A presentation to the public by the Scottish Borders LGBT Equality Group this evening, Tuesday, October 11, in Galashiels is aimed at tackling hate crime in its various forms.

Promoting the Police Scotland campaign, officers from the Safer Communities team will give a presentation to members of the public gathered in the Interchange Building from 6.30-9pm.

It is also an opportunity for the police, as well as other organisations including Transgender Scotland, the Equality Network and the Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), to describe the progress they have made in advancing equality, diversity and inclusion.

The event will form part of Police Scotland’s Hate Crime Awareness Week, which runs from October 8-15.

The campaign aims to tackle prejudice and prosecute anyone involved in such offences.

Constable Susie Ross, who is an equality and diversity officer, based in Dalkeith, said: “Any form of hate crime is unacceptable, which is why events such as this one are so important to highlight this message.

“Everyone has the right to feel safe in their community.

“There is no place for prejudice in modern society and Police Scotland is committed to tackling these offences wherever and whenever they occur.

“If anyone feels that they have been the victim of, or witness to, a crime which is motivated by malice or ill will because of sexual orientation, race, religion or gender identity then please get in touch with Police Scotland on 101. “We take all such reports very seriously and will conduct thorough investigations to ensure perpetrators are brought to justice.”

Constable Ross’s boss, Chief Constable Phil Gormley, said: “Tackling all forms of hate crime remains an absolute priority for Police Scotland.

“Every incident has a significant impact on the victim, their family and wider communities.

“Police Scotland continues to work closely with our criminal justice partners to do everything in our power to protect all communities and eradicate all forms of hatred.

“We cannot, however, do this on our own, and I am asking the people of Scotland to continue to work with us to ensure every incident is reported to the police.

“We recognise that hate crime often goes unreported, and there are many reasons why people don’t come forward and raise their concerns, but we must work together to ensure hate crime has no place in our communities.

“We live in a diverse and welcoming country, where for the majority, diversity is something to be celebrated, so if you or someone you know is being targeted and treated unfairly due to their disability, sexuality, race, religion or sexual orientation, then do something about it and tell someone.

“This doesn’t have to be a police officer, and we work closely with a wide variety of partner agencies, charities and community groups to offer ways in which victims or witnesses can raise a concern and get the information to the play via a third party.

“Hate Crime can manifest itself in lots of different ways, for example, offensive graffiti, having your property vandalised, having your belongings stolen, people swearing or making abusive remarks making you feel intimidated or harassed, through online abuse, being threatened or being physically attacked.

“All of this behaviour is completely unacceptable, and whether criminal or not, Police Scotland wants to know about in order to avoid behaviour escalating and being unchallenged.”

The Steading in Blainslie, while being a fairly innocuous-sounding address, might be the most aptly-named house in the Borders.

The 16th century farmhouse’s exterior, while lovely, is not outstanding, but when you walk through the front door, you are drawn into the amazing – often fairly mad – world of one of the region’s most talented craftsmen.

Tim Stead’s lifeblood courses through each and every surface, all lovingly designed and built by the wizard woodsman, who died at the age of 48 in 2000.

To look at the wood is not enough. To the touch, each piece almost throbs with warmth, the smooth surfaces and the rough edges telling the story of the wood and the man who worked it.

The sculptor, furniture-maker and environmentalist devoted his life to wood – he created Britain’s first community woodland at nearby Wooplaw – and was commissioned to make many extraordinary pieces, such as a Papal chair for Pope John Paul II’s visit to Scotland, the memorial chapel at the Kirk of St Nicholas in Aberdeen and the wooden parts of the huge Millennium Clock in the National Museum in Edinburgh.

But it is in his own home that he dreamt up his designs and built prototypes, and he furnished each room with unique works of art made from locally-sourced wood – even the bathroom basin.

However, Tim’s widow Maggy Stead Lenert, while massively passionate about the house and her late husband’s work, wishes to retire to Europe, and moves are afoot to safeguard the Steading’s future as a living showcase and to keep this highly significant example of Scottish craftsmanship and environmental philosophy here in the Borders, where it can be viewed, and touched, by the public.

The Tim Stead Trust was established in 2015 to secure funding to purchase the Steading and his archive.

Maggy, originally from Luxembourg, is currently archiving her husband’s life’s work, from furniture, sculptures, drawings and project plans –an awe-inspiring quest in itself, as he was constantly coming up with new ideas and working on items.

Maggy said: “The trust was created to keep this house the home of Tim Stead, not as a museum, because museums are dead places, and there is a lot of life in this house.

“It has been an inspiration to many people and continues to be so.

“We think it should be a vibrant place, with an artist in residence, running workshops for children as well as adults.

“But the first thing we are holding, as a kind of experiment, is a poetry workshop.

“We need to look at what we can do to raise money for this place.

“The trust is now looking to raise between £10,000-£20,000 to put together a business plan, in order to attract larger sponsors and grant funding.

“We have to be able to prove to potential investors that we won’t be back with a begging bowl.”

Maggy said the profile of the house needed to be raised.

She said: “We had an exhibition in Galashiels for the Creative Coathanger festival, and while most people were aware of his work, they were unaware of this place in Blainslie.

“We need to let people know about this little treasure so close to their homes, a place that they can visit and can inspire you.”

The trust has piqued the interest of the Duke of Rothesay, Prince Charles, who met Tim when he was creating a wood school in Ancrum with Eoin Cox.

