Parents in Scotland are amongst the most generous in the UK when it comes to pocket money, research has revealed.

Only children in London (£8.21) receive more on average each week than those in Scotland (£7.06).

However, Scottish parents are actually tightening the purse strings, with the average down nearly three per cent on the equivalent in 2015.

Across the UK, pocket money has hit a nine-year high with an extra 35p per week going into children’s piggy banks, according to the annual pocket money survey by the Halifax.

Children aged between eight and 15 have seen their weekly allowance go up to £6.55 per week - a 6 per cent rise from the £6.20 in 2015.

As well as being the first rise since 2013, the new pocket money level is the highest since 2007 - the year the financial crisis began.

However, despite the rise, four in 10 children are unhappy with their lot with almost a quarter (23 per cent) saying their friends are better ‘paid’.

And according to the survey, boys receive 77p more than girls per week - an average of £6.93 a week versus the £6.16 girls get.

The building society will also be pleased at at the savings habits of the nation’s youngsters. Some 79 per cent of those questioned are saving cash, compared with 70 per cent in 2015, with 12 per cent saving all of their pocket money.

90 per cent of parents said that they encourage their offspring to save some of their cash.

The average pocket money amounts by region, with percentage change on 2015:

London, £8.21, 7.3 per cent

Scotland, £7.06, down 2.8 per cent

South East, £6.83, 10.8 per cent

North West, £6.68, 11.1 per cent

North East, £6.51, 8.5 per cent

Wales, £6.44, 4.4 per cent

South West, £6.36, 13.6 per cent

Yorkshire and Humberside, £6.25, 7 per cent

West Midlands, £5.84, 7.2 per cent

East Midlands, £5.33, down 5.5 per cent

East Anglia, £4.96, down 11.9 per cent

They are the irritating phrases you just can’t get out of your head after a long, hard day at the office....

‘Move the goalposts’ or ‘teamwork, dreamwork’ or ‘can I borrow you for a sec?’ - they’re all workplace ‘buzz lines’ that we love to hate, according to research by jobs site {http://www.reed.co.uk|Reed|Click here}

A survey of 2,000 workers came up with these jargon gems.

Phrases guaranteed to irritate your co-workers

1. Can I borrow you for a sec?

2. How long is a piece of string?

3. Think outside the box

4. Teamwork, dreamwork

5. Keep me in the loop

6. Win-win

7. Pick your brains

8. I’m stacked

9. Blue sky thinking

10. Just playing devil’s advocate

The most overused sayings in the workplace

1. Can I borrow you for a sec?

2. Pick your brains

3. Think outside the box

4. Me in the loop

5. Get the ball rolling

6. All hands on deck

7. How long is a piece of string?

8. Back to the drawing board

9. Can you shed some light on this

10. Move the goalposts

Online expressions people say in the workplace

1. OMG

2. LOL

3. FYI

4. Epic fail

5. Cringe

6. Swag

7. YOLO

8. On point / on fleek

9. For the win

10. That’s cray

Remember those days of living it large every evening?

The wild nights of drinking and debauchery?

Of course you don’t, and neither do we. Thanks, alcohol.

Lucky for us all, it seems one Scottish nightclub is now offering a night out you’re guaranteed to recall – as an extra in the upcoming Trainspotting sequel.

With filming for the follow-up to the hit 1996 film well under way, Edinburgh’s Cav has created a Facebook event calling for people between the ages of 18 and 30 to show up at the club on Tuesday, June 14 for a chance to appear in the background of the finished film.

Those who want to rub shoulders with the Trainspotting cast must show up in ’80s attire, leading us to wonder if the scene could be some kind of flashback.

Don’t expect a wild party though – the shoot starts at 4pm and there will be strictly no alcohol available during filming.

Spaces are limited, so hit ‘attending’ if you’ve got your heart set on seeing yourself on the big screen.

According to the Facebook event, there are Trainspotting themed prizes and selfie opportunities with the cast up for grabs for those who turn up in the best authentic ’80s outfits.

