Honour for Hamish after five decades of youth work in Levenmouth

It would be another 47 years before he retired, in October 2019, from his role as a youth worker.

It is because of his decades of dedication to encouraging and supporting the young folk of Levenmouth that James Taylor Hamish McKay was given a British Empire Medal in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List.

Generations of Fifers have developed from teenagers to adults with Hamish’s help, learning about themselves and reaching their full potential because of his support and guidance.

He started in 1963, as a volunteer youth member at the Buckhaven and Denbeath Boys’ Club.

“I was asked to come in and give them a hand,” he said.

“At that time there was a lot of gang warfare – the Buckhaven people didn’t agree with the Leven people, the Leven people didn’t agree with the Kennoway people. We started running activities but mixed them up. It worked.”

Hamish earned a reputation in the community, which led to various organisations in the area contacting him asking for help.

Over the years he also worked with the Buckhaven Miners’ Institute Youth Project, Fife Union of Boys’ Clubs, Fife Federation of Boys’ Clubs, Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs of Scotland, Youth Clubs Scotland and the Levenmouth Association of Boys’ Clubs.

In 1972 Hamish was invited to help set up a youth programme at The Centre.

He worked as a part-time youth worker here, while he continued his full-time work with the European Maritime Pilots Association.

Over the years Hamish encouraged the kids to take part in events and competitions across the UK, set up fundraising events for organisations such as the RNLI, and planned trips around Scotland, the US, Belgium and France.

Many of the people he used to work with have visited him at his Buckhaven home.

He has noticed one major difference over the years.

“It used to be ‘you used to know my older brother and sister’,” Hamish said. “Then it was ‘you know my mum and dad’. Then it became ‘you know my granny’.”

One thing Hamish remains passionate about after more than five decades in youth work is helping the area’s young people.

“You hear a lot of bad things about young people, but you never hear about all the good things they do,” he said.

“I used to ask them about their interests – it was the great ‘don’t know’. I asked them what they wanted to do after school. You can’t go through life saying ‘I don’t know’. I seemed to tap into that. I’d used the activities to get them interested.”

However, Hamish is now concerned about cut backs at youth clubs, highlighting that the programme he started at The Centre all those years now has just one age range, down from three.

“There has been a big change in youth work,” he said.

“All you hear is about cut backs. But you pick up the paper and the council is asking about getting things started for young people.

“But, on the other hand, we’re getting told about cut backs because the funding is being cut. If you don’t run things for young people they will make their own entertainment, and it’s usually the wrong thing.”