A woman has admitted driving while more than five times the legal alcohol limit and will be sentenced next month.

Julie Dennison pleaded guilty to driving with a breath-alcohol count of 113 microgrammes, the legal limit being 22, on the A72 Edinburgh-Carlisle road between Cardrona and Innerleithen on June.

The 53-year-old, of Cardrona, also admitted a dangerous driving charge.

Sentence was deferred at Selkirk Sheriff Court until next month for the production of background reports.

It was most definitely a Hail Smilin’ Morn on Friday for Souters as Royal Burgh Standard Bearer Peter Forrest and his attendants did his town proud.

Following a truly stormy Thursday, with winds and enough rain to put the big day’s river crossing in doubt, when the common riding morning dawned, it came with possibly the best weather anyone could have asked for ... largely dry and cool ... perfect for the horses and band members who entertained the crowds in the town centre from 4am till around 11.30am.

The first news everyone received was that the river crossing was definitely on following an early inspection.

And for Peter, the opportunity to follow countless representatives of the town down the years in the complete riding of the marches was even better than he had hoped for.

He told The Southern: “It has been amazing ... everything I’ve dreamed it would be and so much more.

“The weather has been absolutely perfect, especially after the high winds and rain yesterday, which led to doubts that we would be crossing the water today.

“My highlights have to be coming in at the Toll, and then, of course, the casting ceremony. It was absolutely fantastic.

“The gallop in, I was loving it. I don’t think the smile has been off my face all day, and there were seven perfect casts from me and all the other standard bearers ... I’m so proud of everyone.”

He was roused by the town’s bands soon after 4am, and from then on he beamed with pride as he undertook his time-honoured duties.

Accepting the Burgh Flag from Honorary provost Jake Wheelans – which had been “well and truly bussed” by Jake’s wife Dilys – at the Victoria Hall balcony. Peter promised to ride the marches of the town and return the flag following the casting ceremony “unsullied and untarnished”.

He was not short of company on his ride.

Including his four attendants, Craig Monks, Robbie Reilly, Thomas Wilmott and Liam Cassidy, Peter was followed by a magnificent total of 280 horses and riders across the Ettrick and up Linglie to the Three Brethren.

And on the way back, the emotion was there for all to see as fellow Souters roared as he galloped up the Toll, gathering himself for the casting of the colours ceremony.

There, all eyes were on him as he perfectly timed his cast, as did the other representatives of the crafts and associations –Mark Easson (Hammermen); Michael Pepper (Weavers); Jackie Johnston (Fleshers); Alisdair Piercy (Colonials); Stuart Davidson (Merchant Company) and Martin Young (Ex Soldiers).

It was a truly poignant moment when Martin dipped his flag in rembrance of those who have fallen in conflict, the gathered crowd respectfully silent for the two minutes, before the haunting melody of the Liltin’ was played by the town’s silver band.

The Burgh Flag was handed back to the provost in the manner it was given to him, unsullied and untarnished, with Peter reporting that the marches were, indeed, in good order.

Honorary provost Jake Wheelans – who was officiating in his third common riding – told us: “What a day it’s been, after yesterday’s bad weather.

“We thought at first we wouldn’t be able to cross the water after the rain, but we were able to carry out everything we intended doing.

“It’s been a good ride round the marches today, and we’ve been blessed with very good weather.

“The rain stayed off, the sun came out, and the standard bearer did an excellent job. Everything has gone to plan.

“This is my third year in a three year term of office and we’ve been very lucky.

“We have had three good common ridings and it has been an honour to be provost of Selkirk Common Riding Trust.

“The standard bearer has been an excellent ambassador for the town and he has carried out all his duties to a high standard.

“He has enjoyed his time immensely.

“It has been an excellent day and all I can say is Hail Smilin Morn’ ... God must have been a Souter.”

● See pages 37-44 for more photos from Selkirk’s big day.

A woman has been spared jail for a benefit fraud running to almost £27,000 after Selkirk Sheriff Court was told she was paying back that money.

Rebecca Fairley, 33, failed to notify the Department for Work and Pensions and Scottish Borders Council of a change of circumstances after she began living with her partner, a tree surgeon.

The mother of three pleaded guilty to claiming £10,811 in income support and £15,964 in housing benefit she was not entitled to.

That offence was committed over a four-year-plus period between October 2012 and February 2017 at a house at Lindean, near Selkirk.

Stable yard worker Fairley, giving an address at Dryden, near Selkirk, is now repaying the money she defrauded the council and DWP out of at a rate of £100 a month.

Sheriff Euan Edmont told her she had narrowly avoided being sent to jail due to the sum involved and imposed an order to do 300 hours’ unpaid work, the maximum amount allowed.

In addition, she was ordered to observe a night-time home curfew between the hours of 7pm and 6am.

The sheriff told her those sentences were an alternative to custody.

A teenager has admitted breaching an anti-social behaviour order by playing music at excessive volume at his Buccleuch Road home in Selkirk on Hogmanay.

