COUNCILLOR Peter Corbett was joined by Community policemen Alisdair Stewart, Norman Campbell and Dominic Sermanni in taking a group of 13 young soccer players from Merkinch United last month on an adventure weekend to Nethy Bridge Outdoor Centre.

Peter and Alisdair are regular coaches of the team which is supported by mp33 and made its first appearance on the Inverness Amateur League scene this year with considerable success.
The Friday evening saw the boys undertake a mountain rescue, with Alisdair Stewart and Peter Corbett acting as the injured parties.
On Saturday morning the group went mountain biking in the hills, cycling on rough tracks and pine forest for some 15 miles. Everyone tackled this with great gusto - but there was one casualty, when one of Sig’s pedals came apart. Quite how he put it back together again is another story…
In the afternoon the boys couldn’t find another team to play, so they put in some football practice at Grantown - though they did have to move their activities to the other end of the pitch when some wild goal shots went astray and hit the golf clubhouse!
Their strenuous day finished with a tasty barbecue at Loch Morlich and a couple of beers.

The exertions of the day before - not to mention the late nights - were beginning to take their toll, but there was to be no long lie on Sunday morning for most of the party. It was into wet suits for a session of gorge-walking up the bed of the river! This was cold, hard work as they made their way up to a plunge pool.
“The weekend, which was funded by the Social Inclusion Programme, was very successful,” said Alisdair Stewart. “Everyone enjoyed themselves and the team will enjoy the benefits of co-ordinating.

Besides being a team-building experience, it also brought out previously unforeseen leadership qualities in some of the lads.”

It is hoped that it will be possible to take a group of girls of the same age range on a similar trip in the future.

Norman Campbell and Alisdair Stewart (back left) and Peter Corbett (right) are pictured, dressed in wet suit gear for gorge-walking, with members of Merkinch United who spent an action-packed weekend at Nethy Bridge