A YEAR ago the entire city was experiencing a bout of Commonwealth Games fever.

The streets were packed, the sun was out and the buzz was infectious.

Quite simply, Glasgow was at its glorious best.

Whenever the Games come up in conversation, people grin and everyone has a story to tell - of first-class sport or smiling Clydesiders; of scoring top tickets in the ballot or being pipped at the post; of bumping into old friends or overhearing a family walking to the arenas with an excited child explaining to their grandparents why Usain Bolt’s a big deal.

These thoughts came flooding back as I read Monday’s Evening Times, and the stories of programme seller Fraser Ross, Clydesider Suzanne Crosbie and Netball international Fiona Moore-McGrath.

It’s clear that all three treasure their experiences and will carry them with them wherever they go.

As Fiona said, “the memories will last a lifetime” and as we hit the anniversary mark it is worth reflecting on what a success those two-weeks were.

But the Games had a broader purpose - yes, to celebrate world class competitive sport, but also to regenerate the East End and get more Scots active and participating in sport themselves.

These were never designed to be the sofa games.

Last week, we got an idea of the progress made towards these goals with the publication of an official evaluation report.

Economically, the Games generated £390 million for Glasgow and supported 1,200 jobs.

But the researchers found that the benefits were not confined to the city alone.

For instance, three quarters of Games’ contracts went to Scottish firms – business worth more than £500 million.

Nowhere is this impact plainer to see than in the East of the city.

From the Games village housing, to the re-opening of Olympia building (now home to, among other things, Scotland’s first British Film Institute mediatheque), to the Redtree small business suites and the Clyde Gateway East Business Park, the dramatic transformation has seen more and more firms set up shop there.

These changes have been welcomed by the local community, with nearly three in five residents reporting that their neighbourhood has improved as a place to live over the past few years and more saying that they feel safer walking the streets at night.

These findings matter and stand as a testament to the broader legacy of the Games.

Of course, given this was the largest multi-sport event ever held in Scotland, a key goal was always getting more people of the couch and into a pair of trainers.

While there is evidence that certain sports – netball, gymnastics and triathlon – have seen numbers spike, the researchers caution that it is too soon to draw any firm conclusions.

It’s important to bear this in mind, for as the report stated, while large events can help regenerate an area and boost civic pride – they can’t turn everything to gold.

This strikes me as the right lesson to take.

A year on, let’s celebrate the Games by taking pride in our local communities and making full use of world-class facilities we find on the doorstep, but let’s keep working to make Scotland a fitter, more active place.

If we do that then we truly will honour the Commonwealth legacy.