Blantyre fights to save its beleaguered spirit of community

IT IS a town that is no stranger to tragedy and where ordinary people come together to ensure that, come what may, its spirit will not be broken.

In the wake of Reamonn Gormley’s murder in February, the townsfolk of Blantyre sent out a message to the nation at large: they would not be defeated by such brutal acts.

Situated about two miles west of Hamilton, the former hub of heavy industry has endured a torrid time not only this year, but in times past. Though it is best known as the birthplace of explorer and missionary David Livingstone, a dark chapter in Scotland’s industrial past unfolded in Blantyre when an explosion in Dixon’s Colliery claimed the lives of more than 200 men and boys, the youngest aged just 11.

For some years after the 1887 disaster, the mines and mills thrived, though eventually, just as in other towns across the Central Belt, they would vanish. What appears to have remained from those days, however, is a collective resolve – one that has been tested in recent years.

Mr Gormley’s murder was just one of 14 in Strathclyde’s Q division in the year to July. Comprising Hamilton and Larkhall, the region is known by some as Scotland’s murder triangle.

Yet the majority of Blantyre’s 17,500 residents are fighting to win back their community from those who seek to destroy it.

Within days of Mr Gormley’s life being cut short, about 2,000 people – some of whom who knew the 19-year-old, many who didn’t – took to the streets for a march, while others resolved to organise a charity disco and a five-a-side football tournament.

Eight months on from the murder, and the endeavours show no signs of slowing down. Only this month, three friends compiled a book of poetry dedicated to the teenager’s memory, which it is hoped will raise £15,000 for local charities.