If the whole thing was all starting to sound a bit too much like fun, here’s a reminder from Cav that you’ll still be selling your soul to Hollywood if you decide to go along:

“By entering the premises you grant TS2 Productions Ltd (“the Company”) the right to use your voice and likeness in any and all media in connection with promoting and exploiting the film.”

Will the now middle-aged Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle and the rest of the original movie’s cast be slapping on some make-up to take a few decades off, or will the old timers simply be attending an ’80s theme night?

Only time will tell.

Fans of time-travel TV drama Outlander are celebrating alongside film industry and tourism workers following the announcement that the hit show will be renewed for two more series.

The drama, adapted from American author Diana Gabaldon’s best selling series, is set in Scotland and has a huge global audience which has generated millions of pounds for the country’s creative and tourism industries.

Tourism chiefs last night said the new series would continue to increase visitor numbers to Scotland.

The Sony-Starz series features Sam Heughan as 18th-century Scottish Highlander Jamie Fraser and time-travelling Second World War nurse Claire Randall Fraser, played by Caitriona Balfe, with much of the action based around the time of the Jacobite Rebellion.

The third instalment of the television show will be based on Gabaldon’s novel entitled Voyager.

A spokeswoman at Amazon Prime confirmed that, as with the first two series, the new episodes will only be available in the UK through its paid for service.

The star of the show, Scottish actor Sam Heughan, told fans on Twitter he was “excited” following the announcement.

Starz CEO Chris Albrecht said: “Outlander is like nothing seen before on television,

“We are thrilled and honoured to be able to continue the story that began with author Diana Gabaldon, and is brought to life by the incredibly talented Ronald D Moore.

“There are no better storytellers for Outlander than this team.”

Today marks the second National Fish & Chip Day, June 3, which gives us all an excuse to eat everyone’s favourite - a chippy tea.

The aim of the newly founded event is to bring together those involved in creating Britain’s favourite dish.

To mark the occasion, we’ve compiled a list of some of our favourite names for fish & chip shops, from the daft, to the downright clever.

Contented Sole

New Cod On The Block

Fishcotheque

Frying Nemo

The Cod Almighty

A Salt N Battered

A Fish Called Rhondda

Codrophenia

Hippie Chippy

The Star Chip Enterprise

Phil’s Yer Tum

Battersea Cod’s Home

For Your Fries Only

Salty Towers

The Codmother

The Frying Scotsman

Oh My Cod

Chip Ahoy

The Jolly Fryer

Fishician

Following a crushing defeat at rain-soaked Carlton in their previous outing, Selkirk were eager to get back to winning ways on home turf.

Playing host to Boroughmuir, the home outfit were buoyed by the return of leading run scorer Greg Fenton, who would go on to make his presence known.

Selkirk captain Rory Banks won the toss once again and chose to put the visitors in to bat under the lunchtime clouds.

Openers Beard and Eaves had the worst possible start when the former was out for nought, thanks to a stunning, diving catch at slip by Stuart Skeldon from the bowling of Kenny Paterson.

The early wicket brought Butt to the crease but he was removed shortly afterwards, mistiming a pull to be caught at square leg by Harry Murphy, again from Paterson’s bowling.

Hussain came and went for five when run out thanks to great fielding by Blaine Gillie, before Jordan Reid grabbed himself a wicket by bowling Gazzala for a duck.

Paterson took his third when he had Eaves caught well by Kyle Easson to reduce the visitors to 26-5.

Reid took the wickets of Singh and Siddegowda both for nought, the earlier well grabbed by Paterson at slip before the later saw his stumps spiralling.

Paterson’s spell came to an end, with fantastic figures of 3-3 from 8 overs including six maidens deserving a mention.

Replacing Paterson was the returning Greg Fenton, who trapped Mehmood LBW for 7, and soon after Bhavsar the same way for 4.

David Gardiner finished off a good innings for the home side as Maclean was Caught and Bowled for 0. This left the visitors all out for just 42 in 21.2 overs However, the Souters knew they still had a game on their hands.

Openers Greg Fenton and John Graham made a good start and reached 36 for no loss in the first 12 overs but, when Graham fell to Mehmood for 11, it meant Michael Fenton joined his brother in the middle.

