A drunken woman found staggering about the roadway was taken to hospital, where she obstructed medical staff and assaulted a police officer.

Zoe Forsyth was “heavily under the influence of alcohol or other substances” when police found her staggering about the road in Innerleithen High Street. She was shouting and swearing, and acting aggressively.

“She was arrested and, due to her state of intoxication, taken to the accident and emergency department of Borders General Hospital,” explained prosecutor Tessa Bradley.

The hospital was busy and Forsyth continued to shout and swear.

“Her behaviour didn’t improve and nursing staff asked police to remove her from the department,” continued Ms Bradley.

As they did, Forsyth spat at a police officer. 
“Her language and general behaviour was so crude and aggressive that she had to be removed from the hospital prior to any medical assessment,” concluded Ms Bradley.

Defence solicitor Ross Dow said his client had an alcohol problem at the time, but was now “motivated” and doing well.

“She expresses her shame and remorse for the offences,” he added.

Forsyth, 24, of Tweedbank Avenue East, Walkerburn, admitted obstructing a nurse at Borders General Hospital on July 4, and assaulting a police officer by spitting.

Sheriff Peter Paterson deferred sentence until August 25 for a supplementary report and restriction of liberty report, warning Forsyth that such behaviour involving emergency workers would not be tolerated.

Police and safety inspectors are still probing the deaths of three spectators at the Jim Clark Rally earlier this year, writes Bob Burgess.

Once that is completed the Crown Office will decide whether there should be any prosecutions and the Lord Advocate will decide whether to order a fatal accident inquiry.

Partners Iain Provan, 64, and Betty Allan, 63, from Barrhead, were killed alongside Len Stern, 71, of Bearsden, when they were struck by an out-of-control rally car at Little Swinton on May 31.

A 61-year-old man was seriously injured. Two hours earlier at Eccles, six rally fans were injured when another vehicle left the road.

The deaths and injuries prompted Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill to order two safety probes on top of the police investigations into the crashes – one on motor sports and one by Police Scotland into all major spectator events, including common ridings.

A spokesman for the Crown Office told The Southern: “The investigation into the deaths by Police Scotland and the Health and Safety Executive, under the direction of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service’s Health and Safety Division and the Scottish Fatalities Investigation Unit, is ongoing. The families will be kept updated in relation to any significant developments.”

On the wider event safety probe, a spokesman for the Scottish Government told us: “The review was to ensure that robust safety regimes and risk-assessment procedures were in place. Police Scotland completed the review and – as evidenced by the successful safety and security operation around the Commonwealth Games – they were satisfied with planning arrangements.”

Meanwhile, the group looking only at motor sport safety has had its first meeting. The spokesman said:“Ministers have asked for interim recommendations prior to the Isle of Mull Rally on October 10-12, with final recommendations by December.”

A leading huntsman has been cleared of releasing a live fox from a sack shortly before it was torn to pieces by a pack of hounds.

John Cook – who is in charge of the terriers at the Lauderdale and Buccleuch Hunts – faced the prospect of becoming the first huntsman to be convicted since Scotland’s anti-fox hunting laws were introduced 12 years ago.

But after witnesses during a trial at Selkirk Sheriff Court last week failed to identify the person who allegedly released the fox from the sack, Cook’s defence team successfully argued there was no case to answer.

Sheriff Peter Paterson agreed with the submission and accordingly delivered a not-guilty verdict to all three charges that 53-year-old Cook, of Main House Lodge, Kelso, had faced.

Members of the Scottish Countryside Alliance were out in force to support Cook at Tuesday’s trial, including Trevor Adams, 56, the first huntsman to be prosecuted under the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002. He had been charged with deliberately hunting a fox with 20 dogs, but was found not guilty at Jedburgh Sheriff Court on December 10, 2004.

Cook was accused of deliberately hunting a wild mammal under the same legislation, as well as two welfare charges relating to releasing a fox from a sack to be pursued by hounds, and causing an animal fight to take place and releasing a live fox from a sack in the presence of two foxhounds which held it at bay before attacking and killing it with the remainder of the hound pack.

