Burgh Primary School in Galashiels have pieced together a wonderful way of retelling the Christmas story.

Taking biblical events and giving them a somewhat modern, popular slant, The Christmas Jigsaw is a great tale with surprising characters and fantastic songs.

It is based around five children, who are given a very special Christmas jigsaw by a toyseller who turns out to be a heavenly angel.

As the children piece together the jigsaw they see the origins of the Nativity story.

They witness the Roman proclamation of the census that starts the story off and this is followed by the shepherds being visited by celestial forces. Expect some famous faces here.

They are also ringside when the Kings visit the ferocious King Herod (who bears a resemblance to a certain Simon Cowell). As per tradition, the whole story finishes with the Nativity scene, followed by more than 200 children on the stage singing their hearts out for the two finale songs.

All the children, from Nursery to P7, have been involved in putting this production together. The staff, as usual, have rallied round and been involved with costume design, painting backdrops, co-writing the script with depute head teacher Martin Wilson, making props and ensuring that all the children have practised their songs to produce yet another four-performance sell-out for the school.

wooler

At their weekly Primestock sale last Wednesday, John Swan Ltd had forward and sold 1,663 lambs and 300 ewes.

The Annual Christmas Show took place along with the primestock sale, expertly judged by Mr J. Curle, Bowsden.

The Championship was awarded to Messrs H.N. Howard and Son, Chillingham Home Farm, for a pen of Beltex.x lambs weighing 48kg and selling at £140 to the judge Mr J. Curle, a treble for the Chillingham Home Farm team at this centre this year. The Reserve Championship went to last year’s winners Messrs S.H. Spours and Sons, Henlaw, for a pen of Beltex.x lambs weighing 42kg and selling at £90 again to the judge.

A larger show of lambs and a larger show of buyers saw returns again head in the right direction, vendors receiving trade above expectations.

Leading prices per head:- Bel.x:- £140, £98.50, £96, £95 Chillingham Home Farm, £90 (2) £89, £88.50 (2), £87.50. £86, £85.50, £85, £84.50 Henlaw, £84.50 Yetlington Lane. Tex.x:- £95.50 South Charlton, £94, £93.50 Fowberry Moor, £90 Henlaw, Inland Pastures, Fowberry Moor and Edlingham Newtown, £89.50 Mindrum Farming Co. C.M:- £91 South Charlton. Suff.x:- £90, £87.50 Brockley Hall, £85.50 Biddlestone Home Farm and Brockley Hall. Char:- £89 Yetlington Lane, £88.50, £88 Elwick. Chev:- £84, £83 South Charlton. Mule:- £77 Hedgeley Farms and Ladykirk. BF:- £76.50 Lilburn Estates, £76 Henlaw.

St boswells

At their weekly Primestock sale on Monday, John Swan Ltd sold 116 clean cattle, 60 OTM cattle, 3,700 new season lambs and 650 ewes.

Bullocks (45) averaged 217.8p per kg and sold to 240p (-2.4p on week), heifers (69) averaged 218p per kg and sold to 251p (+1.0p on week), two young bulls averaged 219p per kg and sold to 220p (n/c on week) and 60 beef type OTM cattle averaged 115.6p per kg and sold to 204p (n/c on the week).

New season lambs averaged 187p per kg (-15p on the week) £78.63 per head and sold to £102, top price 237.8p per kg for Texel from M/s Bell, Charlesfield, and Beltex from M/s Kay and Son, Hartside.

Ewes averaged £72.14 (+£8 on the week) and sold to £111 for Texels from M/s Rennie and Son, Sydenham.

Heavy ewes averaged £82.43, light ewes sold to £75 for Cheviots from M/s Tennant, Shaws, and averaged £66.49.

Principal prices per head: North Synton £1532.16; Longnewton £1531.80; Bee Edge £1480.90; Toxside £1474.60; Lurdenlaw £1456.40. Principal prices per kg: Bee Edge 2.51 M/s W.T.S. Forsyth and Sons, 2.44 Shaws of Lauder, 2.40, 2.35 W. Taylor (Lockerbie), 2.36 Scottish Border Meats; Upper Nisbet 2.40 M/s W.T.S. Forsyth and Sons; Honeyburn 2.40 M/s J. Gilmour and Co Ltd; Longnewton 2.39 M/s W.T.S. Forsyth and Sons; Lurdenlaw 2.38 W. Taylor (Lockerbie), 2.33 M/s J. Gilmour and Co Ltd, 2.31 Malone of Edinburgh, Greenknowe 2.35 J.F. Finlay and Co Ltd; Smailholm Mains 2.34 M/s W.T.S. Forsyth and Sons, Dunslaw 2.34 Malone of Edinburgh; Redden 2.33 M/s J. Gilmour and Co Ltd; Saughland 2.33 Malone of Edinburgh.

Bulls: New Heaton £1103.52 (88p); Thirlestane £1010.16 (92p).

Cows per head: Upper Nisbet £1350.48, £1240.28, Shoestanes £1228.08, £1000.16; Roxburgh Mains £1152.50; Kersknowe £1129.70, £1103.90; Wester Middleton £1061.34, £927.10; Burnhouse Mains £1047.50; Thirlestane £1030.40, £925.28; Middlethird £998.76; Cortleferry £953.54; Birkenside £922.24; Corsbie £920.36.

