Crowds flocked to Peebles High Street on Tuesday morning to watch the town’s red Royal Mail post box being painted gold in honour of local lad Scott Brash’s Olympic gold medal win in the Equestrian Showjumping Team final.
On Monday 26-year-old Scott became the first born-and-bred Borderer to win a gold medal in the history of the modern Olympics.
Proud locals also queued up in the town’s post office to buy commemorative first-class stamps picturing the four triumphant British horseriders: Brash, Peter Charles, Ben Maher and Nick Skelton.
The gold medal stamps were available within 24 hours in 500 post offices around the UK, including Peter’s home town of Alton, Ben’s in Bishop Stortford and Nick Skelton’s in Alcester, where post boxes were also painted gold.
An additional 4,700 post offices will also receive the stamps within a week. Scott’s is the 17th gold medal stamp to be issued by the Royal Mail.
Speaking to TheSouthern on the street, Scott’s uncle, Walter Brash, described the moment he watched his nephew win gold.
“It was just unbelievable,” he said. “We were all in the Crown (Hotel). The whole of the town was there watching I think. I was on the edge of the chair, and jumped for joy. We were all over the fence with him. Every jump he’s done we’ve been watching him.
“I think Scott will be relieved. But he’s Mr Cool – nothing bothers him. When he was picked for the Olympics, he was just ecstatic, over the moon. It was the first time I’d ever seen him nervous.
“The lad’s worked so hard to get there, and he’s never had any silver spoon in his mouth or anything. He’s done it all himself.
“He’s a quiet laddie, dedicated to the horses, and thinks about nothing else but the horses. He’s got such a way with horses, it’s unbelievable.
“Stanley (Brash, Scott’s father) will be over the moon. I mean, he’d never have expected anything like this.
“I’m just so proud of him. I’ve always been proud of Scott: he’s done so well. He’s done the country proud and he’s done Peebles proud. It’ll mean a great deal for Peebles. People will come here to see the town he came from. The tourist trade should boost up.”
Meanwhile, Glenrath Farms owner John Campbell has promised to paint both post boxes in the Peeblesshire hamlet of Manor gold in tribute to Brash’s success.
He said: “He is my next door neighbour in Manor and if the Royal Mail don’t paint our post boxes gold then I will do it.
“It is a unbelievable achievement considering where he has come from. Everyone in Manor is very, very supportive of all Scott has done.”