Five Co-operative Group food stores in the Borders are included in the £117million sale of its 298 smaller food stores throughout the UK to McColl’s Retail Group.

The sale, which is subject to approval by the competition watchdog and which could take place in November, will enable the Co-operative Group to invest in its larger food stores, i.e. those with 3,000 sq ft of floorspace or larger.

The stores affected in the sale in the Borders are as follows: Old Town, Peebles; Gala Park, Galashiels; Burnfoot, Hawick; Main St, St Boswells; and Canongate, Jedburgh. Also included in the sale is the Co-op in Dunbar.

All the stores being sold have an average of 1,700 sq ft.

A spokesman for the Co-operative Group said: “There will be no redundancies – all affected employees will be moved across to McColls.

“These are good stores that traded well, but we are keen to move forward with our food strategy, which will see us sell more own-brand goods in our larger stores.”

However, the Southern understands that several employees are devastated at the unexpected news of the forthcoming sale and are in talks with their employers to be resited in a remaining store.

Several of the larger stores in the Borders will remain under the auspices of the Co-op group, such as the stores in Newtown St Boswells, Kelso, Selkirk and High Street, Jedburgh.

All stores will continue to trade immediately after handover and all colleagues will transfer to McColl’s under TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment).

In the last two years, The Co-op has opened almost 200 new stores nationwide and in 2016 is actively pursuing 100 new store acquisitions.

Steve Murrells, CEO of the Co-operative Food Group, said: “[The] announcement is completely in line with our strategy, as these stores did not allow us to provide a sufficiently compelling own-brand offer for our members going forwards.

“The proceeds will be re-invested to drive sustainable growth for our members and I’m delighted that all 3,808 colleagues will transfer to McColl’s on the same terms and conditions.”

A mother and son have given a charity an £800 boost by having their heads shaved.

Fiona Duncan, of Silverbuthall Road, Hawick, and son Jamie, of Edinburgh, raised that money for Macmillan Cancer Support in memory of two relatives – Gordon and Cameron Duncan.

They had their heads shaved by hairdresser Kev Sykes – pictured above with Jamie and Fiona – at Hawick’s Morrisons store.

“My mum chose to give to Macmillan as cancer is a horrible disease that sadly is affecting more and more people and it is a charity close to our family’s hearts,” said Fiona’s daughter Shannon McLaughlin.

“She would also like to thank those in the town who helped smash her target.”

The Scottish Cup captured most of the attention on Tuesday night as it accompanied Hibernian U20s to Yarrow Park.

But Selkirk manager Garry O’Connor has demanded an improvement in fitness from his squad, should they wish to have a silver lining to their season.

The Souters tested their Easter Road visitors in the first half but ran out of steam on a balmy night in the Royal Burgh, conceding four goals in the second period for an eventual 5-1 defeat.

And O’Connor is demanding more.

He said: “We were run ragged at times and Hibs’ fitness levels were better than ours through the game.

“We have two weeks until the start of the league season and we need to improve our fitness.

“We still have five or six players to come back and we are talking to a couple of others about signing so, come the start of the season, we should be ready.”

O’Connor started former East Stirling defender Ricky Miller, who played in midfield, with Dan Greig and Ross King both missing.

He played alongside former Hibee Andrew Fleming, and, with ex-Hibs youngsters Phil Addison and Jay Doyle also in the Selkirk line-up, and O’Connor on the sidelines, there were plenty of connections between the clubs.

But this was far from a tame friendly, with referee Duncan Smith telling O’Connor to take off striker Gary McCormack in the closing stages, much to the manager’s annoyance.

Selkirk should have been ahead as both Doyle and Miller failed to convert great chances, allowing Oliver Shaw to give the visitors the lead on 22 minutes after his initial header was saved by Daniel Terry.

A sweet finish by Hibs’ stand-out player Jamie Insall made it 2-0 on the hour mark, and Lewis Allan, who hails from Melrose, made it 3-0 a minute later.

McCormack continued his superb pre-season form by beating Hibs’ backline and rounding 42-year-old keeper Allan Combe to make it 3-1 on 63 minutes.

But Jamie Mackie’s low free kick restored the Hibees’ three-goal lead with 20 minutes left.

Aaron Dunsmore – who spent last season on loan at Edinburgh City – then scored the goal of the game, after powering on to Mackie’s superb pass and finishing well on 75 minutes.

It could have been worse for Selkirk, but both Jamie Gullan and Kevin Waugh hit the same Selkirk post with free kicks in the closing stages.

Selkirk: D. Terry (K. Proctor 45), M. Samson (M. Collin 56), J. Moyes (R. Scott 70), J. Harley, C. McDiarmid, R. Miller, A. Fleming, B. Fairgrieve (J. Butler 68), G. McCormack, J. Doyle (K. Scott 65), P. Addison.

Caddonfoot

Parish church

Morning service on Sunday was led by the Reverend John Smith, former minister at Morningside in Edinburgh and now living in Peebles. Earlier, another former minister and a member at Caddonfoot, the Reverend Jack Kellett, read Psalm 23, “The Lord’s My Shepherd”, translated from Hebrew to Scots. Music was played by Margaret Blyth and Anne Grieve. After the service there was a meeting of the congregational board, which approved plans for a church community event at Glenkinnon on Sunday, August 14, from 1-4pm. Bible study has been suspended until August, but the church is open on certain days – contact John or Irene Bruce for details.

earlston

Lunch club

The Thursday lunch club gathering on July 14 started with a game of bingo. After lunch there was a quiz, with the winner being Anne Thomson.

Parish church

The service on Sunday, July 24, at 10.15am will be conducted by the Reverend Julie Rennick. Refreshments will be served afterwards.

