A police chief has told local councillors that problems with the 101 non-emergency hotline should be resolved “within the next six weeks”.

“It has been a real baptism of fire,” admitted Assistant Chief Constable Kate Thomson at a meeting of Scottish Borders Council.

She was responding to queries from several elected members about difficulties experienced by constituents in accessing the control room at Bilston Glen near Penicuik which now deals with calls from Fife and Forth Valley as well as the former Lothian and Borders area.

“The 101 service has been below the standard we would expect, but I am assured the technology and staffing issues will be resolved within the next six weeks and we are already seeing a difference.

“The service is not perfect but it is improving.”

Councillor Watson McAteer, a retired divisional police commander, highlighted a fall in local crime detection rates, noting that in the Teviotdale and Liddesdale area in the first four months of this year the solve rate had been reported as 45%, compared to 69% in the corresponding period of 2014.

“Is this something we are going to have to get used to?” he asked.

Assistant Chief Constable Thomson told him: “While we have to prioritise serious crimes, such as housebreaking, we can never be satisfied with a slide in solve rates. There are plans in place to address this and we will do our best to get back to where we need to be.”

Asked about officer deployment levels in the Borders, Assistant Chief Contable Thomson said: “My personal view is that if we start disclosing the number of officers in any area, we are playing into the hands of criminals who are very smart at working out our coverage.”

After the meeting, Mr McAteer told us: “While I can understand the police reluctance to disclose the number of officers being deployed at a particular time, the logic that such disclosure potentially helps criminals can only be true if the figures are below what might be regarded as safe and effective.

“Failing to reassure the public that sufficient officers are available is unfortunately just as likely to be used by those intent on committing crime in our area.”

I’ve told you in the past about how people are using mobile devices more and more for viewing websites.

Indeed, statistics are now showing that mobile usage has overtaken that of desktop and laptop. If you’ve tried to actually use a website which is not mobile-friendly on a mobile, you’ll know for yourself how frustrating it can be, having to pinch, zoom and move around pages to read content. You might find it all too much and give up on the website, and move on to another.

On the other hand, mobile-friendly websites offer a far better experience for users. Content is readable and navigating is far easier. Being mobile-friendly is now vital for any website, and whether you’re getting a revamp for an existing site or investing in your very first one, make sure that it is mobile-friendly.

There’s another very important reason for having a mobile-friendly website: Google announced that as from April of this year web pages that are mobile-friendly will be ranked higher on mobile searches.

So if two web pages have exactly the same content, but one of them is mobile-friendly, it will appear higher in searches made on mobile devices than the other non-mobile-friendly page. Points to note here: this only affects searches that are made on mobile devices, and it is applied on a page-by-page basis, not across entire websites.

Now this does not automatically mean that if your website is mobile-friendly it will spring to number one in mobile search results. Far from it. Google uses a whole range of what it calls ‘signals’ to sort out how search results are ranked, and being mobile-friendly is just one of them. If a non-mobile-friendly site has highly-relevant, quality content for a given search phrase, it will still perform better on mobile search results than a mobile-friendly site with mediocre content.

How can you tell if your website is mobile-friendly? Google has helpfully provided a simple tool – just go to Google and search for “Google mobile friendly test” and it should be top of the list. Enter the website address for any web page and click “Analyze” and, after a bit of number crunching, you’ll be told if it is mobile-friendly or not. If it’s not you’ll be given some pointers as to the issues Google encountered with it.

z Andrew McEwan of And We Do This in Morebattle (www.andwedothis.com) helps businesses in the Borders and beyond with their online presence and digital marketing.

Despite concern over their cost and vulnerability to vandalism, three new flagpoles are to be installed outside

council headquarters.

It took a 16-9 vote of councillors to confirm the decision , which means the Saltire and the Union standard will be flown perpetually and simultaneously at the seat of local government.

The third structure will, on designated commemorative dates, display the flags of the Commonwealth, the European Union and Armed Forces Day outside the main entrance of Scottish Borders Council’s Newtown headquarters.