David Cotton, 19, pleaded guilty to that offence at Selkirk Sheriff Court.

He had previously admitted attempting to pervert the course of justice by giving police a wrong name and date of birth.

Cotton was ordered to carry out 160 hours’ unpaid work and given a one-year supervision order.

A 20-year-old man has been arrested in connection with alleged weapons offences after a disturbance at a house in the Howden Road area of Jedburgh last night.

Police were called at around 11pm on Monday, June 18 and a 48-year-old woman was treated at the scene by the Scottish Ambulance Service.

A crossbow, knives and samurai sword were among the items recovered at the property.

During the man’s arrest an officer deployed a taser and, as is standard procedure, the matter has been referred to the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner.

Police Scotland say this is the first discharge of a taser since new rules came into force this month which mean only specially trained officers can use tasers.

Assistant Chief Constable Nelson Telfer, from the specialist support unit, said: “Like our colleagues across the UK, we now have a limited number of local officers trained to use tasers in instances where there is believed to be an immediate threat to the safety of the public or the police.

“The creation of these specially trained officers across our territorial divisions gives local commanders and control rooms additional options when protecting our communities, which may include a quicker response to incidents by officers with taser capabilities, where appropriate.”

The change in procedure came about after an increase in the number of incidents in which police officers were confronted with bladed weapons or assaulted.

Police Scotland presented plans to equip 3% of its local officers, that being around 500, with tasers and increased training, to the Scottish Police Authority in December.

Those plans were approved and training of these officers began in May. All are expected to be trained and operational by August, being equipped with the Home Office-approved Taser X2.

The man involved in Monday night’s incident was uninjured and taken to Hawick Police Station, where he was charged in connection with a number of alleged offences.

The 20-year-old is expected to appear at Selkirk Sheriff Court tomorrow.

A Kelso charity has handed out £60,000 worth of cheques to over 60 organisations in the TD5 area.

Sixty-four charities, groups and schools benefited from a cash injection after the Charity Begins at Home (CBAH) shop divvied up funds raised in the last year.

Opened in 2000, the shop on Bridge Street has now raised over half a million pounds for local causes.

This year’s recipients ranged from wheelchair curlers and the talking newspaper, to citizens advice, search and rescue and music groups.

The Kelso medical practise received a grant towards blood pressure monitoring equipment. Kelso churches all picked up cheques, as did the six primary schools feeding the high school, and the high school itself.

Anne-Marie Bready, retiring headteacher of Edenside Primary, said: “It is incredible how much money this charity raises. It’s wonderful that it is able to support our schools as well as so many wider groups of people in and around Kelso.”

A school kitchen at Edenside, donated by the parent council, has been equipped thanks to CBAH funding, which was also used to create a picnic and play area, and buy new books for the library.

“I term these enhancements our ‘golden things’, I couldn’t buy out of the school budget, and they are extremely important to our children’s education,” Ms Bready said. “We are indebted to CBAH.”

Julie Seymour, chairperson of the Kelso Bud Club, which supports people with learning disabilities, said the CBAH money meant that the group’s monthly club nights, activities and days away could continue.

“This money is absolutely essential to us and means we can plan trips knowing we can accommodate the vital carers and support staff often needed for our members,” she said.

CBAH Trust chairperson Margaret Riddell said that the charity had gone from strength to strength over the last 18 years.

“We were four women working for another charity who just thought we could do something that benefited our own community,” she explained. “We paid back the money given to take on the shop within a year, and now have gone past half a million pounds, which is incredible.

“So many people have told us that if it wasn’t for our support they wouldn’t be functioning, and while it’s hard work that makes it worthwhile. It’s a simple but very effective idea which ensures a good stream of funding direct to local people.”

Budget hotel chain Travelodge is stepping up its plans to expand into the Borders.

The Oxfordshire-based company has just opened its 44th Scottish hotel, in Stirling city centre, and is now planning to follow that up with 20 more this side of the border.

It is hoping one of those proposed new hotels will be in the Borders and is eyeing up Galashiels as a prospective location. If it proves viable, it would be the town’s first branded hotel and would be expected to create 15 jobs.

This week’s announcement reaffirms a similar ambition mooted in April last year following the opening of a new Travelodge in Peterhead, but it is being backed up this time by an approach to Scottish Borders Council for help to identify a suitable site.

Two potential locations are the Burgh Yard, east of Abbotsford Court, and to the east of the town near Tweedbank railway station.

The Burgh Yard site was in line to host a hotel, plus a retail park and residential properties, but its future is currently uncertain following the collapse of a deal the council had agreed with Stirling firm Ramoyle Developments.

Plans are now further advanced for the Border Gateway site at Tweedbank following proposals for a 60-bed budget hotel there, plus a supermarket and BP fuel station, being unveiled by Edinburgh-based New Land Assets in February.

Both Travelodge and Premier Inn have been suggested as possible takers for the planned hotel building.