GALASHIELS

Trinity church

Session clerk Bill Cheyne welcomed the Reverend John Smith to conduct Sunday’s service. Margaret Blyth led the music, while Bill read the lessons. Bible study has stopped until next month.

St Peter’s Church

The Reverend Duncan McCosh returned for last Sunday’s services. Today (Thursday), sees holy communion (10am) and the study group (11am) followed by lunch. Sunday, July 24 – 9.30am, Sunday Squad, followed by tea and toast; 10.30am, sung eucharist, followed by coffee and chat; Thursday, July 28 – 10am, holy communion; 11am, study group, followed by lunch.

glendouglas

Lunch club

Visitors from China and Norway were among those who attended the latest lunch club gathering. As well as regular supporters, the club is grateful to the ladies who stepped in to help cope with a shortage of staff.

HAWICK

Bridge club

July 12 – 1 (equal), George Graham & Bob Francombe, Mary Millar & Patsy Gilligan; 3, Kenneth Auckland & David King.

Probus

Jim Herbert has worked for Berwick Museum for the past 19 years and is the leading authority on the medieval defences of that town. He gave members an outstanding resume on the history of the castle and wall through the centuries, as well as the history of the times. The outcome was an enthusiastic question-and-answer session. Alan Graham gave a vote of thanks. The club is now in recess until the next meeting on Thursday, September 8, when the speaker will be Watson McAteer.

50+ walk

Despite their lack of any great height, the Lammermuirs provided an exhilarating walk for the group, starting on the old route from Stoneypath Farm. Unwalked by most, the track was followed up past Moorcock Hall onto the ridge where fine views of the coast unfolded. Descending to Johnscleuch, an ancient fortified house, the group stopped for lunch just below the wind turbines of Crystal Rig. The Lammermuirs have an over­abundance of these structures, with their constant whirring disturbing the silent solitude. Once the group reached the Herring Road, the path was less distinct, but the walkers battled on through patches of cotton grass, occasionally brightened up by bell heather. Despite the lack of grandeur, the varied moorland was never boring with much to note. Boundary stones are clearly visible among the heather as a distraction from grouse-feeding stations peppering the landscape. Lauder kirk session chastised a parishioner for “going on the Herring Road on the Sabbath” long syne, but the 14 walkers were not to be thwarted. To reach Deuchrie Farm, the group passed by the empty cottage, Lucknow. Was a local at the siege? The origin of its name remains a mystery – for another day.

Garden competition

If you have a garden to be proud of and bursting with colour, or know a friend or neighbour whose garden is worthy of recognition, why not enter yourself or nominate someone for this year’s Best Kept Garden Competition. The popular annual competition is run by Hawick Community Council, assisted by Hawick in Bloom representatives, and will be judged during the week beginning Monday, August 8. There are salvers to be won in the main categories, with certificates for those highly commended. The competition is split into four sections – garden, sustainable (low maintenance), business and allotment. Community council chairperson Marion Short commented: “This is the opportunity for amateur gardeners in the town to show what they have achieved this summer by adding colour in and around the town. Even those who have entered previously are encouraged to put their names forward again.” The organisers have pointed out that a garden need not be at kerbside, as any area at the rear of a premises can also be included, and by doing so gives permission for the judges to enter the property. Anyone who would like to enter or nominate someone for this year’s competition should write their name or entrant’s name, address and category of garden on a postcard or slip of paper, and hand it in to the tourist information desk, Heart of Hawick, Towerdykeside, by Wednesday, August 3.

innerleithen

Services

On Sunday, July 24, there are two services – 8.30am (breakfast, song and a story) and 10.30am.

Jedburgh

Bridge club

Results for July 11 are as follows: N/S – 1, V. Johnstone and M. Miller; 2, J. Urquhart and S. Graham; 3, H. Long and M.Weightman; E/W – 1, J. Bridger and G. Eglinton; 2, K. Jackson and O. Whillans; 3, S.Mclachlan and J. Portch.

KELSO

Teas cash

The strawberry teas event held at Kelso Old Parish Church on Saturday, July 16, raised £1,100. Organisers are grateful to those who helped, contributed to and supported the event.

Bridge club

July 13 – match-pointed pairs – N/S – 1, Val Johnstone & Mary Millar; 2, Bob Stevenson & Annie Mitchell; 3, Dominic & Diana Alkin; E/W – 1, Joyce Thomson & Helenor Pratt; 2, Elinor Green & Caroline Sutherland; 3, Alison Ireland & Aziza Taylor. July 14 – aggregate pairs – 1, John & Marian Miller; 2, Michael Horwood & Alison Ireland; 3, Alison Darling & Mary Logan; 4, Dorothy Graham & Lynda Douglas; 5, Stuart Graham & John Urquhart; 6, Dominic & Diana Alkin.

Langholm

Pony rideout

The first of the rideouts organised by the Castle Craigs Club prior to the Common Riding, has taken place. The pony rideout has been an added feature over the past few years when more youngsters learned to ride through the Young Riders’ Club. Participants – most of whom were led by an adult – started from the Kilngreen and went round the streets, led by the pipe band. Around 30 ponies and riders were headed by Cornet Simon Tweddle and his right and left-hand men, Jamie Fletcher and Dale Irving.

Award

Trust Housing Association, which owns Greenbank Court, has gained the excellence award in the third sector category, which is for more than 250 employees, at the Annual Investors in People awards. The category recognises organisations which are committed to sharing best practice and improving excellence in the third sector.

Road closure

The Tarras road, south of the town, has been closed since Storm Desmond last December. Community councillors heard that repairs were currently scheduled to take place between October and December, and could cost anywhere between £50,400 and £2.3million.

