SSAFA Borders targets cash-strapped veterans with clay pigeon £5,500

09 May 2024

The guns who took part in the clay shoot at Bisley at Braidwood, Selkirk, organised by and in aid of the Borders branch of SSAFA, raised £5,500 through donations of prizes and sponsorship for the region.

Twenty-three teams – from Ayr, Perth, Glasgow, Edinburgh, and all round the Scottish Borders – competed in the clay shoot aimed at all abilities, and all those taking part rose to the challenge and provided a great day of camaraderie and fun, and in aid of a good cause.

The £5,500 raised will go towards supporting members of the Armed Forces community in their time of need. One example is when SSAFA Borders, with help from the Scottish Government, assisted an Army veteran to clear a debt of several thousand pounds. The debt had been incurred for medical expenses by an elderly relative not entitled to free NHS care. The family were trying to repay the debt themselves until SSAFA Borders stepped in to assist.

One of the guns, Major Grant Horsburgh, said of the event: “Another great day at Braidwood with some testing stands. A well-organised and run event in support of a worthwhile charity, and we’ll definitely be returning next year.”

Adrian Lucas MBE DL, Chairman of SSAFA Borders Branch, added: “This, the third SSAFA Borders Clay Shoot at Bisley, built further on previous year’s success. In what is becoming a regular fixture in the diaries of the regular teams, the event is attracting teams from further afield, and is therefore spreading the SSAFA name and our aims to more and more and over a wider area.

“We raised a significant amount of money for the veterans and families of those that we serve, all due the hard work of Major John Currie and volunteer Jane Dickson our awareness team. It was their effort and alacrity that made the day such good fun and rewarding with so many wonderful prizes from the raffle that followed.

“A huge thank you, therefore, to the contribution from Bisley, the teams, the volunteers who gave up their Sunday, and all those who contributed to a wonderful day for a fantastic charity."

But it has been a double celebration in the branch as there was also the presentation of a long-service award to a stalwart volunteer, Squadron Leader Clive Hamilton.

Sqn Ldr Hamilton has been a caseworker in the branch for 20 years and has supported countless serving and former members of the Armed Forces, and their families providing the help they need, when they need it, and how they need it.

His work, like those of SSAFA volunteers and staff in the Borders – as well as more broadly in Scotland, the rest of the UK, and around the world – change lives.