The Moonlighter

Today we’re delighted to announce that the Restoration of Rangers Graves Project has taken another step forward with the re-erecting of James Watson’s stone at Cathcart Cemetery. The cleaning and re-lettering of the stone will be done over the coming weeks. James Watson. Player 1874-1879 Vice President 1889-1890 President 1890-1891. James was also involved in various Rangers committees. Match records show that James Watson started playing with Rangers in 1874 but he was likely involved with the Club before then. He was a member of the legendary 1877 team that got so close to winning the Scottish Cup. James Watson is one of many players from the early days of the Club who took up various committee roles when their playing days were over. He became President of Rangers in 1890. James went on to become a teacher at both Calder Street and Hillhead High School in Glasgow. He ended his days in East Kilbride in the Maxwellton area in a house called Kia Ora and passed on 25th May 1915. James Watson was a huge figure during the growth of our Club. He once again stands tall.

If you'd like to contribute then a link for project donations is here on our website. http://www.thefounderstrail.co.uk/th...rangers-graves

Update: Yesterday morning Chris and Steve uplifted the Markinch bench from Thornton Parish Church. Over the coming weeks the bench will be allowed to dry and then the necessary restoration work carried out. A further update will be posted.

Next Saturday night folks. Entry is £5 which is payable on the door or tickets can be purchased directly from the Pub. We hope to see a few of you there.

The Founders Trail and Ibrox Stadium Tour Sunday 29th January. An insight into our day is now on the Club website. https://rangers.co.uk/news/club/founders-trail-seats-29-january/

5 seats have just become available for Sunday 5th February. Reserve your seat now by clicking here http://www.thefounderstrail.co.uk/book-online For further information phone: 0790 2855536.

The first batch of Founders Trail and Ibrox Stadium Tour dates for 2017 which are selling very quickly are as follows: SUNDAY 29TH JANUARY SUNDAY 5TH FEBRUARY SATURDAY 18TH FEBRUARY SUNDAY 26TH FEBRUARY ( SOLD OUT) SUNDAY 19TH MARCH(SOLD OUT) SATURDAY 25TH MARCH ( SOLD OUT) SUNDAY 16TH APRIL(SOLD OUT) SUNDAY 21ST MAY SUNDAY 11TH JUNE SATURDAY 15TH JULY. ***Tour dates may be subject to change due to football fixtures*** To avoid disappointment please reserve your seat early as the Founders Trail does sell out very quickly. Prices are as follows. Adults £25 Children (under 16) and Senior Citizens £18 Group discounts are available upon request. Reserve your seat now by clicking here http://www.thefounderstrail.co.uk/book-online For further information phone: 0790 2855536.

It will be an honour for us to present the Founders Story at the Ship Inn 36 North Harbour Street Ayr on Saturday 4th March at 7.30pm. Following the presentation there will be a Q&A session. The evening will also provide an insight into The Rangers Graves Restoration Project and The Founders Trail. Entry is £5 which is payable on the door or tickets can be purchased directly from the Pub. We hope to see a few of you there.

Plenty of seats available for the 29th January though so reserve your seat now by clicking here http://www.thefounderstrail.co.uk/book-online

Update. We were contacted last week by fellow supporter Chris Beglin who'd been to pay his respects at the memorial bench that was placed at Thornton Parish Church for the 5 Markinch boys who never returned home. He brought to our attention that the bench has been suffering from weather damage. Today we got permission from the Markinch Memorial Committee and Thornton Church to remove the bench and carry out the necessary work on it to bring it back up to scratch. Chris who is a joiner and his friend who is a painter will tend to the bench over the coming weeks and an update will be posted.

Thanks for correcting that error. Much appreciated.

Over the weekend we've had £100 of donations. Thanks again. A link for project donations is here on our website. http://www.thefounderstrail.co.uk/th...rangers-graves

Still plenty of places available on our first Tour of 2017. To reserve your place send an email to thefounderstrail@gmail.com

We'd like to thank Alex McGhee for donating this signed jersey to the Restoration Project and for also generously paying for the top to be framed which will be done next week. Thank you.

https://rangers.co.uk/news/club/rangers-graves-remembers-66/

When the Restoration of Rangers Graves Project was established three years ago it wasn't only set up to restore the final resting places of those men from our glorious history but anyone within the Rangers family that we could assist. Since 2014 we've restored 21 plots of those who formed and built our Club and we have many more to attend to over the coming weeks and months. Last week we were contacted by a fellow supporter Chris Beglin who had been to pay his respects at both of the Markinch memorials which commemorate the lives of the five boys from the town who lost their lives at Ibrox on the 2nd January 1971. He brought to our attention that the bench which was placed in their memory at Thornton Parish Church was suffering badly from exposure to the weather. Chris informed us that he was a joiner and that he'd like to strip the bench back and have a friend re-varnish it. After consultation with the Markinch Memorial Committee and Thornton Parish Church this work will be carried out over the coming weeks and if needed on an annual basis. Earlier this week around the time of the anniversary i got into dialogue with Ian Milne and Colin Shearer who are both in contact with many of the families and have intimate knowledge of many of the resting places. Additionally the Club will let us contact any of the families who lost loved ones who's details are currently unknown. We are now pleased to announce this morning that the project to restore, and in some cases mark,all of the resting places of those who lost their lives at the Ibrox Disasters has begun. Ian Milne who is the piper who played his lament at not only at Ibrox on Monday evening but at every grave site of our brothers and sisters who lost their lives has been in contact with the son of George Findlay who is buried in an unmarked grave at Riddrie in Glasgow. The placing of a new stone here will start the project. Not forgotten will be the two lads George Nelson and Tommy Thomson who both perished at the accident at Ibrox in 1961. We at the Restoration Project have a dedicated team who apply the due love, care and attention to detail at every site that we've worked on and it will be an honour to help the families bereaved by restoring the sites of our fellow supporters. This project will run in tandem with our current Restorations. What's been important in the process is the relationship that we have with a stone mason and many of the councils that we've dealt with over the years. This is a huge project but one which will be seen through to the end. No-one will be forgotten. We're aiming for completion around the 50th Anniversary of the Ibrox Disaster in 2021. This all of course will require funding. We have over the years received many donations for which we are grateful and will appeal to our fellow supporters again as we highlight each individual plot and circumstance. We will remember them.