The offences were said to have happened at Rink Farm, near Galashiels, on November 19, during a Lauderdale Hunt.

Before the case against Cook collapsed, a couple living close to the farm told how they saw a man take a bag from the back of the quad bike and release a fox down a hillside.

A male witness, who said he watched through binoculars, told how the fox ran zig-zaggedly down the hill, but got trapped in a corner between a fence and a wall.

He told the trial: “Two dogs appeared and were baiting it and trying to bite. The fox had panicked and had not jumped the wall. Soon a pack of dogs, about eight, arrived and tore the fox to pieces.

“At the time it was a shocking thing. I don’t believe in cruelty and don’t believe in unsporting behaviour.”

His partner said she also witnessed the events from an upstairs window of their property.

But they could only describe the man as being small-sized and aged around 40.

And Cook’s defence team said that from a distance of around 100 metres away from their home to the hillside where the incident was supposed to have happened, it would have been impossible to make out it was a fox that was released from the bag.

Scottish Countryside Alliance director Jamie Stewart said: “We were there because it has been a long time since there have been any cases in Scotland and ensured that our interests were represented.

“I think the case proves the legislation works, as the couple’s concerns were brought to court. I think this was an unfortunate case in that the witnesses were genuinely mistaken at what they saw, in that it was not a fox and Mr Cook was not in charge of the hunt either.”

While no huntsmen have yet fallen foul of the Protection of Wild Mammals(Scotland) Act 2002, two individuals have been convicted for hunting foxes with dogs and 10 for hare coursing.

We certainly upset a few readers with our front page coverage last week of the exam results from Jedburgh Grammar School.

Councillors Jim Brown and Rory Stewart were outraged at our sensational headline. Read it again Messrs Brown and Stewart. We said: “Jedburgh head teacher defends exam results”. By no stretch of the imagination – even that of councillors – can that be construed as sensational.

Former teacher Tony Rae writes of his shock, indignation, anger, incredulity and sadness – not at the exam results but because we reported on them. The parent council accuses us of targeting the school to create a headline.

Let us be very clear, we did not make up those statistics. They were put into the public domain by Scottish Borders Council (Brown and Stewart included). They may now have been taken down from its website, no doubt as a result of outside pressure, but they were published.

As a local newspaper of repute for more than 150 years, it is our job to ask questions when the figures don’t stack up and that’s what we did. And we’ll keep on asking those questions.

Many people might not have been happy to see the story in black and white, but if you stop to think about it, you will realise this wasn’t about targeting the school and its teachers, this was about holding a system to account, where cutbacks and changes at government level may have impacted on our children’s education.

I’m just back from a week on the Ardnamurchan peninsula, where, just my luck, the weather broke down after the glorious spell we’ve had.

However, we had good days as well as bad and the scenery there is better than anywhere – and so are the midges!

As usual, there was a Borders connection. The owner of the croft we stayed on used to farm at Kittyfield, near Gattonside.

Having got back on Saturday, I had missed my weekly Friday night moth trapping session as part of the nationwide Garden Moth Survey, but the rules allow for a three night option either side, so I set to that evening. Next morning, I had all the usual suspects for the time of year, mainly the various yellow underwing species, but on a polythene sheet, next to the trap, a wee brown one caught my eye.

At first I thought it was one of the pug species, which are nearly all brown and a nightmare to sort out. This one, however, had a conspicuous white dot on each wing, which I hadn’t seen before. I gently popped it into a jar and began leafing through my moth book. The only match I found was with one called simply the gem.

On checking my Borders list, I found that it had only been seen once before. I knew then that I was possibly onto a good one. I managed to take a couple of pictures and swiftly sent them down the line to my moth mentor Malcolm, who promptly got back with confirmation of my identification. It was a female gem and its only previous record was a male from Denholm in 2011. It was a new record for Selkirkshire!

It is a Continental migrant normally found in the south, so Malcolm thought that due to its fresh appearance, it may have bred here. Paradoxically, I realised that if I hadn’t gone on holiday, I would have missed it.

