Il successo Italiano! (at Prestonfield, not Murrayfield)

To kick this year's Six Nations off, Boroughmuir was delighted to jointly host our fourth 'Italian Job' fundraising long lunch. This year the event was at Prestonfield, and 450 guests came for what was an outstanding event. I caught up with Derek Binnie and Stevie Douglas who led the organisation of the event for the club to get their take. 

Andy - That was my first Italian Job fundraising event, and I have to say it was extraordinary. Very enjoyable, well run, a great variety of speeches, entertainment and interviews and the time flew by very happily. 

Derek – Thanks Andy, yes, it is a great event and a great team effort. Working with the Bill McLaren Foundation is also a joy. We now have a really well-developed model and together we’re well connected and on the ball so that the work that’s needed to deliver a huge event like this always goes so smoothly. The connections we have enable us to bring in a top-quality team to entertain us, sponsor the main event, sell out to our corporate friends as well as club land, run the auction and to get Andrew Mehrtens is so impressive. But in summary, we simply couldn’t have a better partner than the team at The Bill McLaren Foundation.

Stevie - For us at Boroughmuir this event gives us an unbelievable platform to highlight all the good work we've done so far to promote healthy lives and sport in the club. As shown in the picture of the event, we were so proud to showcase Edinburgh players Liam McConnell Jerry Blyth-Lafferty who came through our Academy. It was also amazing to provide a platform for current Banshee Ellen Nimmo to talk about her experience and also outline the work she's doing with the SRU Youth Panel. Boroughmuir has such a strong story to be proud of and getting to promote it all has been a joy.

Andy - I fully agree. Stevie, when we last spoke you mentioned this event was fun. I didn't realise quite how right you were until I experienced the afternoon. It had top quality food and entertainment, the timings worked really well, and I'll throw in that it was massively better than a load of corporate award events I've been to over the years. Getting to hear from Sione Tuipulotu and Johnny Matthews was great – such a shame neither made the Six Nations. What were some of your personal highlights from the afternoon?

Stevie - I told you it was good! The event is a joy, and I've got so many favourite parts it was all amazing. If I had to pick out one, I'd say learning about and doing the Haka with Andrew Mehrtens.

Derek - I'll throw in that my favourite bit was singing 'That's Amore' at the end, even though I may not have the outstanding vocal abilities which Jess Robinson our consummate entertainer and award-winning impressionistbrought to the evening. Jess’s singing routine was hilarious, but for anyone interested, I sang ‘That’s Amore’ in the voice of Derek Binnie and not Edith Piaf or Adele as Jess was able to do!

Andy - Derek - when we last spoke you were looking for sponsors, auction prizes and attendees. I think there was delivery on all these fronts.

Derek - Yes there was. The room was rammed, and while we have the usual challenges with some last-minute table arrangements for late drop outs and arrivals, we got there. All our sponsors did an amazing job, and we’re so thankful to them for making this event possible. The auction and raffle were an amazing success, and we raised £70,000 after costs which is outstanding.

Stevie - The two charities split the funds raised on the night 50-50, but it's fair to say that the event is greater than the sum of its parts. It's a joy to be able to honour the memory of Bill McLaren and jointly promote the sport of rugby union and its values and encourage and provide sporting opportunities for young people. 

Derek - We are a club rooted in our community, we have built up a hugely successful youth academy, we’re expanding the girl’s game on top of our well-established senior men’s teams. All we’ve delivered over the past decade has been in full alignment with the goals of the Bill McLaren Foundation – seeing the huge number of Youth Academy Graduates turning out for our First XV is a huge source of pride for us and reflects our youth and community focus.

Andy - The 100 for 100 Campaign that is currently being developed to mark our 100th year at Meggetland and raise an ambitious £100k to support and enhance our club's future was highlighted at the event. Stevie, you launched this campaign with a Direct Appeal, can you tell us a bit more about that?

Stevie- Yes, for the last few years, we've been developing plans to expand the club's gym facilities, so we can offer more space and time for physical literacy and PDP training across the academy. As was outlined in the video we showed, there are so many benefits on offer from having greater fitness and activity levels. 

If you wish to Donate to the Gym Development, please do so here:

https://www.jumblebee.co.uk/oneclubupgradingourgymfacilities

Andy - Thanks Stevie, this is a really exciting fundraising initiative, with clear goals that will benefit all club members and the wider community. Further details on the 100 for 100 Campaign can be viewed on the fundraising website One Club - Upgrading Our Gym Facilities

Club members should also look out for more information from the Board as we try to meet our ambitious goals as a club. Any final words from you Stevie.

Stevie - I'd like to thank everyone who supported us so far. It was an amazing way to start the Six Nations, and while the results maybe didn’t go quite how we wanted them overall, the Italian Job was a great way to kick things off! 

Andy - And Derek, on behalf of everyone at Boroughmuir, can I thank you for all the work you did to make this event happen. Any final words from you?

Derek - You’re very kind, but in turn I'd like to thank the Bill McLaren Foundation for being such an amazing partner and to thank everyone who attended and supported.