As expected, joining that “approved” list will be the Rainbow flag, symbolising lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) pride.

Other flags will also be considered for the third pole, but only at the “discretion” of council convener Graham Garvie, deputy Jim Brown, or chief executive Tracey Logan.

The need for a new flag flying protocol was an acknowledgement the existing policy “did little to further SBC’s equality duties”, according to a report by corporate equality and diversity officer Rosie Kennedy.

The adoption of the Rainbow flag brooked neither dissent nor, indeed, any discussion at the full council meeting. But Councillor Gordon Edgar, the executive member for roads, wanted no truck with any flags, but found no seconder.

“There is no tradition of flag flying in the Borders…yet it costs this council £10,000 a year,” said Mr Edgar. “That’s enough to buy five lorry loads of tar for our roads and I would much rather see the money spent on that.”

Councillor Willie Archibald led the call for no change to the number of flagpoles. “The current high flag at Newtown gives us great visibility and I’m sure the people of Peebles, Eyemouth and Hawick will take a dim view of us spending precious money on this,” he stated.

Council leader David Parker also baulked at spending £2,500 installing the three ground level poles which, he cautioned, would be easy to vandalise.

But support for the three-pole option – at the expense of the structure atop the high tower – came from several quarters, including from Councillor Simon Mountford, who said it was a “pragmatic recognition of the constitutional reality that we are both Scottish and British”.

Councillor Michael Cook agreed, adding: “This gives us the chance to remind ourselves of our commonality and our concentric loyalties and to really reflect the cosmopolitan nature of the Borders. It is a motif for a retreat from bitterness.”

The couple behind plans to open a new cafe and live music venue in an old schoolhouse in Minto say the project now appears ‘dead in the water’ after council officials restricted the number of patrons it could admit to just 15.

Rob Armstrong and his partner Rachel Williamson, have already spent a considerable sum converting the village’s disused Victorian school.

But the project, christened The Study, became mired in a dispute with Scottish Borders Council over its lack of toilet facilities – the building has just a single unisex loo.

And Mr Armstrong and Ms Williamson say they cannot afford the costly extension that would be needed to house the extra toilets.

“Restricting us to 15 people means the venue would not be viable financially. Despite a lot of letters and emails of support, we can’t see any way forward and think we may now have to just call it a day,” Mr Armstrong told us this week.

The news was greeted with disappointment by local Scottish Borders councillors, Stuart Marshall and Watson McAteer.

“I feel there has been a real opportunity missed here, not only with the opening of a new business, but more importantly the provision of new jobs,” Mr Marshall said.

And Mr McAteer added: “I find it incredible an effective solution to this problem has not been achieved. The prospect of losing a new business with associated employment to an area in desperate need of development just should not happen.

“I have contacted Mr Armstrong to understand exactly what his experience of dealing with the council has been like to enable some constructive feedback and perhaps find a way to break the deadlock.”

Kerbside collections across the region are to be reviewed by Scottish Borders Council following the collapse of its plans to meet stringent waste management targets.

Councillors have heard that their so-called integrated waste management policy, adopted in December, 2013, had been “largely structured” around a 2012 contract with a firm called New Earth Solutions (NES).

In February this year, the council scrapped that deal – for a heat generating incineration-based plant to treat household and municipal waste and thus prevent it going to landfill – because the technology was untested and NES had failed to secure private investment.

As a result, not only has SBC been forced to write off the £2million it spent on the abortive procurement, it now needs a new plan to meet its obligations with deadlines for compliance approaching.

Under Scottish waste regulations, a ban on all biodegradable waste going to landfill will come into effect in January, 2021, while the Scottish Government’s Zero Waste strategy demands that 70% of all waste is recycled by 2025.

“We are basically starting with a blank sheet of paper,” admitted Councillor Michelle Ballantyne, leader of the Conservative opposition group, at last week’s full council meeting.

As a first step, the council has agreed to set up a member-officer reference group (MORG) to oversee the development of an alternative solution.

