Every year we plant lots and lots of mixed varieties of lettuce, as a “cut-and-come-again” crop. Sown and then planted out at three-week intervals, they pretty much guarantee us – Biblical-style plagues and pestilences aside – a crop of salad leaves all summer long.

The beds are full of delicious red and green leaves with various textures and of various shapes. We also plant some spinach to use in the same way, but we never get a full season out of it as it always bolts after a few weeks.

This year, more than any other, I have been glad that we filled three-quarters of a bed with lettuce. We’re gonna need it.

Last week, our oven packed up. Or should I say, our other oven packed up. The top oven has been touch and go for a while, and now the big bottom oven has joined it in some kind of protest at being over-worked.

To call these ovens “classics”, or “vintage”, would be kind. “Clapped out” would be a more accurate description. Cue a Monty Python “Dead Parrot” kind of sketch.

It is probably a little older than the pyramids, but not quite mid-18th century. Seriously, I think it’s circa 1980, so it owes us nothing. But it does mean that getting lunches and dinners ready for five people has suddenly become more interesting.

“How will we cope?” says Mr E.

Interesting use of the word “we”. I used to hate it at high school when teachers would catch you out about something and say: “Hmmmmmm, now what are we going to do about this?” Of course, it actually means: “What are YOU going to do about this, because I’ve already decided what I’m going to do – give you detention”.

Anyhoo, I have taken this epic oven fail as a sign from the electrical appliance superbeing that it’s time for a change.

And not just a change of oven. I am taking this as a sign that I should push for a whole, brand-new kitchen.

The kitchen at Shoogly Towers is of the same vintage as the oven, and is not wearing well. Although, as the oven has now ceased to function altogether, the kitchen is looking quite sprightly in comparison just now.

Oh, a new kitchen. I imagined running my hand over the butcher’s block work surface, the gentle whoosh of the soft-close drawers, momentarily forgetting which door the built-in larder is behind. Bliss.

And 3, 2, 1 ... I’m back in the room. The same room as before, the one with the ancient Egyptian units and the pre-historic, positively Stone Age, stone cold oven. Sigh.

So it’s a trip to B&Q and a consultation with the lovely and very knowledgeable Rachel, the kitchen designer. Now to see how the sums, and the kitchen units, stack up.

In the meantime, the hob soldiers on, so pasta dishes and curries are still on the menu. But mostly, we are eating salad. Lots and lots and lots of salad.

And if it wasn’t for the never-ending (it seems) raised bed of green stuff, we would be spending precious pennies that could go on a new kitchen on fancy wee bags of expensive greenery.

Thanks, Mr Fothergill.

Where have all the butterflies gone? Despite the recent warm and sunny weather and the abundance of flowers in garden and countryside, there seems to be a dearth of our fluttering friends, with one notable exception.

My brassicas are still caterpillar free, with little signs of the dreaded “whites” invasion, and the flowers are busy only with bees.

The notable exception I referred to earlier was encountered last week, during a particularly warm spell, in the back garden. I was walking past the rockery when I noticed a tiny fluttering insect feeding on a clump of thyme. I thought it was a moth at first, and then on closer examination discovered it was a small butterfly.

It was patterned underneath like a blue butterfly, but the upper sides of the wings were brown with lines of orange spots and a distinct white spot on each of the forewings.

It was a Northern Brown Argus and miles away from its normal upland habitat.

I reported it to my local butterfly expert who told me that it was probably carried there on recent strong winds and that “it may be that this phenomenon helps keep genetic diversity in the sometimes very small breeding populations”.

Still in the back garden, I don’t know about other readers, but the local jackdaw and carrion crow population have been giving me grief at the peanut feeders.

I know they have young beaks to feed as well at the moment, but it’s been a constant battle of wills.

It started with the carrion crow lifting the feeder from its hook, allowing it to crash to the ground, spilling its contents everywhere.

The waiting jackdaws then moved in to mop up.

I tried tying the feeder to the hook with string, but the crows untied the knot and the same feeding frenzy ensued.

