THIS is my 60th year and I have lived in the small village of Coalsnaughton in the Wee County of Clackmannanshire all my life. 

I attended local schools and spent most of my life working in the surrounding mills and coal mines.

Apart from a few work-related ailments, I've been very fortunate that I didn't suffer serious injury or any of the debilitating illnesses that so many others contracted during my time in the coal industry.

When I was a Regional Councillor up at Viewforth in Stirling covering the Schawpark ward of Sauchie, Fishcross and Coalsnaughton, I thought at that time when the regions were broken up that it was a big mistake not to have Stirling and Clacks together as I thought a bigger authority made better financial sense. I may have been right about the financial side of it but finance is not everything.

The size of Clackmannanshire is advantageous in many respects; our local authority is often able to react and take control of situations faster than authorities that cover larger areas.

The recent operation around the gas main fracture was an example of this - just look how well the council and the gas network worked together to deal with the loss of gas in the Hillfoots areas. Services came together to help the vulnerable and the elderly.

It was also great to see how residents in our close-knit communities also came together to help each other out where they could. I said at the time that the spirit of Christmas had come early to the Wee County, but that spirit is there all the time - you just have to tap into it.

I couldn't write this piece without mentioning the beauty that surrounds us here in Clackmannanshire.

The Ochil Hills are stunning and we have beautiful views that are second to none, as the many visitors to this area will tell you. We also have Gartmorn Dam, and Wallace's Monument and Stirling Castle are just a stone-throw away.

As all this is so accessible to us, perhaps we don't appreciate it as we should.

I got together with friends on January 1st this year, something we have done every year for decades.

I think that part of the reason that these friendships that were forged during my school days and through work have endured is because Clackmannanshire is small, you bump into people you know on a daily or weekly basis which allows you to keep up with news about them and their loved ones, and what is happening where they live.

Yes, I feel very fortunate to have been born and raised in Clackmannanshire.