In May 2016, I travelled to St Petersburg, Russia, to complete my Level 3 Kettlebell Sport Instructor qualification. It was the final step before becoming a kettlebell instructor and it set everything in motion.

When I returned home, one Sunday morning I found myself in Frankie & Benny’s for breakfast, along with a notepad and colouring pencils, sketching kettlebell shapes and imagining what a Scottish kettlebell identity could look like. “Stirling Kettlebell Club” had been used before. “Bannockburn” didn’t feel quite right.

Then the name came to me… Our first family dog was called Alba – Gaelic for Scotland of course. My dad named his stonemasonry company, Alba Masonry, after her which ran proudly from 1995 to 2011. The business was built on real craftsmanship: he had previously completed his apprenticeship at Stirling Castle, earned Apprentice of the Year and met Queen Elizabeth II and Ingval Maxwell OBE, the then Head of Historic Scotland. That legacy of skill and heritage shaped everything.

Alba wasn’t just a name, it was a family story.

I wanted something stronger than “Club.” Something with weight. Something Scottish to the core. That’s when I came up with the word “Clan.” It captured everything – heritage, unity, strength, identity.

And the unicorn?
That came from Danielle, my best friend, who said, “Use Scotland’s national animal.”
It was perfect – strength, discipline, resilience – everything I wanted the club to stand for. Danielle had also completed her Level 3 in Russia and assisted in the early days with inductions.

So I drew the first logo by hand right there in the restaurant: two unicorns flanking a kettlebell. A graphic designer later transformed that sketch into the emblem we still wear today (which has had an upgrade or two since).

Alba Kettlebell Clan was officially created in June 2016, with our first induction on 3 July 2016.

And Alba didn’t stop there.

Some of the lifters who walked into those first inductions in 2016 are still here a decade later – showing up, lifting hard, supporting newcomers and keeping the culture alive. Their loyalty and spirit shaped Alba just as much as the crest itself.

Today, the unicorn crest lives on across our family:

• Alba Guesthouse & Dunard (also a Guesthouse)
• Alba Dog Walking Stirling (my sister Kayleigh)
• Alba Playtime (my other sister Kerry-Anne)

What started as a family dog’s name has become a family legacy – a symbol of Scotland, strength, and the people who built it.

Ten years later, the clan stands stronger than ever.

Happy National Unicorn Day – from the Alba Kettlebell Clan.

The Alba Kettebells crest – through the years…