Cheques

The Eskdale Foundation has rewarded two of the town’s most successful projects for their efforts with £1,000 cheques. The Muckle Toon Adventure Festival, which has an annual event in June and the Pumpkin Run in October, and the Xcel Project, which runs activities for young people, fall under the foundation’s charitable objectives, which are education, health, leisure and recreation. The foundation, a community development trust, has been associated with improving sport and leisure. At Greenbank, it owns four houses and also manages the 15-house development. Foundation chairman is John Scott and the organisation also owns the High Street charity shop where all proceeds go to the community centre.

Lauder

Church

Organisers are grateful to everyone who supported the community barbecue at Newmills Farm on Saturday, July 16. The total raised for church funds will be announced in due course.

SWI

On a bright, dry morning, members and friends from Lauder and district enjoyed the annual outing to Alnwick Castle Gardens. They were greeted by the waterfall cascade, surrounded by lawns, steps and rows of beautifully-manicured trees and bushes. Some of the party enjoyed watching this water feature while relaxing in the Pavilion Café. Others walked around the rose, ornamental and serpent gardens, also taking a guided tour round the securely-locked Poison Garden. Another attraction was a visit to the Tree House Restaurant, followed by a walk across the “Wobbly Bridges”. On the way home, members stopped at Cornhill’s Collingwood Arms Hotel for an evening meal. President Sheila Hardie thanked Annette Holton for organising the trip and coach driver Colin. The next meeting is on Tuesday, September 13, at 7.30pm in Lauder Primary School when the speaker is Isabel Gordon, Kelso, on “Dy

Turn to page 46

From page 45

ing for a Cuppa” – the history of tea. Competitions – three meringues with cream filling and a tea caddy spoon.

melrose

Parish church

Sunday, July 24 – services at Bowden (9.30am) and Melrose (11am), the Reverend Brian Embleton; music society garden party at Gattonside (2pm).

Trimontium

It’s the people one meets who make one’s day at visitor attractions – from a never-seen-before apparent fellow-graduate of 60 years ago to a couple celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary. Last Tuesday there was the pre-university lad all the way by train from Glasgow, keen to ‘do’ Trimontium and the abbey (and realising that Abbotsford would need another day).Thursday saw the remainder of the archaeology group from Lowick who came a month ago and were going back to do a little ‘dig’, under their tutor, to find out if there might be a fortlet where a famous local ‘diviner’ had suggested. The trust’s Antonine Wall trip to Bearsden is on August 6.

morebattle

Coffee morning

The Guide Dogs coffee morning was held last Saturday when £400 was raised. John Mabon opened the event by giving a rundown of the past 40 years of Morebattle supporting Guide Dogs. Competition winners – guess how many sweets in the jar, Tamara Cook; pamper hamper, Darcy Weir; 50/50, Scottie Wight.

Lunch club

Seventeen members and helpers went to Mayfield Garden Centre for afternoon tea on Tuesday for their summer outing.

Service

A joint service to be held in Morebattle Church on Sunday, July 24, at 11.15am will include the sashing of Lucy Thomson, this year’s Morebattle Games Queen.

Sponsored walk

Jeanie McNulty is organising a sponsored walk from Sainsbury’s, Kelso, to the Templehall on Saturday, August 27, in aid of Breast Cancer/Borders General Hospital Macmillan Centre, starting at 2.30pm. Anyone wishing to take part should phone her on 440647. Sponsor sheets are available in the butchers and village store.

Traquair

Service

The next service in Traquair Kirk is on July 31 (10.30am).

Walkerburn

Service

The next service in Walkerburn Public Hall will be on Sunday, August 21, at 10am.

yetholm

Strawberry teas

There will be a traditional strawberry tea afternoon in the Wauchope Hall on Sunday, July 24, from 2-4pm. Entry is £5 and all proceeds will go to festival week funds.

Council

The community council is meeting on Tuesday, July 26, at 7pm in the Youth Hall.

ROBBERY ALLEGATION

A man and woman appeared in private at Selkirk Sheriff Court on a charge of assault and robbery.

Logan MacKenzie, 22, and Charley Brown, 21, both of Galashiels, made no plea or declaration, and their case was continued for further examination.

They were both bailed. Their next court appearance date has still to be confirmed.

MAN REMANDED IN CUSTODY

A Hawick man has been remanded in custody after admitting committing motoring offences while already banned.

Steven Gorman appeared from custody at Selkirk Sheriff Court and pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified on the A68 and with no insurance.

He also admitted driving dangerously at excessive speeds in a car he had just bought for £300.

Defence lawyer Ross Dow said Gorman, 22, of Wilson Drive, bought vehicles and, after repairing them, sold them. He added: “He knows it was a massive risk he took.”

Sheriff Peter Paterson refused a motion for bail and deferred sentence until August 8 for a criminal justice social work report and a restriction-of-liberty assessment.

CARER, 52, IS ADMONISHED

A carer from Innerleithen involved in a bust-up with his former partner has been admonished after being of good behaviour for six months.

A previous hearing at Selkirk Sheriff Court was told that first-time offender Philip Smith, 52, of St Ronan’s Terrace, met up with old flame Katie Haddon in a pub for a drink in August to celebrate him getting a new job.

However, an argument broke out between the pair, and he followed her to her home in High Street, Innerleithen, where the disturbance took place.

He pleaded guilty to a charge of shouting and swearing, making offensive remarks towards his former partner and repeatedly attempting to contact her by telephone and text messages.

MAN GOT MAD AT JAIL PLEA REFUSAL

A Hawick man caused a disturbance at Selkirk court after pleading with the sheriff to jail him.

David Souness, 29, of Boonraw Road, had asked for a prison sentence to be imposed immediately so that his case would be disposed of as quickly as possible, enabling him to move to Canada to be with his family.

But Sheriff Peter Paterson said that because Souness had never been to prison before, he would have to defer sentence until next month for the production of background reports .

