Highland Council chief executive Steve Barron presents John Gillies with his award.
A Mallaig shinty referee who turned his hand to coaching youngsters in Mallaig has been recognised by High Life Highland for his contributions to the community.
Until five years ago shinty hadn’t been played in Mallaig for around 20 years. But when Camanachd Association referee John Gillies moved to the area, he decided to change that. Working alongside the Active School co-ordinator, shinty is now thriving in Mallaig thanks to the hard work John has put in to developing and training new young players. Fish farm manager John has a real passion for shinty and leads weekly training sessions for primary schools pupils with, at last count, 36 young participants learning and playing the sport and encouraging them to mentor those coming up behind.