Olympic rider Ian Stark, from Ashkirk, holds stirrups used by the Duke of Wellington on his horse, Copenhagen, at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

Mr Stark will use the stirrups when he plays the “Iron Duke” in a re-enactment of the battle at Penielheugh, near Jedburgh, on June 28. The stirrups belong to a private collector whose ancestor was one of the duke’s valets. After the Penielheugh event, the stirrups and an armband, also once belonging to the duke, will go to the current Duke of Wellington for donation to a museum.

The number of Scottish Borders Council staff fired for breaches of discipline fell markedly in 2014, writes Andrew Keddie.

A Freedom of Information response has revealed that four employees were dismissed last year – compared to 15 in 2013, eight in 2012, 10 in 2011 and four in 2010.

Last year’s sackings related to misuse of a council vehicle, the accessing of records without authorisation, theft of food from a council kitchen and failure to register with the Scottish Social Services Council.

The bumper year of 2013 saw 15 employees dismissed for a variety of reasons.

It included drink-driving, physical assault, breach of financial regulations, theft of prescription drugs from a social work service user’s home, failure to turn up for a client visit which left the vulnerable client at risk, breach of recruitment policy, unauthorised absence and attending work under the influence of alcohol.

In 2012, “persistent poor timekeeping” led to two of the eight sackings.

Most of the 98 members of staff formally disciplined over the past five years received written or final written warnings, including a member of staff last year who was moved to another post for sending an “indecent, abusive and racist text”.

A 204-strong mounted cavalcade followed Melrosian-Elect Donald Crawford on the annual rideout on Monday as this year’s festival got under way.

The week-long programme of events officially kicked off a day earlier, when, on Sunday, the Kirkin’ of the Melrosian ceremony was held in the town’s parish church; a wreath laying ceremony was held at the local war memorial and five-a-side football took place in the Gibson Park.

Monday night’s rideout, in which riders actually got to ford the River Tweed this year thanks to low water levels, was followed on Tuesday night by a well-attended fancy dress parade and then last night by the community bike ride and family barbecue.

Festival chairman James Marjoribanks told The Southern the week was going well: “The rideout was a fantastic night and it was great to see the Melrosian-Elect lead the cavalcade across the river, as high water levels last year meant it couldn’t happen.

“A river crossing always makes the rideout a bit special and we had one of the biggest turnouts of riders for many years with the number of horses counted at 204.”

The rideout passed without serious mishap, although there were several fallers. Among them was the eventual winner of the youngest rider not on a lead rein cup category, six-year-old Kirsty Lothian.

Mr Marjoribanks explained: “She fell off into the water during the crossing, but was absolutely fine. Her mum whisked her home afterwards to get out of the wet clothes and she reappeared to be presented with the youngest rider award wearing her pyjamas and dressing gown!”

The oldest rider award went to George Bain, while smartest junior rider under 12 was Archie Young and the best turned out rider and mount went to this year’s Galashiels Braw Lass, Abbie Frankland.

After the rideout, the Melrosian-Elect was presented with a hunting crop as a special memento of the event.

Donald will officially be installed as the Melrosian for 2015 at tonight’s ceremonies in the grounds of Melrose Abbey (Parish Church if wet), a popular highlight of the festival week which will also see the crowning of this year’s Melrose Festival Queen, Robyn Mackay.

A proud Keiran Scott was last night installed as Peebles Cornet after the 2014 principal, Kevin Smith, handed back the burgh standard which he had received a year ago.

And by Keiran’s side as Cornet’s Lass was an equally-proud Beth Williamson.

The installation ceremony took place on a platform at the foot of the parish church steps – at the top of which primary seven pupil Emma Latto will be crowned, with much ceremony, as Beltane Queen on Saturday, Peebles’ red-letter day.

Hundreds watched last night’s ceremony and there were loud cheers when the burgh standard was bussed in fine style by Beth before riders took to the hills for the riding of the marches.

And as tradition dictates, a halt was made by the principals at ancient Neidpath Castle, which dominates a hill above a sweeping bend of the Tweed.

They were welcomed by this year’s Warden of Neidpath, Eric Gilmour, a man steeped in the history and traditions of Peebles. In his warden’s address, Eric took the younger generation as his main theme.

