A COUPLE who met while working on a project to revitalise the Waverley railway line from Edinburgh to the Borders have named their daughter in honour of the route.
Natasha and Daniel Black met seven years ago while delivering leaflets to the public shortly after the Scottish Parliament passed the Act which authorised the construction of the railway.
Now the happy parents have celebrated the line's rebirth by calling their daughter Odell-May Waverley Black, whose middle name was inspired by the landmark project.
Natasha and Daniel met when they were both summer interns at the project's solicitors Brodies LLP. Following his internship, Daniel continued to work full time for the firm. Their relationship continued to flourish and they married five years later and now live in Edinburgh.
Network Rail, which has led the construction of the project, has gifted the family golden tickets for the inaugural journey along the new route when in opens on September 5 this year.
Odell-May's mum, Natasha Black, said: "Daniel and I met while I was doing a summer job at Brodies. Our roles saw us travel throughout the Scottish Borders delivering information about the project to homes along what was then the proposed new rail route. You could say our relationship started on the A7 which isn't exactly romantic.
"When we discovered we were due a baby last year, we came up with lots of different names. We then got to thinking about how we met and felt it was appropriate to include a reference to the railway. Waverley seemed a sensible choice and was also reflective of the old Borders route and our history together."
She added: "As well as having a nice ring to it, her name also has real meaning. It's a fun story to tell our friends and family and we look forward to telling her about its origins when she's older too.
"We're so pleased to have been gifted the golden tickets. The last time we took a journey down to the Borders, it was just the two of us on the A7, so it'll be brilliant to be able to experience the new railway as a family all these years later. I imagine it will be the first of many family trips down the new line."
Craig Bowman, Senior Communications Manager, Network Rail, said: "Congratulations to Natasha and Daniel. Their early dedication to the project has helped to give new meaning to what Waverley means to them and it's great that they have celebrated that in the naming their daughter. It seemed only right that we congratulated them by gifting the family tickets for the opening weekend. We hope they enjoy the experience."
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