Five councillors – David Paterson (Ind, executive member for environmental services), Joan Campbell (SNP), Graham Garvie (Lib Dem), Gordon Edgar (Ind) and Simon Mountford (Con) – will sit on the group which will meet monthly and consider a range of “service elements”, including kerbside collections, waste treatment/disposal and bulk/transfer haulage.

Asked if the group would revisit the issue of green bin collections – controversially withdrawn as part of the now defunct integrated waste management policy – Jenni Craig, SBC’s director of neighbourhood services, said: “At this stage everything relating to waste management is under consideration in the development of the plan”.

Councillor Ballantyne told the meeting: “The whole issue of this council’s waste management policy is very confusing and our constituents struggle to make sense of it. We must ensure the public is fully engaged and informed as this plan progresses.”

The impact of the scrapping of garden waste collections for 38,000 urban households on the total amount of waste now being landfilled will be revealed in September when the Scottish Environment Protection Agency publishes its landfill data for 2014/15.

Almost 50 residents of Cardrona, Glen, Innerleithen, Peebles, Traquair and Walkerburn on Saturday led a community walk – with musical contributions – as part of the global People’s Pilgrimage.

Starting at the car park at Traquair Kirk, they walked via Chester Hill, Quair Water and Bush aboon Traquair to demonstrate their love for the hills, burns and woods, giving voice to their concerns that climate change threatens nature, way of life and many of the world’s poorest people.

Innerleithen Primary School was among the local organisations supporting the walk.

Headmaster Keith Belleville said: “It’s inspiring to be part of a global project. This is about our children’s future. Every step counts and adds to a global total to represent a walk at least once around the world.”

Andy Kerr, from Edinburgh’s Carbon Innovation Centre, said: “It’s fantastic to see Borderers showing they care.

“We have ever-better technologies, such as clean renewable energy, batteries and electric cars.

“But that alone is not enough. We need people to want to make the transition to a world beyond fossil-fuel burning.”

The Reverend Janice Faris, from the Church of Scotland in Innerleithen, said: “Many people turn to their faith or spirituality for hope in the face of challenge and suffering.

“The People’s Pilgrimage is a global expression of sincere concern and calls on our world leaders to find the generosity – on all sides – and determination to reach a strong climate-change treaty in Paris this December.”

The People’s Pilgrimage has been created by OurVoices, a multi-faith climate-change project (www.ourvoices.net) which originated in the Borders, in partnership with many faith and spiritual groups around the world.

Earlier this year, Eildon Housing Association staff, as part of the “Healthy Working Lives” initiative, worked with Selkirk-based charity Scottish HART to provide a defibrillator which is now housed at the front entrance of Eildon’s head office in the town’s Ettrick Riverside area.

Dinah Faulds, chairman of Eildon Staff Association, said “Once Eildon staff were aware of the work of Scottish HART in distributing defibrillators, our staff association approached the Eildon Trust to ask if they could give a donation. We now have the defibrillator in place and eight Eildon staff have received training in its use, with other colleagues attending awareness-raising for these life-saving devices.”

The charity’s founder, Wilma Gunn (centre), receives a £500 cheque from Eildon Trust trustee Trevor Burrows, watched by Dinah Faulds.

z The Eildon Trust is a related organisation of the Eildon Group which was established to raise money and provide grants and funds to support local community initiatives in the Borders.

Concerns have been raised that someone will be seriously injured or killed in a disused building in Hawick.

Hawick and Denholm Councillor Stuart Marshall has highlighted the problem of children playing in the former Woodcock’s premises at Mansfield, which is also known as Riversdale Mill.

He is calling for the building to be boarded up and made safe immediately.

He said: “This really is a concern as I’ve been contacted by residents who are fed up with a small handful of youngsters who are targeting this building yet again.

“People are fearing that an accident is waiting to happen and therefore it is important that both the council and the police do all that they can to prevent this from happening.

“The public, too, can play their part by informing the police immediately if they see or suspect anyone causing damage to the building.”

