Champion Your Story: NSW 2026

1 day ago
4 min read

The Activities Are Secondary, The People Are the Point

Last weekend was my first National Sporting Weekend and, going into it, I genuinely did not know what to expect. Since officially joining Dunfermline Round Table in November 25 I had heard plenty of stories about National events, usually involving sport, costumes, late nights, questionable decisions and the kind of chaos that probably only makes sense to the people who were there. I knew it would be a good laugh and I knew I wanted to experience more of what Round Table had to offer beyond my own local Table, but I do not think I fully understood what a National event was until I actually went to one.

I joined Round Table because I wanted to meet people, get out more and say yes to things that I probably would not otherwise do. As you get older, I think it becomes surprisingly easy for your world to become smaller without you really noticing. Work takes up more of your time, routines become established and friendships can become harder to maintain. Meeting new people does not happen as naturally as it did when you were younger, and unless you make a conscious effort to put yourself out there, it is very easy to find yourself doing the same things with the same people.

I am also very open about the fact that I have struggled with anxiety and depression, and that has certainly played a part in how I approach social situations.

There are times when staying at home feels much easier than putting myself into a room full of people I do not know.

Even when I know I will probably enjoy something once I am there, getting myself through the door can sometimes be the hardest part. One of the things I have come to really value about Round Table is that it gives me a reason to challenge that instinct and to get out there.

That was very much how I approached NSW. I had decided that if I was going, I was going to properly throw myself into it. I expected sport, a few drinks, plenty of laughs and probably to make an idiot of myself at some point over the weekend. All of those expectations were comfortably met, but what I had not expected was just how much the people would become the most important part of the experience.

It is something I keep coming back to when I talk about Round Table. For me, the activities are secondary. They are what gets us through the door and gives us a reason to be in the same place, but they are not really what makes Table special. Whether it is a meeting, a charity event, a weekend away, a sporting competition or something completely ridiculous, the activity creates the opportunity. What actually matters is who you are sharing it with and the friendships that form around it.

NSW was probably the first time I properly understood the scale of that. Suddenly I was surrounded by Tablers from across the UK and beyond, most of whom I had never met before, yet there was very little of the awkwardness you might normally expect when walking into a room full of strangers. People introduced themselves, brought you into conversations and welcomed you as if you had known each other for years. I cannot remember hearing a genuinely bad word said about anyone throughout the weekend. Everyone seemed to be there for the right reasons, to have fun, meet people, support each other and enjoy being part of something.

For somebody who can sometimes find those situations difficult, that feeling of being welcomed matters more than people probably realise. By the end of the weekend there were faces I recognised everywhere, conversations carrying on from the night before and people I had only just met who already felt familiar. There were obviously plenty of ridiculous moments too, from the Gladiator Games special guest and the nights out; to somehow managing to create what has now become known as CoinGate (we shan't talk about that) especially after arriving at my first National event with my collection of Dunfermline Round Table coins. Those are the stories that will get repeated and laughed about, and they are a huge part of what made the weekend memorable.

What I will probably remember most, though, are all the moments in between. Sitting down beside someone I had never met before and finding ourselves talking as though we had known each other for years, being pulled into a group without ever feeling like an outsider, and coming home feeling as though my circle had suddenly become much bigger.

If there is one thing I took away from my first National event, it is that you have to get out there and experience this side of Table for yourself. If you are nervous, if you think you will not know anyone, or if staying at home feels like the easier option, I would still say put your name down and go. The sport will finish, the drinks will disappear and the embarrassing photographs will probably live forever, but the people are what you bring home with you.