Next, I tried a clothes peg wedged between hook and feeder, but that proved even less of a deterrent.

Eventually I found a metal clasp from an old puppy lead in the shed, which looked like a possibility.

I took down the cup hook, attached the clasp, then closed the cup hook with pliers, before screwing it back into its original position.

After refilling the feeder, I attached it to the clasp and at the time of writing it is still there – result!

The crows still come back occasionally, but realise that the energy wasted trying to beat the new set up would be better spent elsewhere where the pickings are easier.

I would be interested to hear from other readers who have had similar problems and how they overcame them.

E-mail me at corbie@homecall.co.uk

Borders MSP John Lamont visited St Mary’s Loch Sailing Club to see – and christen – the club’s new RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat) rescue boat.

During the visit, which took place during the club’s annual training camp for junior members, Mr Lamont was taken out on the rescue boat. He also watched some of the training sessions and met sailing instructors and junior sailors.

The club was able to buy the boat as a result of funding from Awards for All Scotland.

Club commodore Alison Robertson Morrish told The Southern: “The RIB will be particularly useful in enabling instructors to get much closer to sailors to highlight teaching points.

“It will be used on a regular basis for training and coaching purposes, and will be of great value during our annual summer camp, which we run for younger members (eight to 16-year-olds). We are currently working with RYA Scotland with a view to running a youth regatta for sailors across Scotland in 2016.

“In addition to supporting the training needs, the RIB will provide us with improved rescue cover.”

Many will be aware of the anecdotal encounter between speeding motorist and police officer.

“Haven’t you anything better to do, constable?” whines the driver, irritated at being pulled over for what he – and it is usually he – considers a trivial infraction of the road traffic laws.

Those motorists who sympathise with the aforementioned fellow road user will probably get a bit hot under the collar when they learn Police Scotland is to issue formal warnings for drivers clocked just a few mph over the limit. This contrasts with the current position where the offender faces no action or an informal ticking off.

But a speeding motorist can often accelerate into a careless or dangerous one, with tragic consequences. And if a formal warning – which won’t be a conviction – results in preventing injury or death further down the road, so to speak, then surely this move by Police Scotland should be welcomed by all sensible road users.

Chief Constable Sir Stephen House has made tackling road deaths one of his top three priorities. The others are violence and antisocial behaviour – ‘real crimes’, some might say. But surely saving lives is just as important.

After all, part of the police service’s responsibility is to protect us – even from ourselves.

One of the first things I did after becoming an MP in May was to meet my re-elected Borders colleague David Mundell.

He seems a decent enough man, but he is now fronting up one of the most unsavoury acts of political hypocrisy I’ve ever seen.

As Scottish Secretary and the only Tory MP left north of the border, he is currently responsible for piloting the Scotland Bill through the Commons.

Put together in the wake of last year’s referendum, this bill is meant to fulfil David Cameron’s promise of a respect agenda and more powers for Holyrood.

Instead, it has turned out to be a farce. Mr Mundell last week rejected Commons amendments brought by the SNP which would have strengthened the bill and given it some credibility.

Yet his government has now revealed it will let unelected members of the House of Lords make changes to it – an outrageous breach of democracy.

The Tories’ actions completely ignore the message that Scotland has just returned no less than 56 SNP MPs to Westminster. Far from respecting the wishes of the Scottish people, they treat us with contempt.

The hypocrisy comes in because Mr Mundell is also determined to push through another constitutional change in the wake of the referendum – English Votes for English Laws (EVEL).

This is a ludicrous scheme which means only English MPs will be able to vote on legislation applying to England. In effect, it creates two classes of Westminster politician and locks Scotland out of important parliamentary decisions which do affect us.

Don’t get me wrong. My SNP colleagues and I have no interest in voting on, say, the future of Felixstowe Docks or ferries to the Isle of Wight. But plenty of decisions taken in England, such as funding of its NHS, do have consequences, financial or otherwise, in Scotland.

