Bonfire night celebrations will return to Galashiels with a bang next week as Heriot Watt students prepare for a Guy Fawkes night to remember, remember this fifth of November.

Following the success of last year’s inaugural Gala Fawkes event, which attracted thousands of people and raised more than £5,500 for charity, Galashiels students are looking forward to an even bigger and better follow-up.

Organisers at the town’s Heriot-Watt University campus student s’ union are promising a giant bonfire, fireworks, music and plenty of glowsticks.

Student union vice-president Corto Pimenta said: “Following the huge success of Gala Fawkes in 2015, we are back with an even bigger and better bonfire night for families around the Borders.”

Hoping to attract more than 5,000 people on the night, this year’s event has been moved to Galashiels Rugby Club’s grounds at Netherdale to offer more space and extra parking places.

Corto added: “This venue allows us to include live music and other entertainment, a marquee for the stalls and students’ work as well as glow merchandise and food and drink.”

This year’s event is in aid of Radio Borders’ Cash for Kids appeal and the students’ union.

Gates open at 5pm on Saturday, November 5, and there is a suggested entry donation of £3 for adults.

An official after-party will later be held for over-18s at Warehouse nightclub in the town’s Overhaugh Street.

Listeners to the Borders General Hospital radio service are to enjoy a link to friends and family from afar as the internal radio station prepares to broadcast some of its shows worldwide.

The service currently only broadcasts internally to patients and staff in the Melrose hospital each evening between 7pm and 9pm.

Patients can request the music they want to hear or visitors can dedicate songs to their loved ones.

However, a new partnership will see the hospital radio available worldwide through Brick FM, which broadcasts digitally on 103FM.

Brick FM, run from St Boswell’s Rugby Club, has paired up with the hospital radio volunteers to take three show a week onto its network, allowing them to be listened to digitally anywhere in the world.

Head of broadcasting at Brick FM, Jesse Rae, said: “We are taking the internal system at the hospital and offering it out worldwide.

“This is for the community and especially the staff and workers at the Borders General Hospital. It will hopefully boost morale and offer a space for people outwith the hospital to tell them how much they are being through of.

“There are a lot of people working at the Borders General, and it is good for them to know that they are appreciated.”

The Sunday evening 7pm-8pm show with Kevin Sterrick; the Monday evening 7pm-8pm show with Colin Taylor; and the Friday evening 8pm-9pm show with Scott Young will all now be broadcast on Brick FM digitally each week.

“We are just starting with these three shows so far,” Jessie said.

“The presenters can dial in from the hospital to Brick FM and get anything on air, so it works as a two-way system between people in the hospital and relatives who may be far away.”

He added: “It is also an opportunity for relatives or people from outside the area to email or call in to pass on their well wishes.”

Jesse is currently working with students at Borders College offering broadcast training in the hope that a show specifically aimed at young people can be set up on the hospital radio.

Anyone interested in getting involved can contact Jesse by calling 01835 823503 or emailing him at jesse.rae@btinternet.com

Kelso pupils savoured a treat this week when the Seafood in Schools team brought their roadshow to town.

More than 200 youngsters from Kelso High and local primaries’ P6 classes attended three workshops to learn where seafood comes from, how it gets to their plates, and why eating seafood is an important part of a healthy diet.

The first session, run by Seafood in Schools coordinator Ruathy Donald, used specially-designed infographic charts to follow the journey taken by different species from sea to plate.

Pupils were also be able to see and handle a variety of fresh and live species, including crab, lobster, langoustine, cod, haddock, monkfish, squid and more.

The Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation provided a donation of salmon which were left for the home economics department following the workshops.

At the Borders Countryside Day hosted by the Border Union Agricultural Society in May, head teacher Jill Lothian was impressed by the programme and invited Seafood in Schools to host workshops at Kelso High.

Jill said: “I was inspired when I saw the enthusiasm that children expressed for seafood at the Countryside Day and welcome further engagement with our pupils.”

Catriona Frankitti, from Fish for Health, delivered her popular ‘Come Dine with Cat’ workshop at which pupils learned about the benefits of exercise and a diet high in Omega 3, also known as a ‘super fish oil’. They also tasted samples of ‘ready-to-eat’ oil-rich fish supplied by local fishmonger D. R. Collin of Kelso.

“Our partners are very generous with their fish for sampling, and we always identify the provenance to enable parents to seek it out in store,” said Catriona. “It’s really exciting watching the expressions on children’s faces when they try something they have never eaten before, then getting a big smile and a ‘thumbs up’,” she added. “We have had so many comments from parents thanking us for getting their children into seafood.”

Alan Frost, a freelance chef and regular contributor to the Seafood in Schools programme, demonstrated some simple recipes using haddock, banana and mackerel pates.