He said: “Tim Stead created a place of extraordinary artistic interest at the Steading. He was a remarkable woodcraftsman, a true and gifted artist. I have long admired his beautifully-crafted woodwork, and I can only commend the Tim Stead Trust for seeking to preserve it for public access. I hope that, once open, the Steading acts as a source of great inspiration to those who visit.”

Maggy said the prince’s support is very welcome, but she is just as keen to have the support of her neighbours in Blainslie.

She said: “The people in the village are used to visits to the workshop from customers, college groups and trustees.

“The car parking is a bit of an issue, but we regularly ask the visitors to park either in our drive or in front of the village hall.

“In May this year, we had an open day at the Steading for the villagers, and they left some wonderful comments.”

Maggy wants to retire to France in 2019, so there is a limited time to keep the Steading as a going concern.

One of the ways you can help is by becoming a friend of the trust, which costs £20 and keeps you in the loop as to what is happening through newsletters, and you also get a copy of the book With The Grain, which shows much of Tim’s work.

Another is by becoming a patron, which costs £500, but gains free entry to events and exhibitions and a dedicated and named wooden book, which will be placed in the patron’s bookshelves at the Steading.

Find out more online at www.timsteadtrust.org

Firefighters rushed to a Galashiels cinema after more than 100 people were evacuated because a fire alarm had been activated, a court heard.

A drunken teenager thought it would be a joke to set off the fire alarm at the Pavilion Cinema and Bingo, in Market Street.

At Selkirk Sheriff Court on Monday, Ross Gold admitted committing the offence on June 10, and also smashing a window and spraying paint at his family home at Forest Hill in Galashiels on August 3.

Prosecutor Tessa Bradley explained that while the 19-year-old appeared as a first-time offender, he had come to the attention of the police for anti-social behaviour previously.

She said the cinema and bingo hall were both in use, with about 100 patrons in the premises at the time.

Ms Bradley went on: “The same fire alarm is used for both the bingo hall and the cinema.”

Shortly after 9.30pm, the manager heard the fire alarm go off and evacuated the building. The fire service attended, but found no sign of any outbreak.

When the CCTV was viewed, two males were seen leaving, and the accused was caught pressing the fire alarm as he went out.

“The accused told police he had drunk too much and thought it would be funny to set off the fire alarm,” said Ms Bradley.

The prosecutor described Gold’s relationship with his parents as fractious and told how a neighbour had seen him heading towards his family home on August 3.

She heard Gold shouting “let me in, let me in”, and described him as “growling”, swearing and throwing stones. He was also seen using spray paint on the wall.

When his mother returned, she found her son “ranting and raving” in the garden.

A bin was lying in pieces and Gold told his mother: “If you think that’s a mess, you want to see the window.”

She found the window broken and Gold dared her to call the police. Ms Bradley added: “He told her that if she dialled 999, it would be the last thing she did. She was upset and visibly shaking when officers arrived.”

Defending Gold, Mat Patrick said his client suffered from attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and attributed his behaviour to difficulties with his medication that had caused him to act impulsively and do stupid things.

The lawyer added: “He felt unable to control himself and did things he would not normally have done.

“His relationship with his parents is understandably strained, and he says he is not welcome back home until he sorts himself out.”

Gold, currently living at Forest Gardens in Galashiels, was fined £100 for activating the fire alarm and ordered to pay £100 compensation to the fire service. He was fined a further £100 and ordered to pay £300 compensation for the damage he caused at the family home.

Sheriff Peter Paterson told him: “You are 19 years old and responsible for your own life, and that includes taking your medication.”

POLICEMAN WAS RACIALLY ABUSED

A racecourse care assistant has admitted having an offensive weapon and acting in a racially-aggravated manner.

Rebecca Fox, 22, of Gatehousecote Cottages, Bonchester Bridge, had a pool cue with her in High Street, Galashiels, on March 22.

She also directed racist abuse at a police officer.

Prosecutor Tessa Bradley told how the accused was seen “wielding a pool cue in a threatening manner”.

Police approached her and she called one officer an “English b*****d”, telling him to “go back to his own country”.

Fox told police she had been angry after losing her mobile phone.

Her solicitor said Fox had reacted badly when her phone went missing.

The lawyer added: “Most of her reaction was due to drinking too much, and she says alcohol makes her an idiot. She says she had stopped drinking and taking cannabis, which has been the reason for her unruly behaviour in the past.”

Fox was sentenced to a community payback order with 150 hours’ unpaid work.

DRIVER NEARLY FOUR TIMES LIMIT

When police woke a driver sleeping in his car, he told officers he was fine and sitting in his garden.

Andrew Cameron was found to be approaching four times the drink-drive limit.

The 43-year-old gardener, of Mill Cottage, Stobo Home Farm, Peebles, admitted driving a car on the B712 near Stobo on September 3 with a breath-alcohol reading of 78mcg, the legal limit being 22.

Police noticed a BMW parked on the roadside with its lights on and could see exhaust fumes from the tailpipe.

Officers saw the accused asleep in the driver’s seat.

“They knocked on the window, and his speech was slurred as he told them he was fine and was sitting in his garden,” explained prosecutor Tessa Bradley, adding: “They pointed out to him that he was actually sitting in his car and switched the engine off.”

Ms Bradley said Cameron had been co-operative with police.

Heather Stewart, defending, said her client worked as a gardener and his job was dependent on his driving licence, adding: “It is likely his employment will be terminated.”

Ms Stewart said her client had been out drinking and was heading home.

“By his own admission, drinking has become an issue since the sudden death of his wife last year,” she explained.

