How the Machrihanish fire brought a community together

Unless you’ve taken the remarkable drive down the Kintyre Peninsula to Machrihanish, you’ll have little idea of how remote the village is.

It’s not much more than a single street and the golf club is at the absolute heart of it.

You come to this distant south-west extremity of the Scottish mainland for two reasons – to sample the incredible beach and to tee it up.

Machrihanish is a four-hour drive from Glasgow, first north to Loch Lomond and then south and west. Alternatively, it’s a boat from Troon, on the Ayrshire coast, to Arran and then another one to Campbeltown.

Old Tom Morris laid out 18 holes in 1879 at Machrihanish and ever since the course has been a must-play for any discerning fan of links golf.

The opening tee shot, which requires players to hit across the beach to the fairway beyond, is regarded as one of the best in the world.

Golf is central to village life and brings a constant stream of visitors. It’s why the fire that has completely destroyed Machrihanish’s clubhouse has resulted in such an outpouring of goodwill from all corners.

Machrihanish GC clubhouse on fire tonight.

Our thoughts are with everyone at @machgolf. Hopefully everyone is safe. pic.twitter.com/7PeMUY4WMu

— ScottishGolf Podcast (@ScotGolfPodcast) December 19, 2018

But the loss of the building has not just robbed the members of their long-cherished sanctuary. It also cost a family their home.

Club steward Iain McLean, wife Agnes and daughter Kirsten live above the club and, when firefighters were unable to save the building, they lost everything.

Iain has been a club employee for a long time, while Agnes is a special assistant at Campbeltown Grammar School and is also well known for her work with charity the CGS4Gambia.

Their sudden plight shocked the entire community and so when family friend Fiona Nelson set up a crowdfunding project on JustGiving something uplifting started to happen.

The response was rapid and heart-warming.

Within two hours, a stream of donations already had already raised £2,000 towards an initial £10,000 target to give the family some quick aid.

“Everything is gone,” Fiona wrote in her plea for donations. “We can only imagine how devastated they feel. We cannot replace all their precious memories, but we can help them get back on their feet with the basics.

“They will need clothes, toiletries, electrics, computer etc just to start. Please help, there is never a good time for a disaster like this, but it is even harder to cope with as Christmas approaches.”

The momentum has only surged as the hours have passed. At the time of writing, more than £8,000 has been collected. The appeal isn’t even a day old.

“They are a lovely family. In Agnes’ words she just said she’d burst,” Fiona told NCG, when asked how the fire had impacted on the McLeans and why she had started the appeal.

“They are bit like everybody else. They are so shocked that they don’t know what to think, say or do. Agnes is a person who is very tearful anyway.

“She cries at happy movies and cries at sad movies so I think with everyone’s kindness she has just been a bubbling wreck.

“Luckily, there’s a holiday home opposite the golf club and Agnes has always looked after it for the people that own it. They are staying in that just now but it’s rented out over the New Year period.

“It must really be quite hard because she’s staying there and looking at the burned building. It can’t be easy.”

So sad, all that remains of the historic Machrihanish Golf Club Clubhouse. Upper floor was home to the Club Steward and his family. They have lost everything 🙁 Click here to help them : https://t.co/Wf2uZ37LEr pic.twitter.com/ZfjWbR2GHS

— Machrihanish (@machrihanish) December 20, 2018

That the appeal is taking off so quickly should be no surprise to those who know the village and the golf club well.

For the McLeans the trauma is just beginning. They are going to have to find somewhere to live, furnish, and try to find some normality.

But you suspect with the help of everyone around them, at the golf club and in the surrounding area, they are going to have every chance to do that.

“The golf club is the hub of that area,” Fiona added. “It’s where people go to meet up for a drink, for something to eat. Everybody knows everybody.

“Very quickly (after the fire started), the local support was there to help with some basics. The local Co-op were feeding the firemen. They sent food round for Agnes and the family and people dropped off toiletries and clothing.

“Agnes has been blown away by everyone’s kindness. The phone has never stopped and the messages have never stopped. She has got a couple of friends at Campbeltown who are answering messages as quickly as they possibly can for her.

Tragic fire in last few hours Old Machrihanish clubhouse pic.twitter.com/vPhOiBmAv8

— Jimmy Kidd (@jimmykidd45) December 19, 2018

“Whole workforces have got together and had a whip round this morning and popped it up onto the JustGiving page.

“I know there is a big quiz night planned locally for January 12 and people are saying ‘start donating raffle prizes and we’ll have a big quiz and raise funds as well that way’.

“There is an awful lot of support locally. When things like this happen, they are horrible but it just proves what a community they have got around them.”

You can donate to Fiona’s appeal and help the McLeans by visiting her JustGiving page.

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