Fiona Scott of Peebles is setting off for Belfast for next week’s G8 summit.
She is also attending the Enough Food for Everyone IF event on Saturday in nearby Enniskillen where around 10,000 campaigners hope to raise awareness about issues such as hunger, aid, land grabbing and tax dodging.
Five-year-old Iona Wishart, a pupil at St Mary’s School in Melrose, has been named youngest winner in the history of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society’s annual schools poster competition.
Her poster will be displayed at the Museum of Childhood in Edinburgh until August 26. For her efforts, Iona receives a £300 cash prize and her school art department awarded £750.
Malaysian author Tan Twan Eng has become the first overseas writer to win the £25,000 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction at the Brewin Dolphin Borders Book Festival.
Tan’s win, in which he pipped the likes of double-Booker Prize winner Hilary Mantel, was announced at the festival last night (Friday) in Melrose.
Tan’s novel, The Garden of Evening Mists, wowed the judges, and the author, who travelled from his home in South Africa, was presented with his award by the Duke of Buccleuch.
The judges commented: “The Garden of Evening Mists is the book that left the deepest imprint on us. Set in the jungle-clad highlands of Malaya, this year’s winner leads us into the troubled aftermath of World War Two. It is pungent and atmospheric; a rich, enigmatic, layered novel in which landscapes part and merge, and part again.”
The award ceremony in Melrose was presented by James Naughtie, and four of the shortlisted authors were present to hear the announcement. As well as his cheque, Tan was also presented with a striking glass sculpture by the Duke, sponsor of the prize and distant kinsman of Sir Walter Scott.
The Walter Scott Prize is one of the UK’s richest literary prizes, and honours Scott’s achievements and his place as one of the world’s most influential novelists.
Accepting his award to loud cheers, Tan, a clearly very popular winner, told a packed festival marquee: “In my country, and I suspect in many other countries around the world, I suspect history is not considered important anymore.
“A prize like the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction plays a very important role in telling the world, that history and historical fiction matters and will always matter.”
IT was a tough old gig, up against Joanna Lumley at the Borders Book Festival, but William McIlvanney pulled it off with eloquence, style and humour, writes Kevin Janiak.
He kicked off with a reading of one of his poems, Initiation, which he dedicated to his dad, on the eve of Fathers’ Day. Click on the video above to be as mesmerised with it as the audience were on the night.
Presented by Kirsty Wark, the show saw McIlvanney chat about the relelease of his Laidlaw novels – including the possibility of some new ones in the pipeline; and he gave his views on the upcoming independence vote, saying that although he has not yet heard any real debate that allow him to make a reasoned decision, he was ready to vote yes, due to a “backs to the wall mentality”.
It was the perfect end to a fantastic day at the festival, which also saw Lady Claire MacDonald talk about her life with food; a magical performance of the Lay of The Last Minstrel with a top-notch cast including Lumley, Downton Abbey actor David Robb and his wife Briony McRoberts; and a tearful yet hilarious presentation from Phylidda Law, actress and Emma Thompson’s mum, who spoke of caring for her own mother when she had dementia.
Today is the last day of the festival, which sees the likes of Tom Holland, Neil Oliver, Penny Junor, Kate Mosse and festival favourite John Sessions.
Berwick Border Raiders 51 Dudley Heathens 41
CHALLENGE MATCH
In a departure from regular League racing the Berwick Bandits hosted the National League’s top team, the Dudley Heathens, in a challenge match against the Berwick Border Raiders youth side skippered by local schoolboy Liam Carr.
Micky Dyer, the Raiders’ number one took no time in establishing a massive lead in Heat One with returnee from injury, Adam Roynon taking a steady third for the Heathens in a home 5-1.
Max Clegg and Nathan Greaves, the Heathens’ reserve pairing had never seen Berwick before nor had they ever seen a track as big and found the going tough in Heat Two against the winner Carr and second Luke Crang in another big 5-1 taking the Raiders into a 10-2 lead.
Paul Starke, usually a Bandit, was racing for his National League side and took a fine victory in Heat Three to break the maximum run with a shared 3-3. In Heat Four Steve Worrall ground to a halt on the third bend of the opening lap, but coming off bend two of the second lap Carr seemed to lose concentration and drift dramatically wide, clipping the fence and hitting the deck and excluded from the re-run in which Max Fricke took the easy win in the 3-2 result.
Tamas Syke flew round Worrall off bend two in Heat Six to take the three points in a shared 3-3 with young Luke Ruddick bringing up the rear behind the Heathens’ pair to take the score on to 22-13.
