Have you noticed how the longer days and brighter evenings can change the look of the rooms in your home?

I know we don’t see much sunlight in Scotland, however, the rays may cause damage to the delicate fabrics in soft furnishings, including curtains, cushions and upholstry.

Blackout blinds can help counteract this.

Roman, roller, wooden Venetian and vertical, pleated or velux blinds can all be custom-made to suit your windows, and can be created using various styles of fabric, from the plain to the exotic.

If you have lots of windows or a conservatory in your home, having blinds as an option to close at midday when the sun is at its height can be very useful.

Conservatories are fantastic assets to your home, but can become overheated on warm days. Available are special-effect blinds that block the sun and reduce the heat in the summer months, but will keep the heat in during winter.

And with spring definitely in the air – we’ve even seen some beautiful, if still chilly, sunny days this week – many people will be looking for ways to give their home a lift.

Wooden or cane conservatory furniture can be given a fresh look for the summer by changing the fabrics on the seat pads or new cushions, for example. Your choice of fabric will ensure each has a special, personal feel.

Blues and terracottas that are in tones this season look especially good in a conservatory.

Changing the lighting is a great way to make your conservatory plusher and more sophisticated, including chandeliers, floor/table lamps and wall lights.

The shades can be custom made to match the décor of the room.

Cushions are again a classic way of introducing the in-seasons colours to your home. Fabric off-cuts from curtains are sometimes enough to make a cushion cover.

Custom-made furniture can be created locally by most good carpenters – another way to make your home unique. These pieces of furniture can be painted or varnished to add charm or a unique style, depending on the room.

Pieces can sometimes be more cost-effective for your needs than commercially acquired.

Many people don’t want naturals greys in their homes as it can be seen as a gloomy colour, but actually it is a timeless look. Wallpaper and paints are now available with new special effects. You can personalise your wall art by altering colour photos to these greys tones.

The shabby-chic style is still a desired look for any home. Creating this look is easily achieved by introducing vintage or upcycled lampshades, photo frames and ornaments.

Sunrooms and summerhouses can be smartly dressed in deck-chair stripes and spot fabrics, which are easily available from most local stockists at reasonable prices charged per metre.

Moving out into the garden area and with the May bank holiday almost upon us this is where we all hope to be spending it – enjoying barbecues with family and friends.

PVC fabric is readily available, in many different patterns, and will not only brighten your garden party when used as tablecloths, but they will make your life easier as they are hygenic and wipeable.

Deck chairs can be given a new lease of life by replacing the fabrics, and a new range of all-weather fabrics can be used to make outdoor seating cushions, which will ensure added comfort of most patio furniture.

After a long time in planning, pupils and staff at a Hawick primary school are enjoying new play equipment.

On Friday, the new play area at Drumlanrig St Cuthbert’s was officially opened by the council’s senior education officer Helen Ross and pupil Harris Common. The project to upgrade the play area has involved the pupil council, Drumlanrig Out of School Club, parents and staff.

Acting depute headteacher Andy Jones said: “Many members of staff have invested significant time and effort to bring this project through to completion, and they are as thrilled with the new area as the children are.

“Through this investment, we will enable children to experience an even better quality of outdoor learning that will be engaging, imaginative, active and collaborative.

“The children now have an opportunity to experience play and exercise in an outdoor environment that is a delight to be in.”

The once tired and run down area has been transformed with artificial grass, and a high quality activity area where children can climb, slide and scramble on various pieces of equipment.

I was truly surprised this week to find my mug plastered across the Scottish pages of the BBC website. Not for any wrong-doing, but for a words-and-photos piece marking the 30th anniversary of the first airing of both BBC Radio Tweed and BBC Radio Solway.

Tweed was based in the Old Municipal Buildings in Selkirk and Solway in studios in the evocatively-named Lovers Lane in Dumfries. Tweed covered the Borders. The stations were opt-outs of the mainstream programming of Radio Scotland – half an hour from Good Morning Scotland and a similar period from Good Evening Scotland.