A total of 635 light lambs sold to a top of 225.7p pkg, £74.50 for 33kg Beltex.x from M/s Sinclair, Crookston, averaging overall 188p pkg. Per head: Bel.x;- £74.50 Crookston, BF;- £68.50, £66 Williamhope, £65 Scamblesby Farm and Hartside, £68 Middlestead, Tex;- £66.50 Scamblesby Farm, £61 Thornielee, £58 Middlestead, SM;- £65 Threeburnford, £64 Scamblesby Farm, Chev;- £65 Philiphaugh and Saughtree, £63 Mountbenger, Chev.x;- £64.50 Burncastle.

Although trade was easier on the week it still compares favourably with most other livestock auction marts.

Lambs per head: Tex;- £102, £100 Charlesfield, £100 Lower Ashtrees, £97 St Leonards, Bel;- £100 Crookston, £92.50 Hartside and Lylestane, Suff.x;- £96 Bonjedward Mill and Falside, £95 Headshaw. L, £94.50 Elmbank, Chev.x;- £82 Burncastle, CM;- £82.50 Falnash, £80 Wester Ulston, Char;- £82 Woodhouse, HB;- £80 Stobshiel Mains, Chev;- £82.50 Shaws, £81.50 Saughtree, £80 Philiphaugh, Ber;- £86.50 Springwood, SM;- £82 Burncastle, £81.50 Burnhouse Mains, £80 Burncastle, BF;- £79.50 Burnhouse Mains, £70.50 Roxburgh Mill, £70 Threeburnford.

Larger show of ewes forward, all classes sharper on the week.

Ewes: Tex;- £111 Sydenham, £102.50 Hermiston, £100 Bow, £95 St Leonards, Suff.x;- £108 Faughhill, £105.50 Hermiston, £100 Greenhead. R, £92.50 Berryhill, SM;- £87.50 Greenhead. R, £83.50 Berryhill, £79 Falside, CM;- £80 St Leonards and Stoneypath, £78.50 Lylestane, HB;- £83 Drumreach, BFL;- £80Hartside, BL;- £72 Brunt Court, Chev.x;- £62 Belford on Bowmont, Chev;- £75, £72, £69 Shaws, £68 Wormerlaw, Bel;- £90 Faughhill, BF;- £60 Toxside, £59 Stoneypath.

Rams: Tex;- £100 Leetside, £90 Ruletownhead, Suff;- £91 Cavers Lea, Chev;- £80 Gospelhall.

longtown

The Cumberland and Dumfriesshire Farmers Mart plc had forward 21 prime cattle, 14 over 30 month cattle, 8,005 prime lambs and 4,529 cast ewes and rams at their weekly sale.

A small mixed show of prime cattle with quality selling well. The sale was topped at 237.5p for a Limousin heifer sold by A. and W.J. Taylor and Son, Dashwellgreen, others to 226.5p from J. and N. Blaylock and Son, Hallburn. Not so many OTM cattle but big fit cows forward with all classes selling to similar rates. Top price to 155.5p for a Montbeliarde shown by J.G. Vevers, Peterscrook.

A great show of 8,005 prime lambs forward to a full ring of buyers all keen for sheep. Export weight and light weight lambs remain very easily sold with 50 kilo plus lambs also in demand.

A new community shed for the use of volunteers working in the Melrose area was 
unveiled this week.

The Drygrange community shed is a collaboration between Greener Melrose, Borders Forest Trust and the architect Peter Caunt.

Built on environmentally-friendly principles, with a foundation of recycled car tyres and a grass roof, the shed will provide shelter and comfort to volunteers working in the community orchard, community woodland and community allotments.

A Greener Melrose has spent three years establishing the community orchard and allotments at Drygrange, with the aim of protecting, conserving and improving the environment, and to promote sustainable developments and to increase resilience to resource scarcity.

The organisation works to raise awareness of the Transition Movement, which “helps communities deal with climate change and shrinking supplies of cheap energy (peak oil)”. Borders Forest Trust is an environmental charity formed in 1996 to conserve, restore and manage native woodlands and other natural habitats for the benefit of people and wildlife.

They meet every Tuesday to carry out a variety of practical tasks in community woodland sites around the Borders, and have a team of enthusiastic volunteers who were happy to get behind the project.

Volunteer team leader Anna Craigen said: “It was fantastic (and very rewarding) to be involved in the whole process.

“We will really enjoy using the new building as a base during future work sessions.”

Peter Caunt, the project’s architect, specialises in huts, tree houses and cabins.

His Heriot-based company, Quercus Building Design, has a strong track record of creating sustainable designs, using locally-sourced materials. Peter also supervised the building’s construction.

The Drygrange hut is located just off the A68.

Apprentices on the City and Guilds Painting and Decorating course helped out a young mum through the Radio Borders Cash for Kids appeal.

Candy Rafferty from Radio Borders contacted Kenny Thomson, head of faculty for the construction, engineering and landbased area, to enquire if students could carry out some decoration work for a young person who was expecting her first baby.

Her local housing support officer Ashley Thomson was contacted to see if the work could be undertaken and it was agreed that the City & Guilds students would be the most able to carry out the work required.

The college then approached Colin Robinson, manager of the local Dulux branch in Galashiels, who kindly agreed to supply the wall paint.

This was greatly appreciated as without this kind gesture it may not have been possible to carry out the work.

The students worked on the rooms over two Wednesday mornings.

They not only showed excellent team working skills but also a very good work ethic.

The young mum was delighted with the work the students had undertaken, especially the new baby’s room.

The survival of the Eastgate Theatre and Arts Centre in Peebles after 10 years of operating is “very much dependent” on the core funding it receives from the council.

The local authority, facing unprecedented budgetary pressures, is due to decide in February if it will continue to fund the 250-seat facility to the tune of £90,000 a year – a figure pegged at that level since 2008.