Roynon took a fine gate to flag win in Heat Seven to lead the way for the visitors’ first heat advantage of the night, 2-4 to narrow the gap to 24-17, but in Heat Eight Nathan Greaves made the early gate only for Syke to fly round him off bend two and Carr to dive under him off bend four to form another Raiders’ maximum pushing the home side 29-18 ahead.
Dudley manager Will Potinger nominated Worrall as a tactical ride for double points in Heat Nine and after a false start he shot away to take a six point win in the 2-7 heat result taking the Heathens much closer to the leading Raiders with the score now 31-25.
Following a Heat 10 Raiders maximum Roynon took another expert gate to flag win for a shared 3-3 result over Fricke and Luke Crang to take the score with four races left to 39-29 which was reduced to 41-33 after a Starke win over Carr who forced his way round Clegg on bend three of the opening lap.
Roynon’s bike played up off bend two and came to a halt letting Dyer take a Raiders’ win with Worrall in second for a match winning home 4-2 which took the scores to 45-35 with two races left on the card.
Club Co-Owner John Anderson was pleased with what he’d seen, saying: “This was an exciting venture for us and to welcome the best team in the National League to our stadium was indeed an honour.
“A decent sized crowd turned out on not the warmest June night ever, and thoroughly enjoyed the racing and got right behind the teams – and it was good to see a good number of travellers from the Midlands coming up to join the fun.
The racing was good again proving you don’t need the huge speed to get the thrills and all the lads out there tonight really put in the efforts to entertain and succeeded admirably.”
GALASHIELS runner Angus Stanners notched his first Borders Games victory on Saturday in the sunshine, heavy rain and swirling wind of Selkirk Common Riding Games.
The Gala flyer hit the high spots in winning the showpiece 110 metres handicap to pocket the £1,000 prize pot.
A student at Aberdeen University, 23-year-old Stanners (7m) showed it could well be his day when romping home to a heat win in 11.63 seconds, which was the quickest of the opening runs.
Competing under the banner of TLJT, Stanners in turn stormed to a cross tie triumph in 11.59 seconds.
This win earned him a final place along with home hope Geoff Keen of Selkirk (11.5m), Hawick’s Leigh Marshall (3m) and David Lauder (11.5m) as well as Billy Martin of Glenrothes (10m).
The last showdown belonged to Stanners however who, on the rain soaked Philiphaugh track, flew to an impressive win in a very fast time of 11.44 seconds. Keen was second and Marshall third.
For full report, reaction and pictures see this week’s Southern Reporter.
Popular television archaeologist Neil Oliver, the owner of the most famous long locks on the small screen, happily admits his interest in the vikings was sparked, like for many of us, by watching Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis pretend to be Norse raiders for movie audiences.
Speaking to The Southern ahead of his appearance on Sunday evening at this year’s Brewin Dolphin Borders Book Festival, Oliver was in Melrose to talk to a sell-out audience about his new book on the vikings.
“We’re having a lovely time at the festival,” said Oliver, who was accompanied by his family.
“I don’t think I’ve ever brought the family to one of these festivals before.
“Usually I’m just in an out, do the talk and leave.
“It’s great. The kids are enjoying going to some of the events and we’re having a splendid weekend.”
Asked about his interest in the vikings, he told us: “To be truthful, my interest in the vikings was founded upon seeing Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis in The Vikings.
“It wasn’t really in my field of study.I was an archaeologist and studied Scottish pre-history.
“But there would be sites I was working on and we would find viking in the layers above or below what we were actually looking for.
“You would stumble across them – they were there.”
Five-year-old Iona Wishart, a pupil at St Mary’s School in Melrose, has been named youngest winner in the history of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society’s annual schools poster competition.
Her poster will be displayed at the Museum of Childhood in Edinburgh until August 26. For her efforts, Iona receives a £300 cash prize and her school art department awarded £750.
Emergency services are heading for Caddonfoot near Galashiels where a person is reported to be in the water close to the former school.
Fire and Rescue Service crews from Galashiels and other stations have been alerted as have the Scottish Ambulance Service and Police Scotland.
The Fire and Rescue Service response includes a specialised water rescue team.
The River Tweed as well as the Caddon Water are close to the reported incident area.
A water treatment plant is also close by.
A man pulled from the River Tweed near Caddonfoot has been taken to the Borders General Hospital.
A rescue operation was launched with crews from the Fire and Rescue Service based at Galashiels, an ambulance and the police alerted to the scene.
The ambulance service says the man is being taken to hospital for a check up after being taken from the river below Ashiestiel Bridge.
A fisherman said the man had been spotted earlier in the afternoon drinking on the riverbank.