Seven was the number of runs required and, despite some tight bowling from the visitors, Greg hit the winning run in the 16th over.

Victory by nine wickets was much deserved for the Philiphaugh side, who were very pleased to see Greg Fenton return with 28 not out. Brother Michael was also not out with a total of two.

Sharing the man of the match award were Kenny Paterson and Greg Fenton.

Paterson took excellent figures – three wickets under his belt while conceding just three runs in an eight-over spell.

Fenton was top scorer once more for his side, 28 not out, taking his tally for the season to 77 in three innings.

Previously, I always thought that Anna was simply a quite attractive female Christian name and nothing else, until last Saturday, while on a visit to Kelso.

Kelsonians too have an attractive Anna but nothing to do with the fair sex. The Anna is the name of the large area of land underneath the new road bridge over the Tweed and as I discovered, a fascinating place to have a wander.

Anna, or Annay, is the old word for a river island and although this particular area is now separated from the main bank only by the Wooden Burn, at one time it was a proper island which could only be accessed by a suspension bridge.

Now a low concrete structure takes you onto the vast area of lovely meadow, which is now the Anna.

The area is managed by the Kelso Community Woodland Group, who are striving to return the area to the type of woodland it would have been previously.

As I crossed the bridge, I met an elderly gentleman from the group carrying spraying equipment.

I enquired if he was dealing with the last of the giant hogweed, but he told me it was far worse than that.

Himalayan balsam was the new threat and this invasive plant had got a real hold on the Anna and he was trying to keep it at bay.

Once you can shut out the traffic noise from the busy road above, you can start to appreciate the bird song of the place. It is a great place for warblers and I heard willow warbler, blackcap, whitethroat and sedge warbler during my brief visit.

The hawthorn blossom was at its glorious best and the grassland flowers were stunning in their profusion.

Large clumps of comfrey were in full bloom, their flowers ranging from pale blue to deep purple.

Lower down, where colonies of shorter flowers intermingled, amazing colour combinations were created.

Pale yellow crosswort mingled with deep blue speedwell, while white stitchwort and red campion blended beautifully.

Butterflies too abounded, with mainly orange tip, green veined white and peacock on the wing.

I will certainly be back to visit Anna.

It is a hidden jewel in 
Kelso’s crown.

Leitholm Cycling Club is a new outfit in the eastern Scottish Borders, affiliated with British and Scottish Cycling, offering and taking part in a range of cycling activities during the year.

It was founded in May by two Leitholm residents, both keen bikers themselves for many years and looking to put Leitholm on the cycling map.

The club currently offers social and group rides at weekends and through the week, with TT and MTB sessions also taking place. One of the members also has accreditation for the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow, promoting a diverse range of cycling activity, encouraging cyclists of all abilities to come along and join in.

Seventeen riders came along last weekend from Coldstream, Kelso, Duns, Allanton, Cockburnspath – and Glasgow and London – making for a great Sunday group ride, taking in the some of the best cycling roads in Berwickshire.

Membership will be offered in March 2017 for anyone wishing to join.

Hockey’s biggest event of the year incorporated a salute to some of the brightest young Borders personalities in the game.

Borders Hockey Development’s (BHD) seventh annual festival featured a special awards ceremony acknowledging the contribution of hockey enthusiasts across a range of skills, including players, coaches and officials.

The event, which was held earlier this month at Tweedbank, also featured the first ever game between two XI-a-side squads consisting of boys.

The accolades were presented by John McBay, LIVE Borders’ senior sports development officer.

Borders hockey development officer Janet Jack said she was very proud to see the appetite for the sport locally reflected in the success ot the 2016 festival. Awards went to:

Player of the year U12 - Jessica Main (Selkirk). She was described as “a young player with bags of enthusiasm. She is eager to learn and a great team player, always encouraging and supporting others in her training.”

Player of the year U14 – Charlie Jack (Fjordhus Reivers). Charlie has mastered tremendous skills at a young age. He has played for the Fjordhus Reivers U14 team for three years, and his steady play and ferocious pace of pass has been instrumental in getting the team to the top of East League 2. He has also represented South U14 boys for the last two years and is involved in Selkirk High School’s ‘School of Hockey’ project.