Recipes were available to take home, and Alan hopes that his dishes will be recreated in many kitchens over the next few weeks.

All schools taking part in the workshops commit to undertake a seafood-based project using local partnerships during the year, and to disseminate the results to the rest of their school. In this way they are able to pass on information to a wide group of students.

Ruathy Donald organised informal drop-in sessions at lunchtime for teachers to allow her team to demonstrate how seafood can be used as a context for learning throughout the curriculum, and to outline the wide range of careers available throughout the seafood industry.

“Lots of teachers and older pupils come along to these sessions and many are surprised to find out how complex our seafood industry really is,” said Ruathy.

An evening session for parents, grandparents, siblings and guardians of children attending the workshops was held yesterday after school.

“This is a great opportunity for people to learn about the workshops the children will be taking part in, and to increase their own knowledge about seafood,” said Ruathy.

“And who knows, we might even encourage some to try fish and shellfish for the first time or to widen their seafood cookery repertoire.”

Children in the Tweed valley are about to be given food for thought by a £44,000 scheme aimed at boosting their confidence about cooking healthy meals using produce they’ve grown themselves.

Peebles-based community interest company You Can Cook has been awarded £44,806 to run a two-year growing and cooking project with children at Innerleithen and Walkerburn primary schools.

The social enterprise, which works across Scotland from their Borders base, has been awarded a share of £282,000 available to Scottish projects from the Big Lottery’s Young Start fund.

You Can Cook founding director Bosco Santimano said, “Our project You Can Grow will work with primary school pupils from Innerleithen and Walkerburn to inspire, motivate and build their confidence in a range of activities which are all centred around food.

“We will run cookery classes indoors in the school kitchen, community centre and village hall in the village.

“The outdoor activities will be held in the edible garden on St Ronan’s Primary School grounds involving all aspects of growing from planting seeds to sowing and harvesting.

“We will also be able to teach the children and their parents and carers how to grow their own food and cook healthy, seasonal meals.”

The project, due to begin next year, will see the group continue its existing work with the children over the last five years.

Mr Santimano added: “Often when funding finishes with these things, they just fall by the wayside, so this is now another way to sustain all the work which has gone beforehand.

“It will hopefully inspire the children and build their confidence in both indoor and outdoor activities surrounding food.

“We are focusing on local, seasonal food and how to cook it on a budget as this is especially important for those leaving home or going to university.

“One of the main things about the project, especially in this area, is to give young people confidence.

“We’re aiming to improve concentration and give people an interest in cooking, encouraging teamwork and creativity at the same time.”

Maureen McGinn, Big Lottery Fund Scotland’s chairwoman, said: “Young Start helps ensure that Scotland’s next generation has the best possible start in life. You Can Cook will run a range of indoor and outdoor activities to inspire youngsters to grow and cook their own food.

“It will make a big difference by enabling children and young people to gain the abilities, skills and confidence required for positive and healthy futures.”

Run by the Big Lottery Fund Scotland, Young Start awards money from dormant bank and building society accounts to support a range of projects to help young people aged eight to 24.

For more information about Young Start, visit www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/global-content/programmes/scotland/young-start

A Kelso man has appeared in court charged with the attempted murder of a 56-year-old woman.

Ian McGregor also faces charges of assault to severe injury and disfigurement and danger of life.

It follows a disturbance at a property in the town’s Inchmyre on Tuesday around 5.45pm when the woman sustained a number of injuries to her body and was taken to Borders General Hospital where she continues to be treated.

Twenty-nine-year-old McGregor appeared in private at Selkirk Sheriff Court where he made no plea or declaration.

The case was continued for further examination and he was remanded in custody by Sheriff John Halley.

Award-winning children’s author David Almond is to give talks at four schools in the Borders next week.

The Gateshead-born writer, best known for his 1998 novel Skellig, will discuss his books and hold workshops at Galashiels Academy and Jedburgh Grammar School on Monday, October 31, and Berwickshire High School in Duns and Eyemouth High School on Tuesday, November 1.

Those visits are part of a tour organised by the Scottish Book Trust sponsored by Scottish Friendly Assurance to give almost 1,000 youngsters in the Borders, Midlothian and East Lothian the chance to meet one of the UK’s most popular writers of children’s fiction.

Almond, 65, will show pupils his notebooks and drafts of his novels to explain how his novels take shape.

He said: “I’m really looking forward to my Scottish children’s book tour, arranged by the wonderful Scottish Book Trust.

“What a great chance to visit so many schools, and to share my love of words and language with so many young readers and writers.”

The tour is an annual event participated in by more than 70,000 children since its launch in 1998.

