in the physio suite but is portable, so it can be taken when teams are playing away games.

“We thought we would show our thanks to the responders by giving some of the money back to them.”

The groups met at the Brig O’Lea at the weekend, with the responders being presented with a cheque for £500.

Neilston and Uplawmoor First Responders were established in July 2013.

In the first two years of operation, the group responded to more than 700 emergency call-outs.

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