Acclaimed poetry book updated to boost the Ayrshire Hospice

Back in 1990, Dr Jimmy Begg and his friend and fellow poet, the late John Reid, decided to publish a collection of their poems and short stories in the Ayrshire dialect.

And the proceeds from The Dipper an the Three Wee Deils were all donated to the recently opened hospice.

Amazingly, the initial print run of 2,000 copies sold out within six weeks and as Jimmy was scheduled to appear on BBC’s Jimmy McGregor’s Gathering to publicise the book, they very quickly had to arrange for a further 1,000 copies to be printed to cope with the demand.

In a year, those 3,000 copies raised more than £8,000 for the Hospice.

John, born in Dalry and a former head teacher at Ochiltree Primary then Stanley JS School in Ardrossan, died peacefully in 2010, aged 96.

John Reid and Jimmy Begg hand over a cheque to the hospice in 1991 (Image: Jimmy Begg) Jimmy, who was born in New Cumnock in 1942 and worked as a GP in Ayr and as a civilian helicopter search and rescue medic at HMS Gannet till his retirement, has now updated the work to benefit the hospice once more.

And the former GP, who was also responsible for the creation of the Ayrshire Coastal Path, will be holding a book signing event at Ayr Waterstones on Saturday, December 7, from noon.

This time round, the author has had similar generous sponsorship from Maxi Haulage, New Cumnock Community Council and Ayr Rotary Club - and he would love to be able to repeat that success.

Early this year, Dr Begg approached the hospice with the idea of re-publishing ‘The Dipper’ in a much-enlarged version (280 pages) that would include much of his later work.

John Reid’s family were delighted with this proposal - although they had no further unpublished poems to add to the anthology.

The Ayrshire Hospice is also “absolutely delighted and excited” about the fundraising project - and keen to assist in any way possible.

The two authors met at poetry competitions before the collaboration.

The cover of the updated book (Image: Jimmy Begg)

Born in 1913, John Reid developed a lifelong interest in wildlife and the countryside, and a passion for angling.

His career in teaching was interrupted by Second World War service as a Flight-Lieutenant in the RAF.

He had a visionary approach to teaching and education and purchased an old croft in Arran, which became the forerunner of the Arran Outdoor Resource Centre.

But angling was his main passion and for many years he was treasurer of the Ayrshire Anglers Association, president of the Scottish Anglers Association, chairman of the River Ayrshire Purification Board, and as the anglers’ representative member on the Secretary of State’s Fisheries Committee overseeing the effect of hydro-electric power stations on salmon and trout fishing.

For his contribution to angling he was awarded the MBE in 1975.

Jimmy Begg always had a love of nature - especially bird-watching and fishing. A keen environmentalist, he founded and helped run the River Doon Angling Improvement Association from 1977-1986.

It was during this time that he first met John - and subsequently succeeded him for a five-year stint on the Secretary of State’s Fisheries Committee.

He has written two books, Rescue 177 and Burning and Turning, on his 11 years of flying with the Royal Navy .  

In 1996 he was awarded an MBE for services to medicine and the community.

In 2008, having been responsible for the creation of Ayrshire Coastal Path - of which he is still Trail Manager - he wrote its best-selling Ayrshire Coastal Path Guidebook, now in its third edition.

'The Dipper an The Three Wee Deils - an a Guid Wheen Mair Poems' (2024) is now in print and already available for sale at all eight Ayrshire Hospice Shops and the hospice website, Carn Publishing and at Ayr Waterstones, with all proceeds going to straight to the work of the hospice.