Border Bowmen archer Michael Murray has won both the Bannockburn Bowmen Single and Double Portsmouth, with a combined score of 1133, held at Tullibody.

This result is even more impressive because in November 2012, he tore a muscle in his shoulder, which nearly ended his participation in archery, while training with the Scottish development squad.

After months of rehabilitation, he then had to rebuild from a beginner’s level, during which time he was made redundant twice. Although Michael is not yet back to his previous form, he is well on the way.

The Tour o’ the Borders sportive will sweep through the region again this summer – and cyclists will be allowed to enjoy the route traffic-free.

The mass-participation road cycling event will see up to 4,000 pedallers take to the region’s routes in August, in what will be one of the largest cycling events the area has seen. Tour o’ the Borders is one of only three closed-road sportives in Scotland.

Peebles town centre will host the start and finish of the Tour o’ the Borders when it rolls into the Tweed Valley on Sunday, August 10. Sponsored by Endura, the non-competitive event will pass through Innerleithen, Clovenfords, Selkirk and the Ettrick and Yarrow valleys. Participants have the choice of two routes – either 89km or a lung-busting 124km.

Last year’s Tour o’ the Borders, which took place in April, became an instant internet hit after participants fell foul of some pretty intense weather conditions – the cycling press even dubbed it “the most extreme sportive of all time”. And while it certainly made for a memorable event, organisers are keen to avoid a repeat performance, so a summer date made an attractive choice.

And organiser Neil Dalgleish hopes there will be plenty of local support for the event.

“The Borders is fast becoming recognised as one of the UK’s premier cycling destinations, and events like this help cement that reputation,” he said.

As well as lots of local participants, organisers are expecting to welcome cyclists from Europe and beyond.

“We’ve already had entries from USA, Singapore and around Europe,” added Dalgleish.

“Sportives are a fantastic, friendly opportunity for cyclists to get together and enjoy a ride, and we’re really delighted this year’s riders get to enjoy some stunning scenery without having to worry about traffic – we hope it’ll encourage even more people to get on their bike.

“Obviously we realise road closures may cause some minor disruption, so between now and August we’ll be reaching out to the local community to answer any questions and ensure we keep any inconvenience to a minimum.

“We hope people see the bigger picture and realise the huge economic boost this will bring to the Borders. Details of the road closures will soon be available on our website.”

Entry for the 2014 Tour o’ the Borders is available now, with an early-bird discount available for those who are quick off the mark through www.tourotheborders.com.

Borders growers are invited to workshop on soils and creating resilience in arable land at Lauder on Tuesday (January 14).

The day-long event for farmers has been organised by arable specialists HGCA and SRUC, Scotland’s Rural College, at The Lodge, Carfraemill and starts at 9.30am.

Organisers say the importance of good soil health and structure will be the key discussion point in the first of a series of three such events in Scotland, but there will also be advice and analysis on markets, varieties, disease and production.

The sessions on soil structure, biology and resilience take place in the afternoon programme of the events.

Scotland’s Rural College’s senior soil scientist, Dr Bruce Ball says the impact of the damage done to soil during the difficult 2012 season is still being understood.

He said: “Weather and disease both play their part in production and yield.

“What is less easy to evaluate and so often gets missed by growers is the effect of poor soil structure and biology on the final results.”

Dr Ball will be joined in the soil session by colleague Professor Bryan Griffiths and Dr Blair McKenzie of the James Hutton Institute.

And they will consider the necessity of understanding soil conditions, the importance of soil biology and how management practices affect soil resilience.

For those attending the event the morning programme addresses immediate market concerns such as prices and quality issues.

In his presentation on variety choices, SRUC’s leader of the crop science team, Dr Steve Hoad, will explain how SRUC recommendations take in the ability of varieties to cope with the potential challenges thrown up by the more volatile growing conditions Scotland is experiencing.

During the pre-lunch session on disease management, SRUC’s applied practice team leader, Dr Andy Evans will consider how farmers can control pests following the EU’s ban on the use of neonicotinoid seed treatments, which are harmful to bee populations.