The Tweed was forded in Hay Lodge Park and horse racing for the coveted Beltane Bell and other trophies took place on the edge of the golf course.

Back in the town, as dusk fell, the Beltane Reel was danced in the middle of the High Street.

Beltane Week began on Sunday with the installation of the Reverend Ian Gray as Warden of the Cross Kirk.

To stirring Beltane airs, Peebles Silver Band led the official procession from the Quadrangle of the Chambers Institute to the hallowed ruins of the church which was founded by King Alexander in the late 1260s.

Ex-Cornets, Ex-Cornets’ Lasses, Beltane Queen Emma and her Court, youth organisations, the Beltane committee and many others joined the procession and attended the service.

Peebles Ex-Servicemen’s Pipe Band was also on parade.

Mr Gray, pastor of Peebles Baptist Church, was installed with his sash of office by the outgoing warden, Jim Benton Evans.

Pastor Gray involved the schoolchildren in the service, putting them in the roles of friars, knights, sailors and pirates to tell how the friars and monks raised money to pay ransoms to free knights captured in battle and sailors being held by pirates.

He declared: “People are prisoners in all sorts of ways. Sometimes in wars, sometimes to be slaves.

“Sometimes, people are prisoners to drugs or alcohol. All through history, God has been in the business of setting people free from captivity.”

Two sections of trees will be felled at The Haining from June 25, as part of an on-going forestry management plan aimed at enhancing the woodland for future generations.

The Sitka spruce trees will be brought down and harvested over a period of two months.

The trees will be felled from a large area at the top of the woodland which has been assessed as vulnerable to wind blow loss, and another smaller area at the bottom of hill which is not used much by the public at present, this area will be replanted with native broadleaves and the beautiful veteran trees will be retained.

The plan will work to achieve a high standard of stewardship and land management for the benefit of present and future generations, to adopt consistent policies for the conservation of the natural assets of the Estate.

“The Haining is a designed landscape, one of the most beautiful in the Borders, and a great asset to the area. The Haining Charitable Trust (HCT) is working with experts to make sure that it is well managed for the enjoyment of future generations, said Lawrence Robertson,” Trustee.

The Haining is a Grade A Listed Palladian Mansion House and estate in Selkirk which was bequeathed in trust by its previous owner, to be utilized for the benefit of the people of Selkirkshire and beyond to develop arts, heritage and culture.

The Haining Charitable Trust, was formed in 2010, and with the assistance of the Scottish Historic Buildings Trust, commenced an ambitious programme to revitalize the estate, emphasizing benefit

Like the rest of the countryside, our rivers at the moment are bustling with life. Insects are hatching in their millions, providing a feeding bonanza for both fish and birdlife.

On a recent walk down the Tweed between Selkirk and Galashiels, this activity was much in evidence.

The most interesting to observe, was a mother goosander with a huge brood of 15 youngsters, feeding in the shallows on the opposite bank.

It was fascinating to watch these tiny stripy fluffballs fending for themselves at such an early age.

Already they were able to dive and I saw one with a small eel or lamprey.

They would also scurry across the surface of the water in sudden bursts, scooping up insects which had fallen into the river.

As mother shepherded them downstream, keeping an ever-watchful eye, a pair of carrion crows suddenly appeared from their lookout perch and swooped across the river towards the brood.

Mum was immediately alerted to the danger and in an instant the chicks all disappeared under an overhanging embankment until the danger had passed.

Her warning was not audible to me, but immediately obeyed by the youngsters, removing them at once from the corvids’ menu.

Where was dad in all this you may ask? Why wasn’t he bravely defending his offspring from allcomers? He was probably relaxing in Scandinavia, having a well-earned moult, after fulfilling his paternal duties.

The males take no part in the defence or upbringing of their chicks after breeding and instead head off for a bit of a holiday.

Further downstream I encountered a female mallard with another large brood of 11 chicks.

Similarly, it is all down to her to raise and protect her vulnerable youngsters, leaving the drake to swan off to recuperate.

It’s a different story in the garden at the moment with both blackbird and blue tit parents working tirelessly to feed their ever-hungry chicks.

I have recently made a peanut butter feeder, after seeing them for sale in a shop. It consists of a small board with a jar lid screwed to it, covered by a small roof and a perch just below the lid. So far, it is proving very popular with the three tit species and it needs refilling every day. Human peanut butter should not be used as it contains harmful salt.