Almond’s other books include Kit’s Wilderness in 1999, Heaven Eyes in 2000, The Fire Eaters in 2003 and Clay in 2005.

Trust events manager Beth Goodyear added: “We’re really looking forward to touring David Almond around schools this October and November.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity for pupils to get creative and excited about reading and use their imagination to create their own stories.”

Authors and illustrators featured during previous tours include Chris Riddell, Malorie Blackman, Michael Rosen, Jacqueline Wilson, Melvin Burgess, Steve Cole, Michael Morpurgo and Sophie McKenzie.

Plans to set up an Islamic centre in Galashiels have hit a hitch.

The Borders Islamic Society, a charitable trust founded in 2007, has been searching for suitable permanent premises in the town to host prayers, worship and educational activities for over a year.

Up to now, afternoon prayer gatherings have taken place every Friday in the town’s Focus Ability Centre.

Last month, the group’s secretary, Ahmed Mustafa, was given planning consent by Scottish Borders Council to change the use of an empty two-storey office building in Roxburgh Street to cater for some of the estimated 400 Borders-based Muslims for whom the nearest mosque is in Edinburgh.

Permission was granted despite six neighbours’ objections citing the potential for traffic congestion and “noise and disturbance”.

As a condition of the consent and on the recommendation of environmental health officers, Mr Mustafa was ordered to submit a noise management plan before any change of use could take place.

That document was required to “identify, assess and propose mitigation for potentially noisy activities, such as amplified and non-amplified speech, singing and playing of musical instruments associated with the proposed use”.

But according to Mr Mustafa, the cheapest quote he has been able to obtain from consultants to carry out this assessment is £1,500. And, in his view, the demand is unnecessary and the cost prohibitive.

“While acknowledging that the council has been very supportive of our aspirations, this planning condition is proving problematic,” said Mr Mustafa, a surgeon at the Borders General Hospital in Melrose.

“I’ve been waiting for weeks to sign the Roxburgh Street lease but cannot do it without this noise management plan which the society is expected to pay on top of the extensive refurbishment costs we will also have to meet.

“Unless we can get a cheaper quote, then I cannot see us being able to move into the premises, which, ironically, are next to the hall where the Galashiels Town Band rehearses.

“It is our intention that the speaker leading the prayers will have no microphone, and our worship involves no singing and there are no musical instruments, so it’s frustrating to be faced with this demand, especially as there has never been any complaint about the noise at the Friday prayers in the Focus.

“If the issue cannot be resolved, we may have to reconsider the choice of premises and look again for something more suitable.”

A boost to business in southern Scotland in the form of a new enterprise agency has been welcomed by politicians and industry leaders.

The Scottish Government has announced that following a review of enterprise and skills support, it has recommended that a new agency dedicated to the south should be set up, recognising the unique challenges faced in the region.

Tweeddale East councillor Stuart Bell, Scottish Borders Council’s executive member for economic development, said: “In our response to the Scottish Government, we outlined that while Scottish Enterprise and Skills Development Scotland continue to have a very positive impact in some areas locally, there are fundamental limitations for the Borders of national bodies that do not prioritise regional equity as part of their strategic approach.

“The Scottish Government’s proposal to create a new, dedicated south of Scotland vehicle to meet the needs of the region is a very welcome recognition of the issues that we face here, and the enhanced support that rural areas need.

“As a council, we are fully committed to supporting and developing our local economy and developing the skills of our local people and, through the South of Scotland Alliance, have sought with our partners to push for as much national support as possible.

“The formation of a new regional body to lead on these areas gets my full support, and I look forward to working closely with the new agency and continuing to work with colleagues in Dumfries and Galloway to seek the best possible outcomes for our region.”

Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire MSP John Lamont also welcomed the announcement, which matches one of the key recommendations found in the Scottish Conservative manifesto for the 2016 Scottish Parliament elections.

Mr Lamont said: “I’m pleased that the Scottish Government has listened to the concerns of businesses in the south of Scotland.

“A dedicated support agency has the potential to stimulate growth in the local economy, but more needs to be done to help struggling high streets in the Borders.”

Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale MSP Christine Grahame is all for the new agency too.

She said: “The development of the new enterprise and skills body for the south of Scotland is very welcome indeed and shows the Scottish Government’s commitment to the area, following on from the opening of the Borders Railway last year.

“We have seen the immensely positive effect that Highlands and Islands Enterprise has had on developing local economic opportunities in those areas.

“I’m glad the Scottish Government is seeking to extend this successful model, and I look forward to the south of Scotland body having the same impact as we’ve seen across the Highlands and Islands.”