The stations were born in April 1983 and I drifted into the Selkirk outfit later that year at the invitation of the station’s first senior producer, Caroline Adam. I was going through an emotional patch at the time. I had recently lost my wife. She’d gone to live with a joiner at Star of Markinch in Fife.

This wasn’t my first experience in the world of broadcasting. As a newspaper reporter in Galashiels, I had boosted my meagre wages by doing some freelance work for Edinburgh-based Radio Forth.

But back to the Beeb. There was only a permanent staff of four, so plenty of work for eager freelancers. And not just the professionals. Part of the reason for establishing these stations in Lerwick, Kirkwall, Inverness and Aberdeen, as well as the south of Scotland, was to give the people the opportunity to broadcast. And they did: teachers, millworkers, housewives, students – if they were keen the opportunity was there. It was a commendable move and it worked.

But only until 1993 when the hierarchy deemed a change was needed. Local programmes covering music, history, education and sport disappeared.

I lost a 25-minute live discussion programme that once ended in embarrassment for a local councillor who thought, as the signature tune rolled, that his mic was off and it wasn’t. He said something he’d probably wanted to say during the programme, but held his tongue. I still have the tape somewhere.

The live element of broadcasting is the best. But it has pitfalls.

Remember the Gillian Taylforth court hearing. It centred on an alleged sex act in a car. I was broadcasting the morning programme.

It was boring news day locally; my concentration drifted and in a moment of almost madness I told the still half-sleeping population of the Borders that the back road between Peebles and Innerleithen was blocked because a tree had suffered a massive blow job.

The population wasn’t dozy for long. Oh how the phones rang. I was chastised regularly by one listener for having too broad a Border voice. Next day I described an incident in Overhaugh Street, Galashiels, as having taken place in the Coogate. Well that’s what we call it in Gala.

We were party lovers at Tweed. Any excuse. The Buck’s Fizz and fry-ups at Selkirk Common Riding were famous. We worked hard and late – and we played hard and late. We sometimes slept in the office.

Bill McLaren tripped over my size 11s one Saturday morning. Then he almost tripped over a pair of rather more dainty feet.

Radio was great.

The Galashiels man who stabbed his estranged wife to death at her home in Hemel Hempstead was last week jailed for life for her murder.

At St Albans Crown Court, Judge Stephen Gullick sentenced Miroslav Wosik, 42, to a minimum of 18 years in jail after he was convicted of killing Bernadeta Jakubszyk, 30, on May 28 last year.

The jury had heard how Wosik’s son Daniel, 18, had found his stepmother dead on her bed and his father sitting beside her.

Bernadeta died from two deep stab wounds which had punctured her right lung. Daniel said his father told him: “Call the police, let them arrest me.”

The couple’s two daughters, aged eight and six, were asleep in the house in The Wye, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, at the time of the killing.

The court was told Wosik had travelled south from his home in Galashiels to visit his family. He had moved out of the family home weeks earlier when the marriage hit difficulties.

Wosik and Bernadeta, who was also Polish, had been together for some eight years and had moved to England in search of a “good life” and set up home in Hemel Hempstead.

But by March of last year, Wosik had left the family home and moved to Galashiels, where he found accommodation in Beech Avenue and a job in a local machine factory.

In the weeks that followed, he made two trips south to see his family before the final one on May 26 last year.

Prosecutor Ann Evans had told the jury that by the time of her death, Bernadeta was getting her life back together and meeting up with Polish friends.

“This was obviously too much for the defendant to bear and he took the ultimate revenge on her,” she said.

Prison for heroin dealer

A drug dealer was jailed for four years and four months after heroin worth more than £2,500 was found at a house in Hawick.

Mohammed Akram, 45, described as a prisoner in Edinburgh, denied being concerned in the supply of the class A drug at Elm Court on December 28 last year, but was found guilty after a three-day jury trial at Jedburgh Sheriff Court.

Sheriff Derrick McIntyre backdated the prison term to December 28.

Motorcyclist disqualified

A motorcyclist, clocked at 124mph, was banned from the roads for 12 months.