The sheriff was prepared to grant bail, but Souness started swearing in the dock and had to be restrained by a security officer. Due to his conduct, Sheriff Paterson remanded him in custody.

Souness had pleaded guilty to shouting and swearing and struggling with police officers in High Street, Hawick, on March 22.

HARE-COURSING CONVICTIONS

Three men have been convicted of being part of a hare- coursing gang on a Borders estate.

Jason Ellis, 27, and Anthony Bassford, 31, of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, along with John Wilson, 23, of Bedlington, Northumberland, had all denied deliberately hunting a brown hare and a mountain hare with three dogs.

But after a no-case-to-answer submission was rejected during a day-long trial at Jedburgh Sheriff Court, the three men changed their plea to guilty to an amended charge.

They admitted, while acting together with others unknown, deliberately hunting the wild mammals with three dogs at Killpallethill, Mayshiel Estate, near Longformacus, Berwickshire, on April 6.

Due to his record, Bassford had his sentence deferred until August 8 for background reports. Wilson was given a six-month community payback order involving 70 hours of unpaid work, and Ellis was fined £300.

An application by the crown to disqualify Wilson and Ellis from owning dogs under the terms of the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002 was rejected by Sheriff Peter Paterson. He deferred a decision on barring Bassford until August 8.

EMBEZZLEMENT TRIAL DATE SET

A Kelso woman has been accused of embezzling £19,000 while working as the administrator of a Selkirk playgroup.

Fiona Hughes, 49, of Kaimflat Cottages, denied the offence, is said to have happened at the Argus Playgroup at the town’s Goslawdales between August 1, 2011, and November 1, 2014.

A trial date was set for October 25 at Selkirk Sheriff Court, with an intermediate hearing on September 12.

DRIVING TEST FRAUD EXPOSED

A 35-year-old man sat a driving test theory exam while pretending to be someone else, Selkirk Sheriff Court has been told.

Chung Fung Chung induced two members of staff at the Driving Standards Agency offices in Galashiels to allow him to take the exam under the name of Qiao Hua Jiang, also 35.

Chung, of Colintraive Crescent in Glasgow, pleaded guilty to a charge of attempting to obtain a pass in a car theory test by fraud on January 28.

Sheriff Peter Paterson told him: “This is a serious matter.”

Sentence was deferred until August 15 for background reports to be prepared.

BUST-UP WITH FORMER PARTNER

A Galashiels man involved in two bust-ups with his former partner on consecutive days at her home has been ordered to pay her £125 compensation.

Raymond McCallum, 49, of Winston Place, pleaded guilty to acting in an abusive manner at Kilnknowe, Earlston, on February 29 and March 1.

He had been of good behaviour during a period of deferred sentence.

Selkirk Sheriff Court was told the relationship had ended at Christmas and there had been a degree of acrimony over ownership of various items associated with keeping horses.

ACCUSED THREW REMOTE CONTROL

A man threw a television remote control during a row with a former partner, hitting her.

Daniel Stewart, 26, of Halliburton Place, Galashiels, pleaded guilty to a charge of threatening or abusive behaviour by shouting and swearing and throwing a remote control which hit Rebecca Watson on the arm at her home in Gala Park, Galashiels, on June 1.

Procurator fiscal Graham Fraser said the couple had recently ended their five-year “volatile relationship”, but Stewart still visited the house to see his two children.

He said: “An argument started at about 9.30pm in the upstairs bedroom, during which he threw the remote control which struck the complainer on the arm.

“Her sister saw it happen and asked him to leave, but he did not.

“The sister went to the house next door and asked for the police to be phoned.

“When they arrived he had left the house, but he was later traced and said he wanted to hand himself in.”

Ross Dow, defending, said his client did not mean for the remote control to strike his former partner.

He had thrown it against the wall, but it rebounded and struck her, he said.

He added: “There was no injury.”

Sentence was deferred until January 16 for good behaviour.

POKER WINNINGS SPENT ON DRUGS

When Donald Elliot’s car was pulled over for a seatbelt offence outside his home in Beech Avenue, Galashiels, police officers noted a strong smell of cannabis.

A search of the vehicle recovered £280 worth of cannabis and 120 ecstasy tablets with a value estimated at being between £600 and £1,200.

The offence happened in August 2014.

Elliot’s lawyer revealed he had won £1,200 in a poker tournament and had used the winnings to buy ecstasy and cannabis in bulk for his own use.

Sheriff Peter Paterson deferred sentenced for four months for good behaviour, but he warned Elliot he would not be admonished when the case calls again on November 21.

THREE-YEAR BAN FOR MOTORIST

A Hawick man who drove a car containing an eight-year-old child while unfit through drink or drugs has been banned from the road for three years.

Stuart Nimmo, 36, of Hassendean Court, was also given a two-year community payback order with supervision after admitting committing the offence in Abbotsford Road, Galashiels, on June 17.

His lawyer said he had bought the car that day and had promised to go shopping in Galashiels, but he drove when he was not fit to do so.

She added he appreciated there could have been serious consequences for the child, members of the public and himself.

Sheriff Peter Paterson also ordered Nimmo to resit his driving test at the end of the disqualification and warned him that the sentence he’d been given was an alternative to imprisonment.

PEEBLES WOMAN FACES TRIAL

A Peebles woman will stand trial on September 15, facing an allegation of threatening or abusive behaviour.

Rachel Hood, 34, is accused of uttering threats to harm herself while in possession of a knife at her home in Kingsland Square on June 5.

Two new players have joined Selkirk’s rugby ranks, strengthening the Philiphaugh club’s playing pool as the build-up to the new season gathers pace.

Ciaran Whyte, a centre, has been playing his rugby for Stewart’s/Melville FP for the past two years.

Hailing from the Isle of Mull, he is a close friend of Selkirk threequarter Douglas Swinbanks, who is also from Mull.