Cameron, a first offender, was fined £200 and banned from driving for 12 months.

THIEF TO PAY COMPENSATION

A cosmetics thief who assaulted a supermarket employee has been given an 18-month community payback order and told to pay the victim £200 compensation.

Natasha Murray, 26, of Howegate, Hawick, admitted stealing cosmetics at Tesco in Paton Street, Galashiels, on September 25. She also pleaded guilty to assaulting an employee by spitting at him, and to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner, shouting and screaming and throwing items.

On a further complaint, Murray had sentence deferred until December 5.

She admitted threatening or abusive behaviour at her home on May 30.

“She has been remanded in custody for two weeks and is keen to engage,” said defence solicitor Ed Hulme.

Sheriff Peter Paterson told Murray: “All options will be open to me, and this is very much a chance for you.”

PAIR FACE ASSAULT TRIAL

A man and woman accused of assault will stand trial by jury on October 31.

Roy Chilcott, 48, of Glendinning Terrace, Galashiels, and Tracey Laidlaw, 50, of Hillend Drive, Hawick, both appeared on indictment, charged with assaulting a man at a house in Hillend Drive by throwing a plant pot at him and striking him on the head.

They are also charged with threatening or abusive behaviour, brandishing a knife and threatening others with violence.

Chilcott offered a plea of guilty to an amended charge, but it was not accepted by the crown.

Laidlaw pleaded not guilty to both offences and lodged a special defence of self-defence.

GRANDFATHER FACES CHARGES

A grandfather has denied lewd and libidinous behaviour towards his granddaughter and sexually assaulting another female.

The 77-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is due to stand trial by jury on October 31.

At Selkirk Sheriff Court o n Monday, a further first hearing was set for October 24.

DANGEROUS DRIVING CHARGE

A man appeared in private charged with causing serious injury to two others after driving dangerously on the A7 near Heriot on June 15.

Craig Ferguson, 22, of Rosebery Farm Cottages, Gorebridge, made no plea or declaration and was released on bail.

OCTOBER TRIAL DATE

A Hawick man denies driving dangerously in the town while disqualified and uninsured.

He will stand trial by jury on October 31.

Darrell Potts, 23, of Howdenbank, denies driving at speed and overtaking when unsafe to the danger of other road users and pedestrians on various roads in Hawick on August 29 last year.

DRUGS CHARGES ARE DENIED

Two accused who deny having illegal drugs will stand trial on November 8.

Daniel Pierrepoint, 30, of Stephenson Close, Cobsterworth, Grantham, was absent when his case called, having been involved in an accident en route.

“He has crashed on his way to court and is waiting on a recovery vehicle,” explained defence solicitor Mat Patrick, who confirmed his client maintained his not-guilty pleas.

Pierrepoint denies possession of diamorphine and cannabis at Glendinning Terrace, Galashiels, on July 30. He also denies having an offensive weapon – a knuckleduster.

Co-accused Nacisha Todd, 20, of Glendinning Terrace, Galashiels, denies having cannabis on the same date.

Both had a further intermediate hearing set for October 24.

PAIR PLEAD NOT GUILTY

An Innerleithen woman has denied uttering racially-offensive remarks.

Pamela Melrose, 39, of Miller Street, is alleged to have used threatening or abusive behaviour in Miller Street on August 8.

Co-accused Nikki Stark, 43, also of Miller Street, Innerleithen, also denies shouting and swearing, and uttering racially-offensive remarks on the same date.

Both will stand trial on November 10.

REMANDED IN CUSTODY

A 30-year-old man has denied threatening to kill his partner at a house in Galashiels.

Michael Stead, of no fixed abode, denies threatening or abusive behaviour at a house in Talisman Avenue on February 14. He also denies assaulting his partner and compressing her throat.

Stead admitted assaulting a police sergeant at Hawick police station on the same date by spitting on his arm, and sentence was deferred until the intermediate hearing on October 24.

Stead will stand trial on the other two charges on November 7 and was remanded in custody.

MAN MUST DO UNPAID WORK

A Galashiels man who behaved in a threatening or abusive manner has been sentenced to a community payback order with 120 hours of unpaid work, to be completed within 12 months.

David Greenhill, 48, of Abbotsford Road, admitted shouting and swearing and threatening violence in Wood Street, Galashiels, on May 1.

MAN BREACHED BAIL CONDITION

Breaching a bail condition cost Jamie Collins an £80 fine in court this week.

Collins, 34, of Beattie Court, Hawick, admitted failing to attend the town’s police station on February 19.

Chart-topping boy-band to appear in Hawick

Chart-topping 1990s boy-band Five are heading to the Borders and will play at Hawick Town Hall on Saturday, February 25.

The English act, famous for hits including Keep on Movin’ and Slam Dunk Da Funk, enjoyed success worldwide selling more than 20 million records and notching up 11 top 10 singles.

Formed in London in 1997, they broke teenage hearts worldwide when they split up in 2001, but they reunited as a quartet in 2006, splitting up the year after, then again in 2012 for the ITV2 show The Big Reunion and have kept going since, albeit now as a trio.

Despite being two members down, the three-piece act – now made up of Ritchie Neville, Scott Robinson and Sean Conlon – recently returned from an arena tour in Holland and have several UK gigs lined up for next year.

John Lebbon, a stand-up comedian and former St Boswells Rugby Club player from Cumbria, is organising the band’s debut Hawick show and hopes it could be the first of many he stages there.