The grave consequences of a cut in this contribution are conveyed in the annual 2013/14 accounts and balance sheet of the charitable organisation, which were signed off last week and lodged with Company’s House.

In his report accompanying the accounts, Eastgate trustee Hugh Seymour reveals that his board had so far received no written guarantee of continued core funding from SBC beyond the current year (2014/15).

“Planning ahead is challenging in the current financial climate where the charity is dependent on core funding from local government,” he states.

“In the current climate, a guarantee of future core funding for a further year cannot be obtained in advance – the charity’s survival is very much dependent on this funding.”

The accounts for the 12 months to March 31 show that, for a second successive year, the Eastgate recorded a trading deficit – although the level of loss was down on the previous year.

Income of £470,852 was marginally outstripped by total expenditure of £474,272 (including £391,000 in operating costs) to give a deficit on the year of £3,420.

When a write-down of £12,583 for asset depreciation is taken into account, the annual deficit topped £16,003 – compared to a loss of £35,000 the previous year.

Income from ticket sales and the hire of the facilities fell from £198,453 to £177,943 over the year – a shortfall partly offset by a healthy increase in sales generated at the bar and café – up from £99,908 to £117,943.

Management and administration costs rose from £60,884 in 2013 to £65,003.

The report acknowledges the role of volunteers who supplement the efforts of the Eastgate’s eight-strong paid workforce.

“The use of volunteers in the day-to-day running of trading activities and production assistance has been invaluable,” says Mr Seymour. “During the year to March 31, the number of hours of voluntary work was estimated at 5,000 which equates to £35,000 worth of donated service.

“The board of trustees recognises the hard work of both volunteers and employees and is grateful for the dedication of all those involved.”

And Mr Seymour stresses: “The board and employees are working very hard to increase attendances while containing expenditure at a viable level.”

Two housing associations have stepped up to finance the upgrade of a Hawick pathway.

Scottish Borders Housing Association and Waverley Housing have agreed to fund work required on the footway at Waverley Walk, which is being carried out under Scottish Borders Council’s Unpaid Work scheme.

Greenend Farm, near St Boswells, was the poignant setting on Friday for a nativity play and carol concert in aid of young cancer sufferers.

Staged in one of farmers Grant and Nesta Todd’s barns by Clic Sargent, the UK’s leading cancer charity for children and young people, it proved a magical and atmospheric event, and it raised an impressive £3,000.

Twenty-three local children, from four schools – Melrose Primary, St Mary’s and St Boswells Primary and Earlston High School – were joined by live animals for the production, which was led by Pooee Pitman, director of Kelso Amateur Operatic Society (KAOS).

Accompanying music was organised and played on the keyboard by the Rev Marion Dodd.

There’s a picture special on the concert in this week’s Southern Reporter, out on Wednesday, but in the meantime, here’s a short video from our photographer Stuart Cobley of some of their songs.

Click the play button above, sit back and immerse yourself in some Christmas cheer.

Merry Christmas!

Famous Borders livestock auctioneer, John Swan & Sons, is the subject of a takeover bid which values the 160-year-old firm at £8.2million.

The AIM-quoted company, which has marts in Newtown St Boswells and Wooler, has said its board intends recommending investors accept the 1,350p per share approach from unlisted rival, H&H Group.

Shares in John Swan, one of Scotland’s smallest quoted companies, almost doubled in value last week on the back of the potential bid.

H&H, which is headquartered in Carlisle and has interests spanning land and property, classic car auctions and insurance broking, as well as livestock marts, has until January 15 to make a formal bid or walk away.

John Swan was founded in 1856, with its first mart in Earlston.

Pre-tax losses at John Swan narrowed slightly to £369,137 in the 12 months to April 30, down from £372,177 the previous year, with chairman Alastair Ritchie lamenting a bad debt incurred in the second half that “masked a significant improvement in our mart performance”.

The Galashiels woman arrested after a three-year-old girl drowned in the swimming pool of a Lytham St Anne’s hotel earlier this year, will face no charges.

Detectives launched a murder probe after Jane Bell, also from Galashiels, was pulled from the water at the Dalmeny Hotel on August 14 and later died in hospital.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has confirmed no criminal charges will be brought against the woman, aged 40, who was arrested on suspicion of murder and neglect. After its lengthy investigation, Lancashire Police said the case is now closed.

Police were called to the hotel by paramedics just before 11am on August 14 after Jane was brought up from the bottom of the pool.

She was taken to hospital, but died later that same day and a Home Office post mortem examination concluded Jane died of drowning. Senior crown prosecutor Joanna White said she had reviewed all the evidence gathered by police detectives, including witness statements and CCTV footage from the hotel, and had concluded there should be no criminal proceedings against the woman in connection with Jane’s death.

Lancashire Police says it will now provide the coroner with all the relevant information for an inquest.

No doubt about the biggest talking point in Borders farming last week when it seemed that Santa had arrived early for shareholders in livestock auctioneers John Swan and Sons.

The reported offer of 1350p per share by Carlisle-based Harrison & Hetherington almost doubled Swan’s share price at the time of the offer and valued the firm at more than £8 million. Unsurprisingly, Swan’s board recommended acceptance. That might not be as straightforward as it seemed, given the kerfuffle, roused passions and arguments the last time a Swan’s takeover was considered a few years ago.

Co-ordinating for and against factions was hard work and left a few bruised egos and some angry people to count the cost. But the impact of the H&H offer and prospect of a Christmas windfall might be making it easier this time. One certainty is that the offer is being made by one of the most professional livestock auctioneering businesses in Britain and one that has expanded steadily in the past 20 years. H&H’s present valuation is about £27 million. Swan’s most recent trading account for the year ended April 2014 showed a pre-tax loss of £369,000, a slight improvement on the previous year.