“I’ve been keen to experience Borders rugby for a while now,” said Ciaran.

“So when Douglas told me how much he was enjoying his time at Philiphaugh, it seemed like a perfect fit.”

The 21-year-old is in his fourth year at Edinburgh University, studying to become a PE teacher, and hopes his debut appearance at Philiphaugh will be more enjoyable than his last game there.

“I turned out for Stewart’s/Melville against Selkirk two seasons ago and had to make an early exit from the match after damaging my AC joint,” he recalled.

“It kept me out for three months, so I’m definitely looking to put that particular episode behind me.”

Selkirk’s other new recruit is hooker Connor McAulay, who, to date, has spent his rugby career at the Greenyards, rising from Melrose Wasps to play for the club’s Storm side.

Along the way, the 20-year-old has represented the Borders at U16, U17, U18 and U20 level.

Educated at Earlston High School, Connor works in Hawick for Emtelle UK Ltd, one of the country’s leading suppliers of plastic tubing for telecommunications and water piping.

“I’ve been made to feel very welcome by everyone and the players seem a really good bunch of guys,” he said.

“Pre-season training started a fortnight ago and has been going well. I’m definitely looking forward to the season ahead and I hope I’ll be able to make a positive contribution to the Selkirk club.”

Ciaran and Connor join former Hawick and St Boswells player Rory Smith as Selkirk’s new recruits for season 2016-17, along with seven players from Selkirk Youth Club’s ranks who are now ready to step up to senior level.

The trio’s appearance is particularly timely, given that Selkirk has lost three of its players to BT Premiersip clubs .

Callum Marshall (Heriot’s FP), James Bett (Boroughmuir) and Angus Duckett (Watsonians) have all left the Souters.

In addition, former Selkirk fly-half Cameron Ring has signed a contract with French Federale ‘B’ side US Marmande.

Pictured above, Connor McAulay, second left, and Ciaran Whyte, second right, are welcomed to Philiphaugh by 1st XV coaches Michael Jaffray, left, and Fraser Jack.

Councillors should be the first port of call for residents with an axe to grind against Scottish Borders Council rather than an online form, according to Hawick and Denholm councillor Stuart Marshall.

Mr Marshall, an independent, fears the relationship between councillors and the public they represent is being compromised by new technology and that it is making it harder, rather than easier, for people to have their say about issues of concern to them.

He is concerned that more and more Borderers are being encouraged by the council to use its new website to make complaints online.

Citing the case of a woman in his ward who contacted him recently “at the end of her tether” because of persistent dog fouling outside her home, he said: “As I have done many times for people who ask me to help, I contacted the appropriate department at Newtown, copying them into the woman’s complaint.

“I was expecting a response but was perturbed to learn that, unbeknown to me, she was told by someone at the council to go to its website to log her complaint.

“When she tried to do so, she was faced with an eight-page online form which she found too complicated and daunting to fill in.

“She was understandably not happy and told me so.

“Apart from the fact that not everyone has the internet, what worries me is that councillors could become sidelined and more detached from the people they represent.

“To do the job properly and to push to make things better for our constituents, we need to know from them what’s going on in the ward, whether it’s potholes in the road, street lights not working or dog fouling.

“I hope that local councillors remain the first point of contact for the Borders public. After all, it’s what we are paid to do.”

A spokesperson for the council told the Southern: “The council is encouraging members of the public to use its new website to report issues such as pot holes, street lighting or dog fouling.

“More of the Borders public wants to contact us using our website, which has resulted in the council investing in digital services to improve the customer experience.

“However, the council understands that not all people wish to use or have access to our digital service and, as a result, the public can still report a dog fouling incident by calling 0300 100 1800, visiting a contact centre or contacting a councillor.”

A public meeting will be held in Southdean Village Hall at Chesters next week to gauge local reaction to plans for 13 giant wind turbines at nearby Highlee Hill.

Organised by community councillors, the gathering, originally scheduled for this week, will take place on Wednesday, July 27, at 7pm.

It follows the submission to Scottish Borders Council of a planning application by Renewable Energy Systems for a wind farm next to Lustruther Farm.

The bid is unusual in that 11 of the proposed turbines would be 176m tall from base to blade tip – the tallest ever erected in the Borders and nearly three times higher than Edinburgh’s Scott Monument.

The application has already sparked an objection from Hugh Russell, of Cheviot House, just north of Carter Bar.

“The natural beauty of the area will be changed forever, and the effects on tourism, wildlife and traffic will hardly be beneficial to the southern Borders,” writes Mr Russell.

“In my opinion, it would be a catastrophic mistake if planning was consented.”

Further opposition to a wind farm bid is being offered by Scottish Borders Council’s planning committee.

This week, it reasserted its objections to plans for a wind farm near Tweedsmuir in Peeblesshire.

2020 Renewables has applied for consent for a 14-turbine development at Whitelaw Brae on land between Fruid Reservoir and the source of the River Tweed. Because the project will have a generating capacity of more than 50mw, permission is in the gift of Scottish ministers, with the council treated purely as a consultee in the process.

Last year, the committee agreed to object to the proposal claiming it would have an unacceptable impact on the landscape.

And on Monday, councillors unanimously endorsed that dissenting position.

The proposal for turbines up to 133m high had come back to the committee because the applicant had been required to submit further environmental information on its original plans to the Scottish Government’s energy consents and deployment unit.

However, the committee believed this extra information – and the repositioning of one of the proposed wind turbines – did not address the “significant environmental impacts” of the proposal of concern to members.

The recent media hype on both sides of the channel make it difficult to get a sense of reality and my thoughts here are pragmatic: leave the politics to the politicians and let us get on with the day to day running of businesses.

That said, life has changed and uncertainty is the only certain thing on offer.