Special bird stuff laced with mealworms can be obtained from good pet shops at around £3 a jar.

This week, back to chooks. You may remember that a wee while ago we bought some Ross Cobb breeder stock – basically the mummies and daddies of the big, fat, supermarket chickens.

They came over from Ayrshire, in a cardboard box. Bless. I chose five out of the box, which supposedly contained all girls.

Well, nature ain’t perfect, and neither should it be, and it has become abundantly clear as time has passed that one of the lay-dees is a chap. From day one he was bigger and chunkier than the rest, which is really saying something because each and every one of them is very chunky.

Next came the thicker legs, like a nana’s – thick as a baby’s arm and complete with lumps, bumps and wrinkles – and the huge comb and wattles. Super-sized headgear.

Next came the grunting sounds, the first attempts at crowing. All this would have been a disaster normally, as the five Ross ‘hens’ were in with Sergeant Murdoch, our Scots Grey cockerel.

Usually, two maturing cockerels in a confined space spells real trouble. They seem to rub along when they are wee, up until they get to somewhere between four months and six months old, at which point they get all cockerel-y and start to fight. They are the chicken equivalent of teenage boys.

So it should have been mayhem in the smallish run they were sharing with the other proper Ross lay-dee chickens. But not only did they not fight, but Sergeant Murdoch didn’t seem interested at all in the proper Ross lay-dees either. Which, as a young-ish cockerel himself he should have been. Extremely.

There is something weird about them. Seriously weird. They shuffle about on their nana legs, eating and then laying down and putting on more weight.

The other chooks just don’t understand them, because they are huge and slow and they don’t move like the other chooks. Like Sergeant Murdoch, they just don’t ‘get’ the Ross Cobbs.

‘Normal’ chooks scoot about, scarting from one place to another. One minute they’re at the feeder, the next they’re dust bathing under the trees. Or in the compost heap scratching about. Or on their way to the drinker. Kind of like the Road Runner. Beep, beep.

Not so the Ross Five. They are so big and beefy that they shuffle in slo-mo as if they’d taken Valium. This just doesn’t compute with ‘normal’ chickens. They find it freaky.

They have been out in the general population for a few days now, in the hope that having to walk further for food and drink might encourage them to shed a few pounds. I know they are supposed to be chunky, but at the moment they look like super-tankers in amongst racing yachts. Ginormous.

So far, this plan is not working. They have found a spot they like in between the drinkers and the big feeder, so they are quite content and immoveable.

I am thinking about employing the YMs to herd them up and down for an hour each day, like some kind of chicken boot camp. It’ll keep them busy in the school holibags.

Gala Braw Lad Cameron Pate, an auctioneer with John Swan Limited of Newtown St Boswells, is presented with a hip flask by managing director Steven Wilson on behalf of the company.

The presentation was to mark Cameron being the 2015 Galashiels principal.

The future of a new cafe and live music venue at Minto is in doubt after the project hit difficulties over a lack of toilet provision.

Rob Armstrong, who set up the Denholm Meet venue several years ago, and his partner Rachel Williamson, have spent a considerable sum of money converting the village’s disused Victorian school into a licensed coffee shop, music venue, community space and antiques business.

Christened The Study, the building now has an open plan layout and is filled with architectural features and artefacts.

But a lack of toilet facilities has seen building control officials at Scottish Borders Council refuse to allow the new venture to open for business.

“We have provided a large toilet with disabled access, but have now been told this is not enough. So I drew comparisons with other coffee shops that opened recently with only one toilet, but Scottish Borders Council has failed to give us a decent explanation for how these other businesses were granted permission,” said Mr Armstrong.

“We have spent our budget on the project and The Study looks fantastic. But because of the building layout there is no more room to form extra toilets without building on a dedicated block outside which is costly and would be difficult to gain permission for, given the sensitive nature of the conservation village.

“Building control has also listed several other demands which are just not possible without dramatically messing with the integrity of this beautiful building.”

Mr Armstrong says the problems are now threatening to torpedo the project and the four full-time jobs that would have been created.

However, an SBC spokesperson said when Mr Armstrong and his agent first applied for a building warrant to alter and convert the property in March, officials highlighted the lack of sufficient toilets for the occupant capacity proposed.