It is one of the old-fashioned, in a way endearing, facts about farming that even in the cut-throat – no pun intended – livestock trade so much business is still done on trust and a handshake. That is why unscrupulous con-men and dodgy dealers can still run up large debts buying “on tick” and auctioneers get hit with bad debts. Every time it happens, firms introduce tighter controls and come up with that excuse we hear so often in every walk of life “lessons have been learned”.

We continue to have some terrific weather although there is a lot of water lying in some areas and walking through arable fields is heavy going. I always intend to weigh how much mud can attach to a boot when walking through winter wheat or barley, but never get round to it. It sometimes feels like half a hundredweight, but is probably no more than two or three pounds or, I should say, about 25 kg and 1.5 kg. Somehow that doesn’t have the same ring to it.

The effect is worse on livestock farms. Outside feeding areas for cattle have become quagmires unless there is some form of hard standing and it would be no surprise if a quad bike or stockman disappeared in some gateways. But it will all dry out in time. And crops continue to look mainly healthy, a good start towards harvest 2015. Results from this year’s harvest, just published, indicate an estimated 3.2 million tonnes of grain from Scottish farms, up 13% on last year and the highest total for 20 years. Wheat averaged 9.1 tonnes per hectare and spring barley 6.1 tonnes.

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Parish church

Caddonfoot CY presented its nativity play on Sunday under the direction of Sharon Hume and Claire Macfarlane. Music was played by Margaret Blyth and Anne Grieve. One of the Bible stories was read by James Macfarlane. More than £300 was raised in the Borders Children’s Charity appeal, while so far £200 has been realised for the church roof with the sale of home-made reindeer. Next Sunday will see the Nine Lessons and Carol Service at 9.45am.

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Parish church

The service on December 28 at 10.15am will be conducted by members of the worship team.

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Railway

Motorists are reminded that the final phase of Borders Railway works at Ladhope Vale is to be undertaken from January 5-26. The temporary one-way system in Galashiels town centre will be reinstated during this time.

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Carols

Carol singing around the Christmas tree was enjoyed by those who came along, with Jedforest Instrumental Band once again much appreciated, as was the mulled wine and mince pies.

Floral art

The floral art demonstration and workshop run by Gail Watson of Border Blooms

was well attended.

Games

A family games night will be held on December 29 at 6pm. Bring your own eats and refreshments. Prizes for the winners.

hawick

Rotary club

President Sandy Bannerman welcomed a full house of members with their wives, partners and guests to a Christmas night celebration in the Buccleuch Hotel on Thursday. After the meal, past president Bobby Cairns introduced an array of talented artistes from the company, ranging from a magician, singers and reciters (both humorous and seasonal), to timbrellists and all, where appropriate, accompanied on the keyboard by Rosalyn Walker. The president proposed a vote of thanks which was warmly accorded. Before the evening concluded, it was anounced that the club had sent more than 140 shoeboxes full of “goodies” to deprived families in eastern Europe, thanks again to the generosity of the people of Hawick and endeavours of local Rotarians.

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Bridge club

December 8 – N/S – 1, R. Oates and S. West; 2, D. and P. Palmer; 3, M. Purdie and O. Whillans; E/W – 1, M. Forsyth and P. Harris; 2, G. Hall and I. Watson; 3, S. McLachlan and J. Portch.

Kelso

Bridge club

December 17 – Rose Bowl 4 – N/S – 1, Richard Oates and Sheena West; 2, Jean Henry and Myra Thomson; 3, Ian Watson and Stuart Graham; E/W – 1, Annie Mitchell and Bob Stevenson; 2, Brian Saywood and Ken Ross; 3, Dominic and Diana Alkin. December 18 – Millennium Trophy – N/S – 1, Russell Watt and Brian Saywood; 2, Jean McLaren and Ken Ross; 3, Bob Stevenson and Lee Leeson; E/W – 1, Dominic and Diana Alkin; 2, Georgina Hall and Ian Watson; 3, David Harris-Burland and Sheila Urquhart.

Passing out

Second Lieutenant Archie Balfour, 26, from Kelso, joined more than 200 officer cadets in a graduation ceremony at the Army’s Royal Military Academy earlier this month. Passing out from Sandhurst marks the completion of 44 weeks of intensive military and academic training. Second Lieutenant Balfour, who will be joining the Royal Engineers, said: “Graduating from Sandhurst as an officer in the British Army makes me extremely proud. It’s one of the biggest challenges I have ever undertaken, but also one of the most rewarding.”

Broomlands PS

P4 pupils, working on a topic about enterprise, visited Tesco in Galashiels to learn about healthy foods. The store giant gave the youngsters colourful tasty fruit to take back to school. P4 decided to make healthy smoothies with this fruit and also produced a smoothie recipe book. The young entrepreneurs then sold these items to raise £170 for The Borders Children’s Charity.

LANGHOLM

Fundraiser

The firefighters of the town rowed the equivalent of crossing the Channel when 10 of them took up the challenge in the Co-operative car park. Each firefighter on the rowing machines covered 42 miles. The effort raised over £1,000 for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service family support trust.

Old drum

An old drum thought to have been used by town drummer Bauldy Beattie more than 200 years ago has been restored after being rescued and then researched by local enthusiast Bill Telfer. Donations of £1,300 helped restore the drum and when the full cost emerged as £1,440, the community council agreed to make up the other £140 from the Minsca wind farm community benefit fund. There is now the matter of where the drum is going to be kept and what type of case it should be in, which the community council and Mr Telfer are discussing, and they agreed that upstairs in the town hall was not suitable as it was not easily accessible.

