EIGHT lucky members of Barrmill’s Jolly Beggars Burns Club will be going to the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games – thanks to the Big Lottery.

A total of 1,000 tickets for the Games were given by the Scottish Government to the Big Lottery Fund Scotland who shared them among its funded groups as a thank you to those contributing to and benefiting from the Games legacy.

The gift was part of Big Lottery Scotland’s Celebrate funding – support to communities across Scotland as they celebrate and are inspired by the Games.

Donald Reid, secretary of Barrmill Jolly Beggars Burns Club said: “The club is indebted to the Celebrate fund for supporting our ‘Spirit of the Commonwealth’ and ‘Be a Bit Mair Scottish’ events, two of which have already been very successfully completed.

“We are a group of mainly ‘golden oldies’, but are very community minded, particularly in looking after our members and also contributing to developing young people in public speaking and Scots poems.

“We were over the moon when we learned that our club had been allocated tickets for the closing ceremony and we look forward to attending this very special event.” Norman Henderson, 89, Honorary President of Barrmill JBBC added: “I served in the RAF in India during the latter war years.

"I was always keen on sport and to get the opportunity to attend the closing ceremony of Glasgow 2014 is indeed a dream come true for me.

“I will be a proud man being part of this closing  event on August 3.” Big Lottery Fund Scotland chair, Maureen McGinn, said: “I am delighted that members of the Barmilll Jolly Beggars Burns Club are on their way to the closing ceremony of the 2014 Games.

“These older people have contributed a great deal to their community, and to the 2014 Games legacy, and I hope they thoroughly enjoy being part of this special  event.”