PRESTON Lodge Rugby Club will say farewell to its president of eight years next weekend as Shona Brash hands over the baton of responsibility to coach Frank Gallagher.

The club is holding a celebration next Saturday (July 30) to mark Shona’s time in charge, as well as welcoming Frank as the incoming president.

It has appealed to players past and present to join in as it hosts a club day as a thank you to their outgoing president.

And it hopes to create a giant club photo, with as many players as possible invited to take part.

The day will kick off at 2pm with a large touch game involving players, coaches, family, friends and supporters before everyone heads to the clubrooms for refreshments.

Shona – the club’s first female president – looked back with pride at her time in the role and PL’s achievements during those years.

She said: “Becoming president of Preston Lodge RFC in 2008 was as much a surprise to me as it was to anyone involved in our club.

“It was a great honour and that sense of pride has grown over every year since.

“At the time, we had just won the National Bowl competition against Dalziel at Murrayfield but unfortunately things didn’t go so well on the pitch over the next couple of seasons and we found ourselves getting relegated for two seasons in succession.

“It certainly was a challenge to turn things around but since then it’s been amazing to see the 1st XV finishing no lower than second in their division and slowly climb back up the leagues until this year when we finished fifth in National League 2 – our highest position for many, many years.

“We also managed another trip to National Finals Day and had a fantastic time when we won the Shield competition at Broadwood – the first time the Shield has been won by an East Lothian club.”

Off the pitch, Shona was part of the team which moved the clubrooms from the Pennypit Centre to the Gothenburg for three years before finally achieving the dream of having their own premises at Prestongrange following a decade “on the road”.

She said: “I’ve also had the pleasure of seeing my son grow into a confident 1st XV player and not forgetting my husband Jim, who regularly played for the 2nd XV throughout my time in office.”

And she praised everyone who gave their time to make the club a success.

She said: “A key phrase is that there’s no I in ‘team’; that has definitely been the case during my tenure. Teamwork has made our dream work and I am indebted to Johnston Craig, outgoing vice-president, who took on that role at the same time as I became president; to the volunteers who took on roles on the club executive; the talented coaches, managers and players who have gone the extra mile and then some; to the people I’ve met and become lifelong friends with; to the PL members, our union, the opposition committees, the referees, the bus drivers and everybody who works hard throughout Scottish rugby to make it so enjoyable.”

Frank Gallagher, incoming president, has been involved in the youth and mini sections of the club for a number of years and as their head coach he saw his under-15s finish top of their School of Rugby Conference last year. Many of them were part of the under-16 squad who reached the quarter-finals in the Scottish Schools Cup.