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Church

The churches at Bowden and Melrose were decorated for the last Sunday in Advent. At Melrose the giant advent calendar had more doors opened. Jim Marshall presided at the organ and Jim Letham, with a wealth of accompaniment, led the choir in two jolly anthems. Services – Christmas Day –

Bowden, 9.30am; Melrose, 11am; December 28 – Bowden, 9.30am; Melrose, 11am.

Trimontium

Although Newstead: 1911-2011 was published in January 2013 to celebrate James Curle’s 450-page report of a century ago, only now are the big reviews of the new book coming out in the major periodicals. With the possibility of the so far unwritten Bradford Report being seriously promoted by Historic Scotland, a Harvard reviewer speaks of Newstead:1911-2011 as acting as “the prologue” to the long-awaited report. A welcome touch in the reviews is the praise accorded to the work of local contributors, including Walter Elliot’s finds over 50 years, the late Bill Lonie’s “hand-drawn field maps – a stimulus to future research” and the “passion” with which the task of the Trimontium Trust is described.

morebattle

Lunch club

Twenty-four members and helpers attended the Christmas dinner at the Templehall Hotel. Entertainment was supplied by June Bell (recitations) and Catherine Mabon (songs).

School nativity

Primary 1-2 performed a nativity play, while P3-7 sang. Hot chocolate and mince pies were enjoyed by all.

Church nativity

A joint service with Yetholm was held at Morebattle Church on Sunday when Yetholm and Morebattle Cool Club acted out the nativity play.

Quiz

There will be a quiz in the Templehall Lounge on December 28.

Palates

There are places available at pilates classes being held in the village hall – contact Ian Ferguson (07929 618936).

newtown

Automobile club

Borders Vintage Automobile Club just managed to find enough space for their 20-plus members at the Milestone Garden Centre, where they gathered for their third-Sunday-in-the-month Brunch and Blether meeting. Getting to know new members – and catching up with old ones – among the families and small children who had gathered to meet Santa and the guest donkeys made for a happy visit.

PEEBLES

Top seller

Rosetta Holiday Park has been named by outdoor accommodation specialist Pitchup.com as its top-selling site in Scotland for 2014. The figures, compiled from Pitchup.com’s bookings for 1,050 camping and caravan sites throughout the UK and Europe, show Rosetta Holiday Park led the way for visitors, bringing 293 bookings to the country between January and December. The figure far outshines its nearest competitor by 58 per cent.

A carer who admitted stealing £2,100 from the bank account of an elderly nursing home resident he was looking after has avoided a prison sentence.

Stephen Wheelan, 49, of Roxburgh Place, Galashiels, “succumbed to temptation” and withdrew sums of £300 a time from the woman’s account.

It was only when her friend, who had power of attorney over her affairs, noted the unusual transactions in the bank account that the offence came to light, Selkirk Sheriff Court heard on Monday.

Prosecutor Tessa Bradley said Wheelan looked after the woman at Galashiels Nursing Home and he used to withdraw money for her.

When she heard Wheelan was struggling financially, she told him to take out extra money to buy shoes for his children.

Ms Bradley added: “He appears to have abused that and taken far more than permitted.”

Defence lawyer Iain Burke said: “He fully accepts he went over the score.

“As a result he has lost his job and has very little prospect of being employed in that line of work again. It is a breach of trust, but it was not pre-planned.”

Sheriff Peter Paterson told Wheelan that if he had stolen the card or got the PIN number by deceit, then he would have imposed a prison sentence, adding: “You have succumbed to temptation.”

Wheelan was ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work as part of a 12-month community payback order.

Fabric specialists at Heriot-Watt University’s campus in Galashiels lent their expertise to a project blending two of Scotland’s most iconic brands.

Legendary labels Johnnie Walker Black Label and Harris Tweed Hebrides collaborated to create a ‘fabric of flavour’ which was launched in Berlin earlier this month.

Months of development work, involving staff of the university’s School of Textiles and Design in Galashiels, resulted in a design reflecting the colours of the whisky ingredients, while the fabric also permanently gives off the scent of the famous whisky.

The ‘smart fabric’ has been developed for Diageo’s Johnnie Walker Black Label and features ‘microencapsulation technology’ in which the School of Textiles and Design has considerable expertise.

Donald Mackay, who heads the finishing department at the Harris Tweed Hebrides mill on Lewis, has worked with aromas in the past, but says these were only meant to withstand one dry clean.

“The process we have devised for Johnnie Walker means this scent is layered into the fabric throughout the finishing process and is permanently imbued in the tweed,” he explained.

Jim McVee, business development manager at the School of Textiles and Design, said smart textiles were a fast-developing sector offering enormous potential.

“Our brief was to assist Harris Tweed Hebrides with the development of a tweed for Johnnie Walker that incorporates a micro-encapsulated fragrance.

“Fabric technologists in Galashiels developed the prototypes, which will enable Harris Tweed Hebrides to offer products using this technology in future.”

A range of products using the Johnnie Walker Harris Tweed will now be marketed around Europe, with Germany, Greece and Belgium the initial markets. The products have been created by Milan-based designer, Angelos Bratis.

Managing director of Johnnie Walker Western Europe, Oscar Ocana, added: “Bratis’s work celebrates the craftsmanship, premium quality and blending expertise that Johnnie Walker and Harris Tweed are built upon.”

