£500 pledge for Braw Lads’ bunting
GALASHIELS Community Council has come to the aid of the Braw Lads’ Gathering, with a £500 pledge towards new bunting for the town’s annual celebrations.The donation goes a long way to paying for the...
View ArticleOAPs on shoplifting spree for thrills
THRILL-SEEKING OAPs have been caught shoplifting in Galashiels.PC Bob Millar told the town’s community council that in March officers arrested a number of elderly people for the crime, normally...
View ArticleHermitage Valley wind farm reprieve as firm delays application due to...
CAMPAIGNERS opposing a wind farm near Hermitage Castle have been granted a stay of execution, writes Sally Gillespie.Renewables developer Infinis, which hopes to put up 20 turbines at Windy Edge,...
View ArticleProbe into disabled man’s ramp rebuff as local firms step into breach
A PROBE will be launched into why it took Scottish Borders Council’s social work department eight months to determine whether a brain-damaged Hawick man should be provided with a ramp outside his...
View ArticleIf at first you don’t succeed…
If the event you want to go to is sold out, Paula Ogilvie co-ordinator of the Brewin Dolphin Borders Book Festival says, it may be possible to buy returns or go on a waiting list. Enquiry at the box...
View ArticleDon’t delay, schools told
The Knight Frank Schools Gala Day on Friday, June 15, will offer more that 1,500 nursery and primary school pupils access to authors and their work during the Borders Book Festival.This years programme...
View ArticleMain festival programme
Thursday, June 146pm: Mark Beaumont, FM, £13 (£11 concessions)6.15pm: Liz Lochhead. SBBM, £9 (£7)6.15pm: Dr John Reid, Lochcarron Marquee, £9 (£7)7.30pm: Prue Leith, FM, £13 (£9)7.45pm: Charles Glass...
View ArticleFamily Festival programme
Saturday, June 1610.45am – Sir Charlie Stinky Socks with Kristina Stevenson, age 4-8, £5, SBBM.11am – Write On! Writing competition awards, age 9 plus, free, LM12noon – Dr Death and the Evil Medicine...
View ArticleHorrid Henry and Dr Death to join stars at the Family Book Festival
THE 2012 Brewin Dolphin Borders Book Festival is being touted as the biggest and best literary event ever to be staged in the region with Sir David Frost, John Sessions, Ian Rankin, William Boyd and...
View ArticlePublic loo provision panned
PUBLIC loo provision in Galashiels has been panned – by the British Toilet Association, writes Kenny Paterson. A female committee member of the national organisation, which campaigns for better public...
View ArticleJail term likely for Gala youth who sexually assaulted children
A GALASHIELS teenager is facing a lengthy prison sentence after being convicted of sexually assaulting a young girl and a 15-year-old boy.Jordan Pearson, 17, was found guilty of attacking the pair over...
View ArticleJob loss fears quashed as toilets get electronic makeover
Concerns were raised this week that the fitting of automatic opening and locking devices on the region’s public conveniences will lead to job losses, writes Andrew Keddie.But Scottish Borders Council,...
View ArticleBooze moderation plea as rugby fans head for Melrose
TWO years ago, Melrose Sevens hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons when an alcohol-fuelled gang fight involving youths from Galashiels and Kelso terrified townsfolk and visitors.The violent...
View ArticleMeet the candidate sessions
NEWTOWN St Boswells residents have the chance to meet candidates standing for election to Scottish Border Council next month.The six local hopefuls will be talking about what they stand for and what...
View ArticleMedical director retiring
ONE of NHS Borders’ most senior board members is to retire, writes Kenny Paterson.Dr Ross Cameron steps down in June from his role as medical director, after nine years in the post.The Glasgow...
View ArticleCouncil fits ‘spy’ cameras to beat insurance claims
ALL new vehicles in Scottish Borders Council’s extensive fleet are to be fitted with black box video recorders, writes Andrew Keddie.TheSouthern can reveal that the devices, which contain a 1.3 mega...
View ArticleKelso author hopes to turn tide with debut novel to win publishing deal
FORMER Kelso lecturer Margaret Skea is hoping that an ancient Ayrshire vendetta could prove the catalyst for a new career as a full-time novelist.Last year, her debut novel, The Turn of the Tide – set...
View ArticleRecycling complaint thrown out
A REQUEST to move recycling facilities at a Galashiels landfill site has been thrown out, writes Kenny Paterson.Scottish Public Services Ombudsman Jim Martin refused to uphold the complaint that...
View ArticleSewage in graveyard row rumbles on as green expert denies re-routed waste claim
A CLIMATE change officer has denied connecting his home into a disused pipe under an historic Peeblesshire churchyard, amid claims sewage has been discovered in the cemetery.Gareth Phillips, who lives...
View ArticleSacked officer claims SBC is in grip of work-related stress
A FORMER well-being officer at Scottish Borders Council claims work-related stress is at “pandemic proportions” within the Newtown-based local authority.And Gordon Branston, from Ettrickbridge, claims...
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