With Five’s upcoming appearance in his native Whitehaven selling out in under three hours, John is hoping for similar success at the 750-capacity Hawick Town Hall.

“I’ve never brought a band to Hawick before, but a few of my rugby friends here suggested it would be something different, and if it goes well, there is no reason why I can’t get other acts up in the future,” he explained.

“I’m hoping that people will be looking forward to a night out after Christmas, and it promises to be a real nostalgia night.”

The event will feature local support acts.

Five will be the latest in a string of big names to have graced the stage at the town hall including David Bowie in 1966, Status Quo in 1970 and Morrissey in 2011.

Tickets cost £25. Go to www.liveborders.org.uk for details.

A bus carrying a “small number of passengers” could have been in the Jed Water this morning, if it were not for a metal barrier.

The bus, carrying Peter Hogg livery, left the A68 main road at aroudn 9.45am. It crossed a grassy area, before going over a wall overlooking the river by Duck Row bridge, and was stopped by a barrier.

Police said no-one was injured in the incident, although “a small number of passengers were left shaken and were checked over by paramedics at the scene”.

A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: “The road was closed for around an hour while the vehicle was safely removed.”

Reader Bill McBurnie told us he came across the bus when walking his dog, and sent us this photograph.

Investigations are ongoing to determine what caused the bus to leave the road.

Just a decade ago, one of the most famous stately homes in the Borders faced an uncertain future following the death of novelist Walter Scott’s last direct descendant.

But now, the financial fortunes of Abbotsford House, where Scott penned many of his best-known works, appear to have been transformed with the completion of a £12m regeneration project – and the opening, in September last year, of the Borders Railway.

The latest set of accounts for the Abbotsford Trust, tasked with looking after Abbotsford since the death of Jean Maxwell Scott, shows that, for the second successive year, 40,000 individuals paid to go round the house and garden in 2015 – almost double the numbers before the ambitious renewal scheme began.

And according to the trustees, an estimated additional 30,000 visited the free exhibition and wider estate.

The annual report, signed off last week, states: “This was helped considerably by the opening of the Borders Railway and associated national publicity by VisitScotland, Scotrail and Scottish Borders Council.”

In 2014, the trust reported a large overall surplus of £791,000, and that impressive financial performance was repeated in 2015 with a recorded surplus of £784,000.

Trust subsidiary the Abbotsford Trading Company, which operates the gift shop, lettings, weddings and corporate events, also achieved a profit of £16,873, “thereby continuing the trend of improvement, and beginning to show some positive return on the trustees’ investments”.

In a section of the report looking to the future, the trust writes: “The trustees seek to improve and adjust the visitor experience, notably in the garden and grounds, which could not be achieved in the main capital project, as well as seeking to maximise the opportunities from the reopening of the Borders Railway.

“The trustees believe there is now a firm foundation of visitor numbers to build on.”

Many of the visitors who flock to Abbotsford come to view the outstanding collection of heritage assets housed there.

These include statues, paintings and valuable historical artefacts collected by Scott during his lifetime.

The 2015 report reveals there was an important addition to the collection last year.

This was a harp which originally belonged to Scott’s daughter Anne and was purchased following a donation received for the purpose.

Anne Scott (1803-1833) took charge of the Abbotsford household after her elder sister married. Anne, reportedly afflicted by a weak constitution, cared for her mother Charlotte who died in 1826, and is said to have been profoundly affected by her father’s passing in 1832.

The accounts put the market value of Abbotsford and its environs at £3.845m.

But, the report acknowledges: “Due to the historical connection, it is likely the property could realise significantly more than this if it were to be sold on the open market”.

School inspectors were so impressed at the use of digital learning being used at Gordon Primary School they want to see it shared more widely.

Education Scotland is currently trying out new approaches to school inspections, and when inspectors visited Gordon Primary School in June this year, staff and parents were told thatthis visit was to be one of those.

Eight areas of school life were looked at and all received either a good or very good evaluation.

Inspectors were happy with the level of education and care they witnessed at Gordon Primary School and nursery, and their report, published this week, was particularly complimentary about the school’s innovative practice when it comes to digital learning.

“During the inspection, we identified an aspect of innovative practice, regarding the use of digital learning with children, which we would like to explore further,” said Elizabeth Paterson, one of the inspectors.

“We shall work with the school and Scottish Borders Council to record the innovative practice and share it more widely.”

The report identified the school’s strengths: confident, articulate children who enjoy learning; a supportive and inclusive ethos across the nursery and school; the staff team work well together to improve children’s learning experiences; and effective leadership of the acting headteacher resulting in improved approaches to learning and teaching for all children.

The school was advised to continue developing the curriculum and the attainment of all children.

Scottish Borders Housing Association bosses this week denied a claim made by Unite union officials that they had not spoken for two years.

In a press release issued last week, the public-sector union claimed that tradesmen employed by the social landlords were ready to go to ballot for industrial action.

It also accused the association of not getting in touch with the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) before the deadline of Monday, October 3, another claim denied by the Selkirk-based association.

Tony Trench, a regional officer for Unite, said: “We finally got the housing association to sit around a negotiating table after trying for two years.

“We had discussions with the association and with the conciliation service ACAS.

“Following that meeting, the association was supposed to get back to ACAS on Monday, October 3. They didn’t.

“Our members have been patient, but they won’t be patient forever.

“In a consultative ballot, more than 80% told us they would support industrial action. If the housing association doesn’t start serious negotiations soon, we will have no choice but to move to a formal legal ballot.”

