Ross Sanderson
Occupation: Development Officer, Stewartry Rugby Club
Location: Balmaclellan
From boarding school to University in Edinburgh to a Masters in Madrid to Rugby Development Officer in the Glenkens, Ross Sanderson has experienced much diversity in his life.
From years in cosmopolitan cities to the beauty and tranquility of rural Scotland, we caught up with Ross to find out why he has chosen to make the Glenkens his home.
Ross’ parents moved to Balmaclellan while he was living away from home and, once he had finished his education, he followed. Within a short time of being in the area, he found himself accepting a job at the Stewartry Rugby Club as their development officer; not something he’d ever imagined himself doing, having having studied Sports Journalism up to Masters level. But Ross has been surprised to find that the role, and living in the Glenkens, brings him a lot of joy. His job entails working with youth teams and preparing them for senior rugby. His favourite part is when the kids who didn’t think of themselves as ‘sporty’, or as rugby players, find that they can play:
“Anybody and everybody in the world can play rugby, and just seeing the kids realise that and finding a passion for something that they never thought that they would find a passion for, is definitely my favourite part of the job. It's so fulfilling - so rewarding. I absolutely love it!”
Now that he is settled into, and loving, his role at the rugby club, does he have any ambition for professional development within that sphere (or perhaps that should be ‘prolate spheroid’…)?
“To be honest, I never thought that I'd have ambitions in this line of work, but I think I definitely do. One thing I've really enjoyed is working with the SRU [Scottish Rugby Union]… I think somewhere in my future, to be able to work with them a little bit more, and try and see what happens inside Scottish Rugby because a lot of good goes on…to help drive the sport on, would be fantastic.”
Ross has only lived in the Glenkens for a couple of years but has quickly established himself, forging friendships and becoming fully immersed in community life. This is not something which he experienced in his life in the city, and it has had quite a big impact:
“Probably the biggest change for me was that everybody knows everybody here, and everybody knows everything here. It's just not the case in a big city; somewhere like Edinburgh or Madrid. It's just, you're in your own little world [in the city]. Obviously, you've got your pals and you've got your job and all that kind of stuff, but you're just getting on with what you have to do… I think everyone here knows exactly what you're doing. There's probably 15 people that know I'm standing in this exact spot right now. I don't know how they'd know, but they probably do.” He laughs warmly at the thought. “That's probably the part I love the most. It's so connected here. Everybody here has each other's backs.”
Having grown up in cities, and enjoying his time there, Ross has the ability to understand what it might look like for someone currently living in an urban area who is wondering about moving to a rural location like the Glenkens. He also has some great ideas for how they can integrate into the community if they did decide to make that move:
“I think it's pretty simple. I would say speak to people. People here are so welcoming. They love having new people come in, and they love just giving a helping hand... just throw yourself out there. Go and chat to people, ask about housing, ask about jobs, because there is always something available, and I think that probably falls by the wayside a wee bit. People think that, because we're more rural that there are less opportunities, but that’s not the case.”
“There is so much going on here, and there is always, always someone to give a helping hand. So just talk to people. It's some advice that I got given when I was quite young, and I do it all the time. It doesn't matter who it is, just go and speak to them, because in some way, they can help you, or you can help them and, you know… it's just about connectivity.”
Ross is heavily invested in his work at the rugby club, which blends well with his recreational activities as he is also an avid rugby player. He believes that making a life in a new area (something he has a wealth of experience in) takes a little bit of very worthwhile effort and thought, and that rural life can be every bit as rewarding as city life, and in many ways more so:
”Being involved in the community, for example, I help out with the Glenkens Gazette. It's quite a small thing, but again, it's just about community. It's about that connectivity. I've got the rugby club here. I play three, four times a week and coach four, five times a week, so I'm never really away from here... It is the exact same as a city - I think people probably don't really realise that. I understand that living in the big city, you've got a cinema down the road, you've got the pub just down the road, but you've got the same here really, and in even better settings!”
Not having grown up in the Glenkens, was it hard to get to know people?
“Because everybody knows everybody, I did feel a little bit like an outsider to begin with, and that's solely because so many people have known each other since they were kids. It can almost feel as if you're trying to break into a friendship, but that's really not the case… everyone is so welcoming here, they're so happy to have you, to hear your story, whether you're sitting in the pub with a pint, or you're out on the rugby pitch, or you're in the gym; whatever it is, people will talk to you.”
“People want to know where you've come from, why you're here, especially - not in a bad way, just ‘what brought you to this part of the world?’… because a lot of the people here have grown up here, have lived here their whole life, and they understand what it's like to live here. So to have someone move in is really interesting, and they are fantastic. The people here are absolutely fantastic. They're just so welcoming.”
Do you think of this place as home now?
“Oof, that's the hardest question I've been asked,” he laughs as he considers his response. Then he nods decisively; “I do, yeah. If someone were to ask me where I'm from, I would still say Edinburgh. But if they were to ask me where home is, I would say ‘here’.”