Going through my backlog of emails, I came on one from botanist Michael Braithwaite, who I have known for more years than I care to remember. He is the Botanical Recorder for Berwickshire and informed me that he is about to publish a new book on the plants of the county called A Short Flora of Berwickshire.

This hardback book to be published privately will be of 432 pages, liberally illustrated in full colour with photographs and distribution maps. English names for the wildflowers are shown alongside the Latin names throughout.

County Floras are not identification guides. They are aimed at enthusiasts who already have identification books and know a good number of the wildflowers. For such enthusiasts they are a must. Identification guides give only a little information on where wildflowers are to be found while a County Flora lays it all out.

The Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland has arranged grant assistance, enabling the cover price for this limited edition book to be set at £20 plus £5 post and packing. A flyer with order form is available on the BSBI website under Berwickshire, or a cheque for £25 made out to M E Braithwaite may be sent to: Michael Braithwaite, Clarilaw Farmhouse, Hawick, Roxburghshire, TD9 8PT.

The 2014 Scottish National Sheepdog Trials National were hosted by the Richardson Family from Bedrule, Denholm.

The event saw a very successful three days, both on the field and behind the scenes.

The majority of handlers took to the post with the sun shining, and apart from a brief thunder and lightening storm on the Friday afternoon everyone kept dry.

There was a high standard of dogs over the three days resulting in a strong Scottish team going forward to compete at the International in Ireland in September.

The well deserved winner was Miss Julie Hill, from Carcant Farm, Heriot, who had an outstanding run with her dog Ban.

Also entering the team was local shepherd for Brotherstone Farm Eddie Foster and his dog Moss (bred by Mark Arres from Dryden farm, Selkirkshire).

This year was Eddie’s first National and he made 14th in the Scottish team.

Judges were: Singles: Mr B. Elliott and Mr K. Wood; Brace: Mr A. Carnegie and Mr W. Welsh (Jnr).

Westruther Open Trials will be held on Saturday, August 30 (just off the B6456). The first 60 entries will be acception and the entry fee is £5 per dog.

For further information please contact Fiona Matrwicl, telephone 01578 740285.

Teviotdale Trials will be held the following day at Whitchesters Farm, starting at 8am. Further details from Liz Howieson, telephone 01450 850238.

Renowned Aberdeen Angus breeders John and Marion Tilson and their daughter Wanda Hobbs celebrate the centenary of their Wedderlie herd with an open day at Wedderlie, Gordon on Saturday (August 16).

Fellow Borders farmer and NFU Scotland president Nigel Miller will officially open the day, which the family hope will also promote the commercial attributes of the breed.

Mrs Tilson said: “We want to demonstrate what the Aberdeen Angus breed, with its easy-keep characteristics, can achieve on a typical Borders hill farm.

“We look forward to welcoming commercial beef producers as well as pedigree breeders to help us celebrate this important milestone in the history of the herd.”

The herd was founded in 1914 by A.W. Baird and acquired in 1942 by Mrs Tilson’s grandfather, Captain Thomas Elliot, when he bought Wedderlie farm.

Tours by tractor and trailer round the farm and out to the hill will leave the steading every half hour from 11.30am onwards.

The event is being supported by the Aberdeen-Angus Cattle Society with EDF Energy Renewables, who recently developed a large-scale wind farm in the Lammermuirs accessed via Wedderlie, as main sponsor.

In addition to the farm tour, features of the open day will include stockjudging, sheepdog handling, scanning, animal health, bedding and dry stane dyking demonstrations, a display by Lauderdale Foxhounds, trade stands, a charity auction and barbecue featuring Wedderlie beef by catering company, The Buffalo Farm, from Fife.

The pedigree Wedderlie herd is recognised as one of the top Aberdeen-Angus herds in the country, with championship successes at the Perth/Stirling bull sales to its credit and prices of up to 25,000gns for young bulls.