“Youths have been seen frequently in this former factory and the floors and ceilings are extremely dangerous. There is even a fire extinguisher jammed in the middle of one of the glass window panes which in itself is a hazard.

“I really am concerned that someone will get hurt by playing inside. The entire building is unsafe and yet again I have contacted the council’s enforcement team as well as the police and fire brigade to alert them to the problem.

“This building should be boarded up and made safe immediately and I appeal to anyone who sees youngsters trying to enter the building or causing damage, to call the police immediately.”

A spokesperson for Scottish Borders Council said: “We are involved with the former Woodcock building and are currently making the windows safe by removing glass and boarding them up under emergency powers.”

Salvation Army leaders in Hawick are celebrating the formal opening of their new community store in High Street which will boost their outreach work in the town.

The Salvation Army’s senior leader in the east of Scotland, Lieutenant Colonel Carol Bailey, cut the ribbon as a blessing was pronounced on this new venture. It offers a range of preowned items for sale, including furniture. The store also becomes the collection point for the local foodbank.

Profits from the project will go to The Salvation Army’s church and community centre in Croft Road which, under the leadership of Lieutenant Caroline Brophy-Parkin, runs a range of activities including parent and toddlers and other community support clubs.

To donate items for the store, volunteer, or to find out more, call 01450 378761 or email sheila.moir@salvationarmy.org.uk.

Flags play an important part of life in the Borders. So far this year I have seen them carried with much pride at Selkirk Common Riding, Peebles Beltane and on Saturday at the Braw Lads’ Gathering.

I’m afraid I missed out on Hawick and have never witnessed the spectacle at the West Linton Whipman Play, but I am told that the pride and passion in that small Peeblesshire village is as great as anywhere else in our Borderland.

Flags have yet to be carried by the Jethart Callant, Kelso Laddie, Duns Reiver, Langholm Cornet, Lauder Cornet and Coldstreamer.

All these flags and banners mean something special to those who rally round them. They carry our heritage and history – some of it pretty bloody, I have to admit.

They are badges of our past; they are our present, a reminder that we have rights and privileges, some hard won and not to be taken for granted, others to enjoy.

And they are, in a way, our hopes for the future.

Each banner tells a story that should be respected by all who bear it witness – whether it is from your town or not. And in the Borders were are fortunate that that protocol is universally adhered to. There is inter-town banter and friendly rivalry. But alongside that there is respect. And that is as it should be.

A few years ago in my native Galashiels, I was standing at the Scott Park Gates awaiting the stroll to the war memorial for the act of homage. A weel-kent Hawick worthy looked a bit lost. He’d never seen our act of homage before, so he joined our company.

And as the burgh banner was dipped by the Braw Lad on horseback and the silence broken by the chiming of “Braw Braw Lads”, there were tears in his eyes. Such can be the impact of flags and banners.

Ask anyone who has served in the armed forces about pride in colours and pennants.

I am a defender of the use of flags. But I can’t but think that Scottish Borders Council is flying in the face of sensibility over plans for three poles at its HQ in Newtown St Boswells.

It’s a costly plan that doesn’t – shall we say – put the council in pole position at a time of austerity.

Of course different flags should be flown for different occasions. But even Buck House only has one pole. If it’s good enough for the Queen it is good enough for SBC.

On Saturday I will see another flag carried during the hilarious Copshaw Common Riding. This blue and silver symbol of enjoyment is emblazoned with the legend “Purious Bunkumous”.

But it also sums up SBC’s three-pole plan.

The organisation which runs sports facilities across the region has set its sights on increasing public participation by 30% over the next four years.

“Last year, we had just under one million visits and our target is for this to hit 1.3million by 2019,” revealed Ewan Jackson, chief executive of the Borders Sport and Leisure Trust (BSLT).

In an upbeat presentation to Scottish Borders Council last week, Mr Jackson reported the number of children and adults taking part in sports, play and other physical activities provided by the trust had risen by 20% since 2011.