In this constituency, we’re right on the border. There are things which might happen in Northumberland which will affect us, either for good or ill – a change in transport or economic policy, for example.

At present, as UK MPs, we have an input into that. But under EVEL, we’ll have to sit helplessly by as decisions are taken.

So rather than tempting us to stay in the Union, Mr Cameron is planning to further lock us out of it.

I don’t accept the argument that Scottish independence would lead to the same outcomes.

At least then we could have a sensible and respectful dialogue between two partner nations. We couldn’t and wouldn’t be treated like this.

Claims that young schoolchildren have been ‘used’ in efforts to secure Lottery funding for a play park in Earlston have been strongly refuted.

Pupils at Earlston primary and high schools, who live in the TD4 postcode area, were balloted on the subject at the end of last month and the results are expected to be included in a forthcoming newsletter issued by the group behind the controversial proposals for a play park at Mill Meadow.

A postal ballot of adult residents is also expected to be carried out shortly on behalf of Earlston Community Development Trust (ECDT).

The ballot is part of a wider community engagement survey as requested by the Big Lottery, which wants proof the project has wide public support before it will release £250,000 of funding.

But not everyone was happy that local youngsters got to have their say on the matter.

In letters to local press, John Eckford complained: “I have to ask the question on how morally can this be acceptable for such young children to be used as pawns in an attempt to secure funding for a private project,” he stated.

“Discussions on the project have been going on for nearly two years now, and public opinion within Earlston has been deeply divided. The use of children has done nothing but aggravate the situation further.”

The youngsters at both schools were balloted on June 26 and this was conducted by Coreen Knight, community learning and development worker, with no-one from ECDT, or any of the objectors, present. Statements outlining the arguments for and against the Mill Meadow site being used were read out and children then asked to mark ‘x’ next to the box they chose on the ballot slip.

The ballot slips were then taken to local authority headquarters at Newtown St Boswells to be counted in a supervised manner. 

The results will be submitted to the Big Lottery within the Engagement Plan Report which will be publicly available and the results of the school ballots will also be provided to each head teacher.

And ECDT has now publicly responded to the criticism over the involvement of children, saying the charity absolutely refuted the charge it had ‘used’ the youngsters for what Mr Eckford had wrongly termed a ‘private project’.

In a letter, trustee Sarah Petrie stated: “ECDT has worked hard to ensure all members of Earlston have had the opportunity to be involved in our recent community engagement plan and this does not discriminate on the basis of age.”

She went on to dismiss Mr Eckford’s allegation that those children not living in the TD4 areas were removed from class during the ballots as incorrect.

On Mr Eckford’s doubts over the moral acceptability of involving children, Ms Petrie pointed out that children and young people had signed the complex and lengthy petition created by objectors to the park.

And she added: “ECDT believes that children and young people should enjoy as much respect within their community as adult residents receive.”

And local Scottish Borders councillor David Parker agreed: “Pupils learn about citizenship in school and this is a very topical issue affecting them, so why shouldn’t they be asked?”

Undeterred by rain, last Saturday 10 volunteers from Gala Waterways Group started clearing vegetation from the banks of the mill lade between the back of Car Parts 4U, the Scottish Ambulance Service depot and Roxburgh Street.

The group is grateful to Car Parts 4U for access to the lade and NHS Borders for permission to clear vegetation from its boundary along the lade. Anyone who would like to volunteer for future work parties with Gala Waterways Group, or wants more information about the group, can get in touch on Facebook or contact 01896 757861.

The grandson of a local soldier killed at Gallipoli a century ago will be joined by the Kelso Laddie to lay wreaths at a special anniversary on Sunday.

Among the raft of anniversaries following last year’s 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War, none will be so poignantly remembered in the Borders as that of July 12, 1915.

For it was on this day, now referred to as ‘Gallipoli Day’, that more than 300 officers and men of the 1/4th battalions of the King’s Own Scottish Borderers were killed and over 200 wounded in a single action against the entrenched Turkish forces.

Not since Flodden had so many Borderers perished in battle in a single day’s combat.