THREE Borders football clubs will compete in the new Scottish Lowland Football League from season 2013/14.
Vale of Leithen, Selkirk and Gala Fairydean, competing as Gala Fairydean Rovers will join Spartans, Threave Rovers, Preston Athletic, Gretna 2008, Whitehill Welfare, Dalbeattie Star, East Kilbride, Edinburgh City and University of Stirling in the new 12 team league.
Twenty seven clubs from the East and South of Scotland Leagues, and members of the Scottish Junior FA, initially expressed an interest in joining the new league, and a total of 17 formal applications were received.
The Project Steering Group, made up of Scottish FA Executive, Licensing Committee and club representatives, selected the 12 clubs based on their ability to meet Scottish FA club licensing criteria.
Three clubs - Spartans, Threave Rovers and Preston Athletic - are currently licensed member clubs, and the remaining nine, who have detailed plans in place, must comply by May 2015.
In the Borders Selkirk FC are closest to achieving the licence with only their maximum ground capacity licence from Scottish Borders Council to be signed off.
“There are exciting times ahead,” said Selkirk vice-chairman Ross Anderson.
“We have been working towards this for a long time now and are ahead of schedule in terms of fitting the licence criteria.”
Speaking after the announcement of the Lowland teams today Scottish FA chief executive, Stewart Regan, said: “It’s important that ambitious clubs are given opportunities to progress. With the Scottish Lowland Football League running in tandem with the Scottish Highland Football League from next season, we are on track to create a pyramid system feeding into the senior leagues.
The inaugural General Meeting of the Scottish Lowland Football League will be held on Monday June 24 when board members will be selected and further detailed planning will commence.
The number of unemployment Borderers fell last month.
Figures showed people claiming Job Seeker’s Allowance in the region dropped by 29 people to 1,783 compared to last year.
The figures also show that 75 fewer 18-24 year olds are claiming Job Seeker’s Allowance.
Borders MP Michael Moore said: “It’s good to see that unemployment in the Borders is down compared to last year. “For every person in a new job, that is good news for them, their family and our community.
“I am also glad to see the drop in young people claiming Job Seeker’s Allowance which shows our local businesses are giving them the opportunities they need to break into the job market.
“There is however no room for complacency and 1,783 people on Job Seeker’s Allowance is still 1,783 too many.
The Secretary of State for Scotland added: “Over the next few months I will be working with local businesses to encourage them to take advantage of the Youth Contract and the jobs tax cut introduced by the UK Government to boost employment in the Borders even further.”
A telephone fault at Borders General Hospital this morning means members of the public have been told to only contact via phone if it is a matter of urgency.
An NHS Borders spokeswoman said it was working on the problem, which has left the hospital with a limited service.
She added: “We would like to thank you for your patience during this time and we apologise for any inconvenience this may be causing.
“We are working with British Telecom to resolve this issue as soon as possible. However, in the mean time please check our website www.nhsborders.org.uk for further updates and alternative contacts.”
HELD at Galashiels’ Borders Tennis Centre, for the first time, Players and organisers of the Senior Borders Confined tournament enjoyed good weather throughout.
An enthralling finals day, including the main and consolation events, on Saturday brought the week long tournament to a close.
See this week’s Southern Reporter for full report.
Results
Open Womens Doubles: 1, Joanna Dixon + Tara Harvey (Duns LTC); 2, Lisa Campbell + Joanne Cassidy (Peebles LTC); C-1, Lynn Bruce + Claire Townsend (St Boswells TC); C-2, Maggie Stewart+Lucy Tile Kelso LTC/St Boswells TC.
Open Mens Doubles: 1, Lewis Armstrong + Simon Blair (St Boswells TC); 2, Michael Mcgee+Adrian Moir (Peebles LTC); C-1, Cedric Raffier + Craig Thomas (Melrose); C-2, Mike Armstrong + Matt Tile (St Boswells TC).
Open Womens Singles: 1, Tara Harvey (Duns LTC); 2, Sophie Macbrayne (Melrose); C-1, Toni Lemmon (St Boswells TC); C-2, Pamela-Jane Harding (Earlston LTC).
Open Mens Singles: 1, Niklas Stingl (Kelso LTC); 2, Lewis Armstrong (St Boswells TC); C-1, Andrew Robertson (St Boswells TC); C-2, Adam Drummond (St Boswells TC).
Lilliesleaf, Ashkirk and Midlem Community Council is holding an election for the eight available places on the organisation.