Player of the year U16 – Helena Tipper (Peebles).

Helena has family responsibilities which have prevented her playing for the school team but she has seized the opportunity to play and enjoy her hockey through the club environment. She is a valuable member of the Peebles Ladies team, who won East District Ladies Division One and promotion to the Premier League.

Player of the year U18 – Aimee Martin. Aimee has represented both Fjordhus Reivers at U16 level and also plays for the Ladies Firsts in the National League. She has also represented her school, Kelso High School, and shone particulary in the U16 Inter District.

Senior Player of the year – Rhona Gowans. An integral part of the Fjordhus Ladies First team playing in the National League, she has progressed along the Borders Hockey pathway, representing the District at U14, U16 level and U18 level. She was captain and a key member of the Fjordhus Reivers U18 team who made it to the final of the Scottish Hockey Club U18 cup.

Junior Coach – Megan MacIver (Peebles). An inspiration to the young players, encouraging them and supporting individually and collectively.

Senior coach – Stuart Lobb (Peebles). Along with the arrival of a new full-sized artifical pitch for the Peebles Ladies 1sts to train on, Stuart has displayed dedication, invested much time and developed a great work ethic within the squad, helping it to the East District League Division One title and promotion to the East District Premier League for 2016-17.

Grass Roots coach – Sara Robson (Fjordhus/Borders Hockey). Organised in her planning of sessions, ensuring there is progression from the start to finish in every one.

Umpire – Lynn Young (Kelso). Lynn contributes much to sport in the Borders, in particular badminton, but she has also played a big part with Kelso Hockey Club. All who are involved in the organisation of getting teams out do fully appreciate the necessity for willing umpires to pick up the whistle and travel with teams. The importance of the umpire is very often overlooked, while Lynn is well respected, patient and fair.

Volunteer – Hilary Woods (Peebles). Hockey, like any other sport, cannot survive and flourish without volunteers.Hilary is a stalwart of Peebles Hockey Club and for years has been a willing part of the committee. She also umpires school and senior games, helps coach the juniors, and co-ordinates the many facets needed to help run the club.

Today marks 72 years since the famous D-Day landings on the beaches of Normandy.

Amid the commemorations, here are five facts about Operation Overlord:

It was the largest air, land and sea operation in military history

The landings featured the combined forces of 13 different countries - including Greece, Rhodesia, New Zealand and Norway. Almost 7,000 naval vessels were tasked with transporting the 132,000 ground troops across the English Channel to the five beaches chosen for the landings. At the same time 18,000 paratroopers were dropping into the invasion zone and the Allied air forces flew 14,000 sorties to bombard the German positions in Normandy.

Its success relied on subterfuge and misdirection

In the run up to the invasion a great deal of effort was put into convincing the German forces that the invasion would take place miles from the actual target. An entire fake US division was created in south-east England, using inflatable tanks and dummy landing craft to draw German attention. Double agents passed false information to confuse the German force. And in one famous incident - Operation Mincemeat - the body of a tramp was disguised as a dead RAF officer and was dumped off the coast of Spain with false invasion plans in his pocket. It all led to the Germans holding back forces from Normandy in expectation of an attack closer to Calais, weakening their defence to the actual landings.

D-Day was only the beginning

While the success of the D-Day landings was massively significant, it was only the beginning of the battle to liberate France from German occupation. By securing a beachhead for Allied troops to land it meant they could push in to France and take on the German army on the ground. It was not easy going, however, and there were many more bloody battles before British and American troops crossed into Germany itself in early 1945.

Casualty rates varied widely

While the numbers of killed and wounded troops was actually lower than the Allied commanders had feared, the landings were still a bloody affair. In particular, the American troops landing at Omaha beach suffered very high casualty rates. The figures are debated but it is thought that at least 2,000 US soldiers were wounded or killed at Omaha on June 6. In total it is thought that around 4,000 Allied troops lost their lives that day, with thousands more wounded.

