THIRTEEN thousand turned out to be the lucky number for Peebles High School.

The weekend's Recovery Ball goers helped organisers smash their target on a glittering night of fun and fundraising at Peebles Hydro.

The brainchild of Odd Shaped Ball organisers, Ross Duncan and Mark Thomson, the sell-out Peebles High Recovery Ball was held last Friday to support the school and parent council’s resilience efforts following November’s fire.

Raise funds it certainly did with the fantastic sum of £13,310 generated on the night, thanks to proceeds from ticket sales, auction bids and a prize draw.

Nearly 220 guests from across Peeblesshire and beyond packed into the Ballroom for an evening that coupled community spirit with high spirits.

The Ball attracted donations from all over Scotland with a fantastic array of auction prizes on offer, ranging from golf at The Gleneagles Hotel and Royal Troon through to a boxing session with former World Champion Alex Arthur MBE and a group chocolate truffle making experience with the now world renowned chocolatiers Cocoa Black.

Hosts Peebles Hydro were on hand to supply Ball goers with a complimentary glass of their locally distilled 1881 Gin, and the event was opened in spectacular style by youngsters from the Fiona Henderson School of Dance, who later joined in a special appearance from the Peebles Ex-Serviceman’s Pipe Band, wowing the crowd with a rousing display of pipes and drums.

Campbell Wilson, Head Teacher at Peebles High School, was a welcome special guest on the night.

Addressing the crowd to a standing ovation he said: “For the past few months I’ve said so many thank yous and the way the local community has rallied round Peebles High School has been amazing.

"Tonight’s PHS Recovery Ball has been a shining example of that and its humbling to see so much effort put into the organising and so many people here to support the event, so I’ll have more than a few messages of thanks to add.”

The dancefloor was packed once again for the latter part of evening as Evan Balfour’s excellent Back Green Band – giving up their time for free to support the school - turned up the atmosphere dial up even higher, with guests reliving their youth with renditions of The Killers, Oasis and an array of classic floor-fillers, bringing it home with a rather well-known Proclaimers tune.

Co-organiser Ross told us: “The Peebles High Recovery Ball has exceeded all our expectations and we’re delighted to play our part in supporting the school.

"Following on from the success of the Odd Shaped Ball, Mark and I thought we could do something, but we didn’t have much time to turn it around. It was amazing to have so many people wanting to attend and, in the end, we could have sold it out nearly three times over. We also had fantastic prizes donated by companies and individuals from all over Scotland, which highlights the level of support that was out there for the town and the school.

“We’re also hugely grateful to Evan Balfour and the Back Green Band, the Fiona Henderson School of Dance and the Peebles Pipe Band who contributed to a brilliant night of entertainment and their efforts undoubtedly encourage people to dig a little bit deeper.”

Fellow organiser and auctioneer for the night Mark Thomson added: “We set ourselves the ambitious target of raising £10,000 so to smash that and bring in more than £13,000 is amazing. It shows the generosity of our local community and highlights what an important cause this was to get behind.

“The money raised will go towards replacing many of the key resources that were lost in the fire and provide much needed support for the teachers and pupils, who have certainly shown great resilience since the fire in November. We are delighted to help and would like to thank everyone for their enthusiasm in getting behind the Ball.”

The organisers would like to thank Beech Joinery, Border Biscuits, Royal Troon Golf Club, North Berwick Golf Club, Centras Energy, Cocoa Black, Kevin Thomson, Evolution Bottling & Packaging Solutions, The Flower Bea, Studio One, Upper Cuts, Doug Smith, Alex Arthur MBE, Tiger Lilly Edinburgh, First XV Rugby Stuff, Eden Mill, Aberdeen Standard Investments, Rusacks Hotel St Andrews, The Beauty Yard, 20:20 Opticians, Stobo Castle, Peebles Hydro, Marriot Hotels, Scottish Events Campus and Alex Arthur MBE.

Further photos and videos from the event are available on the Odd Shaped Ball’s Facebook page, while tickets will be on sale later in the year for the local sports fundraiser, the Odd Shaped Ball, which will take place on Saturday, September 5.