SRUC crop protection leader, Dr Fiona Burnett will consider the management of disease risk over contrasting seasons.

The programme for Tuesday morning also sees SRUC’s senior rural business consultant, Julian Bell talk about the market position. HGCA’s senior research and KT manager Simon Oxley cover crop quality issues and SRUC’s plant pathologist, Neil Havis, will look at the biology and control of the key Scottish pathogens, Ramularia on barley and light leaf spot in rape. And HGCA’s senior research manager, Vicky Foster will speak on ‘Shaping the direction of arable research (2015-2018)’.

The event at Carfraemill will all be chaired by HGCA’s regional manager for Scotland, Gavin Dick. The other two Scottish events will be at Perth Racecourse on Wednesday January 15 and at Thainstone, Inverurie on Wednesday January 22.

For more information contact Fiona.Burnett@sruc.ac.uk (0131 535 4133) or Steve.Hoad@sruc.ac.uk (0131 535 4342) and otherwise register at www.hgca.com/events.

Conservative councillors will only support the controversial scrapping of kerbside garden waste collections if there are no alternatives.

That was the blunt message this week from the Tory group leader on Scottish Borders Council, Michelle Ballantyne.

Last month, the council agreed to include the proposals as part of its budget plan, due to be debated in February.

It wants to save £800,000 by scrapping the service, which is not mandatory and is provided only to urban households.

Currently, five Scottish local authorities have no kerbside garden waste collection service; eight have a joint food and garden collection and 19 (including SBC) have separate kerbside collections.

For its part, SBC says it will be offering free home composters and that garden waste can also be taken to community recycling centres.

Mrs Ballantyne said the move is the result of the Scottish Government forcing a statutory food waste collection on local authorities in 2016.

“And the SNP/Liberal administration [at SBC] will fund this by cancelling the non-statutory collection of garden waste,” she said.

She accused the council ruling administration of wanting the service removed quickly and without further discussion.

“Nevertheless, we are looking at what is happening elsewhere and will only support this action as part of the budget proposals in February if we are satisfied there really is no other way forward,” she said.

Skills for Learning and Work students held a coffee morning in the restaurant at Scottish Borders Campus, Galashiels, and raised £77.10 for Rowland’s Dry Bar in Selkirk.

After being presented with a cheque for the amount by students, Rowland’s chairperson Jamie McIntyre commented: “On behalf of the young people in Selkirk, plus staff and volunteers who run Rowland’s, a huge thank you to everyone who organised and attended the coffee morning. The ‘Penny Planners’ youth committee will be delighted to receive this cheque and will decide what to spend the money on.”

Rowland’s is a youth project set up to give young people in Selkirk and surrounding areas a safe and friendly environment where they can socialise and access informal learning opportunities.

Each Tuesday and Wednesday, students from Borders College run cafes in Rowland’s premises which attract customers from all over the region.

The painting and decorating, and electrical engineering students have carried out voluntary work on the dry bar premises and Rowland’s regularly takes work placement students from social and childcare courses.

Anyone interested in joining the Rowland’s volunteers and funders should phone 01750 21222.

Selkirk High School pupils fundraised throughout the previous term to allow them to attend Birmingham Clothes Show, writes Becky Blair.

This was achieved in many different ways – from running a charity shop to bake sales.

Everyone in the class reached their goal and on a wild and windy morning we met at Selkirk Market Place at 7.15am to catch the bus to Carlisle railway station.

However, on arrival, we discovered many of the trains had been cancelled due to the bad weather, so we had to rethink how we could get to Birmingham. A train coming into the station was heading south, so we all got on and began our journey.

We reached our destination three hours late after changing trains.

Kaiyu’s map-reading skills led us in the wrong direction as we looked for our accommodation! But after finding the Ibis Hotel it looked really fancy inside.

We were allocated our rooms and had an hour to freshen up. The Bull Ring was a short walk from the hotel and we walked there to get our evening meal. Four of us went to Pizza Hut and the other four chose a Thai restaurant, while the teachers went next door to Waga Mamas.