Nomination forms are available until Monday, July 8 from the Returning Officer, Councillor Gordon Edgar, the Smiddy in Ashkirk, the Jammy Coo in Lilliesleaf and from the Scottish Borders Council website: www.scotborders.gov.uk/communitycouncilelections.
Completed forms should be returned to Councillor Edgar by midday on July 8 and, depending on the number of valid forms received, the new community council will be declared on Monday, July 15.
Should less than four nominations be received a new community council cannot be declared and six months will have to pass before nominations can be called for again.
If between four and eight valid nominations are received a new community council will be declared and a meeting of the new council called.
If more than eight valid nominations are received a ballot will then take place.
Councillor Edgar said: “Active community councils are vital in small villages like these. They undertake so many small projects and act as the link between the community and organisations such as Scottish Borders Council and NHS Borders. “The community council that covers these villages also covers the large surrounding area so it would be fantastic if we could get candidates from not just the three villages, but the extended area.”
The community council covers the area from Whitslade in the south east to Kippielaw Mains to the north east.
A Borders MSP has raised concerns about Scottish Borders Council’s handling of a £420,000 bequest left for the elderly people of Galashiels.
George Knox passed away in 2010, leaving the six figure sum to the town, but the money has yet to be distributed by SBC.
A representative from Scottish Borders Elder Voice contacted Christine Grahame MSP about the delays.
Ms Grahame said: “I contacted Scottish Borders Council last month to find out what was happening with the legacy, which was to be dealt with by the Galashiels Local Relief Fund, and was told there had been a delay due to administrative changes that had to be made.
“I can understand why Elder Voice is frustrated, particularly as they have been approached by people who could benefit from the funding and I am sure there must be plenty of them at the moment.
“The interest alone on this fund could be put to good use and while Elder Voice doesn’t actually want the money I am sure the group have some good ideas on how it could be used.
“The funding was described by the council as ‘an extraordinary act of generosity’ but I am sure Mr Knox would not be happy to see this money sitting dormant when it could be benefitting the elderly in Galashiels which was his wish.”
Former council convener Drew Tulley criticised the council for the lack of interest gathered from the fund last year.
Phone lines to Borders General Hospital have been restored over seven hours after first being reported.
“We would like to thank everyone for their patience,” said an NHS Borders spokeswoman.
The health service were forced to tell members of the public not to phone the hospital unless it was urgent, with British Telecom working on the fault.
Councillors will discuss plans to build up to 200 new affordable homes in the Borders next Wednesday at a full meeting in Kelso.
Members are being asked to approve proposals which would see SBC staff prepare a final business case to develop a council-led house building programme with the Scottish Futures Trust.
The Trust is an independent company set up by the Scottish Government to deliver value for money across public infrastructure investment.
If agreed, SBC would borrow from the Public Loans Work Board. This project follows the 58 homes already delivered using the NHT at Balnakiel in Galashiels, and Innerleithen.
Councillor Frances Renton, SBC’s executive member for social work and housing said: “This is the culmination of considerable work behind the scenes in order to revisit the role of the council leading on the delivery of new affordable housing following conclusion of the large scale voluntary stock transfer in 2003.
“I am very pleased with the outline business case and in particular the conclusions which indicate that this is a viable option, and sets out recommendations for the council to progress with this initiative.”
The meeting starts at 10am in the Tait Hall on June 26.
what and where?
A Tri Beinns, Longnewton, Melrose
how much?
Guide price £350,000
who is selling?
Cullen Kilshaw
anything else?
EPC rating C
Hawick Linden prop Terry Skeet will be switching codes this summer after being selected to play in the Student Rugby League World Cup.
A student at Borders College, Skeet, 18, has been selected to join the Scotland squad and is one of nine players selected from the country’s colleges and universities.
“It’s a great feeling to be selected for the squad and to be a part of the World Cup,” he said.
Coached by Alan Davidson and his assistant, former Scotland half back John Duffy, the team open their tournament against Australia at Bradford’s Odsal Stadium on Thursday, July 4, followed by games against Russia at South Leeds Stadium (July 7) and New Zealand at Dewsbury (July 10).
Skeet joined Borders College through the Best Chance project, created to give support to youngsters transferring from school on to a full-time college programme. He enrolled on the BASE Rugby course and on completion decided to take up a trade and has almost completed his brickwork course.
Richie Gray, BASE Rugby course tutor said: “This is just another example of how the BASE course has had a major effect on a young player’s progression inside and outside of the sport, this selection is testament to Terry’s hard work.”
Terry added: “Many times I thought I would not make anything of myself but with the help of the BASE Rugby course, and lecturers at the college, I have been proved wrong. I would like to thank everyone who has helped me on my journey so far.”