So a few sage words derived from a recent strategic review of an English company carried out by BCCA ahead of the Referendum are even more valid now.

Firstly find out what your tariffs would be if you were outside of the EU (http://madb.europa.eu/madb/euTariffs.htm). This will give you some indication of your competitive position if you are exporting into Europe and also a general indication of the increased cost of your supply lines.

Doubtless the weakness of the pound will help you in the short term but not necessarily in the long term.

Use the information to calculate what your efficiency gains need to be in the longer term.

Our client was close enoughto the car industry to be hit with 10% and since most manufacturing companies will only operate on such net profit margins on turnover that is a significant cost. Given the past eight years, post 2008, most of the low hanging efficiency gains are likely to have gone. A crisis, new technology and/or new younger staff often result in and make significant changes.

In our client’s case investment plans have been brought forward to maximise the returns in the next few years before the uncertainty fogs any visibility.

Second, armed with this information begin a dialogue with your overseas clients and offer them long term reassurance.

Our English client has already sought and obtained five-year forward deals on a free delivered basis to remove the client’s risk.

This may not be appropriate in all cases but in theirs it was a win-win situation with the client having a secure 
supply line and the company having a robust framework within which to work on efficiencies.

Third, remember that export is not the only game in town.

Examining the client’s supply chain we found a significant reliance on EU imports within one or two chains of the supply links.

Opening dialogues with these suppliers is essential and thus developing joint approaches is key. An alternative, by no means exclusive, is to begin small imports of “raw materials” from non-EU countries now.

This means that if and when ‘Brexit Means Brexit’ is implemented, you and your staff will have encountered and overcome the problems of customs clearance, the need to pay VAT up front and have developed a relationship with a customs agent.

The same approach is obviously useful for exporting to other non-EU markets. Think of it as contingency training…

Life will of course be immeasurably different. It is highly likely that your EU competitors will be able to make use of their governments’ export subsidies for non-EU target markets as potentially might you be if you are exporting to EU, assuming that such schemes will be set up and funded.

So there will be up-sides as well as down- ides and if the worst comes to the worst taking even some of the steps above means that you will be better prepared.

Kelso CC hosted Edinburgh CC in their East of Scotland weekend fixture at the notorious Shedden Park.

Kelso won the toss and elected to bat on a deceptive wicket, which looked to offer something to both sides with either bat or ball.

Kelso got off to a virtuous start, with opener C. Adams and Australian J. Takos steering the Tweedsiders to 77 for one before both were dismissed in quick succession. Edinburgh CC bowled consistently in good areas, which made it hard for Kelso to score fluently.

Kelso’s middle order suffered a collapse, with wickets falling frequently.

However, all-rounders S. Patterson and G. Davidson managed to form a strong partnership which turned the game in their favour.

S. Patterson was the pick of the batsmen, scoring a well-struck 43, and guided Kelso to a total of 162. Strong contributions came from C. Adams 36 and J. Takos 29.

Kelso began their innings with the ball effectively, with left arm quick G. Davidson removing Edinburgh CC’s opener for nought.

The away team fought back with a strong partnership, which tested the Kelso bowlers. Young off-spinner C. Davidson had an immediate impact, tearing through the top order with some superb spin bowling. The young gun was able to take wickets in quick succession, which mounted pressure back on the opposition. C. Adams picked up two wickets for himself, leading the Tweedsiders to an emphatic win.

Edinburgh CC only managed 85 runs in a crucial game for Kelso regarding their league position.

C. Davidson was the pick of the bowlers with outstanding figures of five for from 10 overs, in a truly memorable spell.

Kelso face rivals Dunnikier this coming Saturday at home, in what should be a thrilling affair.

A freelance double bass player from Selkirk has decided it is time to turn one of his hobbies into a business.

Brian Shiels is in the process of starting up West Port Clocks, making bespoke timepieces almost completely out of wood.

The eye-catching design of the model he has for sale in Colin Turnbull’s High Street shop is breathtaking, with the working wooden gears in full sight.

The clock, which Brian says took around a month to make in his spare time, is for sale for £300.

So where does he, well, find the time? He said: “I am a freelance double bass player and have played in a few bands, but nowadays I have a lot of days to myself, and I need to be doing something creative.”

Brian said he first had the idea around three years ago.

He said: “I’ve always liked messing about with tools and doing craft work, moudling and carving. I saw a thing online, and a chap was in his workshop making wooden gears.

“I thought it was fantastic, so I got my tools out and showed my wee boy Alastair, who was eight at the time, and made him wee gadgets with gearing.

“I then saw another guy who was making clocks. It seemed to be the logical next step, so I downloaded a couple of his plans online and made two of his clocks, but then I wanted to make my own, so I downloaded a book that showed the methods, and the tricks of the trade, so to speak, from which I learned how to do the engineering drawings, and now I’m making my own pieces.”

He pointed out his latest clock, and said: “I’m definitely getting better at it. I cut this set of wheels and hardly did any footering about with it. You normally have to fine-tune, with a bit of extra filing, but when I put this one together, it just worked, and kept working.”

The clock, working on a modern version of a rewind mechanism, is driven by gravity, with a tilt switch on the shaft which makes it wind itself back up.

The wood which the gears are made out of – Baltic birch – has to be ordered specially, says Brian. “You don’t tend to get it in B&Q.”

Brian added: “Another of my clocks is the eight-day clock. It sits on a frame, about my height, with a really long, slow-moving pendulum. It’s also gravity-driven and it lasts eight days. There is a handle for winding it up, but you have to be very careful due to the weight involved.

“Other ones hang on the wall, also with a long pendulum, and they go for 36 hours – the idea being that it goes for a day and you have another half-day to remember to rewind it, unless, of course, the tick-tocking is driving you nuts and you don’t wind it up at all.”

