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Motherwell FC and Motherwell Community Trust have become the latest Lanarkshire organisations to join the new Breastfeeding Friendly Scotland (BFS) scheme.

With the support of NHS Lanarkshire, they will help to promote, support and protect the rights of mothers who want to breastfeed in public places.

The BFS scheme is being rolled out nationally by the Scottish Government. It will replace, and build on the success of, NHS Lanarkshire’s former breastfeeding welcome initiative.

Lanarkshire currently reports some of the lowest breastfeeding rates in Scotland. Around half (50.3%) of mothers breastfeed at birth, dropping to less than one in three (30.4%) after 6-8 weeks.

A contributing factor can be that women feel inhibited to breastfeed outside the home, especially new mothers whose babies were born during lockdown, who might not be confident feeding while out and about.

In Scotland, babies are protected by law to be fed anywhere, and it is an offence to prevent a baby being fed in a public place.

Wherever families see the Breastfeeding Friendly Scotland logo and signage, they know that staff are aware of their obligation under the law, and they can be assured of an extra warm welcome. Membership of the scheme demonstrates a business understands and accommodates the needs of breastfeeding families.

AnneMarie Bruce, Infant Feeding Development Midwife at NHS Lanarkshire, said: “The NHS encourages responsive parenting and feeding, so our primary focus is to ensure that mothers and babies have the support they need, regardless of how they feed.

“UNICEF Babyfriendly found that 80% of women stopped breastfeeding before they wanted to. In Lanarkshire, our breastfeeding rates are currently below the national average and we want to normalise breastfeeding and create a supportive culture. We hope that by promoting safe environments for breastfeeding outside the home through the BFS Scheme, more women will feel comfortable and will continue to breastfeed for as long as they want.”

Dawn Middleton, general manager of the Motherwell FC Community Trust, added: “The Breastfeeding Friendly Scotland Scheme is an important initiative and we hope that more organisations sign up to support women in feeling comfortable when breastfeeding in the community.

“As a club with a largely male audience, we hope that our involvement in this initiative will encourage men to be supportive of their breastfeeding partners, family members, and friends, and to help foster a supportive environment in general when in public spaces.”

Businesses interested in joining the BFS Scheme can receive more information by contacting BreastfeedingFriendlyScotlandLanarkshire@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk.

When it comes to Suicide Prevention, we are again wearing their heart on our sleeves in support of a crucial life-saving campaign.

Suicide Prevention North Lanarkshire branding will again be on the first team players’ sleeves throughout the 2021/22 season.

We’re are working in partnership with North Lanarkshire Council to help tackle suicide in local communities and will also be displaying helpline information around Fir Park.

Almost one person every week dies by suicide in North Lanarkshire and Motherwell FC is pledging its support to help raise awareness of this issue.

“We are delighted Motherwell FC are continuing to support our campaign to prevent the tragedy of suicide in our communities,” Paul Kelly, depute leader of North Lanarkshire Council said.

“The club have been outstanding ambassadors for suicide prevention and it will be great to see the logo appearing on the players’ shirts again this coming season.

“This is a great example of partnership working with the goal of helping those most in need in our communities.

“The Covid-19 health pandemic has been really difficult for so many people and it is vital that those who are suffering know that there is another way. There is help available.

“‘Let’s Talk’ is the message we want to get across as we try to encourage people to talk more openly about suicide so we can all work together to help prevent it. The emotional impact on families, friends and communities bereaved by suicide is devastating and can have an awful, long-lasting effect on those left behind.

“Starting the conversation is so important and can make such a difference. As a council, we are grateful to everyone associated with Motherwell FC for supporting this campaign. This partnership through football will have a positive impact on mental health and wellbeing in our communities.”

Suzanne Reid, head of commercial and marketing at Motherwell FC added: “It is important to us as a club, and a central part of this community, to continue our support for this initiative more than ever.

“Suicide affects so many families in this area and has had a direct impact on young supporters’ families in recent months. We want everyone to know that support is out there, and the first step towards it is to talk to someone.”

For more information go to northlanarkshire.gov.uk/safer or call 0800 073 0918.

Billy Reid, one of our famous Ancell Babes, has died at the age of 83.

The inside-right signed for the club on his 17th birthday, with his forms being signed at his home in Craigneuk in the presence of manager George Stevenson.