“The other businesses that Mr Armstrong highlighted were not similar premises, not similar applications and not of the same occupant load,” said the spokesperson.

“We look forward to continued dialogue with Mr Armstrong and his agent to allow a building warrant, with a suitable degree of toilet accommodation, to be granted.”

Local Scottish Borders councillors Stuart Marshall and Watson McAteer are both keen to see the problems resolved.

“I think it’s a real shame that such a fantastic project is being jeopardized by one or two technical issues, and I would sincerely urge SBC to do all it can to help the owner overcome the difficulties that are being presented to him,” said Mr Marshall.

“This conversion project not only will create employment, it also seems just too good an opportunity to be allowed to fail.”

And Mr McAteer voiced his concern: “I have been aware of The Study project for some time and the great opportunities that this venture brings to a small rural community.

“Having encouraged council officials to meet with Mr Armstrong to work out how to resolve what appears to be a technical problem, I am extremely disappointed that a solution has not yet been found and this project and facility is now at risk.”

After eight years as treasurer of Melrose and Peebles presbytery, Fraser Simm, pictured, is stepping up into the hot seat as moderator for 2015-16.

Fraser, treasurer of St Mary of Wedale Church in Stow and nearby Heriot, says that it will be a daunting task, but is relishing the challenge after he takes over from the Reverend Bob Milne, of Upper Tweeddale, next week.

It is only eight years since he joined the presbytery and was immediately plunged into the role of treasurer, taking over from Grahame Henderson, of St Andrews Leckie in Peebles, and who will resume his former role for one year during Fraser’s term of office.

Fraser will be the fourth non-minister to occupy the role of moderator, following in the footsteps of Mr Henderson, the late Rosemary Hall and Tom Fairbairn.

Fraser, who was brought up in Beirut and Edinburgh, and has lived in Stow for more than 30 years, is married with a son.

He is also finance convener of the Church of Scotland’s World Mission Council and last year he visited Israel to review the three institutions run by the church in that country.

Away from the church, Fraser founded the Borders link of Chernobyl Children’s Lifeline in 2001 and is chairman of the link.

A chartered accountant, he spent 14 years working in the textile industry in Innerleithen and Galashiels, is currently archivist of George Heriot’s Trust and has been chairman of the Cricket Society of Scotland since 1994.

Hawick is mourning the death of former Halberdier Jim ‘Dimmer’ Anderson who died in Borders General Hospital on Wednesday, June 3.

The timing of his death is sadly ironic as Jim was, almost as much as past Cornets, the man several generations of Teries grew to associate with Hawick Common Riding.

A Halberdier for 50 years, he gave unstinting service to the Common Riding and leading the tributes, Honorary Provost Stuart Marshall said: “Dimmer was such a fantastic servant, not only to many Provosts, but also to our Common Riding spanning some five decades, and his death has saddened everyone in the town who had the privilege of knowing him.

“One of the great qualities that he brought to the role was his accurate time-keeping and attention to detail .

“My thoughts go out to his wife and family at this difficult time.”

Also paying tribute was local historian Ian Landles, who added: “I really was sad to hear that Dimmer had died.

“Jim’s contribution to the Common Riding is unrivalled. He was a stickler for punctuality and for getting things right which is vitally important if things are to run smoothly.

“He was also a great commemorator of the young Hawick lads who lost their lives in the First World War and made beautiful wooden crosses which he laid at war graves. He will be missed.”

And one of Hawick’s current Halberdiers, Robert Payne, who has carried out the Common Riding duties since 1997, said the man who served the town for 50 years and 49 Cornets, with only one missing due to the foot-and-mouth year, would be missed and that for many ‘Dimmer’ “was an integral part of the Common Riding”.

Turning an eager candidate into a sobbing shadow of a human being isn’t the outcome most interviewers are going for.

Turning an eager candidate into a sobbing shadow of a human being isn’t the outcome most interviewers are going for.

Most recruiters agree you get more out of a candidate if they’re at their ease and feeling relatively comfortable.

That said, a fresh line of enquiry can be like a cool drink of water for the frazzled recruiter.

We asked a host of seasoned interviewers for their most revealing quirky questions.