The herd of 200 cows and followers is run on commercial lines and 50-60 bulls are sold privately off the farm each year to both pedigree and commercial breeders.

Half of the bull calves are steered with spring-born steers finished on the farm for Scotbeef for Marks and Spencer and autumn born calves sold as yearling stores at St Boswells.

The farm covers 2,500 acres rising from 800 feet to 1200 feet and in addition to the cattle supports a flock of 1,800 Blackface, Cheviot cross and Mule ewes which are crossed with the Texel as terminal sire, with all lambs finished on the farm.

A Wedderlie-bred Aberdeen-Angus heifer will be up for grabs at the charity auction, in aid of Scotland’s rural charity, RSABI, and MacMillan Nurses, which is scheduled to conclude the open day at 4pm.

The successful buyer will have the choice of one of two heifers.

Other items coming under the hammer will include a four-ball round of golf at Roxburghe Golf Course, paintings and joints of Aberdeen-Angus beef donated by Scotbeef and A K Stoddart.

The open day will start at 10am with the official opening by Nigel Miller, taking place at 11am.

There will also be a barbecue, car parking and free entry.

Members of Eildon Area Forum have been told a 40mph limit through Yarrow Feus has been successful and should be retained.

The speed limit was introduced in October last year, despite the objection of Ettrick and Yarrow Community Council.

Scottish Borders Council and the police proposed the speed limit, which received the backing of several residents, following a review of limits across the region.

It was agreed between the two councils that the effectiveness of the speed limit be reviewed, and as a result speed measurements were taken between May and July this year.

These have been compared to readings taken between May and June 2013 and show that most drivers are taking heed of the 40mph signs.

At a spot just beyond the school, close to the start of the zone, 85 per cent of vehicles travelled through at 44mph or below, down from 50mph.

In the centre of the speed limit area the ‘85th percentile’ speed after the introduction of the limit was 17mph less.

Robbie Yates, SBC assistant network engineer, stated in his report: “An approximate reduction of around 10 mph was demonstrated in terms of average and 85th percentile speeds at monitoring sites two and three.

“It is noteworthy that 85th percentile speeds are still marginally over that of the marked speed limit.

“However, the extent to which the limit is exceeded, although undesirable, is not uncommon in similar villages within the Scottish Borders and beyond.”

Mr Yates added: “Given the reduction in speeds as demonstrated in the results...it would be advisable to retain the 40mph speed limit through Yarrow Feus.”

Plans for a ‘virtual golf centre’ in Galashiels have been revealed by a Tweedbank businessman.

Thomas Gilhooley has applied to the council for a change of use for the former Ladbrokes premises above Superdrug in Channel Street.

Mr Gilhooley is seeking to convert the first floor space and create three virtual golf booths and seating areas and provide food and drinks, including alcohol .

Hawick’s House of Cheviot hosiery mill has been celebrating a Commonwealth Games triumph, having provided socks for the Scottish team.

Jilli Blackwood, designer of the athletes’ blue shirt and pink/blue/yellow kilts, approached the mill’s owner and managing director, James Wright, and director Robin Deas to coordinate their socks with her outfit.

However, she then swore the pair to secrecy until after Glasgow’s Commonwealth Games had closed.

Mr Deas said: “Everything had to be made in Scotland, and they came to us knowing we produced the best socks.

“When Jilli produced the kilts, shoes, sporran and shirt, I looked at the outfit, and I chose a shade to match the kilt – it co-ordinated beautifully.

“They had a budget of £7 a pair. We could meet that, but we wanted to give them something to be very proud of, so we suggested our top-of-the-range Rannoch-style sock, at £14.

“They came back and ordered 320 pairs. It was a far superior sock, and they were happy to pay twice the price. They asked us to keep our end of things confidential until the games ended, and we agreed.”

The Scottish team’s outfit attracted significant press coverage in the lead up to the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games.

Mr Deas said: “In the run-up there was a huge controversy about the colours and design of the Scottish outfits.