Reid went on to make 73 appearances, scoring 11 goals, before leaving for Airdrieonians in 1961.

He remained a big fan of the club, and was a member of our former players’ club.

Our thoughts are with his family.

Fans will return to Fir Park for the first time in 500 days on Saturday, with up to 2,000 fans in attendance for the Premier Sports Cup match with Queen of the South.

Our safety and facilities manager Robert Park walks us through what the experience will be like.

We can’t wait to welcome you back to Fir Park.

On Saturday, you’ll return home for the first time in 500 days.

There are few things we just need to let you know before you arrive.

• Your ticket is on your phone. Make sure it’s charged.
• Arrive in plenty time.
• Wear your face covering.
• Use the hand sanitisers provided.

I’m having ticket trouble

We know some of you have had difficulty adding your ticket to your wallet on your mobile device.

Don’t panic.

Open up the accompanying Print at Home attachment in the email we sent you.

That document has a barcode we can also scan. Have it open on your phone and we’ll get you in.

We can’t wait to have you home. See you at Fir Park.

Join us beforehand

Our bars are also back open at Fir Park.

Join us in either the Cooper or Centenary Bars from 12pm.

How to get in

If you’re in the John Hunter Stand, please queue from the Knowetop School end.

If you’re in the Davie Cooper Stand, please queue down Knowetop Avenue round into Firpark Street.

If you’re in the South Stand, queue through the car park.

Please show your ticket to the steward on arrival. They’ll send you the right way.

Inside the stadium

Wear your mask, especially when moving around.

Kiosks are closed – but there’s free water available for you at all times.

Please listen to the stewards at full time, so we can have a staggered exit.

Loch Lomond Group have extended their partnership with the club.

Glen’s Vodka will continue to feature on the back of first team home and away kits in the 2021/22 campaign.

As part of the agreement, a range of vodka and whisky products will be stocked in our stadium bars, including Glen’s Red, Loch Lomond Malt Whiskies as well as Reserve and Signature Blends.

Chris Mitchell, CFO of Loch Lomond Group, said “‘We’re absolutely delighted to continue working with Motherwell. It, like so many here in Scotland, is a great community football club, with loyal and incredibly passionate fans.

“Through our sponsorship of Motherwell, we’re not just investing in the players and the club but in the fans too, our consumers, whether they enjoy the beautiful game from the sofa or, hopefully in the not too distant future, from the stands.

“The first year of our partnership has been during one of the toughest periods anyone can remember but we know that football fans are raring to get back and we’re excited to be part of that and really building on the successes we’ve had to date.”

Suzanne Reid, head of commercial and marketing at Motherwell FC, added: “We are delighted to extend our partnership with the Loch Lomond Group and thank them for their continued support.

“Following the success of the 1991 Scottish Cup commemorative whisky, a new limited-edition malt will be developed and I would welcome supporters suggestions for its theme.”

A new thriller, set in Lanarkshire with scenes at Fir Park, has been written by Motherwell FC chairman Jim McMahon.

Parallax, published by Austin Macauley, is told through the eyes of two main characters and is a gripping tale of painful truths and deadly consequences.

You can buy a copy of Parallax from the publisher here and receive a discount using the promo code AUTHOR0721.

Fatal accidents are rarely caused by a single mistake but are often the result of a series of errors.

A chain of poor decisions leaves Ian White – golf professional and happily married father of two teenage daughters – with a hellish choice. Should he report the death of Katerina Wysklow, a hitchhiker whom he accidentally kills?

If his shame becomes public, it will destroy his family. If he conceals the truth, he must find a way to deal with the horror and his guilt.

The mounting evidence points to her boyfriend’s father – a close friend of White’s – and Katerina’s last known contact on the day she vanished. Will the wrong man be charged? Will White be exposed? Will his conscience intervene? Or will the reckoning come from another direction entirely?

“The bits of the book that are set in Carluke and in Motherwell are redolent of my growing up,” explains Jim.

“It’s easy to write about Motherwell and like everyone my formative years, my family, my locale influenced who I am today. Lanarkshire shaped me, my family – my dad in particular – and Hamilton Academy.

“The detective in Parallax is a Motherwell supporter. There is a lot of stuff about taking his wee boy to his first game and I have memories of my dad taking me to my first game at around the same age.

