OVER £3000 was donated to groups connected to the Braw Lads at the weekend.

The money comes from successful sales of the book The History of the Braw Lads' Gathering by John Gray and Gordon Keddie. The Ex Braw Lads and Lasses Association received £1800, The Braw Lads’ Executive Council £1300, whilst the Galashiels Town Band and The Galashiels Ex Service Pipe Band both received £400 each. There were also donations made to the Old Gala Club, the Hayward Trust and the Langlee Community Choir.

Speaking to the Border Telegraph, Gordon Keddie, Braw Lad for 1972 said: “Up to now, we have sold 484 books, which is fantastic. That is half the publication away. We will relaunch it again at Christmas.

“We have had interest from near and far, with enquiries coming in from as far away as America and Australia. So we will launch again as a stocking filler for people sending it abroad.

“We received money from the Braw Lads' Executive from the ex Braw Lads and Lasses Association, so we were delighted to be able to pay them back. We had a great deal of help from other groups too, so it was great to be able to do something for them as well.

It took three years to pull the various strands of the book together, with the authors meeting weekly to formulate ideas. Both are delighted with the final results. “It started out as a research project for a talk were going to give to local schools about the History of the Braw Lads' Gathering,” said Gordon.

“But we soon realised that to do it justice, a book would be more suitable. It took us three years in total, but that was primarily because we were only able to meet on a Monday. We could have raced through it in six months. But it’s not the type of project you would want to rush. It was a labour of love for both Johnny and I.

“There were plenty of things we were familiar with when we were researching for the book, but the fun came in finding out things that we didn’t know. There were lots of suggestions for other alternatives to the Gathering.

“Some were hilarious and plenty of others were kicked to touch pretty sharp. We’re pleased that what ultimately came about has stood the test of time.”

David Houston from the Braw Lads' Executive said: “These books are a fantastic resource and point of reference now for everyone connected with the Braw Lads or anyone interested in the history of the Gathering. We were delighted to be involved in the project, and the money we have received back from book sales will be a big help to us for future events.”