Working from his home in West Port, Brian is looking at making his ideas into projects for other hobbyists.

He said: “The clocks I make are for sale, but I am also looking at both putting my plans into a workable format for others to be able to make them, and also looking into making all the parts and selling them as a kit.”

If you would like to see more of his work, you can call him on 07796 156654 or email him on brianshiels61@gmail.com

Living with a terminal illness and looking for support? Marie Curie Support Line advisers are able to help with any concerns.This was the message from the charity’s Borders community ambassador, Caroline Green, when she spoke to Galashiels Rotarians.

The Support Line (0800 090 2309 or online) is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.

Marie Curie helps anyone with terminal illness, not just cancer patients, and employs nurses to give overnight care and sit, awake, with the person, giving other carers the chance to have some rest.

There are 18 Marie Curie nurses in the Borders and the service works closely with local health boards.

All referrals are from the NHS and 50% of the funding for home care is provided by boards, the rest via Marie Curie fundraising. In the region of £250,000 is usually raised annually in the Borders.

Marie Curie also funds research into terminal illness and care, and operates hospices, two of which are in Scotland.

The picture shows Rotary club president Tricia Paterson with Caroline, who is holding a collecting tin sporting the new Marie Curie logo.

On Saturday, Minto Golf Club held its Junior Open, in conjunction with the BGA U14/1U16 competitions.

The course was in excellent order, with the competitors playing from the back tees. Some were experiencing Minto’s undulating greens and tight fairways for the first time. For two young holidaying Dutch golfers, Mattias and Oliver Henke, it was their first chance to play golf in the beautiful Scottish Borders, having entered the Open in February.

The scratch winner was Aiden Oldham from Hawick, with an excellent 74. Aiden also won the longest drive along the 18th – nearly 300 yards! Runner-up was Jack Macdonald, a former Minto member now playing at Musselburgh and Torwoodlee, who also won nearest the pin at the eighth hole.

Handicap winner was Robert Hastie from The Hirsel with a 70; second was Lily Towers from the home course with a 71, narrowly missing her third victory in four years.

Ten-year-old Mattias Henke collected third place with a 72, ahead of older brother Oliver on the better inward nine holes. Both boys really enjoyed the experience of a ‘Scottish Open’.

The riverside birds have fallen strangely silent as the season moves from breeding to moulting. Usually this takes place unseen in the dense undergrowth, safe from predators, while flight is impaired and to save any unnecessary embarrassment while not looking their best!

Mallards suffer no such vanity, as on my patch of Ettrick Water, a motley crew of around a dozen mallards congregate in the shallows near a gravel bank to moult and bathe. They are hard to recognise as mallards if it wasn’t for their partially green heads and bright blue speculums. They are mainly drakes and spend days like this, lazing around and splashing at the water’s edge, while the females struggle to raise their brood. During late summer ducks moult synchronously, or lose and replace all of their feathers in a short period of time. Synchronous moulting renders ducks flightless during a portion of this time thus at a greater risk to predators, until the new feathers come in. Losing and replacing all of one’s feathers can take up to two weeks. The new feathers are drab in colour and considered a duck’s basic plumage. In the early spring, just as the breeding season gets underway, a partial loss of feathers happens, when the male ducks put on their alternate “Sunday best” plumage.

A female of another species provided lots of entertainment at Murray’s Cauld on the river one day last week. A goosander with a brood of eleven fluffy “humbugs” arrived in the pool at the foot of the weir. The plan was to go further upstream, so mum jumped the foot high step between the water and the dry apron of the weir, with the intention of walking them up to the pool above. She stopped half way and could be seen calling to them to hurry up. First one tried the herculean leap then another, but it was obviously too high. The obvious solution was to take them up nearer the far side, where rocks were piled up against the apron and they could just walk up, but the problem there was that a hungry heron was standing guard. Eventually, the heron flew off and that is the route they took and all reached the top safely.

The Southern Upland Partnership is seeking to recruit someone to run a major film event next spring.

The partnership has advertised for an “experienced self-employed events manager” to organise the UK’s first Wild Film Festival.

The successful candidate will be paid £10,000 on a fixed-term contract from August 1 to April 28, 2017, with the festival scheduled for Dumfries next March.

The post will involve two to three days’ work a week.

“It will be a weekend of celebration of the natural world through film, inspirational speakers and workshops, which will achieve regional and national significance,” said the SUP’s Ed Forrest.

The deadline for applications is noon tomorrow (Friday).

For further details, go to the SUP website or call Ed on 07717 767936.

With the increase in online website builders, a question increasingly asked is “Why should I still use a professional website designer to build my site?”

That or “My friend’s cousin builds websites as a hobby and can build one for £200. Why not let them build it?”

Let’s deal with the hobbyist first: designing websites properly is very involved, so you need someone that you can depend on.

Engaging the services of somebody who will be fitting you in around their spare time is a non-starter. If they’re not doing it full-time and charging the going rate, there’s a reason for that.

If you neither wish to use a hobbyist nor have the budget for a professionally made website, you could be tempted by DIY site builders.

Be aware that, while they may seem good value to begin with, adding extra features can quickly see costs build.

Also, it’s likely that you’ll not be able to move the website elsewhere later on down the line.

So, why use a professional? Sometimes, when new clients get in touch they will have no idea as to how the website should look and function, but many’s the time they will have a very clear vision in their head as to what they want.

The problem with this is that a website should not be about what a client wants, but what their customers want.

Let’s look at a hypothetical business: The Acme Conservatory Company. The owner of this company is very proud of their team who have been building conservatories for 25 years, and to celebrate this they want a picture of the team front and centre on the website’s homepage.