However, Henry Coyle, director of assets and property services at the association, said it has been talking to local trade union reps and property service managers for several months.

He said: “We have held regular operational meetings between local trades union reps and managers in property services. These fortnightly meetings have subsequently been complemented by a series of strategic meetings, which regional union reps have also attended.

“As a result of these, we have brought a scheduled review of flexible working, modernising pay and working practices forward from 2018 to commence this month.

“One outcome of this will be a full review of the pay system and grading structure across the association.

“We have not failed to respond to Unite’s request. At the meeting with ACAS on September 26, which we attended at Unite’s invitation, we committed to respond to ACAS, on Unite’s request, within seven days and called ACAS on Friday, September 30.

“We agreed with ACAS to follow up with a written response and on the basis that ACAS’s facilitator was out of the office until Wednesday morning, we committed to have a written response on his desk for his return and have done so.”

Unite represents around 80 of the 91 tradesmen and labourers employed by the association.

The union is pushing for an increase to the implemented 1.1% pay award and for harmonisation of holidays and the working week across the association.

At the moment, the tradesmen work 37 hours a week, while some office staff work 35 hours a week and also receive a day’s holiday more a year.

Mr Coyle said he was disappointed to learn of Unite’s intention to ballot its members through a press inquiry.

He added: “We do not accept that the current package is unfair and inequitable.

“The package received by trade operatives and office-based staff contains terms and conditions aligned to their different working environments.

“For example, office-based staff do not receive an annual productivity bonus or work a rota day system. Unite negotiated this position for its members in 2009, and it has been of great benefit to them in recent years.”

The union and the association are also at loggerheads over the interpretation of a European Union ruling regarding journeys to and from jobs being counted as working time, as the latter insists that the ruling only relates to health and safety legislation.

Mr Coyle said that any increase in pay would mean an increase in tenants’ rent.

He said: “We have stressed that, as a not-for-profit organisation and registered charity, we must balance Unite’s requests against the needs of tenants, the requirements of the whole employee group, and the future viability and competitiveness of property services.

“To put into place all of Unite’s requests would mean that rents would have to be increased to unacceptable levels of a further 4%, or significant cuts in other services would have to be undertaken.

“We are unable to offer the further 1%, on top of the 1.1% already accepted, requested on September 26. Our pay increases over the last six years have amounted to 18.6% cumulatively, which compares very favourably to the 4.5% increase awarded in the same period under our previous pay scale, as operated by Convention of Scottish Local Authorities. The property services team elected to move from these terms and conditions in 2009.”

We tried to contact Mr Trench this week to clarify claims made in his statement, but he had not returned our calls as we went to press.

Green-fingered volunteers have been praised for using flower power to brighten up stations on the new Borders Railway.

Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale MSP Christine Grahame invited volunteers to the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh to thank them for taking charge of floral displays along the 31-mile route linking Tweedbank with the capital since it opened just over a year ago.

Among those invited along were guests representing Make Stow Beautiful, Melrose Rotary Club, Galashiels Community Council, Gala in Bloom and Scotrail.

Ms Grahame said: “I was delighted, along with my colleague Colin Beattie, MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, to welcome representatives from the adopt-a-station scheme to Parliament.

“It was a real pleasure to meet the individuals behind the hard work we often take for granted as we travel up and down the Borders Railway.

“The newly-constructed railway stations along the line looked bare right after construction.

“These volunteers quickly set to work and have transformed the appearance of the stations with colourful flowers and vegetation, enhancing the entire journey experience for visitors and commuters alike.

“I wanted to congratulate these groups for taking the initiative and brightening up our railway to make it something we can all take pride in.

“There was also a range of issues raised during the lunch meeting, and I have undertaken to take these up with Scotrail.”

Phil Verster, managing director of Scotrail, also congratulated the groups on their work at stations including those at Stow, Galashiels and Tweedbank, saying: “We are delighted at the range and variety of floral displays which are already helping give the stations individual character.

“What we have is a journey where the charm of the passing countryside is enhanced by the welcoming smile that greets the traveller at every stop along the way.”

Ms Grahame’s guests included Make Stow Beautiful’s Jack MacKenzie, Galashiels Community Council’s Judith Cleghorn, Gala in Bloom’s Ronnie Murray and Melrose Rotary Club’s Sylvia Grundy, Alan Thompson and Malcolm Luing.

Six youths responsible for putting a driver and passengers on a Borders bus in danger by throwing a stone at it are being hunted by police.

The H1/H2 bus was stationary at the time of the attack beside the shops in Burnfoot Road, Hawick.

The bus window was smashed, but luckily no one on board was injured.

Now Police Scotland are appealing for the public’s help in tracking down the culprits.

The incident, at 8.37pm last Thursday, forced the cancellation of Perryman’s Buses Hawick town service, launched in August and now operating seven days a week.

At the time, there were three people on board the vehicle, including the driver, and footage of the incident is being examined by police.

Tony McConnell, of Perryman’s Buses, said: “This is nothing more than a mindless act of vandalism, and thankfully no one was injured.

“Our CCTV footage of the incident is with Police Scotland and should hopefully identify those involved.

“We would look to reassure our customers this is an isolated incident and we remain fully committed to delivering a safe and reliable service to the town.”

Hawick and Denholm councillor Stuart Marshall said: “This type of behaviour is unacceptable, and those involved should be reprimanded. When a bus has to be cancelled at such short notice, it’s out of the operator’s control and has a direct impact on local people relying on the service.