Star Trek’s Scotty was among the invasion force

Among the 14,000 Canadian soldiers who helped make up the invasion force was Lieutenant James Doohan. Doohan was shot six times - in the leg, chest and hand - but survived, in part, thanks to a cigarette case which deflected the bullet that hit his chest. He didn’t escape unscathed however, losing a finger on his right hand. After the war Doohan went into acting, eventually landing the role of Chief Engineer Montgomery “Scotty” Scott in Star Trek.

Two Borders businesses have been announced as winners at the prestigious Scotland Food and Drink Excellence Awards - including Product of the Year.

Cuddybridge Apple Juice andMacamoon, a Peebles macaroon business, were flying the flag for the region.

They were among twenty prizewinners to have been whittled down from 245 entries.

Cuddybridge Apple Juice won the non-alcoholic drink award, which the firm had previously won in 2014, while Macamoon took home the confectionery and snacking prize.

There was an extra surprise for Macamoon’s owner, Ailsa Corbishley, at the end of the night.

Ailsa was surprised to be called to the stage to receive the award for Product of the Year.

Ailsa, originally from Northampton, moved to Peebles with her husband and two (now three) children.

“We originally came for three years,” she said after the awards, “but now I think that we’re here for life.

“We just love the place, we love it as a place for our children to grow up, the quality of life, and as somewhere to start a business. We’ll be here for ever.”

That business, Macamoon, was set up by Ailsa just over a year ago.

“I’d always enjoyed baking before then,” she said.

“But mainly had just been experimenting and testing things out on my family and friends! I set up the business and it’s just run and run and proved a huge success although I certainly didn’t expect to be winning awards like this.

“I’m hoping for another boost to the business because this was such a high profile event, and now the name is out there, people will be getting interested.

“I was really surprised,” said Ailsa. “This was the first time that I had gone to an event like this, and so I was on my own and quite shy.

“It’s all very exciting.”

Ailsa’s winning product was her ‘Scottish Selection’ with flavours inspired by Scotland, and using local produce.

The macaroon flavoured with Peeblesshire heather honey and whiskey liqueur was the judges favourite of all the products they tasted.

In the course of their assessment, the judges sampled 165 Scottish products ranging from salmon and charcuterie, to lemonade and whisky.

The awards were announced by presenter of Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch, Simon Rimmer, and were designed to highlight business excellence, innovation and best practice across the 
Scottish food and drink industry.

Recognised by both trade and consumers as an accolade of the highest quality, the awards were presented at a sell-out event at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre on June 2, with 800 guests attending.

Scotland Food and Drink chief executive James Withers said: “Congratulations to all winners and finalists who have been selected from a record number of entries by our panel of more than 35 judges. They recognise the people, products and practices which make Scotland a land of food and drink and represent the wealth of our industry from artisan producers to established brands.

“Welcoming 800 people to the sold out awards ceremony is testament to the success of the sector. This event is a great opportunity to take stock of success and to look ahead to the future as we shape the industry’s strategy to 2030.

“There has been a revolution in food and drink and the awards show why that is. We have an amazing mix of established world-class business and a new generation of entrepreneurs coming through. Crucially, there is now a culture of collaboration in Scotland - industry bodies and companies working together to build our reputation and our sales. Challenges are never far away, but opportunities for growth and innovation over the next few years are hugely exciting.”

Two of the top PDC darts players are heading for Berwickshire to take part in a The Lloyd Masters event.

Vincent ‘The Dutch Destroyer’ Van der Voort and Terry ‘Tucker’ Jenkins will be in Duns for the Kelso-based Lloyds sponsored tournament when they will play some of the top players from throughout the Borders.

The event, which is sure to appeal to darts enthusiasts from far and wide, will be held in Duns Rugby Club’s new premises at Castle Park, behind the old Berwickshire High School, on Saturday, September 24. Doors open at 6pm with the main event at 7.45pm.

Tickets are priced at £30 and are available from the Box Office on 07786 571027. Over 18s only.

Van der Voort, know as the fastest man in darts, is currently at 15 in the PDC rankings while Jenkins is ranked at 16.

A Primary 7 pupil from Lauder Primary School will be ‘Queen for the Day’ when the Royal and Ancient Burgh of Lauder celebrates the Queen’s 90th birthday on Sunday, June 12.