There was a chance to have a quick look around the shops before we returned to the hotel for a good night’s sleep.

Following breakfast we took the train to the NEC for the clothes show. On arrival we had to put our luggage into locker rooms and then got to look at the stalls before the fashion show got under way.

There was a lot of amazing things for sale – such as clothes, jewellery, beauty items etc., and there were two different halls for us to look in. Colleges and universities also had stalls advertising their courses.

After shopping we met up with the rest of the group and collected our tickets for the show which was opened by girl band Stooshe. It included fashion models and dancers, and was a great spectacle and everybody really enjoyed it. The compere was fashion designer Henry Holland and Tom Evans was also modelling.

Throughout the day many of us saw some famous people, including Amy Childs, Kirk Norcross, Carol Wright and Nanny Pat – and we were able to have our photograph taken with some of them.

Following the show we had time for more shopping before meeting up to get the train home.

We were all really tired at the end of the day and arrived back in Selkirk at 11pm after a brilliant trip.

Last summer Scottish Borders Council announced plans to introduce by-laws prohibiting the consumption of alcohol in designated public places.

The council has issued a consultation document, which is available on its website and at contact centres. The deadline for responses is January 17.

The “engagement booklet and questionnaire” is not very informative and makes an incredible claim that the by-laws would “allow the council and its partners to meet the top priority of the Borders public, as identified in the 2008, 2009 and 2010 Scottish Borders Household Surveys, making the Borders a safer place in which to live, work and visit”.

On SBC’s website is a report by the chief executive, dated May 30, 2013, on the proposals. It states “drinking in public may be quite acceptable and cause neither problem nor nuisance, depending on the circumstances” (Section 4.4) and “there is no definitive evidence that the consumption of alcohol in public in the Scottish Borders is a problem (5.1)”.

Statistics in the report show there is a significant issue with alcohol-related antisocial behaviour and attendance at hospital between midnight and 6am, but there is no evidence that this is due to drinking in public places, as opposed to in premises licensed by the council.

In the “Extract from 2010 Scottish Borders Household Survey” (Appendix 5), residents identified neighbourhood problems as “dangerous driving or speeding (46 per cent), parking problems (36 per cent), rubbish and litter lying around (30 per cent), people being drunk or rowdy in public places (22 per cent), people using or dealing drugs (22 per cent)”.

I would expect the authorities to address the three biggest problems before attending to minor issues, but sadly not. Police Scotland is removing traffic wardens from our streets and the council is scrapping the environmental warden service.

The statistics suggest that in most of the Borders “people being drunk or rowdy in public places” are “not at all common”, apart from Teviot area where such people are “not very common”.

It’s clear that the council has barely a shred of evidence that drinking in public is a problem. The ban will stifle the development of a cafe culture in towns and prohibit people enjoying alcohol at local picnic sites, while doing almost nothing to reduce drunkenness or rowdyism outside nightclubs.

The police already have ample powers to deal with even the least offensive behaviour. We should not accept this blanket ban on our freedoms on the off-chance that someone might commit an offence.

Alastair Lings

Tweed Road

Galashiels

Many readers of last week’s Southern would experience mixed feelings on learning that traffic wardens are to be withdrawn from Borders towns in February.

It is nearly 50 years since the service was introduced to the region in a move which enabled police officers to devote more time to crime-related issues. As well as enforcing traffic regulations and freeing up police resources, wardens are equipped with radios, giving instant communication with their local police station.

Being highly visible and well known in our communities, and in direct contact with the public while going about their duty on foot in all weathers, there is no doubt they will be missed. Their presence on our streets has done much to deter would-be offenders, not just for traffic offences.

They therefore surely must still have a role to play in Police Scotland’s quest for “Keeping People Safe”.