The decision by councillors only a week ago to splash out £3.5million on a permanent home for the Great Tapestry of Scotland at Tweedbank has already stoked up a fair bit of controversy – just cast your eyes to the letters’ section of this page for starters.

Opponents highlight cuts to local authority services – some affecting society’s most vulnerable – when they question the council’s spending priorities.

Those in favour of housing the tapestry in a visitor centre claim it will help maximise the economic benefits from the Borders Railway, which terminates at Tweedbank. Indeed, a business case – put together by consultants at a cost of £40,000, we should add – claims the attraction would draw in 47,000 paying customers annually.

However, the artwork has already been on a tour of Scotland and many of those who wanted to view it will have already done so, placing a heavy reliance on visitors from south of the border and abroad.

During this time of austerity, many Borderers are feeling the economic pinch – for some a big squeeze – and it will take a lot of convincing for them to believe that this is a good use of council taxpayers’ cash.

Perhaps a quotation from Marmion by Sir Walter Scott (former resident of nearby Abbotsford – a successful tourist attraction) may be appropriate for them:

St Boswells woman Wilhelmina Hay spent last weekend in the cells after her niece taunted her that she was having an affair with Hay’s girlfriend.

Hay, 34, snapped when 18-year-old Vickie Hay claimed that she was seeing her aunt’s partner.

The auntie confronted the 22-year-old woman and lashed out at her, slapping her in the face. As the argument raged in a closed bedroom, the niece telephoned the police and Wilhelmina, also known as Betty, was arrested.

Following Friday afternoon’s bust-up at the house in Springfield Terrace, St Boswells, the aunt appeared from custody at Selkirk Sheriff Court on Monday afternoon.

Prosecutor Tessa Bradley said the incident happened at the accused’s home where, up until the events unfolded, she lived with her sister, partner and niece.

Ms Bradley explained: “What appears to have happened is that the aunt appears to have had some issue with what the niece has said. Vickie told her aunt that she had been having an affair with her girlfriend.

“The aunt confronted the woman who said she still loved her. But that made the accused lash out and slapped her in the face.

“The accused and her partner went into a bedroom, closed the door and started arguing. At that point Vickie Hay dialled 999 and phoned the police.”

The prosecutor went on: “The accused was entirely co-operative with the police officers and gave a full account of what happened. She said, ‘I snapped and I slapped her as she was lying to me’. She made no reply to caution and charge.”

Defending, Iain Burke said: “She was devastated to discover her partner was having an affair with her niece. She actually discovered a fortnight ago, but was assured it was finished and believed things were back on track.

“But she was getting it thrown in her face by her niece who is 18. In a fit of temper, she has lashed out and struck her in the face.”

Mr Burke said the aunt had been in a relationship with Ms Roberts for four years and hoped they will still be able to continue. However, he added that his client was going to live at an address in Galabank, Galashiels, to let matters cool down.

Sheriff Peter Paterson deferred sentence for six months for good behaviour and the case will recall on April 13.

STALKING MUM ADMONISHED

A married mother who stalked a man for more than three years after their affair ended was admonished after being of good behaviour for the past six months.

Karen Anderson, 47, was furious when she heard farmer David Gray, 28, had made derogatory remarks about her when their fling ended.

A previous hearing was told the pair had known each other socially for years and they had a “brief liaison” around 2007 and 2008 when Gray was just 22.

But after that obsessed Anderson plagued him with telephones calls and text messages and he eventually reported her to the police. Even after she had appeared in court accused of harassing him, she breached an order by repeatedly texting him over the Christmas and New year period from her home at Shawmount Farm, near Selkirk, where she lives with with her husband and two daughters, aged 18 and 15.

Anderson pleaded guilty to breaching the court order, as well as another charge of causing fear and alarm by repeatedly texting Mr Gray over a three-year period and driving past the home of his girlfriend, Michelle Cassidy.

HOUSEBREAKING ALLEGATION

A teenager appeared in private charged with a break-in at a house in Hawick.

Jordan Simpson, 18, is accused of theft by housebreaking at the property in Dovemount Place inOctober.

He made no plea or declaration and the case was continued for further examination.

Simpson, who gave a Glasgow address, was released on bail by Sheriff Kevin Drummond until his next court appearance on a date still to be confirmed.

MAY TRIAL DATE FIXED

A Jedburgh man is due to stand trial on a charge of knocking another man unconcious during a disturbance.

Darren Jones, 35, is accused of punching Andrew Crow on the head and knocking him to the ground at Williams Court in Jedburgh on March 27.

He is also charged with assaulting Kathryn Fleming by punching her on the head to her injury and threatening or abusive behaviour.

Jones pleaded not guilty to all three charges and the trial date was fixed for May 7.

TEENAGERS BEHAVED

Two teenagers who assaulted a youth have been admonished after being of good behaviour during a period of deferred sentence.

Luke Marley, 18, of Hartrigge Crescent, and Declan MacFarlane, 17, of Howdenburn Court, both Jedburgh, committed the offence during a disturbance in Jedburgh last March.

ACCUSED DENIES DRINK-DRIVING

A Bonchester Bridge man will stand trial on January 15 on a drink-driving charge.

Christian Scherfling, 51, of Shankend, is accused of driving with a breath/alcohol count of 43 microgrammes – the legal limit at the time being 35 – on the A6088 near Boncehster Bridge on November 17.

INTERMEDIATE HEARING

A Hawick man has been accused of stealing a wallet from the town’s angling club in Sandbed.

Jamie Norman, 27, of Ruberslaw Road, is also charged with assaulting Sean Owens by repeatedly punching him on the head to his injury.