Evie Archenhold will be met at the gates to Lauder Church by Gerald Maitland-Carew, HM The Queen’s Lord Lieutenant of Roxburgh, Ettrick and Lauderdale, before being led into the church by the Rev John Shields, MBE where a Service of Thanksgiving will begin the 10 hour programme.

A girls’ football tournament at the public park will follow, featuring Lauder and Melrose participants, alongside a senior football match involving representatives from the former Oxton Football Club and Lauder Amateurs.

After the presentation of medals to all participants, Evie will travel in a vintage Alvis Drophead car from the centre of Lauder to Thirlestane Castle where she will be met by young Emily Maitland-Carew and Cornet Greg Scott, as 16-year-old Jake Mirley pipes the arrival of the ‘Queen for the Day’ from the turret of the castle.

An array of activities, hosted by Gus and Sam, will keep residents and visitors alike entertained as they enjoy their picnic.

Horses and dogs may be the centre of attention, but also included are gladiators, sumo wrestlers, segways and a speedway cycle course among the 20 items of entertainment for the afternoon. The birthday cake will be cut and distributed by Evie.

The programme then moves to Lauder Public Hall where Ian Brotherston will compere a concert of local talent followed by a family ceilidh with local musician Mike Whellans and the Ardmore Ceilidh Band led by Tich Frier and Scottish Champion accordionist Leonard Brown.

Event organiser Graeme Donald said: “Lauder has earned a sound reputation for staging such celebratory events which strive to be inclusive for all residents.

“For example, entry to all activities in the programme is free but controlled on a first come, first served basis. A bus to the castle and back to the Public Hall is available for the elderly and infirm, again at no cost, leaving the town centre at 2pm for the castle, returning to the Public Hall at 4pm; all activities are family based”.

Programme details are available from Lauder’s Post Office, the grocer, the fruit shop, the pharmacy and the health centre.

Flower power will be on show in the Borders this weekend.

The garden of Laidlawstiel House will be a riot of rhododendrons and azaleas when it opens for charity on Sunday under Scotland’s Gardens initiative.

Dozens of owners of castles, stately homes and other properties with gardens of note are opening to the public, including Berersyde and Harmony House, both near Melrose, and Floors Castle, close to Kelso.

And all the proceeds raised will go to good causes, including the National Trust, Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres and the Queen’s Nursing Institute Scotland.

Near Clovenfords, the garden at Laidlawstiel House offers views down to the River Tweed.

Laidlawstiel’s current owners garden organically and grow a mixture of flowers, vegetables and fruit. It is just one of the gardens in Berwickshire, Ettrick & Lauderdale and Roxburghshire, that are opening their gates on specific dates over the summer.

The herbaceous borders in the walled garden will also be bursting into life alongside an orchard and vegetables in raised beds. Full details of all garden openings, including admission charges and opening hours are on Scotland’s Gardens’ website, www.scotlandsgardens.org

Pupils from Walkerburn Primary School are celebrating after making it through to the finals of the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) School Gardening Team of the Year competition for 2016.

The school is one of just four finalists from 58 applicants in the UK and have impressed judges with the way in which their garden has made a difference to their school environment.

Rosie Callaghan, P6, said: “We were all so upset after the floods last winter when so much water from the river ruined our garden after all our hard work in the summer. I think we were chosen because we worked really hard to make it look beautiful again. When we heard we were in the final it felt great because it was a reason to keep the garden going and it was something we feel very proud of.”

The pupils were congratulated by Scottish Borders Council’s Executive Member for Education, Councillor Sandy Aitchison.

He said: “Many congratulations to the green fingered pupils at Walkerburn Primary and their head teacher Miss Bean on this wonderful achievement.

“I understand that the ultimate winners will be the team that the judges feel demonstrates a real passion for gardening as well as excellent teamwork. It is clear to me that Walkerburn has these abilities in spades and I wish them every success in the next round and will look forward to hearing how they get on with great interest,”

Once making the final the pupils were then asked to make a short film describing their garden and the journey they have taken as a school to get it to the stage where it has been judged worthy of national recognition.