There have been many examples where an alarm raised by traffic wardens on patrol has resulted in criminals being apprehended in the act of stealing from delivery vehicles, business premises and shops, or initiating a quick response to medical emergencies and other street incidents. Their value is difficult to measure in any target-based culture if they are to be assessed on the volume of fixed-penalty tickets issued.

There is no means of filling the gap in the short term when these traffic wardens are withdrawn and preventative patrolling on the same level by police officers is a most unlikely scenario.

It is good to note that the wardens will not lose their jobs, but difficult to comprehend how best value can be achieved by their redeployment elsewhere until such time as alternative arrangements are in place to fill the gap.

Andrew I. Farquhar

Park View

Hawick

The total cost of the August 2011 riots was estimated at £0.5billion. The total UK cost of the 2008 financial crisis caused by financial deregulation, bank fraud and management failures was estimated at £1.2trillion for banking losses alone, to say nothing of the lives and businesses ruined globally, with 100million people thrown back into poverty, according to the UN.

A total of 4,000 people were arrested following the UK riots, with 701 receiving custodial sentences. How many bankers are in jail as a result of £500trillion Libor and Forex market manipulation, or PPI mis-selling for looting in the City of London? – zero.

The unfortunate truth is that we live in a two-tier justice system, where the banking criminals are above, or outside, the law – and it’s high time something was done about it. The first step is educating the public and understanding the gaps in the UK financial regulatory system that have been specifically created for financial firms to exploit the system outside the rule of law.

With the Scottish independence vote not far away, I would like to know what our Lib-Con Westminster MP Michael Moore is going to do about these gangsters who extort monies from Scottish taxpayers and what local MSP John Lamont is going to do about these scroungers who fraudulently take money off taxpayers and put absolutely nothing back into our economy?

As far as I can see, our two hapless representatives have done nothing and refuse to do anything, except kick the poor and disenfranchised in our society.

I’m not sure what the SNP can do, but it has to be better than the current status quo, hasn’t it?

James Stewart

Lanton

Jedburgh

Failure to halt the axing of the Borders railway in 1969 is the biggest disappointment of David Steel’s near 50-year parliamentary career.

The former local Lib Dem MP, first elected in 1965, made the admission at a dinner held in Newcastleton on Sunday, marking the 45th anniversary of the line’s original closure.

Now Lord Steel, he said recently-disclosed cabinet papers indicated the northern half of the line could have been saved if then Secretary of State Willie Ross was more open with him and fellow MP Lord Dalkeith.

Therefore, he said, the “necessary but extravagant” £300million cost to reopen it could have been avoided.

He said the papers revealed Ross was arguing to save the top half of the line to Hawick as closure was contrary to plans for economic regeneration. But an expert report arguing that case came too late and Ross never let known his own views.

“The then Tory MP for Edinburgh North, Lord Dalkeith – later Duke of Buccleuch – was a stalwart supporter, but neither of us had any dialogue with Willie Ross, who was an entrenched Labour man,” said Lord Steel.

“If the three of us had been united we could probably have saved the line to Hawick.”

Mentioning next year’s 50th anniversary of his first election as an MP, Lord Steel said failure to save the railway was his biggest political regret.

He added: “I was on the last train out of Galashiels, and my remaining political ambition is to be on board the first train back in.”

Border Cup rugby comes down to the business end this weekend and, barring a massive upset at the Greenyards, Melrose more or less have a Scottish Cup quarter-final place in the bag.

National League side Peebles are the ones who have the daunting task of pulling the Premiership challengers down to earth and, even then, Hawick would need to do a pretty high-scoring demolition job on Selkirk to make any difference to the final outcome.

Such is the way of Border derbies, however, that no-one is counting their chickens ahead of the games and Melrose director of rugby Mike Dalgetty said: “Saturday sees our final RBS Regional Cup tie against Peebles, a club that have never won against us at first team level, so I’m sure our players have no intention of being the first to break that run.

“Our objective is clear, we need a decent performance to be absolutely certain of being in the last eight of the cup.”

Dalgetty also praised younger members of the squad who have made the step-up for some of the cup games.