Both offences are said to have been committed on September 14 when Norman was on bail.

A trial date was set for May 7, with an intermediate hearing in April.

NOT-GUILTY PLEA

Christopher Monaghan will stand trial on January 15 on a charge of threatening or abusive behaviour.

The 33-year-old, of Drumlanrig Mews, Hawick, denies repeatedly driving past a stationary vehicle in which a man was a passenger and staring at him in a threatening manner.

The offence is said to have been committed in Weensland Road, Hawick, on February 7.

COCAINE CHARGE

A Hawick man has been accused of being in possession of cocaine and cannabis.

Ryan Kennan, 24, of Peta Cottages, also faces a charge of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner.

The offences are alleged to have been committed in Rosebank Road, Hawick, on June 6.

A trial will take place at Jedburgh Sheriff Court on January 15.

Ordered not to enter Kelso

A St Boswells man denies assaulting his former wife.

John McCarry, 51, of Orchard Park, is said to have pushed her to the floor, prevent her from getting up, and repeatedly slapped her to the head. The offence is alleged to have been committed at a Kelso house on September 4.

McCarry’s trial was set for January 15 at Jedburgh Sheriff Court and a special condition of bail was not to enter Kelso.

YOUTH IS BAILED

A Hawick teenager has denied three offences said to have taken place at the town’s Thorterdykes Roadhouse.

Liam Sharkey, 18, of McLagan Drive, is accused of shouting and swearing and challenging others to fight, assaulting Daniel Chandler by punching him on the head and smashing a window.

He pleaded not guilty to all three charges and a trial was set for May 21, with an intermediate hearing on April 21.

A special bail condition was fixed not to enter Thorterdykes Roadhouse.

SENTENCE DEFERRED

A Jedburgh man appeared from custody and admitted being involved in a domestic incident at the weekend.

Simon Granito pleaded guilty to a charge of threatening or abusive behaviour by shouting and swearing and punching a door.

The incident happened at the family home in Lothian Road on Sunday evening.

Tessa Bradley, prosecuting, said the builder had sustained head injuries in a road accident in 1992 and the problem exacerbates if he has been drinking.

Heather Stewart, defending, said her client could recall little about the incident, but was “extremely apologetic”.

Sentence was deferred for six months for good behaviour.

BAIL IS GRANTED

A man admitted breaching his antisocial behaviour order.

John Stuart Kevan, 48, of Galashiels, failed to leave a property when asked to do so.

Sentence was deferred and he was granted bail after giving a Wigtownshire address.

PRIVATE APPEARANCE

A Selkirk man appeared in private charged on petition with culpable and reckless conduct.

Rory McLeod, 22, is alleged to have committed the offence in Galashiels on August 29.He made no plea or declaration and the case was continued for further examination. McLeod was bailed.

A new visitor centre to house the Great Tapestry of Scotland is scheduled to open in Tweedbank in 2016/17.

It follows the decision of Scottish Borders Council to approve capital spending of £3.5million on a permanent home for the acclaimed community embroidery project.

The cash will be borrowed and repaid at £208,000 a year, including interest, over the next 30 years.

That strain on already depleted revenue resources was cited at last week’s full council meeting by Councillor Michelle Ballantyne, leader of the Conservative opposition group, who urged no action.

But with members of the ruling SNP/Independent/Lib Dem administration having been told to support the project, it was no surprise when a 21-10 endorsement was delivered after an hour-long debate.

The council’s cash commitment will be supplemented by £2.5million from the Scottish Government as part of its blueprint to maximise the economic benefits of the Borders Railway, which will terminate at Tweedbank – close to the visitor centre site.

The actual construction will cost £5million, with the £1million balance available for infrastructure improvements, including footways and the provision of car and coach parking for the estimated 130 visitors a day.

A detailed business case from consultants, hired for £40,000 by the council, projected that the two-storey circular building would, after three years in operation, attract 47,000 paying customers annually. Adult admission will be £10.

The private trust

The actual tapestry, comprising 160 hand-embroidered panels and charting the history of Scotland, will be set out in a radial pattern on the first floor.

Councillors were told that the total cost of repaying the borrowed £3.5million will be £6.3million over 30 years. A previous estimate of £8.25million had been overstated due to a “miscalculation of interest rates”.

Although SBC’s corporate services director Rob Dickson said he was unaware of any “rival bids” to host the art work, leader, Councillor David Parker, claimed other communities, including Perth, Alloa and Linlithgow “wanted the tapestry”.

Councillor Stuart Bell (SNP) felt the centre would be an attraction of “national and international significance” and that the predictions for visitor numbers contained in the business case were “compelling and realistic.”

David Page, the architect who designed the building, said the tapestry bore comparison to major similar attractions, including the Bayeux Tapestry and the Overlord (D-Day) Embroidery in Portsmouth.

Councillor Ballantyne said she was more concerned about the council’s spending priorities.

“For the last few years, this council has had to make significant savings, reducing some services and completely removing others,” she said.

“The business plan does not give me sufficient comfort to possibly justify taking £208,000 a year out of the likes of education, roads and social work for the next 30 years.”

A senior legal manager, on a gross salary of £65,000, is to leave Scottish Borders Council in the latest round of early retirement deals at Newtown, writes Andrew Keddie.

The unnamed female, a qualified solicitor, is one of six SBC employees – out of 13 who applied to quit in the past three months – whose departure was agreed at last week’s full council meeting.

The others are administrative or clerical assistants in education, social work and business support on salaries ranging from £20,000 to £29,000.