Henry Drummond, 35, of New Hunterfield, Gorebridge, denied driving dangerously on the A7 Galashiels-Edinburgh road at Fountainhall on July 25 last year, but was found guilty after trial.

He was also fined £300 and ordered to resit an extended test at the end of the ban.

Cannabis offender

A POLICE search uncovered cannabis resin.

Brian Johnston, 32, of Duke Street, Galashiels, admitted possession of the class B drug on March 27 and was fined £100.

Police turned up at his home with a search warrant after receiving information and found cannabis resin worth £2.50.

Co-accused Zoe Forsyth, 22, of the same address, admitted possession of heroin on the same date and sentence was deferred until May 27 for a Borders Community Addiction Team report.

Sentence reimposed

A teenager who breached a community payback order (CPO) had his sentence reimposed.

Eighteen-year-old Liam Snow, of Glenburn Avenue, St Boswells, was resentenced to a two-year CPO and 200 hours of unpaid work.

Snow appeared on indictment and admitted assaulting a man to his severe injury at Mossilee Road, Galashiels, on August 27, 2011. The single blow left his victim severely injured.

When Snow originally appeared for sentence last June, solicitor George More explained: “This happened at a time when his life was in a bit of turmoil.

“Drink and recreational drugs were involved, and he very much regrets it. He has now completely stopped using drugs and has modified his alcohol intake.”

At that same hearing, Sheriff Kevin Drummond told Snow: “You have no previous convictions, but a single punch has resulted in death before.

“You could just as easily have found yourself standing in the High Court and facing a substantial period of imprisonment.”

Officers called to barney

Concerned neighbours contacted police after hearing a man threaten to kill his partner during a heated argument.

Nicholas Treeby spent three nights in custody as a result of his outburst.

At Selkirk on Monday, Sheriff Kevin Drummond warned the 24-year-old: “It is nobody’s business when you have an argument, but your neighbours shouldn’t be expected to share it.”

He admonished Treeby, adding: “Three nights in custody is an adequate punishment.”

Treeby, of Forest Hill, Galashiels, appeared from custody and admitted behaving in an abusive or threatening manner at his home on Friday.

Prosecutor Tessa Bradley described the couple’s relationship as “tumultuous” and told how neighbours heard them “screaming at the top of their voices”.

The accused was heard to shout, “I’m going to f*****g kill you”, which prompted a call to the police.

Another neighbour claimed the building “vibrated” due to the volume of the noise.

“The accused and his partner said they were entitled to argue in their own home and it was no-one else’s business,” added Ms Bradley.

Treeby told officers it was “only a five-minute barney”.

His solicitor, Iain Burke, said Treeby made the threat during the argument, with no intention of physical harm, adding: “It was just a comment he made in the heat of the moment.”

Knives charge is denied

A Kelso man who denies having two knives had a further first hearing set for May 13.

Roy Chilcott, 44, of Brisbane Place, appeared on indictment accused of having two knives at Kelso Square on July 21 last year.

He is due to stand trial by jury on May 21.

Benefits allegation

A Galashiels woman accused of falsely obtaining more than £25,000 in benefits over some seven years is due to stand trial by jury on May 21.

Karen Hendrie, 49, of Forest Gardens, appeared on indictment and denied obtaining £25,703.65 benefits to which she was not entitled between May 2004 and September 2011. A further first hearing was set for May 13.

Hearing date is set

A Hawick man who has pleaded not guilty to breaking into a house at Melrose and stealing shotguns, ammunition and jewellery had a further first hearing set for May 13.

Kevin Laidlaw, 26, of Minto Place, appeared on indictment and denied, while acting with others, breaking into the property between May 25 and May 28 last year.

Two accused face jury trial

Two men accused of being concerned in the supply of an illegal drug face trial by jury on July 15.

Graeme White, 33, of Bridgegate Court, Peebles, and 32-year-old Graeme Ellis, of Strand, Innerleithen, both deny producing cannabis and being concerned in the supply of the class B drug at a house at Bridgegate Court, Peebles, between February 20 and May 20 last year.

