The village of Cambusbarron, Stirling remembered today all those that fell during the Great War.

For my generation World War 1 feels such a long time ago, with World War 2 feeling closer to our time as that war is more associated with being around the birth of our parents and the stories they could pass on to us. 

Unless you go deep into studying the history of WW1 I don't think we truly can appreciate the atrocities that our grandfathers and great grandfathers went through in that conflict.

Like many millions throughout the world, today my family and I took time to remember and pay our respects to the millions that fell and who sacrificed to allow many future generations hope and opportunity. 

Watching Europe regain Golf's Ryder Cup you cannot fail to witness the emotional scenes displayed by the winning Europeans.

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Of course winning an event such as the Ryder Cup will always spark emotions from the winning team but I believe the success and especially the margin of victory for Europe over their opponents USA comes down to a major factor, which is that Europe play as a team.

Yes, in golf, football, rugby and any team sport to succeed at the highest level there is no doubt you require individuals with the highest skill and ability but individuals with the highest skill and ability is not necessarily always a good thing if they don't have the fire and commitment to fight for and help other members of their team. 

You can relate to this throughout any team sport at any level from kids through to world class teams and you can also relate to this in business.

As an employer with a growing team of electricians ideally I require a team who can carry out as many of the different skillsets and services required from an electrician but I would be foolish to believe every single electrician on my team can carry out all the different skills and services required.

Training and guidance is provided to each individual for them to gain new skills over a course of time  but I must initially work with my team around the capabilities of the individuals. 

And while training and guidance takes place  I will be working and reminding each individual that they are part of a team, that when one person wins and completes a  job that the end customer is happy about then it is a win and accomplishment for us all - for our team.

We win together and we also pull together when required. Team members digging deep and helping each member of their team to succeed the same way as they would do so for themselves is the ultimate goal for leaders in team participation. 

So in your own world of team's whether that be in sport, business or work what more can you do to help out another team member say solve that problem, move the project forward, complete that task, give them a helping hand or provide support and motivation at your next game or match.

One for All and All for One.

Oh, and what a brilliant team effort and victory - well done Europe.

A brave and inspirational watch as Stephen Fry describes in his own unique way his battle against prostate cancer. 

A message for us all not to ignore any signs and also for regular check ups. 

​Encouraged to hear that his recovery is going well.

​Video from www.stephenfry.com
More information at Prostate Cancer UK
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With last weeks (mostly) successful Falcon Heavy mission Elon Musk and SpaceX have rarely been out of the news and within all the media clippings I stumbled across this TED interview with Elon from April 2017.

It's a fascinating 40 minutes insight into his thoughts and the current developments at SpaceX and Tesla as well as digging tunnels and missions to Mars.

If your interested in what the future and even near future holds for us all grab a cup of tea and settle down to listen to what one of the worlds most influential entrepreneurs has to say. 
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February 4th (today)  is World Cancer Day - a day to remember, to shed a tear, to reflect but also to be positive, be brave, be supportive and to fight - a day to get involved and support the research and the fight against cancer.

We all know someone whether a family member or friend who is currently or has been affected by cancer. In November 2012 we lost a dear friend and work colleague Maureen who sadly lost her fight against the disease after a short illness. Maureen left behind wonderful supportive parents and brother as well as a son she adored and supported with everything she could give.

In a way I was fortunate up until that time to not have someone close to me suffer from cancer. Since then though I have tried as best as I can to support and raise awareness to help the fight against this horrible disease. 

Each day around the world thousands of people donate, bake, walk, run, cycle, swim as well as many other activities to help raise money and awareness but even more crucially each day countless partners, relatives, friends and volunteers support and care for people affected by cancer.

I'm going to be blunt at this point - this is the link to the many ways you can support the fight against cancer - I beg you to consider donating via the the linked page or by supporting someone you know who is taking part in a charity event in the coming months. 

There are many types of cancer which need supporting and each has its own awareness and funding challenges but each one all has the same goal - to beat cancer.

​On 29th April 2018 I will once again take part in the Stirling Scottish Marathon - 26.2 miles running in the wonderful scenic Stirling countryside. Sounds exhausting and exciting at the same time plus also rewarding to those that complete the feat. 

A feat that is yes personally rewarding but also a feat that requires mental and physical strength - after 20 miles with just over 6 miles to go it is another 6 miles too far for the body which just wants to give up and stop going forward. 

I'm not exaggerating, 20 miles into a marathon the body is struggling and doesn't want to continue with the final miles - personally it is at that exact moment that in the past I have drawn on the support of the crowd but more importantly drawn on the support of the wonderful people that have donated and supported my efforts with my charity cause.

​This year I have chosen to support Prostate Cancer UK, a disease that will affect 1 in 8 men, kills a man every 45 minutes and is now a bigger killer than Breast Cancer in UK.

With the Men United campaign the awareness of Prostate Cancer has increased in recent years but the funding for the research to help fight this particular type of cancer is less than other well known cancer types. 

​Since I started running and raising money for charities in 2013 the support from family, friends, colleagues and customers has been remarkable and each time I am humbled for the support you give.

Conscious of asking for your support again for charity I do believe though that raising awareness and supporting the fight against Prostate Cancer is worth me asking and pleading for your generosity again. 

Please consider supporting, not my running efforts, but the future research and those currently fighting Prostate Cancer.
Thank You.
Scott

Our Christmas present arrived in time for the big day. 
It’s been a whirlwind week full of many emotions with this little man joining our family for Christmas.
Wishing you all good health and happiness over the festive period.

It was pleasing to see an article in this weeks Stirling Observer newspaper about local youth football club Carse Thistle.

I played with Carse at Under 16 & 18 level after spending most of my youth football at the successful North Broomage Colts/VIS Colts team from Under 11 through to Under 15.

Like many of my primary school friends I knew Dick from 10 years old after we all had trials at Carse Thistle and later in life I bumped into him a few times in Stirling city centre where he would never pass you without saying hello and asking how I was.

An absolute gentleman of a man who dedicated a lot of his life to youth football in the Stirling area and I wish the new custodians of the club all the success in the future as they carry on the legacy of Dick Taylor.