Among the dead were 42 men from Kelso, and this Sunday on the 100th anniversary of the battle, a special event will take place in the town at the start of its annual Civic Week proceedings.

A project spear-headed by Kelso provost, John Bassett, has raised funds that will see a new tablet erected at the town’s war memorial bearing the names of all the local men killed in the brutal fighting on the Gallipoli peninsula.

And at some point during the next week, a bronze plaque in remembrance of all the dead will also be affixed to the side of the building which houses Hume’s outfitters.

This area of the town has long been known by locals as ‘The Dardanelles’ after The Dardanelles Strait, a narrow channel of water between the Black Sea and Mediterranean.

It was the failure of naval operations in the Dardanelles Campaign of the First World War, carried out by the Royal Navy with support from the French, Russia and Australia, to overcome Ottoman defences, that resulted in an invasion of the Gallipoli peninsula by allied ground forces. Prior to Sunday’s unveiling ceremony at the war memorial, a parade will form up at 5.45pm in The Square, before stepping off at 6pm for the war memorial and will include troops from the Royal Scots Borderers and members of The Gallipoli Association.

The new memorial will then be unveiled by Kelso Laddie Fraser Hastie and James Sanderson, whose grandfather was one of those who died.

Provost Bassett explained: “Wreaths will be laid by Mr Sanderson, the Kelso Laddie, Royal Regiment of Scotland and the Royal British Legion Scotland. At the end, all the Ex-Laddies will then place a small wooden cross with the name of each person killed and I will place the last one, in front of the new memorial.” Provost Bassett added that, while the number of Kelso men killed was small compared to those from Hawick and Galashiels who lost their lives, for a small town the size of Kelso, the loss was still devastating for the local community.

Celebrity chef Albert Roux’s Borders restaurant is raising a teacup to the Teapot Trust this month by hosting a tea party in its honour.

Guests can enjoy a luxury afternoon tea with artisan sandwiches and freshly-baked scones with Albert Roux’s jam and clotted cream, alongside other delightful delicacies at the Roxburghe Hotel and Golf Course next Tuesday (July 14).

All proceeds from the ticketed event will be donated to the charity which provides art therapy for children with chronic illnesses across Scotland and the UK, alongside a matched donation from the hotel’s management company Inverlochy Castle Management International (ICMI).

Chef Roux, head of the famous cooking dynasty behind the UK’s first triple Michelin- Starred restaurant, said: “It is a pleasure to be able to support the Teapot Trust and the incredible work they do for children across Scotland and the UK.

“Not only will tea party guests be able to enjoy a delicious treat during Kelso Civic Week, they will also play a vital role in supporting a very special and important cause.”

Laura Young, founder of the charity, said: “Last year, the charity provided art therapy to 3,528 children across Scotland and the UK. With continued support from businesses such as Chez Roux, the Roxburghe Hotel and Golf Course and ICMI, we will be able to expand to Borders General Hospital this autumn to deliver art therapy to the children attending the rheumatology clinics there.”

The tea party will run from 1.30-5pm and tickets cost £15.

Young Hawick fashion designer Rachel Connelly hopes her win in a national competition will give her career a major boost.

The former Hawick High School pupil, who graduated from Heriot-Watt University’s fashion design in industry course two years ago, was named as its Young Designer of the Year for 2015 by the National Sheep Association at last month’s Royal Highland Show.

Along with fellow finalist, Louise Devlin, Rachel saw her three garments shown off on the specially-constructed catwalk in one of the sheep marquees by models, including 2014 Ms Scotland, Ellie McKeating.

For her entries, Rachel opted for a dress, top and skirt and a patterned tracksuit for the competition, which was aimed at showing off the versatility of wool.

“I was trying to get away from the traditional use of tartan and tweed for your average sort of kilt or hacking jacket,” explained Rachel, who works in a knitwear mill near Hawick, this week.

“I was looking to put a 21st-century spin on it. The sponsors of the competition, Abraham Moon & Sons, gave us free rein to go onto their website and choose the fabric we wanted and then we had between three and four weeks to produce the garments.

