Our History
The group first began in April 1984 and was based in Hawick. The main contact at that time was, in fact, not gay. Viv had worked with a similar group in Newcastle, and when she moved to the Borders, decided to get involved and help to set up the first Borders Gay Group.
The group was probably first brought to the attention of the Borders public via a radio broadcast on the local BBC radio station, Radio Tweed in February 1985.
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Real Audio interview with Borders Gay Group members in 1985 as broadcast on BBC Radio Tweed |
Following this a newsletter was produced in March to help keep members in touch with what was happening. The group was also making itself known to other local organisations, such as the Samaritans, by giving a slideshow presentation on homosexuality to their volunteers.
The first video night was held on Sat 4th May 1985 when the film “Another Country” starring Rupert Everett was shown. Video nights have been running off and on for 23 years!
Ambitious plans to hold a gay disco in the Borders were discussed amongst members and this took place in Maxton Village Hall on Sat 21st September 1985.
Local MPs David Steel and Archy Kirkwood met with 3 members of the Borders Gay Group on Wed 25th September 1985 for an informal chat. Discussions involved the development of this new group, how the phone line would work and the types of calls the Switchboard would be likely to receive.
Between March and August 1985, (a period of 5 months) 137 calls had been made to the Borders Gay Switchboard – all of which were handled by Viv who had the line installed in her house due to the lack of suitable premises being available for the Switchboard to operate from.
During this time the group was the subject of many a local newspaper headline and “letters to the editor” column. Border TV also gave coverage to the group’s plight to find premises and support by featuring a spokesman on the Lookaround programme in 1986.
After the departure of Viv back to Newcastle, a new phone line was installed on Tues 10th Feb 1987 at another member’s house.
The group (and Switchboard) sadly closed in the late 1980s and was then re-started in the early 1990s, again operating from a member’s house.
This time the group was lucky enough to be given funding from Borders Health Board to pay for advertising of the service in the Southern Reporter. Later, they also provided shared office premises in which the switchboard could operate from, thus eliminating the need for a member to have the phone installed in their own house.
In 1996 the group was also lucky to be given the use of Greens Diner in Galashiels to hold monthly social gatherings. Later, after the closure of the Diner, we moved to the Golden Lion and still continue to meet in a venue in Galashiels town centre.
Picture taken in Galashiels Library, Feb 2008 to celebrate LGBT History month.
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