The film had to be submitted by Friday, June 3 with the final results due to be published Friday,June 17.

Scotland’s largest landowners, the Buccleuch family, have announced “ambitious” plans to register all of their 225,000 acres in the next five years.

However, they have been called on to reveal offshore holdings.

Buccleuch, one of Scotland’s major rural businesses, is taking part in an initiative to put all land in Scotland on a modern map-based land register. The scheme, led by Registers of Scotland, aims to move all land in Scotland from the historic deeds-based General Register of Sasines – the world’s oldest national land register – to the modern digital map-based public Land Register of Scotland.

Buccleuch – which encompasses all of the land interests of the Buccleuch family – has registered the 2,400 acre Eckford Estate, part of the larger 61,000 acre Bowhill Estate, on the Land Register.

John Glen, chief executive officer of Buccleuch, said: “We began this process two years ago – well before the latest round of land reform legislation – and we believe in the transparency of land ownership.”

But land reform campaigner Andy Wightman, recently elected for the Scottish Greens in the Lothians, said the plan does not go far enough and called on the family to reveal any landholdings held offshore.

Wightman pointed out that the family, headed by Richard Scott, the Duke of Buccleuch, uses a Cayman Islands tax haven firm to sell land.

This week Wightman said: “The time has come for Buccleuch and others to be fully transparent in relation to their landholdings held in offshore secrecy jurisdictions such as Grand Cayman.”

This week’s DVD release takes us on a remarkable revenge-driven journey through the harsh and hostile wilderness of the American frontier in The Revenant.

Set in the early 19th Century, and nominally based on real-life events and characters, the film focuses on the character of Hugh Glass, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, a trapper whose group is forced to flee when they come under attack from a local tribe of Native Americans.

As the group flee for their lives, with only a few bales of beaver pelts to show for their efforts, things take a turn for the worse for Glass. He stumbles across a mother bear and her cubs and she gives him a good mauling, leaving him shredded and lying on death’s door.

Cue a bit of treachery from an impressively scruffy Tom Hardy who vows to stay with Glass until he dies, allowing the group to continue on their way. Instead kills Glass’s son and leaves the trapper for dead in a shallow grave. Big mistake.

By dint of sheer willpower, Glass drags himself out of cold dirt and across a harsh landscape in search of revenge. He takes on a dangerous and breath-taking trip through untamed surroundings.

This is the role that Leo

finally won an Oscar for and by the look of it, that was a well-earned gong. From crawling through icy rivers to biting a chunk out of raw bison liver, you see every painful element which made Glass’s unlikely survival possible.

DiCaprio’s performance is not the only standout feature though.

Director Alejandro González Iñárritu has crafted an exquisitely realised vision of a striking and deadly world.

The film-maker only shot in natural light and the hard-won result is a beautiful piece of cinematography.

If you let yourself be caught up in the stark drama of the story then The Revenant is one of those movies which can feel like exhausting viewing.

It is well worth the effort though, delivering a film that showcases the resilience of the human spirit in extreme adversity.

A teenager from Kelso has recently been taking part in a national competition for housing association apprentices.

Callie Sawday, 23, featured in the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations’ (SFHA) Apprentice Challenge at the SFHA’s annual conference on June 1 and 2.

This is the third year of the federation’s award-winning challenge which aims to consolidate the skills of the Modern Apprentices like Callie, and highlight the role that apprenticeships play as a vital first step on the career ladder as well the importance of nurturing young workers in the housing sector.

Callie is a health and social care apprentice at Eildon Housing Association, working on a service supporting adults with learning disabilities in Berwickshire.

She said last week: “I decided to do my apprenticeship because I wanted to gain more knowledge and experience.

“I have really enjoyed learning and this has helped me in my work support adults with learning disabilities. In the future, I plan to continue studying to further develop my career.”

Nile Istephan, chief executive of Eildon Housing Association, said: “It is great that Callie is participating in this challenge. We got terrific feedback from two other Eildon Modern Apprentices that participated in the challenge last year, and hopefully Callie will find this experience as rewarding as her colleagues did.