“I was a little sceptical, but Jilli was speaking her mind, and sticking her neck out: it’s either going to be a great success, or a tragedy. It was innovative, pushing the bounds of Scottish tradition into the 21st century, and I think she did it.

“As the Scottish team came out in the opening ceremony, they looked fantastic, and I thought: ‘Wow! We contributed to that.’ The staff here were chuffed.”

Mr Deas added: “I hope this will show Scots around the world that we take pride in producing the finest socks.”

Mr Wright said: “In innovation, in colour and design, we’re leading the way. We want to show the world what we do in Scotland.”

She may be calling it a day after 21 years as head teacher of schools in the Yarrow and 
Ettrick Valleys, but Mo Brown says she will not be idle.

Mrs Brown, who formally retires at the end of this week, says that with children and grandchildren, plus a host of other interests, she will have plenty to occupy her time in retirement.

Married to Scottish Borders Council cultural services manager, Ian Brown, Mrs Brown, who lives in Selkirk, is involved with sustainable development education, local history groups and Selkirk’s conservation area regeneration scheme. But she admits she will miss the job that took her from Edenside Primary School in her home town of Kelso to the head teacher’s job at Philiphaugh Primary in Selkirk, then to Kirkhope Primary, before taking up a shared headship covering Kirkhope, plus schools at Ettrick and Yarrow.

“To be honest, I reached the age when I should have gone last year but hung on for a while longer because the job continues to be challenging and interesting,” Mrs Brown told us this week.

“That’s why I never aspired to keep moving on to bigger schools, because I enjoyed what I was doing where I was.

“But it’s time to let someone younger take over and I’m sure my replacement, Russell 
Williams, will do very well.”

Hundreds of children have benefitted over the years from Mrs Brown’s guidance and teaching, and she hopes many will remember her with fondness: “Many still speak to me when they bump into me in the street, which is always nice,” she said.

“My claim to fame is that when I started at Edenside, my first primary one pupil was Olympic rower Matthew Pinsent,” Mrs Brown added.

Earlier this summer, Mrs Brown was presented with flowers and vouchers by the local community at Kirkhope Primary’s open weekend.

She also received a painting of the school by well-known local artist, Rob Hain, which was presented by Scottish Borders councillor, Vicky Davidson, on behalf of present and past school families.

Local Scottish Borders councillor Gordon Edgar this week paid tribute, saying: “Mo has been absolutely brilliant as a teacher and headteacher. She has had great empathy with the youngsters, trying to make education as exciting as possible – I’d say she’s been a real innovator in that way.

“She will be a great loss to the education of youngsters in the valleys and I hope that her replacement will aspire to the levels Mo has worked to over the years.

“What else can I say? Mo has been great with the kids, great with the parents, and great with the wider community. She has been a real asset and I wish her well for the future.”

The refurbished and improved play equipment in the Newcastleton Park was officially launched last Thursday.

A large turnout of families with children came to see Bertha Inglis cut the ribbon. She is the oldest member of Liddesdale Ladies Amenities Group (LLAG) which raised the money to build the original play park in 1972.

The charity, Friends of Newcastleton Park, and LLAG, together with community support, have been working closely with Scottish Borders Council officers Alistair Finnie and Dougie Mallin who provided most of the equipment and had it installed two weeks earlier. It has already proved a great hit with village children.

This week The Southern’s electronic mail box was brimming, if such things can brim, with letters from the good folk of Jedburgh.

Good folk, but unhappy folk – at least those who mailed us. They took severe umbrage at my colleague Adam Drummond’s front-page story on the disappointing exam results achieved at the town’s secondary school.

Local councillors, the parent council and a retired teacher were among those who maintained we had let the town and school down by revealing the fact their school – according to official figures published by Scottish Borders Council no less – had the worst record of the nine secondary schools in the region. Take a peak at our Viewpoint pages and you’ll see just what we have been accused of.

It didn’t surprise me. During 47 years in journalism I’ve seen and heard it all before. It’s called shooting the messenger. Nobody likes bad news, especially if it affects you or your community. That is perfectly understandable.