None of the employees will be replaced and their posts will now be deleted from SBC’s staffing establishment.

Councillors heard that the deals would incur one-off costs of £195,000 and result, after just over a year, in annual recurring savings of £177,000.

Conservative opposition councillor Gavin Logan sought an assurance that the senior manager’s departure would not have an adverse impact on the work of the legal services department.

Councillor Michael Cook, who has special responsibility for human resources, gave that assurance, adding that all the deals had been approved by service directors.

An eight-man team from the Royal Scots Borderers have been in the French Alps training for an army skiing competition next year.

The soldiers – whose battalion is part of The Royal Regiment of Scotland – were conducting Nordic skiing and biathlon training in preparation for the Army Divisional Championships.

Nordic skiing is physically demanding and sees competitors race on flat cross-country routes on narrow skis, with biathlon events combining this skill with rifle shooting. The Royal Scots Borderers were training three times a day – two skiing sessions and a rifle practice on the shooting range.

Their four-week camp was conducted alongside other infantry units and the team will return to France for more intense training prior to the championships after some Christmas leave.

Private Jack McCaldin, 19, from Haddington, who is part of the squad, said: “It is amazing to get the opportunity to do something like this. It’s great to wake up in the morning and see the snow and blue skies and head out to do some training.

“I was pretty unsteady on the skis at first, but I am really getting the hang of it now – as are all the boys. My shooting has improved too from the training on the biathlon rifle.”

Cumberland and Dumfriesshire Farmers’ Mart PLC (C and D) is pleased to announce a new farm and farm related insurance service for the many clients who support C & D’s two auction marts at Longtown and Dumfries and who also provide instructions to C and D Rural, the company’s land and estate agency division.

C and D has been appointed an Introducer Approved Representative (IAR) by Country and Commercial Insurance Brokers Ltd (CCiB) of Longridge, near Preston.

CCiB are a well established firm of insurance brokers with an in-depth knowledge of the agricultural sector, providing tailor-made solutions to clients’ specific insurance requirements.

Commenting upon this new farm insurance service, Robin Steel, head of C and D Rural’s land and estate agency division said: “From the very outset we were very impressed with what CCiB could offer our clients in terms of their experience of, and proven track record in, the farm insurance market and their genuine desire to establish a long term working arrangement with us”.

At CCiB, the person leading on this exciting new initiative with C and D is Kevin Coulthard, CCiB’s senior broker and a former director of Carlisle-based H and H Insurance Brokers. He said: “We are delighted to be working alongside the team at C and D and very much look forward to providing bespoke and competitive insurance solutions to their many clients”

With the start of 2015 looming, thoughts turn to reflection of 2014 and whether we view it as a good or bad year?

Most of you will have recollections of the past 12 months of disastrous commodity prices, as well as the headache of the introduction on the new Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) due to take over from the Single Payment Scheme (SPS) in 2015.

However, for once the weather has predominately been on the favourable side this year, with Mother Nature providing optimal growing conditions, as well as good periods of weather for lambing and calving. Crops and livestock had a good start to the year, after a mild winter, allowing for the potential for a successful year. Ideal growing conditions throughout the Spring and Summer allowed for an early harvest and bumper yields on many farms. This lead to a few arable records being broken, with a new OSR and Wheat record of 6.14t/ha and 14.5t/ha respectively, as well as a new UK average wheat yield record, of 8.6t/ha.

The livestock sector was also able to join in the record breaking, with Carlisle mart hosting a new world record price for a Limousin heifer, sold at 125,000 gns. This year has also seen exceptional grass growth, which will have significantly reduced livestock feed bills. As a result livestock have been turned out earlier in Spring and, with a warm October, stock have been able to graze later in the year. Stock prices have fallen from the previous year, with beef prices being nearly 70p/kg/dw less in the summer compared to 2013, however the price has recovered to around 355p/kg/dw for the end of the year. Lamb prices have just recovered to around the same price for this time last year, but, for the majority of the year, have been around 20p/kg lighter than the previous year.

Unfortunately, arable prices suffered an even worse fate, with some cereal prices dipping under £100/t and OSR struggling to reach £240/t at harvest time. Potatoes took a massive dive in July, dropping in price by about £130/t. This has obviously left arable farmers income well below that which was budgeted for a year ago. As a result, cashflows will have been tight over the last few months and many of you will have been looking forward to December... and not just because Santa Claus is coming to town. SPS cheques have been rolling out and even the RPA have claimed their very own record, reporting that they have surpassed last year’s performance on SPS by making more payments than ever before on the first banking day of the payment window. This will be a huge boost to many cashflows, even though many will be receiving a slightly smaller payment than previous years. Unfortunately for many, particularly lowland farmers, smaller CAP subsidy payments will become a common trend in the future.

The introduction of the new Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) in January 2015 has been at the forefront of the farming press as there is a whole new subsidy system to understand. Unfortunately, DEFRA haven’t been breaking any records for releasing up to date information or keeping to schedule with their CAP Reform timetable. I fear there may be a mad rush in the beginning of the year as everyone will have to go through a new registration process, regardless of whether you have already been submitting your SPS forms online.

2015 looks set to be a challenging year. With the introduction of the new BPS I cannot emphasis enough how key it is to get everything in order as soon as possible. The new BPS application forms sound like they will require more detail and attention to each field. There will also be huge uncertainty of what the markets will do, with wheat futures hovering around the £140/t mark for July 2015. However, the key message to take going forward is to have a full understanding of the exact input costs for each enterprise. This will allow you to assess where improvements and savings can be made, as well as be prepared for opportunities that may arise.