The Federation of Small Business’s southern Scotland senior development manager, Gordon Henderson, said: “Having an enterprise body based in the south of Scotland that is knowledgeable about issues faced by businesses located there makes a lot of sense.”

The new agency is expected to start work in 2018.

Fears are growing for the future of Hawick town centre as two more retailers prepare to close their doors and the number of for-sale signs there continues to grow.

Among the latest casualties of the hard times hitting High Street is hairdresser Harry Stoddart, now planning to give up cutting hair there and cut his losses instead.

Harry Stoddart, owner of Image Hairdressing Company, says he feels he has no choice but to move out after 35 years of trading because he has seen his custom halved in recent months, meaning that to continue “just isn’t viable anymore.”

Mr Stoddart cites the decline of footfall in the town centre and illegal parking in High Street since the withdrawal of traffic wardens as key factors in his thinking.

Another outlet preparing to close is the Uptown ladies’ fashion boutique in O’Connell Street, due to shut up shop next weekend.

The latest planned closures prompted Derick Tait, chairman of the Future Hawick group, to call on Scottish Borders Council to act in a “quick and radical” way to halt the decline.

He said: “The council rejected our call to cut the rates, which are killing businesses on the High Street, and came up with this plan to divide larger units into smaller ones.

“If they’re going to do that, they want to do it hellish quick. They need to act in a quick and radical way.”

Amid the doom and gloom, though, comes a ray of hope in the shape of an announcement this week that a new south of Scotland enterprise agency is to be established by the Scottish Government.

Hopes are high that the new agency will be supportive of moves to both promote town centre growth and extend the Borders Railway from Tweedbank to Hawick and Carlisle.

Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire MSP John Lamont said: “I would expect this organisation to play a key role in promoting the views of local businesses on key infrastructure projects like the extension of the Borders Railway to Hawick and on to Carlisle.

“A dedicated support agency has the potential to stimulate growth in the local economy, but more needs to be done to help struggling high streets in the Borders.”

Mr Stoddart agrees, saying that though any help on offer from the agency would probably come too late for his business, it would be welcomed by fellow High Street traders.

He said: “There has been a 50% drop in sales in the last year and very little profit. All I am doing is just covering costs.

“I am being forced into closing. I have no choice because I have no income to live on. I wish things would improve, but I am very close to giving up.

“I’ll give it to January or February, but the fact is there is just not the footfall in the town centre to continue after that.” Mr Stoddart said his long-term plan is to carry on serving his loyal customer base through home visits.

He added: “I’m 95% sure that I will cease trading because the situation is pretty grim.

“It is such a shame because I have really enjoyed all these years working for myself in the town centre, and I have regular and loyal customers, but I have to face the reality.”

Besides falling trade, Harry has also had to contend with vandals targeting his premises four times in the last six years.

In April last year, drunken vandals smashed an expensive glass window at his salon, and he was forced to work extra hours just to cover the cost of the excess on his insurance.

Image Hair is one of a number of town centre retail units up for sale as the face of the High Street continues to change.

No one was available for comment at Uptown, but a sign in the window says it is closing on Saturday, November 5.

Also on the market, after over 40 years’ trading, is stationer Deans and Simpson’s shop.

On sale at an asking price of £110,000 through Bannerman Burke Properties, it is described as a “busy and well-established stationer’s in the centre of Hawick”, with its sale blurb adding: “With potential for expansion, the current vendors have been trading successfully from the premises over 40 years and the sale is due to the retirement of the present owners.

“The premises and the business are being sold as a going concern.”

A further property for sale, with a guide price of £45,000, is McCulloch’s Seafood at No 29.

The mother of a legendary motorcyclist killed in a helicopter crash 13 years ago has told of her pride that his legacy is helping save lives.

Every year since he died near Teviothead in 2003 at the age of 41, a fundraising motorbike ride has been staged in honour of Hawick-born Steve ‘Hizzy’ Hislop, winner of the Isle of Man TT 11 times.

This year was no exception, with motorcyclists from across the UK setting off from the village green at Denholm on a 150-mile route through the Borders and back.

And while the riders are on the open highway, fundraisers stage raffles and an auction back on the green to raise funds for a worthy cause.

The latest ride, held at the end of August, amassed almost £1,800 for Blood Bikes Scotland, a charity offering the National Health Service a free out-of-hours courier service, and that money has now been collected and handed over.

Among the fundraisers was Steve’s proud mum Margaret, 72, of Westgate in Denholm.

She said: “Some days it seems a long time since his death, and on other days it feels just like yesterday.

“Steve wouldn’t believe that this memorial event is held every year and helping so many good causes. He was such a quiet, unassuming person.

“We have so many helpers, and it really is a team effort. We started off with the raffle, but we were getting so many donations that we started the auction, which this year raised £400.