“For young men who are inexperienced in terms of senior rugby they have not only taken every opportunity offered, but physically imposed themselves on the game – very impressive,” he added.

Melrose will certainly be up for a celebration on Saturday with three of their players celebrating birthdays on the 11th. Damian Hoyland, James Head and Austin Lockington will all be in party mode.

Meanwhile Hawick will be looking to raise their game when hosting Selkirk at Mansfield Park. Phil Leck’s side were run close by Peebles last week and are eager to get on a firmer footing before resuming their Premiership campaign. Also in the cup Kelso welcome Jed-Forest to Poynder Park. At Netherdale, Gala are back on British and Irish Cup duties and will be looking to improve on their 86-8 defeat against Leeds Carnegie back in October.

George Graham’s men have yet to record a victory in this year’s competition, but the Gala coach still believes there are benefits to playing against the professional teams.

“It’s a great stage to play on and the things we learn from this we will take into the Premiership,” he said.

Some of the region’s top Texel breeders put animals forward for in-lamb pedigree sales at Carlisle’s Borderway Auction Mart this month.

Around 170 ewes and gimmers from Arnold Park’s renowned Drinkstone flock at Hawick came under the hammer at Harrison and Hetherington’s year opening sale on Monday (January 6).

This Monday (January 13) animals from the Brijon Flock, run by Brian Redhead and Jonathan Watson, Bowsden Moor, Berwick and from the Tweed Flock of Neil Crighton, Loanend, Berwick are forward for sale.

The entire crop of MV accredited and vaccinated 2012 females from the Tweed Flock are going under the hammer, with the guarantee that they are in-lamb to either Langside Rolex or Teviot Rocket. The flock’s EBVs have been recorded since 2002, and last year it was in the top 10% for the breed, with the 2012 lambs third overall out of the 200 flocks monitored in the scheme.

Mr Crighton said: “These gimmers have shape, size and skins and I would have great confidence they will go on and perform for prospective buyers.”

And similarly the whole in-lamb gimmer crop from the Brijon Texel Flock, which is MV accredited and vaccinated, is up for grabs in the flock’s first reduction sale.

Mr Watson said:“We have been breeding Texels since 1999, running 140 ewes, and we felt that this was the time to sell our entire lamb gimmer crop.”

Monday’s auction is expected to attract both pedigree and commercial buyers.

Borders growers are invited to workshop on soils and creating resilience in arable land at Lauder on Tuesday (January 14).

The day-long event for farmers has been organised by arable specialists HGCA and SRUC, Scotland’s Rural College, at The Lodge, Carfraemill and starts at 9.30am.

Organisers say the importance of good soil health and structure will be the key discussion point in the first of a series of three such events in Scotland, but there will also be advice and analysis on markets, varieties, disease and production.

The sessions on soil structure, biology and resilience take place in the afternoon programme of the events.

Scotland’s Rural College’s senior soil scientist, Dr Bruce Ball says the impact of the damage done to soil during the difficult 2012 season is still being understood.

He said: “Weather and disease both play their part in production and yield.

“What is less easy to evaluate and so often gets missed by growers is the effect of poor soil structure and biology on the final results.”

Dr Ball will be joined in the soil session by colleague Professor Bryan Griffiths and Dr Blair McKenzie of the James Hutton Institute.

And they will consider the necessity of understanding soil conditions, the importance of soil biology and how management practices affect soil resilience.

For those attending the event the morning programme addresses immediate market concerns such as prices and quality issues.

In his presentation on variety choices, SRUC’s leader of the crop science team, Dr Steve Hoad, will explain how SRUC recommendations take in the ability of varieties to cope with the potential challenges thrown up by the more volatile growing conditions Scotland is experiencing.

During the pre-lunch session on disease management, SRUC’s applied practice team leader, Dr Andy Evans will consider how to control pests following the ban on the use of neonicotinoid seed treatments.

SRUC crop protection leader, Dr Fiona Burnett will consider the management of disease risk over contrasting seasons.