“I went for teal and turquoise for the dress, a pale blue organza for the top and skirt, and then Black Watch tartan for the tracksuit, and I was pretty pleased with the way they turned out.

“I am something of a perfectionist and will happily stay up all night working on something to make sure it is the absolute best it can be.”

Rachel, 23, is hoping the competition win and resulting publicity will help boost her career as a designer creating bespoke garments under her own label.

“That’s the dream anyway,” she said. “But fashion is a notoriously difficult industry to break into, so fingers crossed after winning this competition!”

As well as the coveted trophy, currently in pride of place on the mantelpiece at the home of her parents, Shaun and Donna, in Hawick, Rachel will get access to a stock of fabric supplied by Abraham Moon & Sons to help with her future design projects.

An Ettrickbridge charity set up in memory of Kirkhope Primary pupil Katie McKerracher is holding a fundraising shoot at Braidwood near Midlem this Saturday, July 11.

The Katie McKerracher Trust was founded by Katie’s parents Ann and Andrew, after their 10-year-old daughter lost her fight with Diffuse Pontine Glioma (DPG) – a rare brain stem tumour – in January 2009, just 11 months after her diagnosis. Their charity helps families facing, as doctors told Ann, “the worst pediatric cancer there is, because there’s no hope of getting better.”

Parents can lack information and support to turn to, Ann said: “Our Trust is only for children with DPG. We can turn around a request and send money to families in a day. Parents are seeing their child is dying, but sometimes there’s nothing they can do about work, which puts a huge strain on families. Once we filled someone’s oil tank. They told us afterwards how much it meant for them to keep their dying child warm.”

They wrote booklets, based on the information and advice parents need, now available in every UK children’s hospital. The charity is run from the couple’s home, Cherrydene, where they also foster kids. “We’re just quietly helping people, but in the grand scheme it helps people in huge ways. People are incredibly grateful for the support we give. We do get cards, and they break your heart.”

Only 35 kids a year are diagnosed with DPG in the UK. Since Katie passed away, the charity that bears her name has helped the family of a second child who died of the disease in the Borders.

Describing past fundraising activities, so far generating £200,000, Ann said: “Katie loved Highland dancing. We decided to give a dancing award every year Katie would have been at secondary school, so we just gave out the last one to one of Katie’s friends, Neve Douglas from Hawick.”

This Saturday’s clay pigeon shoot, organised by Bisley at Braidwood’s Mark Hislop and Mandy Bell, features team competitions (£35pp) for a carved wooden cup and an auction. Katie’s two brothers Fergus, 21, and Bruce, 19, are also competing. A dinner and auction in Selkirk’s Victoria Hall is planned in September. More info at www.www.bisleyshooting.co.uk

Galashiels’ Burgh primary school has been raising funds for needy children for more than quarter of a century.

Pupils have popped their pocket money into collection boxes for Barnardo’s Scotland since 1990 and in that time have raised around £6,000. The latest donation, which amounted to over £200, was presented to the charity by (pictured) head teacher Christine Hill, along with (from left) pupils and siblings Lewis, 8, Emma, 7, and Jack Duncanson, 10.

Glentress and Innerleithen could be set to attract cyclists on four wheels as well as two, thanks to a specialised club. Rough Riderz gravity biking club was formed in 2006 to help disabled and able-bodied mountain bikers participate in the UK’s newest downhill mountain biking scene, and promote it as an integrated sport nationwide. Club members ride specially-designed four-wheeled mountain bikes, using gravity alone to propel themselves down purpose-built downhill MTB trails. By raising awareness, they hope to increase interest in the sport, creating a more vibrant and inclusive biking scene. Originally designed for wheelchair users, ‘gravity’ bikes have no pedals and rely solely on the downhill gradient of trails to propel them along the off-road technical terrain associated with regular mountain bike riding. Based in Preston, Rough Riderz club secretary Phil Hall has been travelling to Scotland to test as many trails as possible to find suitable venues for this innovative and accessible new sport. With Glentress and Innerleithen now tried and tested, the post could be coming to the Borders next year.