“We’ve helped so many charities over the years, and the riders who knew Steve have been so generous in donating jackets and boots.

“In all the years we have been doing this, not one person has ever refused a request to give. That’s a testimony to the high regard in which Steve is held.”

Mrs Hislop always travelled to watch her son compete at Donington in Leicestershire and the TT Races, winning titles including the British 250cc championship in 1990 and the British superbike championship in 1995 and 2002, but she revealed that Steve’s two sons, Connor, 17 and Aaron, 19, both living on the Isle of Man, don’t share their enthusiasm for motorsports.

She added: “Neither of them have taken up motorbiking – they’re both football-mad – but it would probably have been different if Steve had lived and passed on his passion.”

Blood Bikes Scotland founder Steven Quintus, of Hawick, said: “We cover the Borders, along with the Lothians and Fife, using an eight-strong team of volunteer riders.

“Basically, we offer the NHS in these regions a free out-of-hour service operating 6pm to 6am.

“This year’s Hizzy Run was a great effort from all those involved, and every penny of the £1,774.81p raised will go to fund our work, which can see us asked to ferry samples, tissue and equipment.”

Hawick nightclub boss Neil Gillies has got third time lucky in his long-running bid to secure an extra hour’s drinking for his punters at weekend.

Scottish Borders Council’s licensing board granted Mr Gillies a permanent amendment to his operating plan for Base, in Baker Street, allowing it to open until 3am on Saturday and Sunday mornings, instead of 2am as at present.

That thumbs-up, at the third time of asking, gives him a level playing field with with competitors in Galashiels as two nightspots there, in Overhaugh Street, are the only places in the Borders currently allowed to serve weekend revellers until 3am.

Galashiels has been allowed that extra hour because it is classed as a student town, but the board heard last Friday that 72% of further and higher education students enrolled in the town do not actually live there.

The statistic was highlighted by the solicitor representing Mr Gillies, Niall Hassard, of Edinburgh law firm TLT.

He was challenging the board’s policy, adopted three years ago, stating that any applications for extensions beyond 2am should only be granted in exceptional circumstances.

He also claimed that Galashiels’ exemption from that edict because it is a student town is “patently unfair”.

Although the policy was cited in objections from the police and NHS Borders, the board, after a short debate, voted 4-3 to give Mr Gillies the extension he wanted.

Noting that his client’s bid had sparked no objections from neighbours, Mr Hassard presented letters of endorsement from Hawick and Denholm councillors Watson McAteer and Stuart Marshall and Agnes Bell, care services co-ordinator at Eildon Housing Association, owner of the Teviot Court sheltered housing complex opposite Base.

Mr Hassard backed up his application with responses from two 2000 Freedom of Information Act requests.

These confirmed that of the 3,591 students enrolled at Borders College in Galashiels, only 697, or 19.4%, live in its TD1 postcode area, and, out of the 600 students at Heriot-Watt University’s Netherdale campus, 200 do not live in Galashiels.

“This means 72% of students at these two campuses reside outwith Galashiels, so it is wrong to depict the town as a student centre when the vast majority are not resident there and are spread around the Borders,” said Mr Hassard.

He claimed Mr Gillies’ business was being adversely affected by the terminal hour anomaly.

The number of bar staff there had been cut from 12 to eight, the number of door stewards had been halved, a cleaner had been paid off and Mr Gillies himself had been forced to take a second job in the building trade, he said.

“If this business fails, it is because this board’s policy is not allowing it to succeed,” concluded Mr Hassard.

Kelso councillor Tom Weatherston said: “I now believe there is an exceptional circumstance in that here we have a Borders business which is working at a disadvantage, compared to premises in Galashiels.”

His motion to approve the application defeated an amendment suggested by Galashiels councillor Bill White to grant approval for a six-month trial period by four votes to three.

A group set up a year ago to tackle social exclusion among older men in Hawick has proved so popular it now needs to find a new home.

Hawick Men’s Shed now has a membership of 28 and has outgrown its current premises, a workshop in Commercial Road.

Scottish Borders Council recently offered alternative accommodation in the offices of the former Lyle and Scott mill, in Lothian Street.

That offer was conditional on the group attaining charitable status, a requirement it met last week.

Another obstacle standing in the way of the planned move is that the new premises, latterly home to a social security office, require work to make them fit for purpose.

To that end, an application for funding has been submitted to the Aviva Community Fund, a body handing out grants of up to £25,000.

For that application to prove successful, it will need a big enough show of support from the public, so townsfolk are being invited to vote for it at community-fund.aviva.co.uk/voting/project/view/16-1329

Men’s shed groups, named after the traditional retreat, are proving increasingly popular nationwide, thanks to the efforts of the UK Men’s Sheds Association.

