Tom's back in business

HE has become as distinctive a part of the Royal Mile as shops selling tartan souvenirs and tourists sampling their first malt whisky.

TIN MAN: Steve Cardownie makes a contribution after stepping in to help ensure Tom Gilzean could continue collecting at the top of the Royal Mile. Picture: GREG MACVEAN

Having raised more than 35,000 for charity in the last year by collecting money at the top of the Royal Mile almost every day while dressed in a kilt, 90-year-old former soldier Tom Gilzean has earned the reputation of being Edinburgh's top charity street collector.

That was until new rules brought in to control street collectors had put his fund-raising in doubt, by only allowing him to collect on six days every year. But he is now back at his usual spot after city leaders agreed to use special powers to grant him a licence to collect on as many days as he wants - after the Evening News raised awareness of his case.

And now he has set himself a target of raising more than 40,000 this year.

Mr Gilzean, of Peffermill, said: "I'm very pleased. Although I'm almost frozen to death I'm happy to be back.

"I'm 91 on May 12 and I love doing this. I've done a lot for charity and collected 35,000 last year then gave it away. I gave 23,000 to the Sick Kids and there are five others that I make sure I give at least 1500 each to.

"One of them is wounded soldiers in Afghanistan, and I give money to the Erskine hospital at Gilmerton, so that I know the money stays locally. I'm pleased I can keep raising that money. I really appreciate the support I've had."

He said that staff at the nearby Witchery restaurant help him stave off the cold during collections, which are usually done in three-hour morning stints, by bringing him a cup of tea.

He has received licences for the last three years but he didn't realise that they restricted him to only six days a year. Last month, he received an official letter from the council warning him that he could face legal action unless he stopped the daily collections.

But deputy council leader Steve Cardownie then stepped in and persuaded officials to use emergency powers to grant a new year-round licence amid concerns about the anxiety that stopping the collections would cause Mr Gilzean, who served in the Royal Engineers for 12 years as a sapper, fighting in Europe in the Second World War.

Councillor Cardownie said: "Tom is an exceptional man who has made a huge contribution to various charities through many years.

"He is a well-kent figure on the High Street who goes about his business in a polite manner and these rules were not brought in to affect a man like Tom. He is a Royal Mile character and we have no intention of him not being there. He's done a great deal for charity and it would be a shame if he was prohibited from doing the work he's well known for."