Members of the Boroughmuir Banshees girls’ rugby section have begun their big October fund raiser for LooseHeadz.
LooseHeadz is rugby’s mental health charity that uses the power of rugby to start conversations, tackle stigma and save lives.
And during October the ‘Banshee miles 4 minds – the 4,400-mile challenge’ is being undertaken by Banshees’ players, coaches, management team, parents and others connected to the Edinburgh club.
A Banshees statement read: “Every 44 seconds, someone, somewhere, dies by suicide so we are challenging everyone to collectively travel 4,400 miles during October.
“Walk it, run it, cycle it, row it – however you choose to clock up your miles, every mile counts.
“We’ll be keeping track throughout October as we try to reach that huge 4,400-mile target together.”
At the weekend just gone, the Banshees under-12 and under-14 teams held an Evolution Series event at home at Meggetland.
Almost 100 players from across the east of Scotland took part in the event that was a brilliant showcase for girls rugby and the Banshees made sure they made their home event one to remember with three wins from three in the older age group.
On the day there was plenty of support for the Looseheadz fund raiser too while this evening October 7, Gillian Nimmo, the Boroughmuir director of woman’s and girls’ rugby, is up for an award.
She is a finalist in the Heart of the Club award category at the 2026 LooseHeadz Community Awards, recognising her contribution to keeping the club thriving.
Nimmo, whose daughter Ellen is in the Scotland under-21 squad, started Boroughmuir’s women’s section with two players and built it up almost single-handedly.
The Boroughmuir Banshees are now one of the most talked-about teams in Scottish rugby with mental health at the front of minds because the culture she has built at the club.
Sponsored by Charles Tyrwhitt, the Heart of the Club award is a lifetime award for the person who has kept their club alive through thick and thin, the person who is the beating heart of the place, no matter the challenge.
Co-founder of LooseHeadz Rob Shotton said: “Every club has someone who holds it all together and very often they’re the last person who wants any credit for it.
“The nominees for this award are people who are the beating heart of their respective clubs, and this shortlisting is a chance for the whole rugby community to say thank you to them.”
The winners will be revealed at the LooseHeadz Community Awards this evening at the De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London. Donald Fowler of Leodiensians and Paul Murphy of Mullingar RFC are in the same category as Nimmo.
LooseHeadz ambassadors Craig Doyle, Abbie Ward and David Flatman will be in attendance with Doyle presenting the awards.
To donate to the ‘Banshee miles 4 minds – the 4,400-mile challenge’, visit here.
The Banshees are pictured
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