The sheds are spaces to encourage men to get together and work on projects and, more importantly, talk about whatever’s on their minds.

They are open to all men wanting to enjoy a safe, friendly and inclusive environment in which they can work on meaningful projects at their own pace.

George Brown, 83, Hawick Men’s Shed treasurer and founder member, said: “It has just snowballed. I remember the first meeting we had when no one came along.

There was just me, Derick Tait and Watson McAteer, but the next week there was a dozen, and it’s just grown from there.

“I believe that we now have the biggest membership of any men’s shed in the Borders, bigger than Galashiels and Jedburgh.

“The members who come are mostly very active, and we’d like to attract a few more housebound people.

“There is one disabled guy who comes in with his carer on a Tuesday morning to make artistic objects, and we’d like more disabled members and those people who are socially excluded, because there’s nothing worse than sitting at home alone and lonely.

“I was a joiner in my working life, and when I retired, I swore I’d never do any woodworking again, but here I am now and it’s almost like a full-time job.

“What’s good is that we all help each other.

“I have to say we’re not exclusively for men, and we’d welcome any ladies who would want to come on board.”

Derick , secretary of Hawick Men’s Shed, said the group is going from strength to strength.

The men it attracts, mostly aged over 60, utilise their experience to carry out furniture repairs, work on computers or hone their woodwork skills.

Derick added: “This move is in the early stages, but we can move on now that we are a stand-alone charity.

“Previously we were a sub-group of Hawick Senior Citizens’ Association.

“Although the proposed new building is structurally sound, and wind and watertight, it has been unoccupied for several years, and work is required to make it sustainable in the long term.

“Initial works required include the replacement of old single-glazed metal casement windows, installation of an efficient heating system and the installation of a lift mechanism to provide disabled access on the first floor.”

The council has offered the former mill premises on an initial 10-year care-and-repair basis.

Potential new members are invited to pop along any weekday between 10.30am and 4pm.

A town centre bargain store in Galashiels is set to shut its doors for good this winter, but it has not been revealed how many jobs will be lost.

The closure of B&M Bargains’ Stirling Street store in December was confirmed this week, but the company said it was unable to say how many jobs will go until after a consultation with staff.

A spokesperson for B&M said: “We can confirm that unfortunately our store in Galashiels will be closing its doors in December.

“We’re about to go through consultation, so we are unable to discuss jobs.”

Both the chain’s Borders branches, in Galashiels and Hawick, opened within a week of each other in September 2010 after moving into the two towns’ former Somerfield supermarket premises.

There are currently no plans to close B&M’s Croft Road outlet in Hawick, it said this week.

The Galashiels B&M will be the town’s second bargain store to shut this year following the closure of Poundstretcher in High Street in January.

The B&M brand has almost 500 high street and out of town stores throughout Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland and also operates abroad under the JAWoll brand in Germany.

Last year the popular bargain stores attracted more than 3 million shoppers each week with their discounted branded and non-grocery products and employed over 22,000 staff.

Civic leaders and business bosses are cheering on record-breakers Hawick Royal Albert as they look to continue their Scottish Cup run of success.

These are heady days for the football club, this week drawn away against Elgin City in the third round of the old competition, after seeing off Berwick Rangers in the previous tie.

Their success is all the more remarkable as it comes just months after the team’s home ground at Albert Park in Mansfield Road was flooded out.

It’s the first time the Royalists, founded in 1947, have made it this far, but their supporters are confident they can progress even further by reaching the fourth round and a possible meeting with Scottish Premiership giants Rangers or Celtic.

Honorary provost Stuart Marshall said: “The town was buzzing after last week’s result, and to think what this club has overcome in terms of being completely flooded out on several occasions.

“I congratulate both players and management on their recent successes and wish them well on their onward journey in the cup.

“It would be absolutely magnificent to see them beat Elgin, and all of us in Hawick are rooting for them.”

Hawick and Hermitage councillor Ron Smith admits being a “nostalgic Motherwell supporter” but is hoping his present home team will progress further.

He said: “My very best wishes go to Hawick Royal Albert. Having seen off Berwick Rangers, they should have no fears regarding Elgin City.”

Derick Tait, chairman of the Future Hawick group, believes the whole town should be proud of the lads’ success.

He said: “It’s great, and we wish them well for the next round and hope they can go further in the competition.

“The team have not been doing well in previous years, but it was a cracking result against Berwick. Their success is something the town can take great pride in.”

Hawick and Denholm councillor Watson McAteer admits to being “more of a rugby man”, but he has family members who have represented Royal in the past and has been watching the cup run with increasing excitement.

