The “most liked boy you could ever meet” was recently remembered at the football tournament held in his
honour.
Hundreds of people turned out to take part in and enjoy the annual James McElhinney Memorial Football Tournament as the sun beamed down on Renfrewshire.
The seven-a-side tournament and fun day was organised by mental health support group Kickin’ On, who are determined to open up the conversation on suicide prevention following James’ death six years ago.
Dave McKenna who founded the group in February 2020 says the tournament is a great way to honour their pal and create awareness of mental health and support out there for local people.
“James was universally liked,” Dave said. “He was really popular and it is testament to how popular he was that the tournament has been so successful.
“Every time we do something for James everyone wants to be involved, he was that well liked.
“He is sorely missed every day by lots of people.
“I think about him every day.
“Obviously it is still really difficult for James’ family but it gives us all some comfort to see so many people turn out and show their support for him.”
It was James and Dave’s love of football that provided the inspiration for Kickin’ On.
The mental health charity was formed with the aim of using the universal language of football to get men talking about their mental health.
The twice weekly sessions allowed men to take part in football training before sitting down to talk about their mental health and possible addiction issues in a judgement-free space.
The approach proved so popular that even the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic did not stop it from growing.
The organisation now has a permanent home at Mossedge Industrial Estate where men and women offer peer support to one another while pursuing interests such as fitness and music and other wellbeing workshops.
Dave added: “Football is a sport that brings people together.
“More people would probably stand and watch football over any other sport so it made perfect sense to have the tournament in memory of James.
“We had local teams and supporters clubs, teams from Denny and Grangemouth who came down so it was a big collective effort and everyone was there for the same reasons.”
In the end it was last year’s runner up Spateston Celtic Supporter’s Club that took the title.
In a tense final against Muggins FC, the Spateston side won on penalties.
A true community event, there was something for everyone at the tournament.
There was a bouncy castle and face painting for the kids, food stalls, a pop-up barbers, tombola and massive raffle with a host of impressive prizes.
The tournament was held just weeks after Dave and Kickin’ On were named finalists in the Renfrewshire Inspirational Awards.
The charity has been shortlisted in the community organisation category, which it won last year, while Dave has also been named amongst the top three nominees for Inspirational Citizen of the Year Award.
Dave said: “We don’t do what we do to receive awards but it is really nice to be recognised for what we are doing and it shows it is working.
“James was 29 when he died, it was just a few weeks of shy of his 30th birthday.
“It was a massive shock and I still wrestle with it every day.
“I think could we have done more and that’s why we do what we do today to prevent suicides and we can say now that we have prevented others from going down that road.
“It is at the forefront of my mind every day and in everything we do.”
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