News

12 January 2008 - Rowling books to help rugby club

The original article can be found on the BBC website - Rowling books to help rugby club. It has been reproduced here merely for history purposes.

Rowling books to help rugby club

Portobello Rugby Club mascot Jack Henderson, three, holds a signed Hary Potter book. Seven signed books are due to be auctioned in Edinburgh to raise money to rebuild the club which was burnt down. [Pic by Danny Lawson/PA]

A rare set of Harry Potter books, being sold to help restore an Edinburgh rugby club destroyed by fire, have gone on display in Edinburgh.

The seven signed books have been personally donated by JK Rowling to raise funds for Portobello Rugby Club.

They went on display at Edinburgh auctioneers Lyon and Turnbull on Sunday.

The books are expected to sell for at least £3,000 when they go under the hammer next week.

The club was burned down by vandals in May 2007.

Funds from the auction will be put towards rebuilding the club, which lost precious archives in the fire.

Philip Gregory, of Lyon and Turnbull, said JK Rowling had donated the books after hearing about the fire through a friend who is a member of the rugby club committee.

Club president Iain Goodall said: The club house has reopened but during the fire we lost everything including all our club archives.

We are extremely grateful to JK Rowling for her extremely generous donation and will use the funds to replace the club's history.

The books will be auctioned at Lyon and Turnbull in Edinburgh on Wednesday morning.

Nice try - Signed Harry Potter books help raise cash for rugby club

Jack Henderson, three, with one of the signed Harry Potter books

(All text and images is copyright original authors and photographers).

Ed Henderson

1=	Kevin Bulloch	9
1=	Sean Hollywood	9
3=	Fraser Boyter	3
3=	Ronald Gallon	3
5=	Danny Roarty	2
5=	Dave Hardy	2
5=	Chris Sinclair	2
5=	Connor MacLeod	2
5=	Graham Culbertson	2
5=	Chris Weir	2
11=	Peter Mauritzen	1
11=	Lee Dickson	1
11=	Donald Thomson	1
11=	Ed Henderson	1
11=	Mike Dunn	1
11=	Ray Vaughan	1
11=	Robbie Mott	1
11=	Michael Ridd	1
11=	Darren Roe	1
11=	Chris Thomas	1
11=	Chris Davis	1
11=	Graham Porteous	1