He said: “The Albert has faced many challenges, not least recovering from being flooded out at the beginning of the year.

“They are used to fighting the odds, and I, for one, would expect them to give a typical fight against Elgin and progress to the fourth round of the cup.

“The team committee should be proud of the results of their hard work both on and off the pitch.”

And it’s not just politicians who are getting behind the team as town butcher Grant Archibald has created an edible memento of the famous cup run – a sausage incorporating blue and red - the colours of the team’s home and away strips.

Grant, of Hutton’s in Howegate, said: “It’s pretty impossible to create a blue sausage so we put some blueberries and raspberries in there with a dash of prosecco as a champagne to celebrate the team’s win.”

A car crash isn’t many people’s idea of a sound career move, except for stuntmen and cash-for-crash insurance claim fraudsters.

It’s working out for Selkirk artist Alex Hain, however, although it wouldn’t necessarily have been his ideal way of going about things.

The 26-year-old, a regular at the Selkirk Wasps studios along with his fellow artist father Rob, sustained a punctured lung after losing control of his car and crashing into a tree near St Boswells six years ago.

It was while recovering from that accident that he took to painting as a form of self-medication, he says.

“I was bedbound after my accident and started drawing portraits. I just felt an impulsive need to draw,” said Alex, of Lilliesleaf. “It was a catalyst, and it was a necessity to paint more than anything else.”

Alex is now returning to the Cumbrian art gallery that helped to get his career up and running after hosting his first exhibition last year.

His work will go on show again at Cockermouth’s Castlegate House the weekend after next, and he is hoping to build on the acclaim he attracted on both sides of the Atlantic after exhibiting there last time round.

Since then, Alex has made fans of Jerry Saltz, the New York magazine’s senior art critic, and his wife Roberta Smith, a senior art critic at the New York Times.

He said: “They are two of my favourite critics.

“Jerry can be harsh, but he is a proper critic, not just someone who is a polite commentator on art, and on the whole, he generally likes what I do and always tells me to paint bigger.”

Alex added: “Over the past year, I have been making paintings that predominantly investigate childhood, both mine and other people’s.

“Every day, when sitting down in front of a canvas, I started to subconsciously examine my work and thoughts, ask questions and analyse my changes in perception.

“What fascinated me the most about the childhood paintings was in the subject’s perspective – the child’s own vision and thoughts, looking at the way they made art and made it in a free and uncompromising way, a primal visual language that has existed for thousands of years. That’s what’s so fascinating. In my view, it’s the DNA of painting.

“It’s some of the most imaginative and authentic work there is, and it’s something that I hope my work is seen to investigate.”

Also featuring in the show, as was the case last time round, is Jess Pigott, 24, of Bath.

Steve Swallow, co-owner of the Castlegate House gallery with his wife Christine, said: “Alex and Jess are two young artists fresh into their careers.

“After a hugely successful first exhibition in 2015, it’s fascinating to see how, in the 18 months since, their work has developed.

“Being part of the start of something special is what this is all about.”

The pair’s exhibition, titled Continuance, can be seen at the Cockermouth gallery from Saturday, November 5, to Saturday, November 26.

For further details, go to www.castlegatehouse.co.uk/exhibitions

A bypass at Selkirk should be a top priority for a new enterprise organisation announced this week, according to a councillor for the town.

Plans to set up a south of Scotland enterprise agency were unveiled on Tuesday by the Scottish Government to help tackle the economic challenges facing the region.

That news has met with a warm welcome across the Borders and also sparked hopes that it will lead to more investment in the infrastructure, such as roads, needed to underpin any boost for the region’s economic fortunes.

Selkirkshire councillor Gordon Edgar, Scottish Borders Council’s executive member for roads and infrastructure, would hope to see the agency supporting the A7 bypass long mooted for Selkirk.

Earlier this year a ballot was held in which 87% of townsfolk voted in favour of the bypass and just 14% against it.

Mr Edgar, vice-chairman of the A7 Action Group, said: “A bypass is one project that should be looked at, especially now there is a feasibility study on extending the Borders Railway to Hawick.

“Those two projects should proceed in tandem.

“The people of Selkirk had two ballots, and the opinion was that the bypass is desirable, and I’d like to see it given priority.”

Mr Edgar said further talks are to be held with Scottish Government transport minister Humza Yousaf in a bid to persuade him to back the project.

Ballots were held after Mr Yousaf said he wanted to know how many people in the town actually wanted the bypass, before committing Government funds to the project.

The total number of votes cast in the July ballot was 451, with 373 in favour, 66 opposed and 12 spoiled papers.

Mr Edgar added: “I think there is a momentum towards the bypass because of the economic and social benefits it would provide.