The programme for Tuesday morning also sees SRUC’s senior rural business consultant, Julian Bell talk about the market position. HGCA’s senior research and KT manager Simon Oxley cover crop quality issues and SRUC’s plant pathologist, Neil Havis, will look at the biology and control of the key Scottish pathogens, Ramularia on barley and light leaf spot in rape.

And HGCA’s senior research manager, Vicky Foster will speak on ‘Shaping the direction of arable research (2015-2018)’ in the afternoon.

The event at Carfraemill will all be chaired by HGCA’s regional manager for Scotland, Gavin Dick.

The other two Scottish events will be at Perth Racecourse on Wednesday January 15 and at Thainstone, Inverurie on Wednesday January 22.

For more information contact Fiona.Burnett@sruc.ac.uk (0131 535 4133) or Steve.Hoad@sruc.ac.uk (0131 535 4342) and otherwise register at www.hgca.com/events.

Although most of our area escaped the worst of the early January floods there’s enough water lying in fields and round buildings to remind us of our uneasy relationship with one of the simplest and most common chemical combinations on earth – H2O.

We can’t do without it and future lack of water in many countries is seen as one of the greatest problems facing humanity.

At the same time flooding caused by heavy rainfalls seems to be an increasing problem over much of Europe and the arguments over the contribution to that of climate change continue.

As ever, those at the sharp end facing flooded fields, drowned livestock, ground floors feet deep in water and debris or simply unable to get to work because of flooded roads and swept-away bridges are more concerned with the present than the future. And on the principle of the old Spanish proverb that “When you’re sad, bees sting you” – or probably more to the point “It never rains, but it pours” – there are few things more infuriating in a wet spell than to find you have a leaking water pipe.

Trying to find the precise underground source of a leak can be frustrating and difficult. I might seem particularly jaundiced about that after several hours of digging was still needed this week to trace and repair a leak even when we’d used a modern bleeping detector (that’s what they do when water is found where it shouldn’t be, not a euphemistic description.)

As the water leak expert told me – I knew already, but it made him happy – water invariably finds the easiest outlet. The slightest pinhole leak in a pipe and it’s out of there.

This propensity also means that water is the most effective spreader of disease and pollution with cholera a prime example.

Back at farm level the same principle applies. Water and pollution go together. That’s why, in spite of the usual protests about bureaucracy and gold-plating of regulations, farmers have gradually accepted that more efforts must be made to avoid polluting water courses, burns and rivers with slurry, fertiliser and pesticides run off. Such diffuse pollution – insidious, often unseen and unthought of – has much worse long term effects on clean water supplies and the environment than occasional large scale flooding.

But trying to comply with rules and advice on how to reduce diffuse pollution can be confusing. Now an attempt has been made to coordinate legislation and good practice, at least in Scotland, with a farming and water initiative that involves government, the NFU, the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency and the Scottish rural university college.

Most things a practical farmer working against the clock needs to know about how to avoid diffuse pollution have been encapsulated in a pocket-size booklet called ‘Know The Rules.’ Don’t wait for a rainy day to read it.

In the first of a new series of articles, our special columnist tells what life is like after swapping the Borders for Afghanistan.

Although from the Borders, where he lives with his family, security concerns still mean our correspondent has to use a pseudonym – ‘Union Jack’.

He takes up the story:

The official letter arrived on Thursday, September 12, asking me to mobilise the following Monday.

So I went from driving tractors in the Borders one week, to driving to Portsmouth the next and, 21 years to the day after I first joined the Royal Navy, I found myself back at naval stores.

This time, however, I wasn’t drawing naval uniform, but several thousand pounds-worth of the latest multi-terrain pattern clothing, including body armour and my general service respirator. After dealing with the paperwork required to rejoin the navy, it was off to Plymouth for weapons training, as it had been 10 years since I’d last fired the SA80 rifle.

It’s had extensive redesign to improve it, while my eyesight has not.

However, I still hit the target enough times overall to pass, as I did with my 9mm Glock pistol.