A further intermediate hearing was set for June 24.

Woman pleads not guilty

A Selkirk woman alleged to have falsely obtained more than £14,000 in pension credit faces trial on August 6.

Janette Kent, 57, of Murray Place, denies obtaining £14,892 in pension credit to which she was not entitled between October 2005 and February last year.

Last night’s Scottish FA Youth Cup final between Dunfermline, who included three Borderers in their starting line-up, and Celtic ended with the Glasgow giants winning 3-1.

Celtic took the lead with Jamie Lindsay after 53 minutes. Bahrudin Atajic’s cross met the head of John Herron who rattled the crossbar, but Lindsay was there to curl his shot past Ryan Goodfellow, who hails from Earlston.

Celtic made it 2-0 after 79 minutes when Atajac found Michael Miller’s cross from the left wing.

The Pars grabbed one back less than one minute later with Selkirk man Allan Smith and his powerful drive past Celtic goalkeeper Leonardo Fasan.

The game was sealed when Denny Johnstone made it 3-1 to the Glasgow side six minutes from time, nodding a header past Goodfellow.

The final Borderer in the Dunfermline side was Blair Henderson, also of Earlston.

Drumlanrig Primary School open their new playpark

Andy Jones, Deputy Head Teacher at Drumlanrig Primary in Hawick talks about their new playpark

Sky Sports will screen RaboDirect PRO12 games involving Edinburgh and Glasgow from 2014/15.

Scottish Rugby director of commercial operations, communications and public Affairs, Dominic McKay, said: ““It’s great news for our clubs, Edinburgh Rugby and Glasgow Warriors.”

John Feehan, the league’s chief executive, said: “The quality of our competition is such that 24 out of the 37 players selected for the 2013 Lions Tour to Australia play in the RaboDirect PRO12.”

Celtic Rugby are still in negotiations with other broadcasters and will be announcing further agreements in due course.

The time has finally come for those of us who spotted a big chestnut 2 year old last year to find out whether he is the real deal we think he is in this year’s 2000gns at Newmarket.

The 20/1 has long gone and this imposing son of New Approach now trades nearer even money.

Dawn Approach is unbeaten in six starts and he has improved for each race. His trainer says he hasn’t grown over the winter but at 16.1 hands he hasn’t really needed to.

His style of running suggests he will get towed along by the horse most judges rate as his chief danger, Toronado, a horse who stays every yard of the Guineas mile and a horse who won’t be stopping.

Dawn Approach will need to be spot on to get past the Hannons trained Toronado horse but I’ve spent all winter dreaming of the moment he does so and I’m sure he will.

I have to give a mention to Agent Allison in the 1000 Gunieas. She is a great price at 25/1 and to me is a solid each way bet.

In the Palace House Stakes sprint I like Heeraat, a sprinter through and through.

Selections

Saturday, Newmarket

2,000 Guineas - DAWN APPROACH

Palace House Stakes – HEERAAT

Sunday – Newmarket

1,000 Guineas – AGENT ALLISON (each way)

When Hawick’s Stuart Hogg made his international debut for Scotland this season he was aged just 19 – something he had in common with probably the Mansfield Park club’s greatest player, Jim Renwick.

The latter would go on to win 52 caps for his country and tour with the 1980 British Lions to South Africa.

But whereas Renwick had to wait eight years after his first Scotland cap for a call-up to the Lions, for Hogg it has only been a matter of a few short months.

But don’t let talk of a “meteoric rise” throw you; Hogg has been waiting and working almost all of his young life for this chance.

Steeped in the traditions of Hawick rugby, he comes from a club long-regarded as one of the greatest in Scottish rugby.

The coaching and nurturing he received from legends such as Renwick helped Hogg earn a professional contract with Glasgow Warriors and selection for Scotland, quickly followed by his chance to join an elite band of only 11 other Hawick players who have worn the famous red jersey of the Lions.

Described as a credit to his hometown this week by local sporting and civic leaders, hopefully Hogg’s example will inspire other youngsters to do well.