1. If I gave you £1 million, what would you do?

Terry Koutsios, CEO and founder of skills and services marketplace fivesquid.com.

Terry commented: “It’s unexpected - and a great way of testing ambition, personality and creativeness.”

2.If you had a cinema for one day only, from 6am to midnight - and you could do anything with it - what would you do to make it earn the most revenue?

Rana Harvey, managing 
director of Monster Group (UK)

Rana commented: “It’s designed to see if people can think out of the box. The best ones use the cinema all day, but also maximise on selling advertising.

“Creative ideas have included hiring beauticians to offer full makeovers, converting to a disco at night, with movie rooms. The worst ones just focus on films.”

3. What do children like about you?

Hazel Peat, childcare 
services manager for 
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

The key here is that Hazel firmly puts the customer at the heart of her 
hiring.

She explained: “I use it as the final question - and it usually sees the interviewee relax. People who have been nervous throughout the interview often show their genuine love of childcare with their answers.”

4. What does your child think you’re good at?

Hazel Scott, Sheffield Hallam comms manager and Easy Street Theatre Co marketing manager

“It’s a good question for adults because they get so wrapped up in their professional reputation and often worry far too much about what their peers, competitors, or clients think about them.

“There’s a danger that when being interviewed people start spouting managerial waffle.”

5. What great thing would you like written on your tombstone?

Linda Midgley, Jupiter 
Hotels’ learning and 
development manager

“It puts some perspective around the interview and, if nothing else, it always gets a reaction!”

Call: 0141 236 6459

www.jobstoday.co.uk

Scottish Borders Council has invoked Freedom of Information legislation to refuse two bids for information from members of the public.

In March, a requester asked the council for a list of those requests which had been denied because they were considered “vexatious”.

Under the Freedom of Information Scotland Act, “vexatious” requests include those which clearly have no purpose or value, are designed to cause disruption or annoyance or can “fairly be characterised as obsessive or manifestly unreasonable”.

Section 14 of the Act states: “Scottish public authorities are not obliged to comply with requests for information that are vexatious or repeated.”

In a response posted this week, the council reveals that two FoI requests have been refused on these grounds.

The first, from an unknown requester, wanted information on “personal relationships between present or past Chief Executives”.

The second sought “personal information about a member of staff”.

For six decades, the Brothers of Charity has provided support to individuals with learning disabilities and other needs living in the Borders.

To mark this 60th anniversary, Brothers of Charity Services (Scotland) held a garden party at Selkirk Rugby Club earlier this month, which was attended by over 130 guests. The pleasant weather added to the relaxed atmosphere, with everyone enjoying the opportunity to meet and chat over afternoon tea, take part in games, appreciate music and view a display of art and craft work and achievements attained by individuals.

The Brothers of Charity is a Christian organisation which supports people from all faith communities, as well as those with no religious beliefs.

In his welcome address, Brother Alfred Hassett, chair of the organisation’s board of trustees, thanked those who use the organisation’s services and emphasised they were its reason for being and continually inspire it to change and develop.

He also paid tribute to the contribution of all those associated with the organisation locally over the years, and in particular complimented staff for the way their daily work bears witness to the mission of the Brothers of Charity and exemplifies the core values of respect for the person, as well as the importance placed on quality of relationship between the person receiving and the person providing support.

He also acknowledged appreciation of sustained positive links with the statutory authorities, which have enabled the organisation to improve and develop the services offered to people in the Borders over the years.

The organisation was founded in Belgium in 1807 and today is active in over 30 countries around the world.

In 1955 its services in Scotland moved from Gorebridge to the larger premises of Gattonside House, which became home for 70 men, supported by brothers and a small number of lay staff.

Present at the garden party were individuals who recall the early days of the organisation’s services in the Borders, including the move from Gorebridge.

The Brothers were among those at the forefront of moving from care delivered in large institutional settings to community-based residential support in ordinary housing, and the 1980s saw people established in new homes in the towns and villages of the central Borders, and in nursing home accommodation in the grounds of Gattonside House, including many of the ladies who had formerly lived at Balnakiel.

The main building at Gattonside became an administrative base and day support developed towards more community-based opportunities and a focus on helping people gain skills towards employment. In 2003, there was another major transformation, from residential care to supported living, with the organisation’s Together Borders service established to support individuals in their own homes.