But local weekly newspapers – wherever they are – don’t make the news, they report it. Good or bad.

Yes, Jedburgh Grammar School was in the latter category last week. But look at pages 78 and 79 this week. Go on, Jed letter writers, have a peek. See, good news coverage of a Jedburgh Grammar School student winning the blue ribband 100 metres sprint at Morebattle Games. Craig Smith was Top of the Tofts.

In our community there will be good news and bad news. Happy events and tragic events. Smiles and tears. It is not the job of a weekly newspaper to act as a sieve or cherry pick – to print the good and hide the bad under the desk.

Perhaps those who shot their arrows in our direction would have been better aiming them at whoever was responsible for – according to official statistics – the exam failures at Jedburgh Grammar School. And their target should really be those in authority who have tinkered, tweaked and twisted what was an inspirational education system in Scotland that used to the envy of many. Maybe, just maybe, the tweaking, twisting and tinkering should now be used to get our education system back to what it was.

The education system didn’t fail me – I probably failed the system. Primary classes in Galashiels, at first the newly-built Balmoral and then the seemingly-ancient Burgh, were fine. But apart from English and history, I hadn’t a lot of time for my four years at Galashiels Academy.

Looking back, there were some great teachers who truly took an interest in the education of their pupils – even those who showed a distinct lack of interest. I’m sure the same can be said today – it’s the system that’s letting them down.

I was going to end with a quote from the great actor Robin Williams who took his own life this week – something from that memorable film The Dead Poets Society. But instead, I love the line from the late American actor and social critic George Carlin: “I was thinking about how people seem to read the Bible a lot more as they get older: then it dawned on me – they’re cramming for the final exam.”

Planned changes to swimming pool opening times are minor and happen several times each year due to seasonality and demand.

That was the response this week from Borders Sport & Leisure Trust (BSLT) following public concerns about upcoming alterations to certain pool opening times.

Galashiels resident Peter Smillie, who uses the town pool regularly at lunchtimes, has complained to the trust about the lack of public notice over the changes.

Mr Smillie told The Southern he only learned recently 
by chance of the timetable changes.

“There is no notice up at the pool informing BSLT members and members of the public of these changes.

“Surely, as a BSLT member, paying a regular monthly subscription, any major changes to the opening hours should have been notified by letter or email, and a consultation period, to allow BSLT members and members of the public to table their comments/views,” he said.

“I find all these changes to save money rather disconcerting when the Scottish and UK governments promote healthy living and taking of exercise to save money at NHS level.

“Also, on the back of the Scottish success at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, what message is this sending to the members, general public and youngsters who aspire to be great athletes?”

But trust marketing manager Emily McGowan says only slight changes will be made to timetables at some leisure facilities, and is something which happens three or four times each year to reflect “seasonality and demand”.

She informed us: “As such we did not issue specific communications and the changes are small, so they don’t effect our staffing numbers etc.”

From Monday, Galashiels pool will open at 7.15am on a Wednesday (instead of 6.30am); at 9am on a Friday (instead of 6.30am); at 10am on Sunday (instead of 9am) and close slightly earlier on Saturday afternoon at 12.30pm.

However, the pool will be available on Saturday and Sunday afternoons for parties and private bookings.

All its other opening hours remain the same. The total change in opening hours is about four-and-a-quarter hours less a week.

Selkirk Leisure Centre timetable changed at the start of July, and the trust says it is no more than a few hours a week difference, which is also reflective of the seasonality of the business.

Ms McGowan added: “A lot of analysis goes into timetable reviews to try and accommodate the needs of all our users.

“Leisure centre facilities are also extremely expensive to operate, so we do look to make cost savings when we can, whilst trying to ensure that any changes we make have the minimal impact on our customers.”

Kelso Youth Project film-makers are taking to the international stage – just over the border in Berwick.

Not content with making eight animated movies and running a summer film project which produced a 10-minute offering, they are now working with the British Film Institute’s See It Make It initiative to produce another film at the end of this month.