Phil said: “As a paraplegic downhill rider and huge extreme sports fan, I wanted to find a way for those with access needs to experience the thrill of downhill mountain biking. Riding on a gravity bike is such a great, fun sport, we quickly realised it should be available to all, and we have many able-bodied members now, too.

“The club is currently involved in designing a practical and affordable new bike, intended to be easy to ride, service and repair. We are aiming for this to be ready to purchase by the end of the year.”

Borders Council could be about to scrap the bus service to Denholm, Jedburgh and Kelso – forcing passengers into 40 mile detours.

Scottish Borders Council issued a press statement last week detailing plans to improve “connectivity” centred on the Tweedbank rail link, but it makes no mention of Hawick.

Unless SBC comes up with the cash to continue subsidising the route, travellers making for Jedburgh could now face the extended journey via Galashiels from mid-August.

Councillor Watson McAteer, the only Hawick member at last week’s meeting which was attended by three SBC councillors, said: “At a meeting on Monday morning the uncertain future of the 120 bus connecting Hawick with Denholm, Jedburgh and Kelso was discussed.

“Officials explained that an extension to the heavily-subsidised service would come to an end in August and that unless some funding could be found, the service would stop. The net result would mean that those wishing to travel from Hawick to Jedburgh or Kelso and visa versa would require to use the X95 service to Galashiels where they would change to the appropriate route.”

He added: “It’s absolutely incredible that anyone would think it reasonable for travellers to endure an additional 30 miles and at least an extra hour or more to travel such a relatively short distance.

“Anyone using the existing service to reach their work will be at serious risk of losing their livelihood.

“This message is being delivered at the same time as the council is telling the rest of the Borders that they have agreed to the extension of some bus services in the Scottish Borders to improve transport connectivity in conjunction with the opening of the Borders Railway in September.”

A council spokesperson said: “The contract with First to provide service 120 between Hawick, Jedburgh and Kelso ends on Saturday, August 15.

“Prices covering a number of timetable options as part of a new contract have been received from operators and these are presently being considered. Any new contract would commence on Monday, August 17.”

As well as turning out some of the Borders’ finest young actors and musicians, Earlston High School can now boast some serious writing talent.

The school’s creative writers group has notched up notable successes this year, including recent S6 pupil Stuart Munro, who travelled to Glasgow last month, where at a glittering event at the city’s Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, he was commended in the prestigious Scottish Schools’ Young Writer of the Year competition.

It means Stuart was deemed to be one of the top 16 young writers in Scotland and had to fight off stiff competition from more than 200 other entrants to secure a place on the shortlist at the inaugural awards ceremony.

Stuart told The Southern he regarded it as an honour to be recognised for the quality of his writing: “I think the quality of the writing in the competition really proves that young people are brilliant writers and don’t just write in text language!

“My advice to other writers is – don’t limit yourself. Write about what you really want to write about.”

And English teacher Laura McDougal added: “I was delighted that Stuart received the recognition he deserved.

“His bold non-fiction article, ‘Books, not Blockbusters’, was articulate and stylish and will now be published in the Scottish Review – one of the country’s most eminent literary publications – a very fitting award for an eminent young writer.”

A select group from Earlston High School’s creative writing group also took part in the inaugural Young Walter Scott Prize workshop at the famous author’s Abbotsford home last month and found themselves featured on television news coverage of the 2015 Brewin Dolphin Borders Book Festival in Melrose.

Some pupils then attended the book festival on the Saturday of the popular event and enjoyed a taste of the literary big time when they were invited to read excerpts from their work to an appreciative audience.

Another of the English department’s stars was recent sixth-former Archie Kidd, who scooped the school’s annual literacy award.

The Southern Reporter was proud to sponsor this particular award for the first time and a delighted Archie told us: “I was really surprised to win the Literacy Award – surprised but really pleased.

“I’ve always enjoyed reading and can see its importance, both for school and simply for enjoyment.

