Tanera Camans
November 21, 2024
It takes three days to craft one of Tanera Camans’ unique handmade shinty sticks. From the beautiful hickory wooden plank to the smooth and individual stick, it is a process perfected over decades to deliver peak performance for the athlete who will wield it. Heritage is everything when creating for Alan MacPherson and his team. He has an easy nature, perfectly fitting the rural croft environment that is his family home and the base for his business—or perhaps, more fittingly, the base for his vocation.
His eyes light up, and there is a marked increase in intensity when he talks about the game, the shinty community, and the sport’s history—estimated to span one thousand years. Played in all weathers, but especially through the mists of time, he passionately believes this ancient game is the true sport of Scotland. More than that, he believes the sport needs to reach more young people.
“I think it is important that every kid in Scotland gets a chance to have a shinty stick in their hand. I’ve seen firsthand, after COVID, working with primary schools in Inverness, the huge differences in their mental health. All kids in Scotland should have the opportunity to play shinty,” Alan adds. “It’s a community sport; it gets people out across communities, speaking together.”
Despite the bespoke nature and visible quality of his products, Alan keeps his prices exceptionally low. Incredibly, when you view the finished piece of hand-crafted art, he charges only £87 (at the time of writing) for his work. I had to ask him why.
“It would be easy for me to make the sticks more expensive. If you look at other types of sporting equipment—cricket bats, pool cues, even ping pong bats—they can be anything up to £400. I’ve suffered a wee bit over the past few years because I’ve kept my prices too low, but I guess it’s for the passion of the sport, to get the sport growing. I’m trying to do my bit; the sport won’t grow if kids don’t have shinty sticks. I grew up in the sport, and the reason I started making sticks is because sticks just weren’t that available. Right now, it’s difficult for kids to get sticks, and we need them available at all levels of the sport.”
What brought him to ‘Growth for Good’?
Alan believes his work, and the sport itself, can be a positive influence. He highlights the benefits of the sport he promotes for mental health, community spirit, and wellbeing, and says he wants to find ways his business can help schools, groups, and communities do more. He is also acutely aware of the importance of heritage and community.
“We are developing. When I first started, there were only two or three makers. There are a few more now. The craft was ‘critically endangered,’ but now it is just ‘endangered.’”
Alan wants to work with others for collective business benefit, too. Discussions are already underway about possible collaborations to boost his and several other local brands that share this sense of quality and a deep affection for Scotland—its places, people, and boundless opportunities.
You can find Alan, online at Tanera Camans – Scotland’s Leading Shinty Stick Manufacturer
