LOTHIAN fans of Scotland's national poet have more reason than most to celebrate Burns Night today.
Campaigners have won a ten-year battle for cash to breathe new life into two key East Lothian sites in the history of Robert Burns.
For decades the former home of the poet's mother and the final resting place of her and his brother Gilbert Burns h
ave been allowed to fall into disrepair.
But now the Haddington-based Grant Braes' Burns Club has been awarded more than £40,000 to repair and improve access to the cottage where Agnes Broun lived and died, and the grave where both she and Gilbert are buried.
Club member David Murray said the east of Scotland was often overlooked by those retracing Burns' life. He said: "For too long these sites have been the forgotten gems in Robert Burns' story."
Work is now set to begin on clearing scrub from the cottage ruins, and restoration work has already started on the grave.
Mr Murray said: "The mission started about ten years ago. The turning point was four or five years ago when we realised the 250th anniversary of Burns' birth was coming up in 2009. It was a hard-fought battle."
The family grave is at Bolton Church, near Haddington. Railings removed during World War II are currently being replaced and a nearby well, dedicated to Burns' mother, is being renovated.
Bob Mitchell, of the club, said: "All three sites have been in a state of disrepair and have not been visible or easily accessible.
"Interpretation boards will be erected to detail the history of the sites and a website developed.
"Guided tours of the site will be carried out by local volunteers and advertised locally through the press and on the website."
More than £21,000 has come from the Heritage Lottery Fund, while more than £17,000 was donated from the charitable wing of Viridor Waste Management.
Haddington Community Council, brewers Scottish and Newcastle and East Lothian Investments made up the rest of the funding package.
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