“I would advise anyone, young or old, to read anything at all. I’m equally happy reading Joseph Conrad and Captain Underpants!”

Archie now has a place at Moray House teacher training school and will continue to fly the flag for the improvement of literacy skills once he completes his own training as a new secondary school teacher.

Commenting on Archie’s award, Ms McDougal told The Southern this week: “Archie won the prize as an outstanding ambassador for literacy and someone who excelled in promoting and supporting others to improve their own literacy skills across the school through his work as a Leader of Literacy.

“It is important to celebrate literacy across the whole school and Archie really was an outstanding ambassador and incredibly successful.”

Glenrath Farms’ chosen charity this year is Marie Curie Cancer Care.

With 12 miles of daffodils along the roadsides of Peeblesshire, the Campbell family-owned egg producer placed collection boxes next to the plants, raising £526.43.

Glenrath Farms and Kitty Campbell promised to double the money raised, so the total amount donated to the charity was £1052.86.

The photographs show John and Kitty Campbell presenting the cheque to local Marie Curie representatives Georgina Seymour and Jill McBain at Easter Happrew Farm, Stobo, and some of the roadside daffodils.

Phase two of the Skiprunning Burn Flood Protection Scheme in Jedburgh is set to get under way in September. It is due to be completed by the end of the year by Scottish Borders Council (SBC), and includes:

l Work at the Larkhall Farm culvert to build up its resilience

l A new debris trap at Wildcat Cleuch

l Replacement of secondary trash screen to allow improved access for clearing

l Replacing primary trash screen at Burn Wynd with new angled screen, providing a greater area, and new hardstanding for easier clearing

l Creation of a new overflow bypass culvert

l Widening the burn on approach to main culvert inlet and providing concrete walls to retain the ground

l CCTV monitoring of the inlet screen and ultrasonic measurement of new screen.

Phase one of the Flood Protection Scheme was completed in March last year, with local firm JMS Harkin carrying out four weeks of work where improvements were made to the grille at Burn Wynd and a flood relief drain at Duck Row was created.

Phase 1A earlier this year included replacing the boundary fence at the fire station, drainage improvements at the Canongate and extending planters at Market Square and Canongate. In addition, an agreement has now been reached between residents, housing associations and SBC to fit flood-resilient doors to the most vulnerable houses.

A four-year partnership confirming a £1,906,263 investment in sport has been signed off by Scottish Borders Council, sportscotland and Borders Sport & Leisure.

The deal sees over £1.6 million invested in the Active Schools programme, with further funding to support PE and school sport, and additional investment to support grassroots initiatives.

The funding has been provided by SBC and sportscotland, with Borders Sport and Leisure set to deliver the projects across the region.

In addition to enhancing the work of the Active Schools programme, the partnership will see the roll-out of the School Sports Awards programme as a means to develop school sport. Club sport will also be promoted through funding for the region’s Community Sports Hubs.

Two years of funding has been committed to support local coaching initiatives through the provision of ongoing training and education opportunities for coaches and volunteers across the region and a review of the local coaching infrastructure will be carried out. The partners will look to further enhance provision for the development of athlete potential and have agreed to create a new Facilities Strategy for the region.

The agreement guarantees a commitment by sportscotland, SBC and Borders Sport and Leisure to deliver a world-class sporting system that connects schools and education, clubs and communities and performance sport and encourages Borderers of all ages to be more active more often.

SBC councillor Vicky Davidson, said: “I welcome the partnership agreement with sportscotland that sees over £1.6 million invested in the Active Schools programme, over £40,000 in supporting PE and £24,000 in developing school sport. This really is a four-year programme of investment for taking school and club sport forward in the Borders.”

Perrotine Orr, Borders Sport and Leisure, added: “Borders Sport & Leisure is delighted to be working in partnership with SBC and sportscotland to deliver a range of projects across the Borders. This four-year agreement secures funding for the continuation of Active Schools as well as club and workforce initiatives.”

A suspected case of bird flu has been identified at a poultry farm in Lancashire, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has said.