An experienced film-maker and two facilitators will be working with P6 and 7 schoolchildren from Jedburgh and Kelso over two weekends to produce a movie which will be seen at the Berwick International Film Festival on September 21.

Ian Rendall Reid, manager of Cheviot Youth, is thrilled by this new development in the film programme of Kelso Youth Project, adding: “We are looking for 12 young people to think of an idea for a film, develop that idea, storyboard it, script it, shoot it and edit it in just two weekends. Given our past achievements with film work with the young people, we believe that they will rise to this challenge and produce yet another wonderful film.”

The young film-makers then get invited to a premiere of their film on the big screen at the Young Filmmakers’ Showcase at the Berwick International Film Festival. There they get the opportunity to attend a special reception, introduce their own film from the stage and receive a personal DVD copy of their production.

To obtain a booking form for this project, contact Ian on ianrendallreid@cheviotyouth.co.uk.

The photograph shows the youth project’s first group of film-makers – some will be signing up for our the British Film Institute’s initiative.

A Borders business has been cashing in on the opportunities presented by this unique year for Scottish tourism.

Borders Journeys, a company which brings numerous visitors to the region, has capitalised on Homecoming Scotland 2014, a year-long co-ordinated programme of events.

The company has seen a 120 per cent increase in demand for ancestral tours, with most of the visitors this year homecomersfrom Australia, Canada and the USA researching their ancestral roots.

Borders Journeys provide exclusive private and small group guided tours of Scotland. Their ancestral research services and tailor-made ancestral tours take visitors on a journey of discovery to walk in the footsteps of their ancestors.

Tour operator Ian Walker said: “This year has seen a massive increase in the amount of ancestral tours that we’ve organised as well as researching Scottish ancestral roots.

“So far we have organised 12 ancestral tours where nine groups of homecomers have had ancestral roots in the Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway – we have another three booked in before the end of September.

“Throughout 2014 Borders Journeys will continue to support VisitScotland to promote both Scottish and local tourism during the year of Homecoming Scotland, which will in turn support my business’ continued growth.”

Paula McDonald, regional director of VisitScotland, said: “Borders Journeys are an excellent example of Homecoming Scotland success.

“We have been marketing Scotland’s significant 2014 events – Homecoming Scotland, the Commonwealth Games and The Ryder Cup – for well over a year to our international markets and tour operators such as Ian Walker have maximised upon the opportunity to great effect.”

Ian has dedicated a number of sections on 
his website to Homecoming and its associated events, with a page on the Return to the Ridings festival in the Borders, a Homecoming funded event, and a 
wider Homecoming blog page.

Apart from a brief spell at the start of my career when I worked as a surveyor in Cumbria, I have spent all of my childhood and working life in Scotland, mostly in the Borders.

My family roots north of the border go back many generations and I regard myself as Scottish through and through – of which I am justifiably proud – but equally I also regard myself as being British. To me, being British encompasses the best of all worlds and it is something which I would resist giving up at all costs.

After more than 300 years of being a United Kingdom and all the benefits which have flowed in both directions from this union, it would be tragic , in my view, if this was to be cast aside for the sake of political expediency and a romantic notion that Scotland would be better off without the Union.

When the referendum debate began, I listened with an open mind to both sides of the argument. But as the discussion has extended, including the recent televised debate, and the need for hard facts on which to base a decision has intensified, my view has hardened very strongly against independence.

I have yet to hear an argument, reinforced by authenticated facts and figures, which convinces me that Scotland would be better off as a separate nation in any way. Indeed, as the referendum date draws ever nearer, the propaganda for independence seems to be even less convincing and sustainable than at the outset.

I have farmed in the Borders for almost 20 years and this has made me realise the importance of being part of a large group in order to survive. I cannot see how farming could survive in an independent Scotland as we need the wider markets which the United Kingdom – and indeed the EU, for all its imperfections – bring us.

If the playing field was level and all subsidies abolished throughout the EU, it would be a different matter.

However, as no unqualified answer has been given to Scotland’s future in the EU, the uncertainty over future membership could pose an enormous threat to farmers if single-farm payments were put at risk for as long as Scotland was outwith the EU.