Both firms, the two biggest of their kind in the UK, were also linked with the Burgh Yard site back in 2014, prompting Travelodge to issue a statement saying it could guarantee “100%” that it had no interest in moving into Galashiels, a stance it has since reversed.

The company has written to the council proposing a joint development partnership possibly involving funding from the UK Government’s Public Works Loan Board or third-party backers.

Upon completion of construction, the council would be offered the choice of retaining ownership and being paid rent or selling the hotel to a developer with Travelodge as its incumbent operator.

Travelodge chairman Brian Wallace said: “Many local authorities are in possession of large amounts of property and assets that are not being utilised.

“Investing in a low-cost hotel like Travelodge is an increasingly attractive choice as it draws visitors, creates jobs and helps boost the local economy.

“We operate 44 hotels across Scotland. However, the country is growing at pace and attracting visitors from all corners of the globe, but there still remains a huge shortage of good-quality and great-value hotels.

“To fill this gap, we want to extend our Scottish network with a further 20 hotels, and this includes our first hotel in Galashiels.

To help us achieve this, we are writing to Scottish Borders Council, to invite them to consider how Travelodge can act as a catalyst to drive their local development agenda.”

A council spokesperson welcomed that approach, saying: “The council would welcome discussions with accommodation providers interested in creating a hotel in Galashiels or other areas of the Scottish Borders.

“The Galashiels masterplan supports the local development plan in encouraging the regeneration of Galashiels town centre.

“Providing an international hotel offer for visitors is one of the key strands of the vision document, which has reviewed a series of potential hotel sites in the town to meet the demand for accommodation in the central Borders, particularly when major events take place.”

Travelodge’s closest hotels to the Borders at present are in and around Edinburgh and in Berwick.

The fate of Melrose’s Royal Bank of Scotland branch is set to be decided in September, it has been revealed.

RBS has appointed Johnston Carmichael, Scotland’s largest independent accountancy firm, to carry out the review that will determine whether the High Street branch remains open beyond its current six-month reprieve.

It was originally due to shut this Friday, June 21, but, along with nine other branches nationwide, was given a stay of execution until the end of the year after a rethink by RBS in February.

All five other Borders RBS branches among the 52 being shut nationally have now closed, Jedburgh’s, the last to go, having shut on Monday.

Bank bosses have agreed to be bound by the findings of Johnston Carmichael’s review, so customers of Melrose’s RBS have three months to ensure it is kept busy to avoid it going the same way as Jedburgh, Hawick, Eyemouth, Duns and Selkirk’s branches.

Feedback from customers and representatives of interested organisations will also be taken into account.

Les Matheson, chief executive officer for personal and business banking for RBS, said: “The way people do their banking is changing rapidly, and the Royal Bank of Scotland needs to react to that change, but we also realise that we must manage the change carefully.

“We listened to customers, colleagues and elected representatives of all stakeholders and, as a result, we have asked Johnston Carmichael to carry out an independent review of 10 branches which are nearly all the last banks in town and are more than nine miles from the nearest Royal Bank of Scotland branch.

“Johnston Carmichael is perfectly suited to undertake this independent review because of their history, knowledge and understanding of rural Scottish communities and businesses.

“I am confident that they will undertake a thorough review of these 10 branches, and whatever their recommendation, the Royal Bank will accept it in full.”

Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk MP John Lamont is urging Melrose bank customers to take advantage of the current reprieve to save their bank.

“It’s been hugely disappointing to see the RBS signs coming down across the Borders over the past few weeks, but there remains a chance that Melrose’s branch can be saved,” he said.

“The Royal Bank of Scotland have taken their time to get this review going, and there is now a really short window to change the bank’s mind.

“I’ll be meeting with Johnston Carmichael shortly and will be making it very clear that the Melrose branch is a busy and important service for the town and must be retained.

“I’ll also be pointing out that over 100 local residents turned up to my public meeting to oppose the branch closure and many hundreds more have signed my petition.

“Details about how you can take part in the review will be announced shortly, but, in the meantime, I’d encourage anyone who opposed the closure of the Melrose branch to get in touch with my office and, crucially, to make sure you use the branch in the next few months.”

Melrose’s RBS has been the only bank there since the closure of its Bank of Scotland rival in Market Square in October 2016.

Johnston Carmichael chief executive Sandy Manson added: “We act for many businesses and individuals throughout Scotland. We therefore believe we are best placed to advise the Royal Bank of Scotland on both the needs of bank customers in these communities and, based on a number of criteria, to assess the viability of each branch and make informed and objective recommendations about whether each branch should remain open or not.”

Jedburgh’s one-way traffic management system will change layout again on Friday, for the third time in less than three weeks.

The one-way system along the town’s High Street was introduced on June, 4 and had its direction reversed less than one week later.

And as from Friday, June 22, the system will change again, in response to feedback from the community.

While the High Street will remain one-way northbound from Canongate the closure will end at the entrance to Jewellers Wynd, rather than continuing right to the A68.

The Friars will be restricted to one-way for notherly traffic onlyand a one-way order in a southerly direction will be in place on Queen Street.