And if the Lions can roar their way to a test series win in Australia next month, we’re sure it will have a touch of a Teri accent about it.

The introduction of new food waste collections could mean other kerbside recycling services have to be cut, councillors have been warned.

This was revealed at a meeting of the council last week, after Councillor Stuart Bell asked if communities who currently do not get a garden waste service, like Clovenfords, will receive them before other collections are introduced.

Mr Bell asked: “Before the council make such changes, when will my community get a waste collection service that is fair, and the equal of the service provided to neighbouring communities?”

In reply, Councillor David Paterson, executive member for environmental services, said: “The council is unable to expand the current garden waste collection service at this time. All routes are operating at maximum capacity.

“We do not have the budget to pay for additional vehicles, staff or the cost of treating the material collected.”

The council will need to provide food waste collections to around 24,000 Borders households by 2016 as part of the Scottish Government’s ‘Zero Waste Plan’.

Mr Paterson said: “The introduction of these new services will require to be funded. We will have to make difficult decisions about what services we can afford in the future. The aim of the council must be to provide a waste service that is fit for purpose and financially viable in the long term. This will require further reviews and rationalisation of services.

“We can not escape the population spread and rural nature of the Borders. This presents very real challenges in delivering an equitable waste service to all households.”

Speaking to The Southern, Mr Bell said: “I would certainly be concerned if the changes in provision meant even less service for Clovenfords.”

He added: “I regret the possibility that Clovenfords may get neither a garden waste nor a food waste collection.”

Currently 33,000 homes in the Borders are served by garden waste collection, introduced in 2005 and financed by the Scottish Executive.

Mr Bell has asked the council to consider putting a skip in Clovenfords for a month in spring and autumn to save villagers travelling to the recycling centre at Langshaw to dispose of their garden waste.

The return of rail travel in the Borders has been described as a ‘game-changer’ for tourism by VisitScotland’s regional director.

Paula McDonald told TheSouthern this week that a large percentage of incoming train passengers to Galashiels and Tweedbank would likely be tourists.

And because of the potential high footfall of visitors, Miss McDonald said VisitScotland was examining the opportunity to create new tourist information points in the towns.

However, she emphasised that any decision would be taken in conjunction with the council and the Scottish Borders Tourism Partnership.

Miss McDonald told councillors last week that VisitScotland was looking at more ‘cost effective’ ways of providing tourist information.

But she also assured them that there is no plan to close any local visitor centres.

She praised the ‘information and partnership point’ approach that has proved successful in Selkirk and Eyemouth, where other organisations provide space and staff, and VisitScotland train the staff and provide all the literature and display racks for the information.

She said this style of working was appropriate where a partnership could be created with somewhere which generates high visitor footfall. However, this week Miss McDonald said other options were also available, including digital media in ‘self-help pods’.

She added: “The railway is an amazing opportunity, so it is about how we make sure information is available when people step off the platform.

“That could also be an information and partnership point, where we would match up with a high-profile visitor attraction or co-locate within a council building.”

In November last year it was confirmed that the platform at Tweedbank would be made long enough to accommodate tourist charter and steam trains.

Currently, there are seven tourist information centres in the Borders, three open year-round, two seasonally, and the two partnership points.

A report has called on NHS Borders to improve the way it deals with “significant adverse events” following a review of its policies and procedures.

The Healthcare Improvement Scotland report makes 14 recommendations to the board.

In the 18 months to March, 118 incidents were graded as “significant adverse events” – those which could have, or did, result in the unnecessary serious harm or death of a patient, employee, visitor or member of the public.

The review of the health board’s policies was carried out as part of a Scotland-wide review of the way the NHS deals with serious incidents.

In the Borders, it discovered that some staff were not even clear on what was categorised as a “significant adverse event” and found there was not a consistent approach to engaging with patients, families and carers after an incident. Following a report on NHS Ayrshire and Arran’s serious incident policies, NHS Borders implemented new procedures, but these were at an early stage when the review took place, meaning existing policies were examined.