He said that, over the same period, another 10 sports clubs had joined the BSLT family.

However, he reported a 2% fall in the number of people involved in “aquatic activities” and said pool opening hours and charges would continue to be reviewed. Mr Jackson said there had also been a slight drop in overall BSLT membership which currently stood at 8,042, including 660 people living outwith the region.

The highest number of members – 1,596 or 20% – reside in Galashiels & District, followed by Leaderdale & Melrose with 885 (11%). The lowest membership levels are in Mid Berwickshire with 217 (2.7%) and in Jedburgh & District, where the swimming pool is run by a separate trust, with 255 (3.2%).

Having made a deficit of £152,000 in 2013/14, Mr Jackson said the trust had achieved a surplus of £32,000 in 2014/15 with income totalling £5.6million.

Councillors were also given an update on progress towards the BSLT taking over SBC’s cultural services.

Councillor Vicky Davidson, SBC’s executive member for culture, sport, youth and communities, said: “SBC and BSLT have been making good progress in working to establish if an integrated culture and sport trust is feasible.”

A Borders artist is learning to dive and paint underwater so that he can depict marine wildlife off the coast of Northumberland.

Chris Rose of Newtown St Boswells is keen to witness the wonders beneath the waves first-hand, in particular, in the Coquet to St Mary’s stretch along the Northumberland coast, where he may expect to see beautiful nudibranchs (multi-coloured sea slugs), lightbulb sea squirts, sun stars and diving sea birds – sights which have inspired great artists including JWM Turner and LS Lowry.

Chris has snorkelled in warmer parts of the world before and, closer to home, has swum off the Outer Hebrides to watch seals underwater.

Last summer he snorkelled at St Abbs Head to watch guillemots swimming. “The experience got me thinking; I would love to attempt the underwater environment,” he said. Now, thanks to a bursary, he will.

“I had a couple of great practice dives on Sunday at the St Abbs Marine Reserve – only an hour’s drive from home,” he continued. “Although at first the sea was a little choppy and it was touch and go whether we would get out on the boat, the decision was made to dive and off we went.

“This was my first boat dive, but it was easy; you just hold on to your mask and regulator and jump in. We descended to about 16m into a fantastic world of soft corals, starfish and sea urchins.

“We were blessed with great visibility of around 10m, which I’m told is about as good as it gets.

“I was able to try out my new sketching kit to see if it worked; a permanent wax crayon on plastic-laminated paper, tied to my person by various bits of string to stop it all floating off into the big blue yonder! It seemed to work fine and has the benefit of being indelible so it doesn’t rub off.

“I took another practice dive at Loch Long on the west coast – this time with an underwater camera.

“I have realised that the restrictions of time, due to a limited air supply, and the practical problems of painting under-
water, I will have to use some photography as an aide memoire for the dives I will do.”

On June 7, dressage riders flocked to ISEC to attempt to qualify their ‘future Valegros’ for the Shearwater Young Dressage Horse Championships, which are being held at the Hartpury Festival of Dressage (Gloucestershire) in July.

This was the only opportunity for Scottish riders to secure their place in the finals. Jade Struthers managed to qualify all her rides; five-year-olds San Salvador and Bossinova and her six-year-old Doo Schufro.

Kim Young and First Miss Sunrise A.S also qualified for the five-year-old class.

We wish all riders the best of luck at the championships.

Twelve Riders packed their wagons and travelled several hours to join in the fun at ISEC’s first Summer Camp in May.

The two-day stay involved dressage training with Jenny Stark, gymnastic jumping with Steph, and a hack round the rolling Borders hills.

On the first evening, campers indulged in a delicious three-course feast at the Woll restaurant near Ashkirk.

After the success of that first camp, the June event was quick to fill.

This time, local dressage trainer Catherine Eardley came to help. Riders looked a little bewildered when their dressage training session began on Space Hoppers!

Ian and Steph also provided helpful jumping advice. With such fantastic feedback, further camp dates have been set in July for both adult and junior riders.