“I have spoken to the team at Perryman’s Buses and would like to assure the people of Hawick this type of anti-social activity is very rare.

“The bus service has operated since August and without any incidents.”

Fellow ward councillor Watson McAteer added: “It is totally unacceptable for anyone to target our local bus service in this way, and the community must support the police in bringing the offenders to justice. While fortunately no one was injured, this cowardly form of attack could have had very different and serious consequences.”

A police spokesman said: “The cost to repair the damage is estimated to be a four-figure sum.

“Officers are looking to trace approximately six youths seen in the area at the time. The group included girls and boys, all believed to be in their early teens.”

Anyone with information on the identity of the yobs responsible is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

Meanwhile, a Perryman’s spokeswoman confirmed there were no plans to change the H1/H2 route, after public calls for it to travel to alternative parts of Hawick.

She said: “We carried out a route-risk assessment before the bus was launched in August and there are no plans to change the route, although we will continue to liaise with the public.”

Bold initiatives are needed to tackle poor mobile signals in Scotland, according to Calum Kerr, MP for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk.

Mr Kerr previously worked in the telecommunications sector, and as the SNP’s digital spokesperson at Westminster, he is leading efforts to develop solutions to the problems of rural connectivity.

So far, he has had talks with Ofcom and the Scottish Government on a number of issues, including mobile signals and after consumer champion Which? found that 4G in Scotland is only available 50.4% of the time, he decided it was time for action.

Speaking on BBC Scotland’s John Beattie programme, Mr Kerr highlighted the need for a new approach to mobile spectrum licensing to remedy poor coverage.

“This is an eminently fixable problem if we just come at it from the right angle,” said Mr Kerr.

“The reason we’re struggling in so much of rural Scotland is because successive Westminster governments have seen the licensing of mobile spectrum as a cash cow and a way of making money rather than as critical infrastructure and something that is essential for our country.”

Mr Kerr will sit on the committee for the Government’s new digital economy bill which convenes this week and will make the case for a change to spectrum policy to government and regulators as the legislation moves forward.

Mobile network operators have to bid for a licence to use a certain frequency of spectrum in order to operate. Mr Kerr said that asking for higher standards from the operators was the most effective way to boost coverage in hard to reach areas.

“In Germany, they have an out-to-in strategy, so mobile operators must cover rural areas first before they go into urban areas. These are commercial companies who cover rural areas first because they want to get into the high-density areas.”

“I want the UK Government to follow this example and implement a rural-first policy for future licences.”

At a Scottish Rural Parliament workshop last week, Mr Kerr highlighted the need for a shift in policy as the next generation of mobile technology, 5G, is expected to come online over the next decade.

“These are the kind of bold initiatives required to ensure that no one in Scotland is excluded from the digital superhighways of the future,” added Mr Kerr.

Latest annual statistics show that only 43.1% of trains to Tweedbank turn up on schedule.

South Scotland Labour list MSP Claudia Beamish is now demanding action to provide a more reliable service for passengers.

Her call comes as a petition signed by more than 14,000 people urges the Scottish Government to axe operator Abellio.

The ScotRail statistics show that services are late more often than not on a third of all rail routes across Scotland.

The Southern has reported frequently on problems with delays and cancellations affecting the new Borders Railway.

And the Scottish Labour party has published a dossier called ScotFail: How the SNP took our Trains off Track – and it is demanding action to improve rail reliability.

Ms Beamish said: “Most passengers accept that there are times when disruption can’t be avoided, but people shouldn’t have to put up with services that arrive late more often than they arrive on time.

“The fact that only 43.1% of trains into Tweedbank are arriving on time is unacceptable.

“The SNP transport minister needs to get a grip of what is happening on our railways and explain exactly what will be done to tackle delays and improve reliability.

“I have approached the minster about the cancellations and delays on the Borders Railway line, and I am waiting for his response.”

She had written to him about supporting the reopening of lines with a viable business case, such as Reston and East Linton on the Edinburgh-to-Berwick line to make the rail network accessible to more people.

She added: “The reality is that while passengers are continuing to pay more for a shocking service, Abellio has made £1m a month in profits from its franchise agreement with the SNP Government. The current set-up can’t possibly provide value for money for passengers in Scotland.”

Transport minister Humza Yousaf said he had called on the operator to draw up an improvement plan.

“ScotRail’s performance this year has not been at the level the Scottish Government demands and expects,” he said.

“Transport Scotland and Scottish ministers will be working closely with the franchisee to monitor delivery of this plan and ensure its targets are met.”

ScotRail did not dispute the dossier’s figure, but it said that was for trains arriving within 59 seconds of timetable time.

Using the industry standard measurement of within five minutes of the timetable time, its punctuality rate for Tweedbank was 86.1%, it said.

A spokeswoman said: “We have had a challenging few months due to industrial action, the big infrastructure works at Queen Street and the programme to electrify the line between Glasgow and Edinburgh. This has undoubtedly contributed to the fact that we are slightly behind our demanding target for performance.

“We have agreed an action plan with Transport Scotland about how we pull this back up to the level we would expect.”

Folk musicians and fans came from all over the country to take part in the Selkirk Sessions festival over the weekend.

However, while the entertainment was top notch, it has been claimed this week that the performers’ Royal Burgh experience was soured.

The Scott’s Selkirk event on Saturday – in which the town is turned back in time to the days of Sir Walter Scott – also tends to bring in visitors and this event is now held alongside the folk festival.

