Q & A with Archie Macpherson

TIM BELL arrived in Leith in 1980 from his native rural Northumberland, and has lived in the same house there since then. Working as a social worker and bringing up a young family, he was a witness to the unfolding drama of the heroin epidemic and the arrival of HIV/AIDS in the setting for Welsh’s Trainspotting. Intrigued by the way Welsh spliced geography and history into his fiction, Bell set about unpicking the chaos and complexities of the place and the culture. In 2000, Tim became a tour guide in Leith and embarked on research for Choose Life, Choose Leith. Check out Tim's Leith Walks, find out about some of his upcoming events and read his blog posts here.
Tim has five children and two grandchildren, who live in Uganda, Italy, London and Edinburgh. He has been a life-long member of the Labour Party and an Elder of the Church of Scotland for 40 years. He is also a founding member of both the Alnwick Hockey Club and Leith Rules Golf Society.
Countdown to Scotland's first game against Haiti in the 2026 FIFA World Cup (UK time).
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Here’s to the players who wear the shirt, thank you for giving us something worth rallying behind, and here’s to the supporters who kept believing even when we were out in the wilderness.
28 years of heartbreak are over, Scotland are back in the World Cup. With a pen dipped in passion, McNeill explores the emotional landscape of football, bringing to life the highs and lows, triumphs and tribulations that define the beautiful game in Scotland.
Praise for We Are Scottish Football:
In this unique and vivid collection of poems and photographs Julie McNeill makes sure we don’t forget the impact our footballing history has had on the world. STUART COSGROVE, author & presenter
A must read for any fan of football, history, poetry and Scotland. IAN MAXWELL, CEO SFA
In this wonderful book of poems and photographs Julie McNeill ties together the past and present of the game and highlights some of its outstanding moments, personalities and controversies. ROSE REILLY MBE, World Cup Winning Footballer
A poetic tribute, capturing the soul-stirring drama and devotion that make Scottish football an enduring and enchanting spectacle. PAUL ENGLISH, The Herald
Timely and well-written by a fine poet [who] acknowledges the popular roots of the male game while inflecting these through a modern female gaze. ALISTAIR FINDLAY, Morning Star
JULIE McNEILL, poet, author and workshop facilitator, specialises in creative writing workshops and talks, focusing on mental
health and supporting individuals with additional needs. Author of Mission Dyslexia and two poetry collections, she’s the Poet in Residence for St Mirren FC Charitable Foundation and the Makar for The Scottish Women’s National Football Team Poets Society. Her performances include notable events like Wigtown Book Festival and StAnza International Poetry Festival.