The countryside also owes a great deal to the environmental grants which have been available for the past 15 years or so. These have enabled farmers to carry out all manner of environmental improvements to their farms which have benefitted wildlife in general to an enormous degree. If these grants were put at risk through Scotland being outside the EU, this could spell disaster for the Borders countryside and wildlife.

It would appear that Borderers are even less enthusiastic about independence than the rest of Scotland, which is understandable in view of our close and historical links to the north of England.

Even though we used to knock hell out of each other back in the days of the Reivers, it would not be too far-fetched to imagine a scene in the future, were independence to be gained, where the Borders might wish to break away from Scotland and affiliate itself with its neighbour to the south.

The cultural, economic, historic and social links which have bound us into the United Kingdom are far too important and precious to give up for the sake of an unknown future as a small fish in a very big pond.

While those who wish to retain the status quo may be regarded by the pro-independents as overcautious and unambitious, we have to question whether the gamble of giving up all that we as a nation have achieved together is worth the risk.

I will always remain fiercely loyal and patriotic towards Scotland, but, overall, I believe that our and our children’s futures in Scotland will be more comfortable, contented and prosperous in a United Kingdom rather than an independent Scotland.

As conflicts rage in Gaza, Ukraine, Syria and in Iraq, international observers and peacemakers are converging on Innerleithen to explore how Scotland can be a greater force for good in the world.

Expert voices with experience of global conflict zones will lead discussion at the Beyond Borders’ International Festival of Literature and Thought on August 23-24.

The weekend festival features an exhibition of work by war photographer Paul Conroy, who was injured by the rocket attack which killed war reporter Marie Colvin in Syria, that highlights the plight of Syrian refugees in the UK, and the struggles they face while trying to build a new life.

The UN’s Paul McMahon, author of Feeding Frenzy, will discuss food security, exploring ways of avoiding hunger when the global food system must feed nine billion people by 2050.

Azerbaijan’s top blogger Emin Milli recounts his experience as a political prisoner in his talk Bearing Witness, while British-Iranian reporter Ramita Navai, of Channel 4’s Unreported World, shines a light on Tehran’s hidden life, from her book City of Lies.

Following Glasgow’s successful Games, Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma shares a platform with Ugandan-born political journalist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, to consider how the Commonwealth could play a greater role in promoting peace.

Other diplomats include the UN’s Andrew Gilmour, Joost Hiltermann of the International Crisis Group, and David Gorman from the Centre of Humanitarian Dialogue, discussing the realities of making peace in an ever-fracturing world, while Tim Phillips, co-founder of Beyond Conflict, shares his experience from 20 years on the front lines of peace negotiations around the globe.

Mark Muller Stuart QC, director of Beyond Borders’ festival and NGO, said: “I believe Scotland has a profound contribution to make to peace building, conflict resolution, and wider cultural exchange. It is timely to ask whether Scotland should play a greater role in international affairs.”

For the festival programme and box office, visit www.beyondbordersscotland.com. Or call 0131 557 7775.

Borders MP Michael Moore is encouraging young people and first-time voters to make sure their voice is heard.

The referendum is the first UK poll in which 16 and 17-year-olds will be able to vote.

On Saturday (August 23), Scottish Borders Council is holding a drop-in session for first-time voters in Galashiels, Market Square, from 11am-4pm, where advice about registering to vote will be given.

Ahead of the drop-in session, Mr Moore said: “Voting matters – and arguably more so in the referendum than at any other time.

“Over the last few months, I have been travelling around the Borders visiting young people in schools and colleges to discuss and debate the issues surrounding independence.

“I have been very impressed by the high level of engagement from young people here in the Borders. They have asked a range of questions and shown a clear understanding of all of the relevant issues.

“I urge everyone, including first-time voters, to have their say on this momentous decision.”

The council has been awarded a strategic sub-contract by Amey now it is responsible for maintenance and improvement to the region’s trunk roads, as part of a six-year contract.