However, what your potential customers want to see first is quality images of conservatories you’ve made for previous clients. Yes, we can talk about the team and the heritage further into the site, but the potential customer first needs to know if you can solve their ‘problem’, which in this case is “I would like a new conservatory – who can build it for me?” So, when they land on your website and see pics of perfect conservatories, they know that they can potentially get their problem solved here … but how are you going to solve it for them? With your years of experience and time- served builders, that’s how.

Now, that’s a very basic example, but it demonstrates how important it is to engage with an experienced design and marketing professional. Not only that, but you don’t want someone who always says “Yes”. Our hypothetical Acme Conservatory Company needed someone to say “No” to them: no, you don’t want a team picture on the homepage, and they should be told what they need.

Being able to show clients how their website can fit with a social media strategy, email marketing, video marketing, etc, and help them overcome the challenges that they can present is very satisfying. So, should you use a professional? Yes. Am I biased? Quite possibly. If you’re still unsure, try it yourself and – who knows – youmay find that you have an untapped skill for it and a new career awaits you.

Andrew McEwan of ‘And We Do This’ in Morebattle (www.andwedothis.com) helps businesses in the Scottish Borders and beyond with website design, ecommerce, digital marketing and video production.

Almost everyone knows what LOL means. The text acronym for laugh out loud has become so ubiquitous that it has entered popular parlance and even the Oxford dictionary.

But not all text speak is quite so well known - test yourself below on some of the acronyms that pass for communication with kids these days.

Despite a plea from a Galashiels councillor, a family event went ahead in the town on Sunday without a licensed bar.

Two days earlier, Scottish Borders Licensing Board rejected an application from the MacArts Centre in Bridge Street for an occasional licence to cover the “Walk on the Wild Side” rave, run by independent party organiser Big Fish Little Fish (BFLF).

As reported in these columns last week, the bid had elicited three objections – from the police, licensing standards officer Mike Wynne and the region’s acting director of public health Dr Tim Patterson, all of whom believed the sale of alcohol at the event would be at odds with the licensing objective of protecting children from harm.

In his submission, Dr Patterson reminded the board that Galashiels West, which includes the town centre, along with the Gala Park and Balmoral areas, was one of the “intermediate geographies” with the highest rates of alcohol-related problems in the Borders, as reflected in emergency attendances at hospital, deaths and antisocial behaviour.

The board’s decision, however, was not unanimous, with Councillor Bill White (Ind, Galashiels and District) supporting the application, but failing to find a seconder.

Mr White said he was satisfied with assurances from Kirstie Wilson, BFLF’s Scottish regional manager, that the strictly ticketed fun event – aimed at parents with children aged under eight – would not present a risk to the youngsters attending.

She told councillors her organisation had held over 100 similar stewarded events across the UK since 2013 and had never once received an objection to an application for a drinks licence.

After the meeting, Mr White, who is vice-chair of local regeneration group Energise Galashiels, said local licensing officers had used delegated powers in the previous month to grant around 50 drinks licences for a range of family-oriented events, including weddings and barbecues, across the Borders.

“These did not come before the board presumably because there were no objections,” said Mr White.

“Yet here, we had a well-respected national organisation coming to Galashiels for the first time and being refused a drinks licence because the venue, which is extremely well-run, just happens to be in a zone deemed to have alcohol problems. I can accept that some residential parts of Galashiels West do have problems in this regard, but the town centre, which we are desperately trying to attract visitors to, should not, in my view, be tarred with the same brush. It is counter-productive in our efforts to bring people to the town.”

Meanwhile, Mrs Wilson said Sunday’s event had been a “great success”, despite the lack of a licensed bar, with families from as far afield as Fife and Newcastle attending.

“It’s safe to say that, despite our disappointment over the licence, we will be back in Galashiels,” she added.

Cadets from 2180 (Galashiels) Squadron Air training Corps looked after a precious object recently – the ATC 75 torch.

The torch is being carried on a relay to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the cadet organisation.

Travelling through each of the six regions of the Air Training Corps, the torch began its six-week journey at John O’Groats on the northeastern tip of Scotland and will end at 626 VGS Preddanack in Cornwall.

And, on its last day in Scotland, it was down to the cadets from the Galashiels squadron to hand it over to fellow cadets and staff from the 2344 (Longbenton) Sqn at the Carter Bar border.

Squadron Leader Frank Wielbo, o/c 2180 Sqn, said: “The squadron was honoured to host the ATC75 Torch and hand it over to 2344 (Longbenton) Sqn.

“First, it was at 2180 HQ for 0615 hrs to see off cadet and staff heading to East Fortune Airshow.

“Then, at 0815 the cadets involved in the tour of the Borders and the handover took it to the Greenyards and Melrose Abbey in Melrose, as well as Scott’s View, Thirlestane Castle, the Rhymers Stone where Thomas the Rhymer met the Queen of the Faeries and on to Jedburgh Abbey before it was piped over the border.”

It seems like a long time ago now, as we reach the last of this summer’s common ridings and festivals, since Lauder Common Riding committee chairman Ian Middlemiss introduced Greg Scott as the royal burgh’s cornet and standard bearer for 2016.

The long wait for common riding week is nearly over for the guid folk of Lauder, however, with the fun finally kicking off this Sunday.

Ian Middlemiss, an ex-cornet himself, says preparations for the week are now complete.

“We’re all set and ready to go, and everything should go according to plan hopefully for another great week,” he said.

“The programme is pretty much the same as usual, although one new addition is the bike ride we’ve added to the programme for the Tuesday night, which should be a lot of fun.”

And with Lauder Cornet Greg having already represented his home town at other common ridings and festivals across the region since the beginning of June, Ian says he will be well experienced to do the honours when it comes to Lauder’s big day.

“Now all we want is to see plenty of people out to support the cornet and some nice dry weather, and we wouldn’t say no to a little sunshine either.”