Edinburgh veteran speechless after 80th birthday surprise

An 80-year-old veteran was speechless after birthday surprise from big-hearted locals.

Bill Laird birthday 80th birthday surprise from big-hearted Balerno locals

Bill Laird, manager of the Hardware shop in Balerno, said he was floored when friends from the village appeared and asked him to

come outside for a surprise birthday handover of cake, money and presents.

Praised by residents of the village as an unsung hero, Mr Laird who served seventeen years in the tanks regiment of the Army, has thanked the community for the gesture for lifting his spirits at a time when he can't see his family.

Bill Laird served in the Royal Scots Greys Cavalry Regiment from 1961 to 1978

"I was floored when I came out and folk were waiting with gifts, cake and balloons, I just can't get over it. I'm still trying to recover! I still don't even know how they knew because I don’t tell folk it's my birthday. I usually just have a quiet one with my wife. Something like that had never crossed my mind, when I saw something up on my windows I thought maybe there had been a break in! It turned out it was happy birthday banners. It was really lovely. Thank you to Pamela and everyone who sent messages, cards and presents.”

"Two of my sons are abroad and my other son is nearby but we haven't been able to see him for weeks. We miss him, my wife phones him every day. I hope we can at least see him for Christmas.”

The granddad of four from Edinburgh, who is a trained locksmith and ironmonger, has owned the hardware store in Balerno since 1982 and says its still going strong. "It makes me laugh, when people come in to get sweets for their kids, I remember when they were little and they came in to get their penny mixes."

"When I first moved here there were ten shops, but now there's only a few. It's been a hard few months for everyone but we've been really lucky because the shop counts as essential. Whatever people need I can get it in.”

Bill Laird gets big 80th birthday surprise from Balerno local community

Pamela Doull, who organised the surprise, said Mr Laird has been a lifeline to the people in the local community. And he isn’t showing any signs of slowing down.

The owner of Tufty’s Dog Grooming Salon said: “No matter what you need Bill will get it for you. If you buy parts in the shop for something broken, he will help you fix it and not take any money. He’s 80 now but there’s no chance he will retire! He has been there every single day and has really kept people going. He doesn't live in the village and his wife doesn't keep well, but he has gone out of his way through these hard months, getting special stuff in for the kids.

"He is a very quiet, kind man who served his country for years and is still doing it now. He calls himself ‘grumpy Bill’ and he certainly keeps the kids in check at lunchtimes! He is a real character and an extremely valued member of our community.”

"We couldn’t have a big street gathering like we had planned, so many people wanted to be there. He thought he was just getting a couple of banners in the window. Then he realised we were waiting outside he was so excited, the look on his face was priceless.”

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