Border Telegraph | Sport | Supporters turn out in force to back Walkerburn

Friday, 5th December, 2008

Published: Wednesday, 2nd April, 2008 11:00

Supporters turn out in force to back Walkerburn

By Atholl Innes

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The big turn-out at the meeting on Sunday as supporters gave their backing to one of the oldest clubs in the country.

Pic by: John Robertson

PASSIONATE rugby supporters packed Walkerburn RFC clubrooms on Sunday to back one of the oldest clubs in the country threatened with closure.

It was standing room only as over 70 heeded Ian Millar's call to save the club, which celebrates its 125th anniversary next year.

And Millar, along with president Malcom Ormiston, were given a mandate to take the club foward with the support of the members and the community.

It emerged that finance was at the base of the problem and not merely the playing side, where sometimes the club has difficulty in finding enough players on a Saturday.

"The club has to be sustainable," said treasurer Steven Henderson.

"We are not taking enough money in and the cost of utilities are all going up. We just cannot continue like that."

But the club was offered an olive branch by the Walkerburn Development Trust, set up via the village's Regeneration Group to sustain life in the community.

Company secretary Cathie Sutherland explained that the workings of the Trust, which had to ensure that any project was run like a business, was sustainable and ploughed its profits back into the local community.

It was agreed that the club committee should meet with the Development Group and that the HB Club be invited to the talks to see if they could all work together for the future of the village.

Ormiston also called for more members to join the General Committee, the website to be updated and an approach made to join the local Sports Council with the possibility of grants on offer to help the club.

Later, Millar told me: "Yes, it was a positive meeting and I hope that we can take things forward from here."

Next main event on the calendar will be the annual sevens on May 3, a day which is a main source of revenue for the club.

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