There can be very few people in the Borders who have not yet heard of the fundraising appeal for the Margaret Kerr Unit at the Borders General Hospital. The unit will provide the essential and long overdue palliative care to Borders folk at a time in their lives when they are at their most vulnerable.
The funding appeal has been fantastic, with activities by many areas of the community getting together and by many diverse ways adding their contributions. From tiny tots to the elderly, everyone seems to be doing their bit.
The appeal is now seeking the last million pounds to complete its target, and the last bit can often be the hardest to achieve.
The Borders Vintage Agriculture Association (BVAA) will not be left out of the race to secure the big total and has chosen the Margaret Kerr Unit Appeal for its 2012 fundraising effort.
On Saturday March 24 the action starts with a coffee morning at Sprouston Village Hall. This will include stalls for home baking, a raffle, bring-and-buy, and various other attractions to make this not just a chance to get a really good cup of coffee or tea, perchance a nibble of something nice, but the opportunity to witness the way the Borders land was worked in previous times.
A field adjacent to the hall will host demonstrations of working machinery from the good old days, where it will be seen that although the equipment has become much more efficient and generally larger, the basic principles of arable work remain the same.
It’s a good opportunity for a family outing, and there is little need to remind guests to bring their cameras to record old tractors and machinery usually only seen on TV’s Land Girls actually doing their stuff.
The BVAA fundraising effort for the Margaret Kerr Unit will continue with a charity road run and the annual rally in Springwood Park on Sunday, May 20, when a presentation will be made to the appeal organisers.