And, for the musicians who provide the ambience for both events, the social side of camping in the town is a big draw.

Many were staying in the Victoria Park caravan park behind the newly-refurbished swimming pool and were less than impressed.

Festival organiser Davie Scott said: “There were no lights whatsoever and the folk were just stumbling around in the dark. If you pay £17 to put your caravan there, you’d expect some lighting.

“There are lights there, but none of them were switched on.

“And there were only three toilets – and the cubicles included the only showers available, so the design of that seems a bit rubbish.

“At the bottom of the steps, at the back of the swimming pool, was a skip, absolutely full, which completely blocks the stairs. It still looks like a building site.

“And because it was so dark, it was difficult to navigate around.”

Davie said he had also had feedback from the campers that while swimming was included, there was no sign outside the new pool that informed them of when it actually opened.

The campsite is run from the swimming pool reception by Live Borders.

Davie added: “Given that Live Borders are looking after all the leisure and cultural activities in the region, and here we are putting on a cultural event which attracts people from all over the country, it doesn’t make us look very good.”

The Wee Paper had a look at the site on Wednesday and the skip, piled full of building materials, was still at the bottom of the stairs.

We contacted Live Borders for comment, but no-one returned our calls.

See our picture special from the Scott’s Selkirk and Selkirk Sessions events on pages 6-7.

Roadworks are to be carried out on the A7 between Hawick and Langholm next week.

Embankment repairs, drainage works and resurfacing of the carriageway of the trunk road will be undertaken.

Resurfacing will take place from 8pm to 6am nightly from Monday to Thursday 20th October 2016 on the A7 at Hoghill, Linhope and south of Ewes.

The road will be open as normal outside those hours.

Drainage improvement works will then take place on the A7 at Linhope on Saturday and Sunday, October 22 and 23, from 8am to 6pm on both days. That will require a full carriageway closure between the North Bridge roundabout at Hawick and the junction with B720 north of Canonbie.

A signed diversion route will be in operation.

Southbound traffic will be diverted off the A7 at North Bridge, taking the second exit to Mart Street and then travelling via the A698 Weensland Road to the junction with the A6088.

From there, traffic will follow the A6088 to south of Bonchester Bridge and join the B6357 to Canonbie, before travelling via the B7201 to re-join the A7 just north of the Scottish-English Border.

Northbound traffic will follow the same diversion route in the opposite direction.

Local bus services will be escorted through the roadworks.

The £220,000 road revamp has been timed to coincide with Nottinghamshire-based Alco Knitting Machine Services having the A7 closed at Hawick’s Buccleuch Road to allow it to take away machinery used by the old Peter Scott knitwear factory following its closure earlier this year.

A further stretch of the A7 from north of Stow up to Midlothian will be shut for resurfacing and patching works from 8am to 4pm on Friday, October 28, and Monday, October 31, then from Tuesday, November 1, to Friday, November 4.

Real-time journey information can be found at www.trafficscotland.org or via Twitter at @TrafficScotland

Borders butchers hit the gold standard 11 times between them at an award ceremony for the country’s best speciality sausages.

Nine sets of sausages made by Hawick’s James Pringle and Grant Archibald were among the winners at this year’s Scottish Craft Butchers’ Awards, held at Carfraemill last week.

James, of Robert Pringle’s, in High Street, won three golds – for his beef, horseradish and tomato; pork and black pudding; and pork, honey and mustard bangers.

Grant, of Hutton’s, in Howegate, won golds for his breakfast banger and chilli chocolate sausages.

Both butchers submitted their speciality sausages for a grilling by experts at an evaluation event held at Our Kitchen to Yours at Newhouse, near Motherwell, last month, and the results were announced last week at a butchers’ regional meeting held at the Carfraemill Hotel.

The event, sponsored by Bristol-based Lucas Ingredients attracted more than 200 entries from sausage-makers all over Scotland.

James also won a silver prize for his pork, cola and lime sausages.

Grant also won three silvers for his pork and herb; haggis and cheese; and black pudding and apple sausages.

Jedburgh’s Allan Learmonth claimed a handful of accolades, three of them golds and two silvers.

The golds were for his Chinese-style piri-piri beef; beef and mustard; and pork and chestnut sausages, and the silvers were for his pork and haggis; and beef, bacon and cheese bangers.

Allan has also been named as Scotland’s champion sliced beef sausage maker and was presented with that award at his High Street shop on Monday.

“I source all my meat locally, and if you buy quality beef, you will make a quality product,” said Allan.

Piri-piri flavouring proved a winner for Coldstream’s GJ Sanderson too, earning a gold for its pork variation on the same theme, and its pork and haggis sausage went one better than Allan’s, claiming gold.

Another gold went to Foston’s Fine Meats in Duns for its pork, black pudding and spiced apple sausage.

Three silvers went to Shaw’s Fine Meats in Lauder for its pork and chive; pork and jalapeno and smoked pork hot dog sausages, and two went to JC Douglas in St Boswells for its Borders banger; and caramelised onion and black pepper sausage.

James, a fourth-generation butcher involved in the family business for over 20 years, is delighted about the latest accolades to come his way.

His latest achievements take his tally of gold sausage awards up to six.

His previous winners include a South African-style boerewors and a pork and cranberry sausage.

He said: “The seasoning I use goes back four generations, and I tweak the recipes myself.

“I’m delighted with the golds because these are core products of any good butcher’s.”

