A few days ago, the Siggiewi Local Council, with the help of the Kunsill Malta ghall-Isports and the Parliamentary Secretariat for Youth and Sport, held the first edition of the Siggiewi Summer Sports Night in its picturesque village square.

For many, the sports night revived happy memories of similar events that took place in the past during the village feast of St Nicholas. A sporting event used to be held annually, albeit on a smaller scale and more spontaneously where children gathered in the local square to participate in a number of traditional games such as the potato race, the sack race, the water bucket race and so on. My parents, and villagers their age, nostalgically recall the sporting activity that was indeed very popular in Siggiewi. In all its simplicity, it was an opportunity for local children to enjoy physical activity together in a safe environment, closely watched by their parents as their ‘audience’.

Luckily, someone from our village had suggested reviving the event, in a Facebook group that was specifically created during the election campaign for the Local Councils last March. Love it or hate it, in this instance, Facebook was the vehicle used to propose the concept that an individual wished to be implemented in Siggiewi.

On being assigned Local Sports as one of my responsibilities as deputy-mayor, the suggestion for the traditional sports event immediately came to mind. Shortly after, I lodged a formal proposal to our mayor and councillors to establish a sports committee with the main aim of organising a sporting event for the whole family; for people of all ages and all levels of fitness. I thank all councillors for supporting the event from its conception.

Within days, the Siggiewi Summer Sports Night was born, and from a spontaneous event, it grew into a broader event that included a wide spectrum of modern disciplines ranging from Zumba, football and Athletics to chess, boxing, mini-golf, weightlifting and Pilates. Over 300 participants joined the Sports Night, including residents from Dar Tal-Providenza in Siggiewi. As Mgr Mikiel Azzopardi called them, the angels from the Dar were given the opportunity to participate in the Pilates session that was organised to fit in with their schedule.

Our prime aim was to ensure the participation of local sports clubs, which were very keen to hold exhibitions of their respective disciplines, provide information for new entrants and organise a number of friendly games. I also thank the leaders of these clubs for ensuring maximum safety for all participants.

The committee also came up with the idea of organising two fun runs around Siggiewi. We decided to go ahead with two separate runs − one for children and one for adults. I must admit that this was rather challenging to organise, but months of efforts paid off with the beautiful scene of watching a large number of children running around the square wearing the yellow T-shirt we designed for all participants.

We also wanted to emphasise the importance of participating more than winning, so each participant was awarded a medal of equal participation, by Parliamentary Secretary for Youth and Sport Clyde Puli.

In addition, local charismatic youth group Faith Alive put together a non-alcoholic cocktails vendor to send a message against the consumption of alcohol. Other local NGOs also organised home-made food stands.

The 2012 Siggiewi Summer Sports Night joined a number of family events organised by local councils across Malta. I can confidently state that such events have the ability to improve the quality of life of our local residents and the Maltese public, at a time when we are perhaps being criticised for our lack of physical activity.

The event was also an opportunity for the local council and government entities to work hand in hand to make better use of their respective resources.

Ultimately, the event also showcased the good work of volunteers who devoted their time to the activity wholeheartedly. As we all remember the night, I am sure that all committee members are pleased that they were the organisers of the successful event. Undoubtedly, our reward was the smile on the faces of all participants on the night.

Mr Callus is the deputy

mayor of Siggiewi and

a PN general election

candidate on the sixth district

[email protected]