June 2026 - SRP Assist Football Festival Weekend

5 June 2026

Scottish Roads Partnership Operatives Assist Community with Annual Reammon Gormley Children's Football Festival.

On Friday 5 June 2026, for the third consecutive year, six highways’ operatives from Scottish Roads Partnership (SRP), working on the M8 M73 M74 Motorway Improvements Project, dedicated their annual Social Impact Day to supporting the Blantyre Football Academy with preparations for the Annual Reammon Gormley Children's Football Festival.

The team assisted with the setup of football pitches across three venues in Hamilton and Blantyre ahead of the tournament, which attracted more than 300 teams and hundreds of young players aged between 5 and 14 years over the course of the weekend.

The festival was established in 2013 in memory of Reammon Gormley, a well-respected member of the local community who tragically lost his life following a violent attack. Reammon was remembered for his commitment to helping others, including undertaking charitable work in Thailand to support underprivileged children through The Good Child Foundation. In recognition of his legacy, Blantyre Soccer Academy continues to host the annual festival in his honour, supported by fundraising initiatives and the wider local community.

SRP operatives Derek Kelly, Ashley Doherty, Denis Marley, Des McNamara, Scott Thomson, Josh Mills and Connor Connelly played a key role in helping to prepare and organise the event. Photographs of the team supporting the festival are attached below.

In addition to their volunteering efforts, Scottish Roads Partnership donated twelve replica World Cup-style footballs, valued at £20 each, for use as special tournament awards. The ‘Skills Balls’ were presented to players across the various age groups in recognition of outstanding contributions throughout the weekend. Awards were made in the following categories:

Best Player
Best Skill
Best Team Mate
Best Sportsmanship
Best Save

The footballs, featuring the design later adopted for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, provided a memorable prize for young participants and further reinforced SRP's support for this valued community event.

This year’s football festival weekend was once again a great success. Sincere thanks were extended to the coaching staff, players, families and the many volunteers whose hard work and dedication contributed to the smooth running of the event and ensured an enjoyable experience for all participants and spectators alike.

Ends.

Above image: Team coach Derek Kelly with one of 12 skill ball prizes for the children.