Bramham Horse Trials took up most of Ian’s time at the beginning of the month, where he designed the cross-country course at this world-renowned event.

Since Bramham, Ian’s focus is on the European Championship cross-country track at Blair Castle in September.

In between these two events, amongst many other things, Ian faced a slightly different challenge.

He played the leading role of The Duke Of Wellington at Battle of Waterloo re-enactment held at Penielheugh. Ian used one of the centre’s horses, Seik, who behaved impeccably and loved every moment.

Hundreds of horses and riders were involved in the re-enactment, which attracted thousands of spectators – see pages 12-13 for more on this event.

With the schools closing for the annual summer holidays, the riding school will be in full swing over the coming weeks.

We have lots planned for July and August– all information can be found on the website.

Visit www.ianstarkequestriancentre.co.uk

A FEW weeks ago, I was half-listening to Radio 4 in the kitchen as I appraised Cook on the day’s menu. I wish. In reality, I was listening to Radio 4 whilst cleaning the kitchen.

I have a long-standing love affair with Radio 4. I have, at times, been an avid Archers listener, fallen asleep to the Shipping Forecast... Dogger, Fisher, German Bight... and listened to cricket matches (even though I am not a cricket fan) on the World Service in far-flung places where, as well as applause, there has been the sound of monkeys calling in the trees and the ceaseless cheep of cicadas. I love Radio 4.

So, there I am, Mr Muscle gripped in one hand and a cloth in the other, paused in mid hob-scrub, hearing the words ‘Laurel and Hardy’ and just having to stop to listen. What about Laurel and Hardy? I haven’t heard them mentioned for yonks. And it seems that is the problem.

When I was growing up, Laurel and Hardy films, together with those frothy Elvis musical romps, were the staple of school summer holiday telly entertainment. One or the other would be shown every day.

But the chap being interviewed on the radio - who seemed to be somewhat of an expert on Laurel and Hardy – said that their films hadn’t been shown on TV for about 25 years, let alone in cinemas.

As they haven’t been shown in cinemas since Adam was a lad, TV was their only outlet. And as they hadn’t been shown on TV for perhaps a quarter of a century or more, that meant that a whole generation (and possibly even two) had no idea who Laurel and Hardy were.

This started me thinking back to just how side-splittingly funny they were, just with their actions and facial expressions and the easy-to-read slapstick comedy that had you racing ahead and guffawing in anticipation of the dumb antics that were about to unfold on the screen.

And I wondered why we were letting Mr Bean take all the credit today, his being the only films in this genre our kids might have seen. No, that just wouldn’t do. L&H were too good to be just explained away as some kind of Mr Bean forerunners.

There was to be a remarkable thing called The Laurel and Hardy Roadshow, the expert said, and cinemas all over the UK woukd be showing two L&H films throughout June, to coincide with the centenary of Stan Laurel’s birth.

So that is how Gamford, the YMs and myself came to be in an Edinburgh cinema one Tuesday night, watching County Hospital and then Sons of the Desert, on the very date that, 100 years before, a certain Stanley Arthur Jefferson (later Stan Laurel) was born. Bliss.

For Gamford, at 86, it was a happy stroll down memory lane. For the YMs, it was laugh-out-loud funny from the opening to the closing credits. L&H were pronounced: ‘Brilliant!’ Just two hours watching two men make fools of themselves and they were hooked.

Did it matter that tbey didn’t say too much? No. Did it register with them that it was in black and white? Erm, no. I don’t think they actually noticed until I pointed it out. Was it funnier than the usual comedy they watched? Absolutely! More, please, was the message.

Well, the good news is there is another UK-wide Laurel and Hardy Roadshow planned for September. Sign up at the eponymous website to find out where and when you can swap LOL for L&H. You won’t regret it.

Hawick High School’s head team for 2015/16 have been officially announced.

Head Boy Frazer Towers, Head Girl Katie Templeman, Deputy Head Boy Tom Elliot-Walker and Deputy Head Girl Cassie Murdoch were given a welcome at the school’s prizegiving ceremony.