Over the years the number of staff has increased considerably to provide the personalised support needed by individuals, and likewise investment in training for staff has grown.

The organisation now employs just under 300 people in the Borders.

In 2007, the organisation’s headquarters moved from Gattonside to its current location at Triest House in the Galabank Business Park in Galashiels.

Triest House is named after the organisation’s founder, Canon Peter Joseph Triest.

Then, two years later, a redesign of the nursing home service was completed, with the development of a smaller care home service at Garden Villa, accommodating six people, with provision for individuals to use the service for short breaks.

New housing was also developed in the grounds of the walled garden at St Aidan’s Court, offering the opportunity for more individuals to benefit from supported living.

Then last year saw the development of the Working Together social enterprises, Breadworks and Greenworks, operating from their base at Tweedbank.

These initiatives provide training and work experience towards employment, and the enterprise teams and trainees were delighted to receive recognition by winning the Social Enterprises award in last year’s Scottish Borders Business Diversity awards.

Celebrations for this special year will continue later in the summer with a walk commemorating the move from Gorebridge to Gattonside.

Charmian Ledsham, director of care and support at Brothers of Charity, told The Southern this week: “A significant anniversary naturally makes us think about all the changes and progress that have taken place in services over the years, but above all reminds us that these have happened through people coming together, and sharing a commitment to making a difference, which is as important as ever for the future”.

Jedburgh Rotary Club held a sponsored walk in which 25 walkers participated.

They tackled a six-mile route from The Glebe to Lanton Woods, onto the golf course and down to Hundalee, the bowling club and back to The Glebe for bacon rolls, Mars bars, tea or coffee. Club members were on hand at various stages of the walk to ensure safety at road crossings and to hand out bottled water.

The total raised was £800 – for Jedburgh Winter Festival and charities which participants identified on a 50-50 basis with the club.

An old Jedburgh textiles factory at Middleton Mill in the town’s Bongate looks set to reopen its doors, thanks to a Cumbria firm.

The company involved is All Awards Ltd, which is currently based in Alston, but under this banner there is also Toil & Bubble and Emotives.

All Awards Ltd is an engraving business supplying trophies, shields and medals covering all sports, events and schools. It has supplied engraved glass awards such as those given out at television’s BAFTA awards ceremony.

Emotives manufactures signs, banners, stickers and other similar products, while Toil & Bubble will see a walk-in area for individuals and groups to try their hand at engraving, pottery, plate painting, mosaic work and other fun activities.

The aim is to open Toil & Bubble in the spring and incorporate a small cafe.

Company director Pauline Cordell, who says she hopes to recruit staff locally, told us this week: “This will be a good move for the company and also offers something different to Jedburgh.”

Councillors will next week be given an update on progress – or the lack of it – towards transferring museums, libraries, public halls, and arts and community centres to the organisation which runs sports facilities in the region.

The report was ordered in February when, despite publicly-voiced misgivings, Scottish Borders Council agreed to open negotiations with the Borders Sport and Leisure Trust (BSLT) about taking over the non-statutory cultural services run by the local authority.

“The update will be submitted to the full council meeting on June 25,” said an SBC spokesperson. “In the meantime, talks are ongoing with BSLT.”

It is seven years since the council first approved in principle the transfer of cultural services, which employ around 200 people and cost £5million a year to run, to a stand-alone trust which would benefit from 95% rates remission and thus save SBC around £400,000 a year.

Last year a report warned that, if the transfer did not go ahead, then one large hall, one main library, one museum and one community centre could be forced to close.

In February the council heard that if talks with the BSLT, which runs 14 sports facilities and receives £2.5million in annual management fees from SBC, were unsuccessful then the original proposal to transfer to a stand-alone trust would be pursued.

Acknowledging the uncertainty among cultural services staff, several councillors expressed doubts that the BSLT was either willing or capable of taking over.

One of the sceptics was Lib Dem councillor Ron Smith who stated: “I remain to be convinced that our cultural services can sit with the market-oriented environment in which the sports trust operates. Our cultural services must be protected.”

Merging their businesses has helped two Borders entrepreneurs establish a new full-service marketing agency that is projecting a fourfold increase in turnover next year.