A existing section of Exchange Street will remain one-way northbound from High Street to Friarsgate.

The alternative route for travelling south is via the A68 Newcastle Road and Canongate to the point of the closure.

The one-way orders are needed so scaffolding can be extended into the road to enable repairs to be carried out on the privately-owned building, said to have significant structural issues requiring extensive work to remedy.

It is expected to be up and running for the next 38 weeks.

A temporary walkway will be created around the scaffolding to allow pedestrian access to High Street and Exchange Street.

Signs will be put up to advise people of the temporary arrangement.

Jedburgh councillor Scott Hamilton told Monday’s night’s meeting of Jedburgh Community Council: “We have discussed and put forward proposals for changes to the one-way system. The grammar school was not happy with it the way it was.”

It is understood the town’s marketing and tourism group will push for the repositioning of the High Street’s zebra crossing for the duration of the works.

The Borders Book Festival has once again beaten all previous records despite some unseasonal stormy weather, with ticket sales up 15.5% on the previous year.

Once again, festival director Alastair Moffat and his team managed to pull together a fantastic four days of literary brilliance.

But it was four days that were not without their share of trials. The strong winds left over from Hurricane Frank forced a temporary closure on Thursday morning, which meant the annual kids’ event had to be cancelled.

However, by the time cookery legends the Hairy Bikers and Bake Off judge Prue Leith rolled into town, the storm had calmed.

The bikers – Si King and Dave Myers – described the book festival, based in the ground of harmony House in Melrose, as “just like Glastonbury, but with librarians.”

It’s certainly not as big or wild as Glastonbury, but therein lies its true secret.

Mr Moffat said: “After every festival, I sit down with [fellow director] Paula Ogilvie and we say ‘Wow, how are we going to beat that?’

“It certainly is popular enough to make it bigger, with the likes of the Hairy Bikers, Gordon Brown, Ian Rankin, Rory Bremner, Robert Peston, Neil Oliver, Mark Beaumont and Chris Bonnington packing out the marquees until they are almost bursting at the seams.

“But we have decided to keep it to the four days ... it provides that particularly special buzz in the garden, and we don’t want to lose that side of it.

“And whatever it is we do, it seems to work. We sold 14,582 tickets in all, 15.5% more than 2017, which was itself a record-breaking year.

“And this year we had the undoubtedly the worst weather we have ever had, but with a total of 28,000 people coming through the gates, it shows the weather is not the deciding factor.

“We always aim to improve the quality, however.”

Mr Moffat said one of his personal highlights was impressionist Jan Ravens providing the safety message before her show with festival patron Rory Bremner, in the style of Prime Minister Theresa May: “Exit means exit!”.

Mr Moffat said that if the Book Festival was not a truly international event before, it certainly was now, following a decision made by the Post Office to mark author Benjamin Myers’ win in the Sir Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction in all their postmarks in the coming week ... which will see 30million letters and parcels celebrating the festival.

Judges, including journalists James Naughtie, Kirsty Wark and Kate Figes, and writers Katharine Grant and Elizabeth Laird, decided Myers should receive the £25,000 award for his novel The Gallows Pole, based on the true story of the Cragg Vale Coiners – who forged gold coins in the 18th century in Yorkshire – a piece of work Mr Moffat described as a “roaring furnace of a novel”.

The presentation was made by last year’s winner Sebastian Barry on Saturday.

The authors of the other shortlisted books – Jennifer Egan’s Manhattan Beach; Jane Harris’ Sugar Money; Paul Lynch’s Grace; Patrick McGrath’s The Wardrobe Mistress and Rachel Malik’s Miss Boston and Miss Hargreaves – all received £1,000 each.

Winner Mr Myers said: “It’s been quite a surreal and exciting four days, living at Bowhill House as a guest of the duke.

“I didn’t even expect to make the longlist. I thought making the shortlist would be like winning, so to actually win it is immense.

“I’m a freelance journalist, so the prize money for me is around three years’ pay, so this will give me time to focus on my writing.”

Mr Myers revealed he had written a lot of The Gallows Pole in the Borders, while staying at a friend’s house in Longformacus.

Ventriloquist Nina Conti provided a riotous ending to the weekend, leaving a cow farmer, a landowner’s wife and a sheepish-looking estate agent wondering why they chose seats at the front.

With massive crowds expected at the biggest country event of the year, here is the low-down on the Royal Highland Show, which opens this week.

Around 200,000 visitors and 6,000 animals will flock to Edinburgh from across the UK and beyond to attend this year’s Royal Highland Show.

Now celebrating its 178th outing, it’s the place to see and be seen for anyone with an interest the countryside. The annual extravaganza generates around £65 million a year for the Scottish economy.

With more than 1,000 trade exhibitors displaying everything from the latest hi-tech tractors to outdoor clothing and luxury goods, it showcases the best of farming, food and rural life.

More than 6,000 animals will be on site for a massive array of classes and demonstrations. All will be vying for the ultimate prize – to be crowned 2018’s show champion.