Grant admits it was initially a hard sell to persuade customers of the merits of his award-winning chilli chocolate sausages, but he is now glad he persisted.

“We handed out samples, and people liked them, and the judges obviously did too,” he said.

Grant, a butcher for 22 years, added: “The awards are recognition for our hard work. We like to use fresh ingredients and mix and match.

“We’re open to ideas. We’ll try anything, within reason.”

Aldi is warning its customers about a ‘fraudulent’ voucher that is being circulated online.

The supermarket chain issued a statement on its Facebook page saying that the offer of an £85 voucher is a ‘hoax’ and is ‘being fully investigated’.

Aldi’s warning, which was posted at around 3pm:

ALERT: We have been notified that there is a hoax £85 Aldi voucher being circulated online. Please be aware that this voucher is fraudulent and cannot be redeemed in our stores. Aldi UK will never ask you to share your personal details via a website to redeem a genuine voucher offer. This hoax is currently being fully investigated. Thank you, Aldi UK.

A man has been remanded in custody after being accused of assaulting an 85-year-old woman to her severe injury and robbing her of her handbag.

Alexander Watson, 33, of Croft Street, Galashiels, made no plea or declaration during a private hearing at Jedburgh Sheriff Court.

The case was continued for further examination and Watson was remanded in custody by Sheriff Peter Paterson.

He is due to appear again at Selkirk Sheriff Court next Tuesday.

It follows an incident in Croft Street, on Saturday, September 10, when the pensioner’s handbag was stolen.

She sustained serious injuries and was taken to Borders General Hospital for treatment.

Jedburgh-based bus company Peter Hogg said this week it had no further information as to what caused an accident in the town last Thursday morning.

Their bus left the main A68 road at around 9.45am, crossed a grassy area and bounced over two walls before coming to rest, teetering over a drop to the Jed Water, close to Duck Row bridge.

Police said a small number of passengers were on board, who were left shaken and were checked over by paramedics at the scene.

A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: “The road was closed for around an hour while the vehicle was safely removed.”

Reader Bill McBurnie told us he came across the bus when walking his dog, and sent us this photograph.

Investigations are ongoing to determine what caused the bus to leave the road.

The Campaign for Borders Rail (CBR) was one of the most foremost steering groups as the Borders Railway was being planned and built.

But even though the line is here, and it has proved even more successful than was hoped, the work of the CBR is far from finished.

The organisation will be holding its annual general meeting at the MacArts Centre in Bridge Street, Galashiels next Wednesday, October 26, and railway enthusiasts will be made more than welcome.

The speakers at the event will include councillors Sandy Aitchison of Stow, who will be talking about the other towns in the Borders that would be better served by rail, and Hawick’s Watson McAteer, who will be pushing the case for the railway to be extended through his town.

Allan McLean will be in the chair and reports will be given on the past year and the hopes of extending the line to Hawick and Carlisle.

Mr McLean told us: “The return of trains is incredibly popular in the Borders.

“The line has boosted the economies of the Borders and Midlothian.

“This proves that people were right to argue for so long in favour of railway services.

“The time has now come to enhance the existing route to match the level of demand and to prepare for the extension of tracks to serve more communities by train.

“We obviously want the existing railway to be enhanced and extended to Carlisle, through Hawick ... whether or not that route will follow the trackbed of the old Waverley line, the options are being left open deliberately fro discussion.

“There are alternative views of where it should go.

“The existing Borders railway takes in Shawfair, so does not entirely run on the existing trackbed.”

Politicians from different political parties have backed the concept of a study into the potential for extension of the railway.

For example, it was widely reported that on a visit to Hawick earlier this year, the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said that it made sense to look at extending the line to other communities in view of the success of the existing route.

The meeting starts at 7.30pm.

Schoolchildren from across the Borders have been learning how to cope in emergency situations at an annual safety event.

Crucial Crew 2016 was staged at Eildon Mill in Tweedbank, welcoming around 1,200 primary seven pupils from 61 schools across the region.

The hands-on learning event is designed to help children prepare for potentially dangerous situations, learn social responsibility and understand the roles of the emergency services and other related agencies.

Council premises at Eildon Mill were transformed to host a variety of simulated dangers and scenarios relevant to Borders life.

Pupils worked in teams to go around the eight different emergency scenes, covering everthing from first aid and farm safety to fire prevention and drug and alcohol abuse.

Faced with potential hazards in controlled circumstances, the children were put to the test reacting to the different emergencies as they would in real life before being given feedback from the supervising agencies on the relevant dangers and the correct ways of dealing with them.

Mid Berwickshire councillor Donald Moffat, Scottish Borders Council’s executive member for community safety, said: “Thousands of school children have received valuable safety skills by attending Crucial Crew during its 24 years.

“By giving the primary seven pupils the opportunity to gain practical experience through the various scenarios which are set up, it ensures the safety messages are much stronger.

“Should these children be confronted with an emergency situation in the future, hopefully they will remember the advice provided to them at Crucial Crew.”

Pupils were divided into teams and scored by staff on their ability to work together, to identify safety issues, their questions asked and on their overall behaviour.

Two teams from Denholm Primary School, near Hawick, had the highest number of points, each scoring 79 from a possible 80.

They took home a prize of £200 for their school.

Organised by the Borders’ safer communities team, the event this year ran from Monday, September 19, to last Thursday.

It was supported by the British Red Cross, Police Scotland, Scottish Power, British Transport Police, the Royal National Lifeboats Institute, the Royal Highland Education Trust, National Farmers’ Union and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.