On this Mother’s Day GH Media thought it was a good opportunity to catch up with a rugby-loving mother and daughter in the shape of Gillian and Ellen Nimmo and hear about their respective journeys in the sport and how the duo support each other in that respect too.
Where did you grow up and how did rugby first come onto your radar?
Gillian Nimmo (GN): “Rugby has been in my life since the day I was born.
“My dad lived and breathed rugby and I was always with him at whichever rugby club he was playing at or was going to watch Scotland. As a kid we used to tour the five nations to each Scotland match and, looking back, it was unbelievable.
“My first club was Cumbernauld where dad played and I remember being around the clubhouse all the time. When I was nine we moved to the south coast of England and we joined Hastings and Bexhill Rugby Club where my dad played as part of the third XV. He went on to become the treasurer of the club and my brother’s under-5s coach. He was part of the group that was a driving force behind getting a new clubhouse at the club, but sadly he never got to see it as he passed away aged 43 in 1995. Thirty plus years later the clubhouse is still standing and dad even has a cup named after him. My brother played for the club, my mum worked behind the bar, and I ran a sweetie stall on a Sunday for the minis so it really was a huge family affair.
“Since then, I have supported my brother in his rugby career. He was part of the Harlequins academy when he was younger, however, injury ended his playing career. He went on to become a development officer at Wasps and is now a director of sport and volunteers within the SQ programme. Rugby will always be a part of me.
“When my dad passed away, we were lucky to be allowed to scatter his ashes at Murrayfield. He is around the South Stand posts. My mum was just as huge a supporter so, when she passed away 10 years after dad, we asked if we could scatter her ashes there too and we were granted permission, so we put her around the North Stand posts. That way, no matter where Scotland score, one of them is always celebrating. Going to Murrayfield is not just about the rugby for me as a result, it is about going and saying hi to my mum and dad.”
Ellen Nimmo (EN): “I was born and raised in Wallyford, East Lothian where I have lived all of my life. Rugby was always my mum’s thing and we would go to Scotland games and I enjoyed them, however, it was not a sport I wanted to play as I was playing hockey and doing judo which I loved.
“My mum was involved in with the Boroughmuir Bears during the Super6 days and one day [club coach and former Edinburgh Rugby player] Alex Toolis asked me if I was going to go to a rugby camp he was running. I said I would give it a go and since then I have not stopped playing rugby.”
How has your rugby journey gone from then to now and what roles do you have in rugby now?
GN: “It has been a whirlwind over the last 15 years to say the least.
“If I could tell my dad everything that we do, he would never believe me. When I left Hastings to move back to Scotland for university, I was the biggest supporter of Scotland, but was not involved in club rugby. That was until Bill Noble, the then president of Boroughmuir, walked into TM Lewin on George Street where I was the store manager. I asked him what he was looking for and he asked if we could supply club ties. That was the beginning of my relationship with Boroughmuir. I had previously provided shirts and ties to Melrose, Edinburgh Rugby and some football teams such as St Johnstone and Manchester City.
“I remember once meeting Craig Chalmers and Jim Telfer and shaking so much I could not measure their neck size! Initially at Boroughmuir I was there as a supporter, however, when Super6 started I was asked to help with matchday operations, then supporting players with their CV writing and finding suitable employment.
“For a short period, I was director of staff for our limited company, however, when Ellen decided to give rugby a try I was asked to take on the admin for the girls’ side of things. It quickly became a passion and goal to make girls’ rugby a big thing within the club. I was asked to become the director of rugby for girls’ and women’s rugby and, roll on four years, we are still doing all we can to deliver a fun and safe place for girls to play rugby.
“I was also asked to support with the ball team for Scotland women’s international matches and this has since become a much bigger role. I now, alongside my colleague Graham Hogg, support Edinburgh Rugby and Scotland to manage the ball team for all Edinburgh men’s, women’s and Edinburgh A games along with all Scotland men’s, women’s, U20 and, now for the first time, Scotland U21 women’s games. It is huge privilege to be a part of the matchday operations and one that I will never take for granted and it is all thanks to Boroughmuir and the late Bill Noble walking into my store all those years ago.
EN: “Since I started playing four years ago it has been a positive experience with some challenges.
“In my second year I was not selected for the regional squad, however, was drafted in later and loved it. The next year I went through the same process again and captained Scotland U16 at a festival played in Gala where we took on the Netherlands and a team from Wales.