Whether it’s mat-weaving, helping construct an Iron Age roundhouse or learning wilderness survival skills, there are plenty of opportunities for spectators to get their hands dirty. Visitors can also enjoy demonstrations of arts such as sheep-shearing, fly fishing, falconry and ferret-handling, and can watch craftsmen build a boat from scratch.

This year’s event sees a major focus on Scottish food and drink, with appearances from some of the country’s leading chefs and producers.

The show is also marking Scotland’s Year of Young People, featuring the youngest judge ever selected to take part – 21-year-old cattle farmer Laura Green. Two students from East Lothian have been chosen for the task of deciding the best ice-cream in show.

Ministers and officials from Holyrood and Westminster will also be in attendance, giving members of the public an opportunity to find out in person what is being done for Scotland’s rural sector.

There will also be a chance to meet a true celebrity – a Scottish Blackface sheep named Emily, chosen as ‘the face’ of 2018’s show.

SCOTLAND’S LARDER LIVE

This is ‘the’ destination for all foodies, offering a great opportunity to sample some of the best food and drink being created around the country. Discover artisan producers and enjoy tasty treats from hundreds of exhibitors celebrating food provenance and seasonality.

The Cookery Theatre offers live demonstrations, tastings and talks, with appearances from award-winning chefs including Neil Forbes of Edinburgh’s Cafe St Honore, Tom Lewis of Monachyle Mhor in Balquhidder and Paul Newman of Errichel House in Aberfeldy.

Producers will also go head to head in the hope of scooping gold in the cheese, butter, ice-cream and bread categories.

LIVESTOCK CLASSES

Thousands of animals will be competing in all manner of classes over the four-day event.

Organisers are expecting an exceptional display of livestock, with more than 6,000 entries across all sections. Almost 1,200 cattle, more than 2,000 sheep and 2,000 horses and ponies will be there, along with goats and poultry.

ENTERTAINMENT

A packed programme of music and entertainment features everything from pop to pipes, ceilidhs to choirs and a well-known voice or two.

Highlights include: Marty Mone, Opera Bohemia, West Lothian Schools Pipe Band, North Sea Gas, Revival Blues Band, Erskine Stewart Melville Pipe Band, City of Edinburgh Music School, Artie Trezise Kids Show, Vardo Gypsy Swing, Duncan Black Ceilidh Band, Broxburn & Livingston Brass Band, Uddingston & Strathclyde Pipe Band, National Youth Choir of Scotland and the Farmers and Farmers Wives Choir.

13TH AVENUE ARCADE

This is the shopaholic’s paradise, with everything from fashion, art, jewellery, garden accessories and homeware to choose from.

GRAND PARADE

This popular event offers a display of the country’s finest cattle. If you can’t tell a Belted Galloway from a Belgian Blue this is your chance to learn.

BEHIND THE SCENES

Visitors can get up close to the animals and handlers and watch as they prepare for their big moment in the ring.

HEAVY HORSE TURNOUTS

The sound of thundering hooves is all part of the experience as Clydesdales and other work horses are driven around the main ring.

THE FORGE

Watch as things hot up in the battle to be crowned the country’s top horse-shoer as competitors go head to head in the Scottish Open Farriery Championships.

FORESTRY ARENA

Move over Andy Murray, and make way for a sport with a difference – here you can witness attempts to break records in the Scottish Pole Climbing and Utility Pole Climbing Championships.

COUNTRYSIDE AREA

Set by its very own loch and surrounded by stunning landscaping, the Countryside Area showcases a wide range of sports, activities and rural skills. Check out some of the country’s finest woodcutters as they demonstrate their prowess with a chainsaw.

DISCOVERY CENTRE

The Discovery Centre offers an education programme for children of all ages, including cooking workshops, live demonstrations and lots more. Highlights include the Tram Trail Bingo Challenge, with an iPad up for grabs for the luck winner. School groups can sign up to take part.

TICKETS

The showground is open from 7.30am to 8pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and from 7.30am to 6pm on Sunday.

A full-price adult day ticket costs £24 in advance or £29 at the gate. Parking costs £8 in advance or £10 on the day. Children aged up to 15 get in free when accompanied by a paying adult, and group discounts are available.

Book online at https://royalhighlandshow.ticketsrv.co.uk

GETTING THERE

Details of how to get to the show are available on the Royal Highland Show website, with information on buses, trains, trams – see www.royalhighlandshow.org

The showground is at the Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston, Edinburgh, EH28 8NB. For other enquiries phone 0131 335 6200 or email ShowDept@rhass.org.uk.s

Scottish Borders Housing Association has revealed plans to build 29 new homes across the region.

The social housing provider wants to build 13 family homes at Tweed Court in Kelso, four three-bedroom homes at Heriotfield, Oxton, and six two-bedroom flats at Glensax Road, Peebles.

There are also plans to create six three-bedroom homes over two sites at Queens Way in Earlston.