“The first game I ever went to was Motherwell v Airdrie. This was in the 50s. As you know, memories are imperfect, you don’t have memories, you recreate them every time you think of something.

“But in those days, we had a tiny seven-inch telly, black and white, one channel. Everything seemed monochrome, we were still rationing at the time and then suddenly I was at a football ground with 20,000 people and Motherwell in brilliant claret and amber. There was the noise, Airdrie with their V-diamonds on their strips, for me it felt like I was in the Colosseum. It was brilliant, so exciting, full of life and so different. And it was my time with my dad.

“My father worked in the post office, he got back from work at lunchtime on a Saturday and changed into his suit. We would walk out to Carluke Cross and got on the Law and Carluke Motherwell Supporters’ Club bus, which was mainly full of miners – I think my dad and I were the only two folk on the bus who didn’t smoke.

“We then went down to the game and that was my Saturday, that was my time with my dad. I look back on it so fondly and that’s why I did the same with my kids. The detective has the same feelings about his own son, who has his Motherwell top and thinks that Louis Moult is the best player in the world. There is a chunk of that in there.

“I don’t think the main character is a bad guy. I think he’s a good guy, a family guy, one who makes a mistake that soon becomes a catastrophic one. He then has to deal with the outcome and part of the way he does this is by writing a diary to try and piece it all together.

“The story runs in two parts, told through his eyes and the eyes of the investigating detective. The two stories run out of time set until they meet at the end, which is when it becomes a Parallax. It’s two different approaches to the same incident which eventually meet and cross over.”

We’ve entered a new, exciting partnership with G4Claims.

The G4Claims brand will feature on the bottom of the back of our first team home and away kits for the 2021/22 season.

G4Claims are a family-run business who pride themselves on their customer service.

Having a car accident can be a stressful experience. G4Claims ensure all their customers are cared for to the highest standard.

The company cover the full of the UK and can provide support from the side of the road to the claim settlement, making things as easy as possible for the customer involved.

“Motherwell Football Club are a local team who we wish every success and are proud to support in the new season,” Nicole Rudder, G4Claims Director, said.

“We’d like to invite supporters of Motherwell Football Club to follow us on our social media platforms for giveaways and competitions.

“We trust that this partnership will prove beneficial for both parties and will be the beginning of a long, successful association.”

Suzanne Reid, head of commercial and marketing at Motherwell FC, added: “We are delighted to welcome G4Claims to our partnership portfolio.

“We share many values with the company, being a family business in the local community. We very much look forward to working with Nicole and her team to grow the partnership.”

Fans will be able to return home for our forthcoming Premier Sports Cup matches with Queen of the South and Annan Athletic.

We’re delighted to confirm we have been given permission to welcome up to 2,000 home supporters at each fixture at Fir Park.

The first match is soon – with Queen of the South visiting on Saturday 17 July, before Annan Athletic come to ML1 on Saturday 24 July. Kick-off in both is at 3pm.

Given the limited capacity, we will be giving priority to 2020/21 and 2021/22 season ticket holders to purchase tickets.

Priced at £12 for adults and £6 for concessions, fans will be required to enter a ballot process that will cover both games.

This guide outlines how to apply. If you want to jump right in to the process, head to the Motherwell FC ticket website and sign in to your account.

Owing to the tight timeframe, our ballot is open immediately and will close at 6pm on Monday 12 July.

Applicants will receive an email on Tuesday 13 July on the outcome of the ballot.

Should any tickets remain available after this, we will communicate information on a public sale ASAP.

Live streaming will also be available for £10. Information on how to buy will be released shortly.

How does the process work?

This process enters you into a joint ballot covering both games.

The ballot will randomly choose which game you will be allocated. If you apply as part of a group and are successful, you will be allocated seats for the same match and won’t be separated.

While we cannot make a guaranteed promise until applications come in, we hope you will be able to attend at least one of the matches through the ballot process.

Applying for your ticket(s)

First, head to the Motherwell FC ticket website and sign in to your account.

You will need your customer number to log in. This is printed on your existing season card. It was also the final five digits of your username for your live streaming last season.

Once logged in, click tickets and then choose the Premier Sports Cup ballot option.