Jonathan Harrison and John Hamlin have decided to bring their creative services together to form The Engine Shed, after a successful six-month trial netted a raft of new clients including Tweedside Tackle and Kraftworks.

With market research assistance from Business Gateway Scottish Borders, the Kelso-based company is rolling out its own telesales marketing drive to generate new business leads.

The duo, who hope to triple their five-strong workforce over the next 24 months, believe the push will help them achieve a projected £300,000 turnover by April 2016.

“What we offer is unique in the Borders – a full online and offline marketing service that gives all our clients a high quality, individual service,” said Mr Harrison, who is vice-chair of the Borders Federation of Small Business.

“We want our clients to succeed because we can only grow if we help them grow their enterprises.”

Annie Watt of Business Gateway said: “With the opening of the railway later this year and the continued roll-out of high-speed broadband, local businesses now have a real opportunity to tap into a whole new customer base.

“Already The Engine Shed is working with a group of local B&Bs on a marketing campaign that will help them create the right buzz online and grab the attention of potential visitors.”

For more information on The Engine Shed visit www.theengineshed.scot

A total of 25 people have been selected from a prize draw to ride on one of the first Borders Railway trains.

Everyone who nominated a deserving person to receive a Golden Ticket to travel on one of three special trains leaving Tweedbank, Galashiels and Stow was entered into the draw.

The lucky 25 nominators will receive a Golden Ticket for themselves on Saturday 5 September, a day before the railway opens to the public.

The 25 prize draw winners will join almost 400 people who have been selected for a Golden Ticket from over 1,000 nominations. A full list is expected to be published early next month.

Scottish Borders Council leader David Parker said: “We have had a tremendous response to the Golden Ticket competition, and the selection panel had to make some difficult decisions to come up with the final list.

“I look forward to welcoming all Golden Ticket recipients onto the trains on 5 September, which is going to be a historic and exciting day.”

The 25 Golden Ticket special draw winners and where they come from are:

○Chirnside - Karen Wallace

○Darnick - Karen Smith

○Earlston - Judith Burton, Steven Reid

○Galashiels - Annika Hynes, Gladys Mein, Robert Hogarth, Tomasz Ryniecki, Lisa Scott & Nicky Jack

○Hawick - Kaymarie Hughes, Logan Kennedy, Paula Smith, Sheila Jackson, Warren Law

○Kelso - David Quarrie

○Newtown St Boswells - Shona Pringle

○Peebles - John Swanson, Julie Simpson

○ Selkirk - Jan Allison, Teresa Colbert

○St Boswells - Carla How, Helen Kirkland

○Tweedbank - Lyn Riley, Moira Mitchell

○West Linton - Scott Murray

Morag Sterrick, owner of Aquarius Hair Design, is no stranger to winning plaudits, and for the second year running, her Earlston salon has reached the final of the Salon Business awards.

Aquarius has successful entries in two categories: Best Local Salon and Best Male Grooming Salon, and currently features on the Salon Business website alongside such hairdressing luminaries as Tony and Guy.

Once again, Aquarius is the only salon in the Borders to have achieved this success.

The entry process involved answering a lot of questions about the business.

“They wanted to know about things like how we integrate new members of staff, for us to tell our story,” Morag said.

For the Local Salon category, Morag was asked to demonstrate the salon’s commitment to community involvement.

“It wasn’t enough just to tell them about what we do,” Morag told The Southern. “We had to give proof, so we had to send lots of photos of things that we do – for example, we support local groups, take part in things, and we dress our window up for Earlston Civic Week. We’re so excited and delighted to be featured on the Salon Business website. We applied in exactly the same way as businesses like Tony and Guy, so it’s great that we’ve got this far.”

For the Male Grooming Category, Morag joked that the process might have been a little simpler. “The guys just love the cars,” she said, referring to the two feature work stations, made from the bonnets of a Mini and a Rolls Royce, that she unveiled at the salon in 2012.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony at The Yacht in London on July 13.

“We would like to go down,” Morag said. “In an ideal world we would, but we have a much longer way to go than some!”

Earlier this year, The Good Salon Guide, the only independent guide to quality standards in hairdressing in the UK and Ireland, awarded Aquarius a four-star rating. In 2012, Morag was a finalist in the Employer of the Year category in the Scottish Borders Business Awards, recognising her commitment as an equal opportunities employer.