It was then back to Portsmouth for pre-deployment training – compulsory for all naval personnel deploying to Afghanistan.

Our group included intelligence officers, surgeons and a pilot, as well as me, a public affairs officer.

We also had a special operations Royal Marine, who helped me adapt to living in the field, as opposed to ploughing it.

Given our ultimate destination it was not hard to remain focused, whether learning to locate Improvised Explosive Devices, respond to insurgent attacks or providing emergency first aid.

The second week culminated in a sustained night assault on our forward operating base.

After thousands of rounds of blank ammunition and simulated rocket attacks, future Guy Fawkes Nights will seem tame.

Suitably trained, I had just a couple more days to pack, travel to London for briefings, as well as trying to spend a final few hours with my family.

Six weeks after receiving that letter, I would be driving away for six months.

Big changes have been happening with Scotland’s Children’s Panels and as the new regime beds in the need for new members, particularly men, is greater than ever.

The Children’s Panel is the largest legal tribunal in Scotland, making decisions to help the lives of vulnerable children and young people. The Borders is now part of the South East Scotland Panel (which also includes East Lothian, Midlothian and Edinburgh) as Children’s Hearing Scotland reduce the number of panels from 32 to 22 and work towards a uniform approach across the country.

Lead panel representative for the Scottish Borders, Meg Reid from Swinton who has been sitting on Children’s Panels for 19 years, explained: “Panels sit with three members and they have to be mixed.

“We have 32 people from the Borders but would like to have 42, and particularly need men to come forward.

Children’s Panel hearings are heard at Selkirk on Mondays, Wednesday afternoons and Thursday mornings, plus there can be emergency meetings any day of the week, and panel members are expected to be available once a month.

“The type of candidate we are looking for is someone who is non-judgemental, able to listen and absorb details quickly, can see things in all shades not just black and white, who can work in a team and can make a decision,” added Meg.

“A hearing is where the family comes with any professional working with them – teacher, social worker, legal representative, carer – and it’s a discussion around the table. Although it’s a tribunal, it’s done informally and the panel members always make a decision in the best interests of the children.

“We aren’t there to deal with innocence or guilt. If a youngster at 12 or 13 years isn’t at school and is getting into trouble there is always more to it.

“There are a lot of vulnerable families that need to get help under compulsion.

“You make a decsion on the day with the information you are given on the day.

“There are families who are willing to work alongside social work and try their best, and social workers are doing a lot of good work out there so families don’t always end up at a Children’s Panel hearing.

“There are some sad cases but it’s rewarding because you have the the best you could for that young person.”

Heavy rain has provided more than a few woes for the organisers of the Town Arms Great Selkirk Haggis Hunt on Sunday (January 19).

Parts of the prime breeding and hunting ground was flooded but is now clearing, so with nine days to go and favourable weather forecasts, all should be well.

Scouts toured the hill before the deluge descended and winds whipped in, reporting good numbers of Haggi in excellent condition.

They returned once the storms abated – dreading the worst. Assistant Head Haggis Hunter Davie Scott told us: “We have had many sleepless nights, and it wasn’t the wind. The chieftain o’ the pudding race is a hardy beast and isn’t bothered by wind, although it has been known to cause some wind problems.

“It was the rain that worried us. Haggi are thin-skinned creatures and if penetrated by water they very often swell up and simply burst. It’s not pleasant to see.

“And because their principal habitat is heather-clad moorland, away from water, they are not very good swimmers.

“In fact, there are only a few confirmed sightings of a haggis doing the back or the breaststroke – and none of those have occurred in the Borders.

“They have never been seen doing the crawl or the butterfly. The Border haggis does not like the wet.”

But a relieved Davie confirmed: “All seems well. They must have heard the BBC’s weather forecasts and most escaped to the higher ground away from what became the flood plain and found shelter and safety amongst the whins and heather.

“We saw about half a dozen floating on their backs but fortunately we managed to rescue them, dry them off, and ferry them to the safety of the higher ground, none the worse for their ordeal.