“Once I turned 16, I joined the U18 Regional Training Centre and that summer hoped to be selected in the Scotland U18 training squad. Unfortunately, during a game I injured my knee and that took me out of playing for a few months.
“Last year after some rehab and recovery, I was able to play in the Regional Game Series and was lucky enough to be selected in the U18 Six Nations squad. For the first three seasons that I played I was part of the Boroughmuir Banshees, however, this season I gained dispensation to play senior rugby and have been playing all my club rugby for Heriot’s and have been playing back-row.
“Since the start of the year, I have been involved in the Regional Game Series and have just finished a batch of games as part of Edinburgh U18s where I played prop.
“I am still training and there is a lot of rugby still to come this season. After the summer, I will be starting to study at the University of Edinburgh and I am looking forward to see what the next part of my rugby journey will look like.”
What is it about rugby you love so much ad what have been your highlights in the sport to date?
GN: “I love how rugby brings everyone together, No matter where you are from, there is always a place for you at a rugby club whether that be on the field or in the clubhouse.
“When I was a young teenager I had – and still have – a group of ‘big brothers’ at Hastings and Bexhill and now some of our kids are friends. In fact, one of my brother’s teammates from the under-5s is involved in Boroughmuir through kit sponsorship.
“On a rugby pitch youngsters – especially girls with the game growing – forget about social media, how they look or what is trending now. All they care about is showing up for each other, celebrating each other’s talents and skills and having fun. This is what it is all about no matter your age.
“My rugby highlights fall into different categories. The first must be seeing my daughter love rugby, have fun and use it as a vehicle for her own development whether this be on the field or though other activities like being on the Scottish Rugby Youth Panel. The second is my girls, the Boroughmuir Banshees. I love these players and all that they stand for.
“Over the past four seasons I have met some incredible young women who make want me to go back and do it all again. They are amazing on the field and off the field they are a force to be reckoned with. Supporting organisations like the Bill McLaren Foundation or helping at the launch of 90 Days – the World Cup play by Sandra Colamartino and other amazing women – is great. To be a small part of the Banshee girls’ lives is amazing.”
EN: “Rugby is such an exciting sport to be a part of on and off the pitch.
“In recent years, I have been fortunate to be surrounded by amazing coaches and team mates, some who are now my closest friends. I have also had the opportunity to develop via the game off the pitch by being part of the Scottish Rugby Youth Panel which has been a huge privilege.
“On pitch I have so much fun and enjoy the technical and physical aspects of the sport and my playing highlight so far was representing Scotland in the U18 Six Nations last year. It was so much fun and the competition developed me as a player by being able to play against some really top quality opponents.”
You must be proud of what each other has achieved in rugby and it must be great that you can enjoy the sport together?
GN: “Thanks Gary, you have me crying now…
“It is not about me being proud, it is about Ellen being proud of herself knowing that she has done all the hard work to get her to where she is.
“I try to stay away from her rugby involvement and let her get on with it, I literally just turn up and watch while all the taxi driving and such like comes from her dad. Ellen has always had a tenacious personality in terms of schoolwork, judo and now rugby.
“To see her decide what she wants to do and go after it despite setbacks along the way due to injuries and not being selected and such like is inspiring.
“To see her being selected to represent Scotland at last year’s U18 Six Nations was unreal. Her rugby journey is a bonus I could never have imagined and, like all parents, we are proud.”
EN: “I’ve loved being able to go through both our rugby journeys together over the past few years. We have had some awesome opportunities such as events and games that we have enjoyed so much together. Seeing how much my mum does for girls’ rugby is a real inspiration. She pours so much love and passion into it so that girls’ rugby in Scotland will continue to grow.
“With all that she does for rugby, she also always has time to be the best mum.”
Gillian Nimmo, 46, works in recruitment and has done for the past seven years after 15 years in retail. STAR Recruitment are property and construction specialists and she is part of the property team who tend to specialise in new homes, however, they also work with property companies across residential sales and lettings. She says that rugby has been a brilliant ‘connector’ in this industry as many people within rugby also work within the property sector so that has been a fun way of mixing the two things.
Ellen Nimmo, 17, is currently in her last year of high school with her advanced higher exams coming up soon. She will be starting at university in September studying Biological Sciences and is hoping to specialise in genetics.
Gillian and Ellen Nimmo – plus Scotland star Rhona Lloyd – are pictured