Kilsyth Miners pays tribute to late club stalwart Wullie Bell

‘Wee’ Wullie as he was know, on account of his stature, died in February 2017 at the age of 81.

Born in Kirintilloch in 1935, Wullie would becomne a miner like his father Johnny before him.at several mines, most notably the Bedlay Colliery.

Wullie, who lived in Twechar and later Kilsyth, worked right the base of the mine, lying on his back for hours at a time.

He daughter Liz said: “he never complained, he had his job to do.”

Having worked from the age of 15 Wullie was offered and accepted early retirement in the 1980s at the age of 53, when he got heavily involved with Kilsyth Miners becoming a long-time member of the committee.

He ran the bingo on a Thursday, helped organise the cabaret on a Saturday (when he was know to enjoy a ‘wee dance’) and was in charge of the pool and domino teams arranging home and away fixtures.

When it was decided to upgrade the lounge as it has been saying more use lately, it was felt appropriate to honour Wullie.

A club spokesperson said: “We have made a fair investment in bringing our “wee lounge” up to a decent standard of decoration and comfort.

“This lounge was mainly used in the past by our now defunct bowling section, but is now being used more and more for Saturday night cabaret and parties.

“A decision was made at the AGM that this lounge will be called after an ex miner, committee member, and stalwart of the club who has sadly passed away.

“The bottom lounge will be known as The Wullie Bell Lounge, a fitting tribute to a man who gave us so much.”

A dedication ceremony was held on Friday as Wullie’s daughter May joined committee member John Cassidy to unveil the plaque.

She said: “We are overwhelmed by the beautiful and heartfelt decision to dedicate the bottom lounge in our dad’s name, on behalf of all the family I would like to thank to Kilsyth Miners for keeping his memory alive.”

Liz added: “The club meant so much to him and he meant so much to the people in it, you knew when you went to collect him of an evening that you would be waiting for at least an hour while he said all his goodbyes.

“I’m sure he is looking down on us and is absolutely delighted to be honoured in this way.”