“So it looks as though the numbers are as good as previous years – possibly greater thanks to a warm breeding and growing season.”

Security on The Hill is provided by Commander Beachy Grieve.

He commented: “Poachers beware. I have been highly trained by the British Army, and although a retired soldier, I am still in peak condition.”

The January 19 Great Selkirk Haggis Hunt begins with a proclamation and stirrup cup in the Market Place at 11.02am.

Juice will be provided for the bairns.

The wearing of tartan is encouraged – experts say it lures the haggi into a false sense of security. The only weapons allowed are baggie nets and homemade bows and arrows. Walking sticks should only be used for walking. Riddell Fiddles will play for the dancing of the Haggis Polka outside the Argus Centre.

All hunters receive a certificate and there will be music in the Town Arms after the hunt.

In his new year message, FSB Scottish policy convenor Andy Willox has said that despite more small firms turning a profit and more planning to hire, businesses are ‘by no means out of the woods’ at the start of 2014.

“Small business owners, like other citizens, need to understand how institutions with which they must deal every day – and which, as taxpayers, they fund – will operate in the future. Both sides of the debate have a duty to get into the nitty-gritty.

“The FSB won’t be a bystander this debate, nor will we get bounced around by political campaigns looking for someone else to make their case for them. We’ll ask be asking our members what sort of issues they want to see addressed before they decide where to put their cross.”

A total of 19 addresses in the Borders have been flagged up to ambulance staff warning them that they could be at risk of abuse or violence when they are called out.

Despite the number recorded in this region being much lower than in other parts of the country, Borders MSP John Lamont has condemned any violence shown towards ambulance crews and called for more to be done to promote respect for emergency service staff.

Mr Lamont said: “It is abhorrent to think that anyone would threaten or be violent towards a member of our emergency service staff.

“Ambulance crews help save thousands of lives each and every year, and for someone to show them anything but the upmost respect is totally unacceptable.”

Mr Lamont added: “If an ambulance has been called out to an address it is in order to help those who are in need of immediate medical attention, so it beggars belief that someone would try and get between them and their duty.

“Their job is dangerous enough as it is without being threatened by those who they are trying to help.”

He went on: “Those who have behaved violently towards paramedics need to learn that behaviour like that will not be tolerated.”

The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) is urging conservationists, gamekeepers and farmers to help boost grey partridge numbers.

The charity has devised a ‘New Year Action Plan’ to aid the recovery of what is now one of Britain’s most rapidly declining farmland birds.

GWCT’s research director Professor Nick Sotherton said the charity’s 40-year research programme into the greys’ decline has led to developing methods to re-establish vital habitats lost through changing agriculture practices.

“Our ‘New Year Action Plan’ will ensure that all these aspects are catered for and, if implemented on a national basis, this could be the turning point in the fortunes of this once common bird.”

GWCT says the native ground-nesting birds need all-year-round habitats, providing food and nesting and brood rearing cover, additional food in winter and protection from predators.

Suggestions include filling hopper feeders with wheat and feeding until May, planting kale, millet and triticale, creating ‘beetle banks’, by planting cock’s food grass on a raised bank, and protection from foxes and crows.

Scottish Gamekeepers Association chairman, Peeblesshire gamekeeper Alex Hogg said: “Although the grey is more common in England, it has been encouraging to see the positive affects that land management can have on grey partridge and other species (here).

Following the awful weather-related breeding season in 2012, a significant proportion of the shooting community observed a voluntary moratorium on the shooting of greys. Measures such as this and those outlined by GWCT can only help this vulnerable ground-nesting bird recover, although they face many threats.”

A RSPB Scotland spokesman said: “Eastern Scotland remains an important stronghold for wild grey partridge populations, particularly as this species has suffered significant loss of range in recent decades and is now very scarce in the north and southwest of Scotland.

“We support and are working with GWCT on efforts to address these worrying declines and believe farmers and landowners, particularly with the support of well funded agri-environment schemes, can also play a vital role in future wild grey partridge conservation.”