Household groups

You can apply to sit in a group of up to four people from up to four separate households.

If you wish to do this, you must apply for tickets on behalf of everyone you wish to sit with at this stage. They must also be season ticket holders.

To add other season ticket holders to your application, select add another member.

If they are already on your network, select the people you want to add.

If they aren’t in your network, select outside of your network and enter their customer number and surname.

Due to our limited capacity, we can’t guarantee where you’ll be seated inside Fir Park. You will be allocated seats in one of our three open stands. At the moment, our Phil O’Donnell Stand will not be open for these matches, but season ticket holders in this stand can still apply for seats elsewhere in the stadium.

Wrong pricing

At this stage, you may be told by the online system all tickets are £12, even if members in your household group are concessions.

Don’t worry – you will only be charged £6 for concession tickets. This is a glitch in the software displaying only one price.

Enter your card details

We require your card details at the final stage. You will not be charged unless you are successful in the ballot.

Please remember that if you are applying for a group, you will be charged for all members in the group if successful.

Payment will be taken on Tuesday 13 July if successful.

Next steps

Once you have submitted the ballot, you will receive an email confirmation of your application.

We will let you know on Tuesday 13 July if you have been successful for the games.

If you wish to withdraw your application, you can do so on our ticketing site until 11pm on Sunday 11 July.

Tickets will be issued on a digital or print-at-home basis. Digital tickets can be downloaded to your wallet on your iPhone or Android device, or you can print your ticket to bring to the turnstile.

Covid-19 measures

Supporters are asked to abide by our Covid-19 return to stadium supporters’ code of conduct.

This includes the need to maintain two-metre social distancing between others who are not in your household and the requirement to wear a mask covering your nose and mouth at all times.

We remind all supporters of the Scottish Government’s request to take a rapid lateral flow test twice a week, even if you are not displaying Covid-19 symptoms.

I don’t know my customer number

Please refer to your existing season card. Your customer number is also the digits used at the end of your live streaming username last season.

What if I can’t make the game I have been successful for?

If you can’t make the match, please get in touch immediately by emailing tickets@motherwellfc.co.uk or calling 01698 333333. Please provide your name and ticket information.

We will do what we can to facilitate switches with supporters in the same position, but we cannot guarantee we will be able to swap your match.

If you can’t make the game, and we can’t successfully swap your ticket for the other match, we will issue you with a refund.

Can I buy a season ticket now to enter the ballot?

Absolutely you can, but please note it may take up to 24 hours for your access to the ballot to become live after your season ticket purchase.

Disabled fans

Ambulant supporters should apply through this ballot process.

Supporters in our wheelchair section should not enter this ballot and should instead contact Andy Sim for ticket information on 07428 225254 or via tickets@mfcdsa.com.

I need help applying / it says I am ineligible

If we can help, please email tickets@motherwellfc.co.uk, and we’ll get back to you as quickly as we can.

I was unsuccessful in the ballot or I am an away supporter

You can buy live streaming of both matches for £10 each. Information on how to purchase will be available shortly.

Our Cooper and Centenary bars will also be open for home supporters from 12pm to 6pm and will be showing the match live. Entry will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Bar food and drinks will be available to purchase.

What about the games away to Queen’s Park and Airdrieonians?

We are yet to be informed of ticket arrangements for these games, and whether Motherwell fans will be able to attend. We will make an announcement as soon as possible.

Both matches are being broadcast live on Premier Sports.

As we prepare and hope that Fir Park will re-open on 17 July, we are recruiting for a number of matchday hospitality roles to join our team.

This is a fantastic opportunity to join our fast-paced and friendly workforce.

We are looking for passionate and enthusiastic individuals who are committed to providing a high level of service on a matchday and at functions.

Positions available include:

• Kitchen cook/kitchen assistant
• Bar staff (over 18s only)
• Waiting staff
• Front of house/room manager

Apply by sending your CV to commercial@motherwellfc.co.uk.

Get the perfect Father’s Day gift with one of our limited edition 1991 Scottish Cup commemorative whisky bottles.

To mark 30 years since our Hampden success, the 10-year-old single malt has been matured in American oak casks and has a perfect balance of fruit notes with hints of honey and vanilla with a light touch of peat smoke.

There’s limited numbers left, so get yours by buying online for click and collect from Fir Park.