A temporary control zone has been imposed 10km (six miles) around the premises preventing bird and animal movement, and all birds at the farm will be culled to limit the risk of disease spreading, officials said.

The risk to public health is very low, according to Public Health England, and the Food Standards Agency has said there is no food safety risk for consumers.

Officials said the case had not yet been confirmed, and it was not known what strain of avian flu it was, as laboratory tests were ongoing.

All poultry farms within the temporary control zone around the affected premises, which was put in place following the birds on the farm showing symptoms, are not allowed to move poultry or other animals as a result of the restrictions.

Chief vet Nigel Gibbens said: “We have taken swift precautionary action to limit the risk of disease spreading. These measures to control the movement of poultry and humanely cull birds at the farm are part of our tried and tested approach to deal with such incidents.

“The advice from Public Health England is that the risk to public health is very low. The Food Standards Agency has said there is no food safety risk for consumers.

“I would urge bird keepers to be vigilant for any signs of disease, report suspect disease to their nearest APHA (Animal and Plant Health Agency) office and to ensure they are maintaining good biosecurity on their premises.”

The affected farm is near the town of Longridge, to the north of Preston in Lancashire.

Steadying his horse, Jethart Callant Grant Raeburn took a deep breath and then stood tall in his stirrups and yelled the town’s age-old battle cry.

The spine-tingling ‘Jethart’s Here!’ shattered the silence to a great roar of approval from the large crowd gathered in the royal burgh’s Abbey Place on Friday morning.

It signalled the start of the main day of this year’s Jethart Callant’s Festival and wherever you went, from the pinning of the rosette to the flag first thing, to the traditional visits to Ferniehirst Castle and Douglas Camp, then the Capon Tree and the fording of the Jed at the Auld Brig, there were large crowds out to cheer on the Callant and his henchmen.

But ask any ex-callant and for their personal highlight of Festival Day and almost to a man is giving the battle cry in front of their kith and kin.

And so it was with this year’s callant. After returning the Jethart Flag he had borne with such pride at the head of a 271-strong mounted cavalcade on the main day of this year’s Jethart Callant’s Festival, Callant Raeburn was engulfed in a sea of warm embraces and congratulations.

Clearly emotional, the 21-year-old electrician had been determined to enjoy every single minute of the big day.

“Everything’s been so quick and a bit of a blur, but I’ve enjoyed every minute - it’s been a real emotional rollercoaster,” he told us.

“Without a doubt, the highlight for me has to be giving the battle cry this morning.

“The street went so quiet, you could almost hear your heart beating. Unforgettable. “For me it’s been a dream since I was a young laddie. And it was the best feeling ever being out on that horse today.”

Another experiencing an emotional morning was Allan Learmonth in his final year as Herald.

Three years ago when first appointed he had told The Southern he would be happy if he could do half as well as his predecessor, local rugby legend Gary Armstrong.

So it was a poignant moment when, at the end of Friday’s ceremonials, Gary made a point of steering his horse towards the platform in Abbey Place and reaching down to shake Allan’s hand for a job well done.

“It’s hard to put into words how I feel,” Allan, a champion butcher, told us. “It’s been a great three terms in office, but unless you have done it yourself, you can’t really understand what it is like.

“I’ve been so proud to be Herald. We had a great rideout today with a fantastic turnout and no mishaps whatsoever.”

And his comments were echoed by festival convener and this year’s silver jubilee callant, Rory Stewart.

“It’s been a tremendous fortnight, well supported by the public, riders, cyclists, runners - you name it. We couldn’t have asked for anything better.”

And he was full of praise for this year’s callant: “He’s been absolutely brilliant. He stood high in his stirrups and that’s the loudest I’ve heard anyone shout ‘Jethart’s Here!’ for a long time.”

Among the guests was Calum Kerr who said his first summer as local MP for the area was giving him a wider understanding of the important role such festivals and common ridings played in the community.

“They’re all so different and unique and they play a crucial role in keeping alive this amazing town spirit we have here in the Borders,” he said.