Henry Coyle, director of assets and property services, said: “Since SBHA began building homes in 2013 we have delivered 59 fantastic new build homes in Hawick, Earlston and Galashiels and we plan to build another 65 new homes in nine communities, Borders-wide, over the next three years.

“Our housing needs analysis shows that there is considerable demand for affordable housing across the Borders and as buying land is expensive, SBHA is looking to make best use of the land it already owns, as well as considering additional land acquisition opportunities.”

Speaking to Kelso Community Council last week, neighbourhood housing officer Helen Bulman said: “We have plans for 65 new affordable homes in communities across the Scottish Borders, and a proposal for 13 new family homes at Tweed Court forms part of that proposal.

“There’s a demand for family homes in the area and so we are planning to build 13 three-bedroom houses at the site.

“The plan is to demolish the two amenity housing blocks within the site as well as the Abbeyfield building, but the six houses at the front will remain.”

Kelso councillor Tom Weatherston said it was “very exciting news”, but community councillor Kerry Yule raised concerns on behalf of residents of the six remaining homes.

She said: “They were told two years ago that their houses were part of the plans and would be knocked down.

“Three weeks ago, they found out that their houses will not be demolished after all. They are going to be living on a building site.”

Ms Bulman told the meeting that the association was responsible for four of those six properties, with another belonging to Waverley Housing and the remaining house being privately owned.

She added: “We had hoped to do this project some time ago, and the plans have changed since then. We will be servicing the properties belonging to us to ensure those standards are met.”

The new homes form part of the SBHA’s contribution to the Scottish Government’s target of creating 50,000 affordable homes by 2021.

Planning applications will be submitted to Scottish Borders Council at the end of the month, with decisions expected in October.

For 35 years, the cavalcade from Yetholm Festival Week has ventured high into the Cheviots as part of the Stob Stanes tradition.

And that tradition continued last Wednesday, with Bari Gadgi Tom Grindell and Bari Manushi Natasha Gray, the village principals, at the fore.

But in a slight break from the norm, they did not lead the way alone but enjoyed help from more than 20 youngsters on hobby horses, who led the front of the 144-strong cavalcade out of the village to celebrate the ride’s 35th year.

At Stob Stanes, Stuart Smith carried on the tradition started in 1983 by his father Tom of reading a poem and inviting each rider to dust the stone with petals and make a wish.

The Bari Gadgi said: “We had lots of followers out on Wednesday night and lots of support at the other events too.

“I was obviously seeing it all from a different perspective at the front, but it was amazing to be part of it.

“That was my first ever rideout, and I really enjoyed it and can’t believe I’ve never done one before.”

For Bari Manushi Natasha, a keen follower of past Stob Stanes rides, Wednesday was just as special.

“It was quite surreal, as somebody who has done the rideout before, to be looking around and seeing the view on front with only the chief marshall, then 140 odd horses behind you coming up the hill.

“I had my mum, sister and partner following too so that was quite special.

“As for the rest of the week, we had a few new events. The bubble football was a particular highlight for me!

“There was lots going on and it certainly catered for all ages. The quiz night was massively busy compared to previous years.

“On the riding front it’s going to be really busy from here on in. The next big thing for Yetholm will the Kelso Yetholm ride. I’ve done it for the last three or four years now so it will be nice to see if from a different capacity this time.”

Tom and Natasha will ride at Galashiels, Duns and Jedburgh in the coming weeks before welcoming the Kelso Laddie’s cavalcade to Yetholm later next month.

Mary Tweedie was the youngest rider, and the best-turned-out prizes went to Ella Burton and Abigail Rae. Doug Redpath was the oldest rider.

A Shetland pony from Jedburgh has been hitting headlines all over the world after giving birth to the world’s first mini-mule.

Peaches, a 12-year-old miniature Shetland pony, and her foal have been making waves in the equine world since the appearance of donkey-cross Katie in April.

Owner Lauren Mosgrove, 24, said: “The story has reached America and Australia. I never expected in a million years that would happen.”

At just two months old, celebrity mule Katie is now bigger than her mum.

“I have to keep my four-year-old away from her now because I’m scared she’ll knock him over,” Lauren said.

“She’s doing great. She’s a real character. She likes to chase people around, and she’ll jump anything. She jumped over the fence at four weeks old, and she just keeps jumping out, so I can’t have her in the garden anymore.”

Lauren got Peaches three years ago after she and partner Peter, 44, stepdaughter Paige, 11 and four-year-old Matthew moved from Galashiels to a house with stables in Jedburgh.

“I stumbled across three miniature mares and decided I had to buy them,” Lauren said.

“Peaches is amazing. She’s friendly, calm and trustworthy around children.”

Lauren discovered that Peaches was pregnant in March but says she was gob-smacked when Katie was born five weeks later.

The 30-inch miniature Shetland had been in a field with Donk the donkey, but Lauren thought it was impossible for the two to breed given Peaches’ dainty stature.