Meanwhile, the school’s Zambia exchange students have arrived in the African country after a 33-hour journey. The pupils are in Ndola, where they have spent their first few days visiting schools. The group have described on their Facebook page how they had a very emotional visit to The Mackenzie shanty town where they found up to 80 pupils in a class. The Hawick students have also been visiting the local market and the school rugby team.

Another group of pupils have travelled to the Belgium town of Ypres for the Hawick High Battlefields Tour.

A Borders textile company has gone back to the future with an ambitious £100,000 rebrand aimed at increasing its international foothold.

The Hawick Cashmere Company, which has 15 stores worldwide, unveiled its new name of “Hawico” at a special event for staff and buyers.

“Hawico” was the longstanding nickname of the Hawick Hosiery Company which was founded in 1874 and became the Hawick Cashmere Company in 1990.

Today, high-quality garments are still manufactured in the 19th-century mill which the company claims now has the most advanced knitting production plant in Europe.

“By embracing the name Hawico we are giving a nod to our heritage, while also highlighting our uniqueness,” said David Sanderson, the firm’s deputy chairman.

“The rebranding of all our stores in now complete and once our revamped website is ecommerce-ready next month, it will expose Hawico to more countries and a younger clientele who have the money to spend on luxury goods.

“Working with renowned fashion photographer Christian Ammann has helped us create stunning images showing Scottish cashmere at its best and arming our brand with a global appeal and uniformity. It’s an exciting time, but getting your head around spending £100k on machinery is much easier than investing it on more intangible things like photography, but everything we do must reflect the high quality of our product and that costs money.”

Mr Sanderson acknowledged the support his firm had received from Business Gateway Borders whose adviser Sandra Campbell told us: “By working with us, Hawico was able to access funding [£30,000] through Scottish Development International [the international arm of Scottish Enterprise] to begin its comprehensive rebranding and market development strategy.

“We will continue to work with Hawico over the coming months to further develop new markets, both on and offline.”

Until recently, the company focused on selling directly to leading fashion houses and select stores. However, changing consumer behaviour has seen it alter the way it targets its customers.

“We began noticing a shift in buying patterns, so decided to open our own stores in cities where we knew there was a demand for luxury Scottish cashmere – like Tokyo, Zurich, and Beaver Creek in Colorado,” explained Mr Sanderson. “Now 80% of our sales are overseas.

“Our rebrand will help us sell part of Scotland’s rich heritage to the 21st-century global market.”

The Healthcare Environment Inspectorate has issued its report following an unannounced theatre inspection at the Borders General Hospital on May 13 and 14.

NHS Borders has said it welcomes the report.

The purpose of the inspection was to assess the theatres against the NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) healthcare associated infection (HAI) standards and took place across the five operating theatres and the theatre recovery area.

The report states that, based on evidence found over the two days of the inspection, ‘NHS Borders had varying compliance with the NHS QIS HAI standards to protect patients, staff and visitors from the risk of acquiring an infection’ and that ‘further improvement is required.’

The report makes seven requirements, all of which were rapidly implemented by NHS Borders.

Accepting the findings of the report, Director of Nursing and Midwifery at NHS Borders, Evelyn Rodger, said: “Feedback from the Inspectors indicated a number of instances where policies and procedures were not being correctly followed, in particular in relation to cleaning methods.

“In these instances our standards fell below those expected by our patients and staff, and I would like to stress that staff from theatres and beyond took immediate action to address the issues that were pointed out to us during the inspection, which is acknowledged within the report.

“All inspections are a snapshot of a point in time, and provide learning opportunities for us. As an organisation we responded immediately to the findings. Cleaning methods and documentation have been reviewed and a new training programme has been completed through which every member of staff has been assessed on their knowledge, understanding and practical skills in relation to the correct cleaning methods.

“Inspections are part of a national improvement plan. It is helpful that Healthcare Improvement Scotland inspectors work with us to be the best we can be and we would like to thank them for their professionalism.

