Lions roar in new all-weather enclosure
Published 6 Sep 2011 09:30
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These young hockey players tackle the new all weather pitch in Selkirk.
SELKIRK rugby kicked off the season with a 'win' on Friday night as the club opened its new £150,000 all-weather pitch and weights room at Philiphaugh.
The community-led project, with £50,000 funding from the Big Lottery, is open for use to anyone in Selkirk with the mini rugby lads and hockey girls testing the new surface.
SRU president and former British Lion, Ian McLauchlin, performed the opening ceremony before heading off to enjoy a hog roast and watch the fireworks' display.
He told the big crowd: "The Union congratulates Selkirk on its vision and foresight. I hope that it will be well used by the whole town and I wish you all of the best for the future."
The driving force behind the project is another former Lion, John Rutherford, now the Selkirk vice-president. "It is a fantastic facility and there are many people whom I wish to thank," he said.
One of them was contractor Elliot Henderson, who was gobsmacked to receive a pair of tickets for the World Cup final in New Zealand from ex-President Donald Macleod.
Rutherford also thanked son Gavin Henderson and Jim Harold, who designed the building, as well as Scottish Borders Council and Ettrick and Lauderdale Sports Council.
"This is a red-letter day for the club and I would like to emphasise that this is for the community," he said. "But when I mentioned the project to the committee, they must have thought that I was mad!
"But they agreed that it was a great idea as during the winter months we had problems with the training etc, and I am indebted to everyone who worked so hard to get it ready.
"It is great to see everyone getting stuck in, and Iain Paxton, our development officer and also a former Lion, was down here cleaning windows and doing other preparations. How many Lions would we see doing that?"
The money was partly raised from the 'People's Million' appeal on television and it is believed that over 9000 voted for the project. "We are here to help. I sit on the Scottish committee and this project brings generations together. It will make a big difference," said Shirley Young, from the Big Lottery.
New Selkirk president, Eric Forster, added: "This was John's (Rutherford's) baby and we all have to thank him for his tremendous efforts."
Others in attendance were local councillors Vicky Davidson, Kenneth Gunn and Caroline Riddell-Carre as well as Betty Scott, chairman of the Sports Council.
Scotland under-17 and under-18 players, Fraser Irvine and Josh Welsh, who received gifts from the club for their achievements, joined them.
The fireworks rounded off a successful night at one of Selkirk's biggest parties for years.
This article appeared in Border Telegraph 06 Sep 11
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