“We thought that the dad was my Shetland colt as he had broken through the fence on one occasion,” Lauren explained.

When she found Peaches in labour, Lauren ran to get Peter, but when she got back, Katie’s head was already sticking out.

“We thought the foal was stuck because Peaches was pushing, but she wasn’t coming out, then all of a sudden it was there, and it was a big black donkey,” she said.

“I knew as soon as I saw the ears and the nose that it was a donkey. We couldn’t believe it.

“She was bigger than a miniature Shetland foal would be by a lot. A miniature Shetland would be around 16in, and Katie was twice that size. We were totally gobsmacked.”

Although shocked by Katie’s appearance, the couple didn’t realise how rare she was until they spoke to their vet at Galedin in Kelso.

“When I told the vet he was gobsmacked too,” Lauren said. “I had to tell him twice. I don’t think he believed me at first. They’ve never dealt with anything like this or seen it. I think they were quite excited as they were up all the time.”

Named after Lauren’s late grandmother, Katie really is unique. “I think there’s one similar in the US, but it’s bred with a standard Shetland and not a miniature Shetland, so I think Katie is the only one of her kind,” Lauren said.

“It’s nice to have something a bit rare. I have been inundated with people messaging me asking how you do it and wanting to come and see her.

“I haven’t had anyone here because I don’t really want to say where we are. There were two Shetland ponies stolen earlier this month from Castle Douglas. They let them go and they were found near Carlisle, but it made me think I hope they weren’t trying to get mine and got the wrong ones.”

Instead she’s keeping everyone updated on Katie and Peaches’ latest antics on Facebook group Peaches Foal.

“Peaches is a fab mummy, and they’ve bonded really well,” added Lauren.

“They adore each other. Katie is on hard food now, but she feeds off her mum too. It’s quite funny.”

A man has been warned he will be sent to prison if he does not complete unpaid work required as part of a community payback order.

Steven Gorman, 24, of Eildon Road, Hawick, has failed to complete an order involving 180 hours’ work after being convicted of assault at Jedburgh Sheriff Court in May 2016.

He has been given extra time to complete the order, but sheriff Peter Paterson branded him “lazy” and said he did not think Gorman wanted to do the work.

The sheriff added: “If you don’t do the work, you will go to jail.”

Sentence was deferred on three other matters until August 6.

A 42-year-old man has been ordered to carry out 60 hours’ unpaid work for hiring a taxi between Galashiels and Innerleithen but not paying the £25 fare.

Kevin Wilkinson pleaded guilty to committing that offence near his home in Caddon Court, Innerleithen, on May 31.

Procurator Graham Fraser told Selkirk Sheriff Court that Wilkinson asked a taxi driver to take him the 12-mile journey to Innerleithen, saying he was meeting a friend who would give him the money for the £25 fare.

He added: “Inevitably, it did not happen, and the taxi driver lost out on £25.”

Sheriff Euan Edmont told Wilkinson: “I hope you are not proud of this. Quite clearly, you planned this against someone who was just going about their work.”

Wilkinson’s unpaid work is to be carried out over the next six months as an alternative to custody.

A pensioner sent sexual messages via social media to an undercover police officer thinking they were going to a 13-year-old girl, Selkirk Sheriff Court has been told.

Philip McGill engaged in an online chatstream on three separate dates with someone he believed to be a young female called Kelly.

Despite being told on several occasions that she was 13 and a schoolgirl, the chat was described as “sexualised”, with the 70-year-old asking her about her school uniform and underwear.

The messages also contained details of acts he said he would like to carry out with her.

McGill was actually in conversation with an undercover officer from Police Scotland’s cybercrime unit after it received a report in January about online communications from his mobile phone number, however.

He pleaded guilty to intentionally sending written communications to a child under 16 and engaging in sexualised conversation with her via social media between July 5 and 11 last year.

Depute fiscal Tessa Bradley said that a search was carried out of McGill’s home in Bellfield Crescent, Eddleston, near Peebles, and two mobile phones and a laptop were seized, with one of the phones identified as having been involved in the online conversations.

McGill told police he recalled the username of the girl he thought was called Kelly but not the content of their conversations.

Defence lawyer Mark Harrower said his client lived with his wife and put forward a letter from her outlining how the case had affected her.

Sheriff Kevin Drummond called for a criminal justice social work report to be prepared and deferred sentence until July 30.

McGill was placed on the sex offenders’ register for five years initially, with the actual fixed period to be determined when he is sentenced next month.

A 20-year-old male has appeared from custody at Selkirk Sheriff Court accused of struggling violently with his mother and threatening to harm himself with a crossbow.

It follows an incident in Jedburgh’s Howden Road on Monday night, during which a police officer fired a taser – the first discharge of a taser in Scotland since new rules came into force this month which mean only specially-trained officers can use the electroshock weapons.

Jake Osborn pleaded not guilty to assaulting his mother Marie Travers at a house in Howden Road by pushing her onto a bed, placing a pillow over her face and struggling violently with her to her injury.