It will be an honour for us to present the Founders Story at the Stonefield Tavern 227 Glasgow Road Blantyre on Saturday 28th January at 7.30pm. Following the presentation there will be a Q&A session. The evening will also provide an insight into The Rangers Graves Restoration Project and The Founders Trail. Entry is £5 which is payable on the door or tickets can be purchased directly from the Pub. We hope to see a few of you there.

For the New Year we have made a few changes mainly a new website and email address. We can now be found at http://www.thefounderstrail.co.uk and be contacted at thefounderstrail@gmail.com No changes to our twitter page but our facebookpage is now Thefounderstrail.co.uk

As we approach 2017 we'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who joined us on the Founders Trail and Ibrox Stadium Tour during the last year. 2016 saw us take more people than ever before around Glasgow on our journey of discovery. Over the last seven years we’ve taken almost 7,000 people around Glasgow on the Founders Trail and through the front doors of Ibrox for the Stadium Tour, many for the first time. Our Founders Presentation evenings continue to go from strength to strength , this is all possible because of the support we’ve received from yourselves. Over the last three years the Rangers Graves Restoration Project has seen us restore 21 plots of those men who built our Club. Our research work on the Restorations and Founders project will continue over the coming weeks and months. We've made new friends and met some wonderful characters all brought together by the Rangers family. A special thanks goes to the the Media and Marketing teams at Rangers for helping to promote the Tours and our continued work on the Restoration Project. Also the staff at Partick Bowling Club, Parks of Hamilton and the Tour Guides at Ibrox. Last but not least, our resident gardeners at Craigton Cemetery who take great care of the McNeil ,Struth and many other plots. On Saturday the 19th November the Board of Directors at the Club joined us on the Founders Trail and this will see further expansion of the Tours over the coming weeks and months. The education process behind the Founders Trail is vitally important to us all as this will ensure that our unique and wonderful story is passed on to the next generation. The Founders Trail will return next month with an expansion on the Founders Story and new locations. Bookings for our first Tour dates for 2017 are coming in fast , they are as follows: SUNDAY 29TH JANUARY SUNDAY 5TH FEBRUARY(SOLD OUT) SATURDAY 18TH FEBRUARY (SOLD OUT) SUNDAY 26TH FEBRUARY ( SOLD OUT) SUNDAY 19TH MARCH SATURDAY 25TH MARCH ( SOLD OUT) SUNDAY 16TH APRIL(SOLD OUT) SUNDAY 21ST MAY SUNDAY 11TH JUNE SATURDAY 15TH JULY. To reserve your seat just send an email to thegallantpioneers@gmail.com Happy New Year and Thank You. The Founders Team.

Our first Tour of 2017 will be on Sunday 29th January. We currently have plenty of seats remaining but please reserve your place as soon as possible to avoid disappointment as the Tours are selling out very quickly. Adults : £25 Children (under 16) and Senior Citizens £18. Group discounts are available upon request. To reserve your seat just send an email to : thegallantpioneers@googlemail.com

Due to incredible demand we've added an additional date to our Tour Programme for 2017. The Founders Trail and Ibrox Stadium Tour dates are as follows: SUNDAY 29TH JANUARY SUNDAY 5TH FEBRUARY(SOLD OUT) SATURDAY 18TH FEBRUARY (SOLD OUT) SUNDAY 26TH FEBRUARY ( SOLD OUT) SUNDAY 19TH MATCH SATURDAY 25TH MARCH ( SOLD OUT) SUNDAY 16TH APRIL SUNDAY 21ST MAY SUNDAY 11TH JUNE SATURDAY 15TH JULY. ***Tour dates may be subject to change due to football fixtures*** To avoid disappointment please reserve your seat early as the Founders Trail does sell out very quickly. Prices are as follows. Adults £25 Children (under 16) and Senior Citizens £18 Group discounts are available upon request. To reserve your seat just send an email to: thegallantpioneers@gmail.com For further information phone: 0790 2855536.

We'd like to thank everyone for their continued support throughout 2016 and wish everyone a Merry Christmas.

Our winner Colin McIver was presented with the framed top this morning.

All Gift Vouchers purchased will be posted today 1st class to ensure delivery for Christmas.