“We are committed to ensuring that our patients receive the best possible care and are confident that our theatres reflect that commitment. Our focus is to ensure that the improvements made after this inspection are sustained.”

Medical Director, Dr Sheena MacDonald explained: “The main risk of poor standards of cleanliness would be an infection in a patient’s wound resulting from surgery.

“We investigate every single instance of infection and identify and take action in order to continuously improve.”

Dr David Love, Consultant in Anaesthesia and Critical Care and Associate Medical Director in Clinical Governance and Quality at NHS Borders said: “I accept this report as an important contribution to our operating theatres continuous quality improvement programme.

“Whilst being disappointed with the findings, changes were immediately made, both to practice and training, and our continued vigilance and monitoring will provide assurance of sustained improvement.”

“It is also appropriate to acknowledge that, despite these findings, our measured outcomes and quality indicators remain good.

“By using our learning from this report we will ensure that the people of the Borders continue to receive the high standard of safe surgical care they expect and deserve.”

Workers affected by Border Precision Engineering going into liquidation have been invited to a support event tomorrow, Tuesday July 7.

The event, organised by Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE) will be held in the Tait Hall between 1pm and 4pm and will feature support agencies and training providers.

It will also be attended by representatives of firms who might be able to offer jobs to some of the workers affected.

Essential maintenance to repair the road surface on the A68 at Earlston will take from tomorrow (Tuesday July 7) to from 8.30am to 5pm each day.

Temporary traffic signals together with a convoy system will be in place to guide traffic safely through the extent of the works. The road will operate as normal out with these times.

A spokesperson for Amey, which manages the road, said that around 6,500 vehicles use this section of the trunk road network each day, and this investment, with a value of approximately £45,000 “will ensure motorists experience greater journey time reliability, continued safety and comfort.”

The work have been planned in consultation with Police Scotland and Scottish Borders Council.

Two Borders politicians say that they are “heartened” after holding talks over the future of the Kelso engineering business which went into liquidation last week with the loss of 80 jobs.

Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk MP Calum Kerr and South of Scotland MSP Paul Wheelhouse met representatives of the provisional liquidators in Edinburgh earlier today to discuss the future of Border Precision Engineering and its workforce.

They were told that there has been some interest in the Kelso operation and there is still a possibility production at the site can be rescued.

The MP and MSP were also given the good news that a number of the employees have been asked back to help fulfil contracts with important customers while attempts to find a buyer take place.

Border Precision, which specialises in the production of high quality components for industries such as the aerospace and military sectors, suddenly collapsed last Tuesday.

Both Mr Kerr and Mr Wheelhouse have been working since to provide support to the business and the workforce. They are also seeking a meeting with the Scottish Government to see what help may be available.

After today’s meeting, Mr Kerr said: “What we heard today from the provisional liquidators at Alix Partners is heartening.

“I wouldn’t want to raise false hopes, but there does seem to be a possibility that something could be rescued and Paul and I now plan to pursue that as hard as we can.

“We’re grateful to Alix Partners, who are clearly doing everything they can to resurrect the plant and operations as a going concern. However, they have to act in the best interests of the creditors and can’t keep the offer of a sale on the table forever.

“I’d urge anyone who thinks they may be interested in taking over the business to get in touch without delay. There’s clearly a limited window in which investment can be achieved, but this is a great opportunity for someone out there.”

And Paul Wheelhouse commented: “This clearly is a hugely worrying time for the workforce and their families, a number of whom have been in contact, and Calum and I are keen to do everything we can to help.

“While we have to be cautious, the provisional liquidator gave us some positive messages today and are taking a very constructive approach and we’re greatly encouraged by that.

“Border Precision has been a business with a great reputation, an excellent workforce and engineering skills that are second to none.

“The fact that some of the employees have been taken back to fulfil existing contracts can only be a good sign. Let’s hope it signals that the excellent workforce at Border Precision may yet have a future.”