He also denied behaving in a threatening or abusive manner and pointing a crossbow at his chest and threatening to harm himself.

Osborn pleaded not guilty to further charges of obstructing police by climbing out of a window, running away and hiding from officers and possession of a knife in Blair Avenue, Jedburgh.

A trial date has been fixed for Jedburgh Sheriff Court on September 4 with an intermediate diet hearing on August 6.

Osborn was released on bail to an address in Deal, Kent, with a special condition not to enter his mother’s home in Howden Road, Jedburgh.

Police Scotland say the incident, as is standard procedure, has been referred to the Scottish Government’s Police Investigations and Review Commissioner.

Assistant chief constable Nelson Telfer, of the force’s specialist support unit, said:”Like our colleagues across the UK, we now have a limited number of local officers trained to use tasers in instances where there is believed to be an immediate threat to the safety of the public or the police.

“The creation of these Specially Trained Officers across our territorial divisions gives local commanders and control rooms additional options when protecting our communities, which may include a quicker response to incidents with Taser capabilities, where appropriate.”

It is the first time in Scotland a member of the 500 specially trained taser officers who became operational at the start of the month has been called into action.

In December 2017, in response to an increase in the number of incidents in which police officers were confronted by people with bladed weapons and an increase in assaults on officers, Police Scotland unveiled plans to equip around 500 local officers with tasers.

Training of these officers began in May and all are expected to be trained and operational by August 2018, being equipped with the Home Office-approved Taser X2.

A Kelso grandmother enjoyed being guest of honour at a wedding blessing held just for her benefit at the weekend.

Janet Smith, a resident of the town’s Queen’s House care home, welcomed her immediate family to its sitting room on Saturday so that she could be a part of her granddaughter’s wedding.

The 99-year-old, a former teacher in Kelso and Jedburgh for over 40 years, could not manage the 350-mile trip down to Old Harlow in Essex the week before to see her first granddaughter get married, so bride Kirsty Farningham and bridegroom David Medcalf, both 30, brought their celebrations north, holding a wedding blessing conducted by the Reverend Anna Rodwell.

Janet’s daughter Marion Farningham, Kirsty’s mum, said: “My mother was on cloud nine. It really made it so special for her.

“It’s was a really nice thing to do – a lot of work, but it was the perfect finish to the whole wedding scenario.

“There was just no way my mother could go down to Essex for the actual wedding, so my husband put forward the idea to take everything up a week after and have a ceremony to make her feel involved.

“She had been very upset that she couldn’t make it.”

The blessing included the same readings and hymns enjoyed a week previously, including Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven, which Janet sang at her wedding to her late husband Archibald in Coldstream Parish Church back in 1950, as did Marion at her wedding to Kirsty’s dad in Kelso’s St John’s Church in 1976.

Janet, who lived at the Tofts in Kelso for 65 years and was widowed 30 years ago, moved into Queen’s House in 2014.

After speaking to the care home, where Marion says staff were more than happy to help, the blessing was set up and ready to go.

“There was quite a lot of excitement about it throughout the home,” Janet added.

“Anna Rodwell did an amazing service, and we gave out the order of services from the actual wedding, sang the same hymns and invited some of my mother’s friends along too.”

The blessing, complete with flowers, music and Janet’s granddaughter dressed to the nines in her wedding dress, was followed by a refreshments and the sharing of some photographs from the first big day.

Other guests included Kirsty’s older sister Lois, a bridesmaid, and younger brother Jonathan, an usher.

Her other brother Roderick was unable to attend the second wedding.

Peebles Beltane Festival got under way on Sunday, and red letter day is fast approaching for this year’s team of prinicpals.

But before Saturday big event comes tonight’s novice ride, led by cornet Gregor McGrath and lass Loryn Paterson and leaving Kingsmeadows car park at 6pm.

It is followed by the Beltane concert in the burgh hall at 7.30pm and the cornet’s walk at 9.30pm.

A fancy-dress competition take place tomorrow night, with judging on Tweed Green at 7pm and a parade at 7.30pm.

Red letter day, this Saturday, kicks off with a morning ride which leaves at 8.30am.

A children’s procession from Haylrude School leaves at 9.15am before the proclamation of Beltane Fair at Mercat Cross at 9.20am.

The crowning ceremony follows at 10am outside the parish church, where crowning lady Katharine Mathison will lead the way.

A grand parade, to be joined by the returning mounted cavalcade, comes along the High Street at 11.45am.

A service of remembrance takes place at the war memorial at 1.15pm.

Red letter day concludes in grand style with a beat retreat on the High Street at 7pm.

On Sunday, the Beltane Sports are held at Whitestone Park, beginning at 1.30pm.

Lawyer and father-of-three Douglas Neil will be boundary reader; former police chief inspector and vice-chairman of the Beltane committee Douglas Wright will be the warden of Neidpath; and Tweed Theatre stalwart Katharine Mathison will serve as crowning lady. The Rev Barry Hughes will return for the second time as Warden of the Cross Kirk.