“Eildon are grateful to SFHA and Skills Development Scotland for making this opportunity available. This contributed to Eildon recently being awarded Silver status for Investors in Young People. We plan to do more work in supporting young people taking up high quality housing and care services careers.”

The conference also saw the launch of an ambitious national plan for apprenticeships by the SFHA and Skills Development Scotland (SDS).

The plan aims to increase the number of Modern Apprentices in housing associations and co-operatives. More young people in Scotland’s communities will be given the opportunity to gain vital skills and experience, which will, in turn, help to future-proof the social housing sector by training the housing professionals of the future.

What an incredible spell of weather we’ve been having - glorious sunshine every day with no rain for a fortnight.

The two pairs of blue tits in my garden nest boxes have certainly timed it right this year. I have been watching their non-stop comings and goings as they feed their hungry broods and they are not having to go far to catch insects, such is their abundance.

I was doing a bit of maintenance on the pump on the solar fountain in my garden pond last week, when a small red elongated creature zoomed past my face.

I stopped work and sat back to see what it could have been and was delighted to see a small red damselfly cruising above the water. Although my pond is only in its third season and is only six feet long and three at its widest, it is full of tadpoles, has resident newts, the yellow flag iris is blooming for the first time since I planted it and now I have damselflies! It just shows the wildlife even a tiny pond can attract.

Before it got too warm on Sunday morning, I took off for a wander round Selkirk’s Haining Estate. The sun hadn’t broken through and it was flat calm, as I set off round the loch. Sound carried great distances on the still air and bird song was incredible. I could even hear the wheezing calls of young crows calling for food in their treetop nests.

The estate is, as you would expect, a mixture of native and introduced trees and plants with the native ramsons vying for prominence with the alien leopardsbane, under the trees. The trust who manage the estate are trying to return it to a more natural state and evidence of this can be seen where they have removed some of the invasive rhododendrons and privet, which was probably once a hedge but has now grown out of all proportion.

Out on the loch were a few tufted duck and a couple of female mallards with large broods in tow and I was lucky to spot one of the more interesting residents. A great-crested grebe was diving for food, as its mate no doubt sat quietly in the extensive reed bed incubating its eggs.

Selkirk is indeed fortunate to have such a wonderful place virtually in the middle of town, where you can go and enjoy the local wildlife without too much effort.

Stow-based artist, Andrew Mackenzie, is starting a brand new course of 10 two-hour art classes in the beautiful new Fountainhall Village Hall.

The course is aimed at anyone from 16 through to adults, who is interested in experimenting with various drawing, printmaking and painting processes and techniques. It is ideal for those who want to develop a portfolio, stretch themselves, get back into art after a period away, or beginners who just want to give it a go! There will be four sessions of life drawing.

It aims to stimulate experimentation and self-expression through various exciting drawing activities, use of mixed media, collage, mono-printing, collagraphy and paint. We will work outside, from life as much as possible, and develop drawings into 3 dimensions. The classes will be designed to promote curiosity, creating a desire to explore personal ideas and follow trains of thought, while documenting the process in sketchbooks. Most sessions will involve a short slide show to include discussion of other artists and contextual awareness.

The classes start on Monday July 25 and run for 10 weeks from 6.30–8.30pm. The cost is £120 for all ten sessions, including all materials (apart from sketchbooks), life models and refreshments.

Maximum class size will be 15.

Andrew Mackenzie graduated with an MFA from Edinburgh College of Art in 1993, and has exhibited his work widely both in the UK and abroad. He has work in several important collections, including The Fleming Collection and The University of Edinburgh, and has received several awards from Creative Scotland. He was an invited artist at the 2016 Converge Visual Art Scotland show at the National Galleries in Edinburgh, for which he made three large-scale drawings while artist in residence at Edinburgh Academy.

His work has also been shown recently in group shows at Traquair House and at Edinburgh Printmakers, and his next solo show is with the Sarah Myerscough Gallery in London.

He is an experienced educator, and has worked often with The National Galleries of Scotland, The Fruitmarket Gallery, The Changing Room and with many schools, across all age-ranges. He has also been running portfolio preparation classes in the Scottish Borders for two years.