However, the report praised the board for implementing the changes, the support available to staff, and the culture of reporting incidents of among employees.

But issues were raised about the lack of feedback to staff following incident reviews, and the fact that some reviews did not meet the required timescales.

Between October 2011 and March, 91 clinical incidents were investigated – 24 per cent due to slips, trips and falls. A total of 27 general safety “events” were reported, all relating to “aggression, violence or personal safety”.

Calum Campbell, NHS Borders chief executive, said: “The report highlighted that we already have a good culture of incident reporting and a high level of professional support from our clinical governance team. This gives us a solid platform to build on and develop our systems further.

“Improving health care is an ongoing process and we welcome the recommendations in the report, which will provide the focus for our action plan and further development.”

Gala Red Triangle claimed the second Matt Lochrie Memorial Cup with a 27-10 over Melrose at Netherdale tonight.

Gala scored five tries through a Lachlan Johnston double, Ritchie Rutherford, Alexander Lyons and Aidan Turner, with one Johnston conversion.

Melrose’s two tries came from Ewan Runciman and Craig Jackson.

The cup remembers former Triangle player Matt Lochrie, who passed away last year at the age of 14.

Gala RT coach Lyall Purves said: “It was a very even game and a good chance for the guys to play on the main Netherdale pitch.

“It was an emotional occasion. A number of the squad played with Matt and this was their last chance to play in the game before stepping up to the next age group.”

Last week the UK Government published its second Scotland Analysis paper, this time looking at the currency options for an independent Scotland.

It set out four main choices: firstly, negotiating a formal sterling currency union with the continuing UK; secondly, adopting the pound without the formal consent of the continuing UK; thirdly, joining the euro area; fourthly, introducing an independent Scottish currency.

The paper sets out that all of these options would not be as good for Scotland or the rest of the UK as our current arrangements because of the way they would alter the financial and economic position of both countries. These options would also not be in the best interests of local businesses and families who greatly benefit from the UK’s closely-integrated economy for their incomes, mortgages, loans and trade.

The crisis in the eurozone has also shown that the first option, a formal sterling zone, as proposed by the SNP, would be difficult to sustain without close fiscal integration. Such an arrangement seems to defeat the whole purpose of independence as it would deny Scotland the control over its currency and important financial levers which the pro-independence parties demand.

As a Scot, I want the best possible deal for Scotland and I am absolutely convinced, as the paper concludes, that remaining in the UK provides this.

Community Fuel-Buying Groups

I know that many Borderers who are off the main gas grid have struggled with rising fuel prices in recent years. To help them get a better deal on their fuel bills, it seems that setting up fuel-buying groups are an excellent way of doing this.

There are groups already set up in the Ettrick and Yarrow valley, and Chirnside, and last week I held a meeting with community councillors, Scottish Borders Council and other local stakeholders to discuss how we could see more such groups set up across the region.

The meeting was very productive and it was good to see enthusiasm among the attendees .

I want to encourage anyone reading this column who would like to get involved and help set up such a group in their area to contact my office on 01896 663650.

Consultation on ITV

Borders

This week the consultation on the future of ITV Border closed.

I am confident many responses will have outlined a preference for Borders-focused news and current affairs programming.

Speaking to local people over the years, I know the vast majority of Borderers enjoy the ITV service, but want to see a return to the pre-2009 provision which was Borders-relevant.

TRADERS in Jedburgh have welcomed the council’s decision to reject for a third time plans for a supermarket on the edge of the town.

At Monday’s meeting of the planning committee, members followed the officer’s recommendation to refuse permission for the creation of a store with petrol station on land at the town’s northern entrance.

It was proposed to be about the same size as the Sainsbury’s store in Kelso.

Jedburgh Traders’ Association had objected to the plans.

Chairperson Diana Cairns told TheSouthern: “On behalf of the traders I can say that we are relieved that it has been turned down.

“We are not against a new supermarket, but one out of the town would kill off the town centre.”

