Bowhill tea raises £2,500 for the blind

Borders Friends of Royal Blind, a community group led by local Jan Watson, held the fundraiser at His Grace The Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry’s house, Bowhill, in Selkirk, on Wednesday.

The sold-out event featured a talk by local historian Ian Landles, and a prize draw and silent auction, raising a fantastic £2,526 for Scotland’s largest visual impairment organisation, Royal Blind.

Guests entered the £20 prize draw to be in with a chance of winning some exclusive prizes including a Bowhill pen made from boxwood from the grounds of the estate, a permit for one day’s fishing at Bowhill, two pieces of art by Euphen Alexander, wine and other goodies, and a bottle of whisky donated by the Duke himself.

One keen bidder also secured themselves an exclusive original painting by Lady Emma Tennant in the silent auction with a bid of £500.

Kerrigan Bell, fundraiser at Royal Blind commented: “We were delighted that The Duke kindly allowed us the use of his magnificent home for the event, and are immensely grateful to Ian and all the kind donors of prizes for making the event so successful.

“We would like to sincerely thank Jan Watson and the Borders Friends of Royal Blind without whom this fantastic event would not have happened.”

The association between the Buccleuch family and Royal Blind started when the charity was founded back in 1793 and the Third Duke of Buccleuch became its president.