The applicant, James Brown, said that ‘detailed discussions’ had been held with Asda and Tesco about the creation of a store on the site of the former Oregon Timber Frame premises on Edinburgh Road.

The site of the store would also include an area currently occupied by other workshops and business premises.

However, the owners of part of the site, Crabtree and Crabtree Ltd, told the council that the scheme was ‘undeliverable, opportunist and ill-conceived’.

Previous applications for a store on the site, also for planning permission in principle, were refused in October 2011 and February 2012.

A recurring issue with the various applications has been that the site is allocated in the council’s local plan as employment land, and the policy does not allow for a retail development of this type to be built within an area designated for such industrial or business use.

Almost 200 council employees are currently subject to ‘attendance management monitoring’ due to absence levels or because of stress or anxiety issues.

The figures were revealed during a meeting last week, in response to a question from Councillor Gavin Logan.

Depression, anxiety, stress or other psychiatric conditions are the cause of most of the absences at the council.

The Southern has learned a Kelso care home dismissed a nurse after it was discovered she was not qualified for the post.

A Care Inspectorate report in January highlighted the incident at Queen’s House, and graded staffing at the facility as weak compared to excellent in the three other categories.

It is believed an investigation took place which involved the police, while Scottish Borders Council’s social work department was made aware of the issue.

A CI spokesman said this week: “A member of staff was appointed to a position within Queen’s House for which they were not suitably qualified.

“Since care services often work with the very young, the very old and other vulnerable people, this is potentially a serious issue. That is why we regularly review recruitment practices in care services and take prompt action and demand improvement whenever we find failings.

“In this instance the problem was identified by the care service, which acted swiftly and took the appropriate action, including keeping us fully notified.

“The safety, welfare and dignity of people who use care services are our priorities at all times. We are satisfied in this case that the well-being of service users was not affected.”

Queen’s House is a private, not-for-profit home run by a voluntary management committee and looks after 32 older people.

Alastair Turnbull, chairman of Queen’s House, said: “There was an incident involving a member of staff who was dismissed.

“We wrote to all the residents and there was no issue with care.

“We were marked six (excellent grade) in all other sections of the inspection. This was an isolated incident which we have taken steps to address.”

However, a source told us: “My concern is that she was not a registered nurse and put residents at risk.”

In her report following a visit on January 17, inspector Lesley Smith wrote: “Queen’s House have a recruitment policy which complied with safer recruitment. However, there was a recent issue where this process was not strenuously followed.”

Ms Smith said the matron and management were open and honest about the incident but added: “We have to reflect the potential seriousness of the error in the grade for this (staffing) section.”

The Co-operative has been given the go-ahead for other non-food items to be sold at its NGT store in Selkirk.

The move could enable the shared occupancy of the furniture store, something the company has investigated due to continued trading difficulties. A planning condition originally restricted the goods which could be sold there.

Former Fleet Street journalist Doug Archibald from Denholm has written a book about a summer hitchhiking in Europe with a Hawick friend.

The award-winning reporter and pal Fred Landels thumbed lifts across the continent in 1969, with Fred going on to India and Doug returning to the job he’d left at his east London newspaper three months earlier.

Doug, now of Moniaive, told us: “It was character-forming. I met so many different characters, people are the same. It doesn’t matter what religion, race, colour, we’ve all got the same emotions underneath and to me compassion has always been the greatest human emotion. People helped you and I thought it was absolutely amazing.”

‘See you in Omonia’, available as a Kindle edition on Amazon, is Doug’s first book and gains its title from when the two friends split up in the Gulf of Corinth, arranging to meet in Omonia Square in Athens at 4pm (and, hitching there, they both succeeded). The highly readable romp takes the two heroes from London to Crete with entertaining encounters along the way.

Doug’s first job on leaving school was at sister paper, Hawick News. The 66-year-old grandfather also worked in Peeblesshire after London and latterly in Dumfries.

He was among the first journalists on the scene at the Lockerbie bombing and won one of his awards as part of a team covering the atrocity. For more information on Doug and his book visit www.dougarchibald.co.uk