“It would also benefit the Ettrick Riverside business park, which is not full to capacity at the present time.

“Now we have the flooding sorted out, the creation of a bypass would provide the access to attract new businesses to set up there.”

In addition to an economic boost, supporters of a bypass say its advantages include an increase in public safety, reduced through-traffic and less congestion for commuters.

The A7 is the main route through the Borders, with an estimated 7,000 vehicles passing through Selkirk every day.

Previous plans for a bypass have been drawn up but have been rejected by British and Scottish governments on the grounds that the project would not be expected to have that big an impact on saving lives.

Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire MSP John Lamont welcomed the creation of the new agency and said he expects it to have a major say in deciding the fate of proposals such as the Selkirk bypass.

He said: “I would expect this organisation to play a key role in promoting the views of local businesses on key infrastructure projects like the proposed Selkirk bypass and the extension of the Borders rail to Hawick and Carlisle.

“I was disappointed that the SNP refused to take forward the idea of a Selkirk bypass in the last Parliamentary session, particularly given that they campaigned on a promise to build one.

“The A7 is a major route through the Borders, and many locals continue to have concerns about safety when such a busy road goes through the heart of Selkirk.

“But clearly any diversion of the A7 must consider the impact on local businesses, and I would expect the new agency to play a major role in this.”

Luigi Caterino is no stranger to winning awards, and now the Italian Job barber is ensuring the skills that made him famous in the trade are passed on.

Fresh from a barbering exhibition in his native Italy, Luigi, also the official barber for his beloved Rangers Football Club, was in London for the launch of a national academy of barbering run by awards sponsor and trade produce manufacturer the Bluebeards Revenge.

Luigi said: “I will be the main man in the whole of Scotland running barbering courses in barbers shops, salons, and colleges.

“I look forward very much to passing on the skills I have learned from my father and grandfather.”

Barbers’ shops nationwide had been in decline over the last 20 years as men opted to visit salons, but there has been a dramatic resurgence of late in modern and traditional barbering styles and services, including wet shaves.

Fashion has restored barbering to its historic glory of late. Retro cuts from the 1920s and 1950s are held in great esteem and often remodelled for today’s clientele. As a result, the barbering business is booming.

However, the downturn in trade has meant that there is a gap in training, and that is where the Great British Barbering Academy comes in.

Supported by British Barbers’ Association co-founder Mike Taylor, the academy is dedicated to providing trained barbers and novices with the skills needed to reach new heights in an exciting and ever-changing industry.

Luigi has won several titles in the short time his shop at the corner of Channel Street in Galashiels has been open – including best master shaver in Scotland in 2014, 2015, 2016; best master shaver in UK last year; best barber in Scotland last year; and best barber’s shop this year – and he has also been in talks with Borders College to further share his skills.

Academy courses include shaving, using clippers, trimming beards and traditional barbering. They cost £150 for a one-day course. Email info@greatbritishbarberingacademy.com for more information.

Fauhope Country House bed-and-breakfast, near Gattonside, has gone above and beyond to achieve a five-star gold quality assurance award.

The guesthouse, which boasts its own in-house beauty thereapist, achieved the highest accolade awarded by VisitScotland’s Quality Assurance scheme following its latest grading visit.

The three-bedroom bedroom boutique guesthouse has been commended on its customer care and hospitality and a commitment to development and training.

Owner Sheila Robson, said: “All of us at Fauhope are delighted to have been awarded the five-star gold award from VisitScotland.

“We aim to give every guest the best possible experience of our home and indeed the Scottish Borders as a whole, from the friendliest welcome to the soundest sleep, followed by the heartiest breakfast.

“Everything we do is with our guests’ comfort and relaxation in mind, and this award is a wonderful recognition of our efforts. It makes what we do feel very worthwhile.

“We look forward to living up to the award over the coming months and years.”

Located on the outskirts of Gattonside, Fauhope Country House offers views of the Eildon Hills and the River Tweed.

It is one of only four establishments in the region to hold the coveted title after joining the School House outside Jedburgh, Kingsmuir House in Peebles and Willow Court in Jedburgh, all already been recognised for their customer care and hospitality.

Doug Wilson, regional director of VisitScotland, said: “Congratulations to Fauhope Country House bed-and-breakfast on receiving this well-deserved accolade.

“The award is a welcome boost to the business as well as the region as a whole.

“Quality assurance is about much more than just the stars on your door – it’s about the entire visitor experience. It’s about investing in your business and making it as economically sustainable, and profitable as it can possibly be.”

Marmite-gate might be over, but it has highlighted the increased responsibility being placed on the shoulders of small business owners in the UK.

When Unilever tried to hike the prices of many of our favourite products, including Marmite, Tesco suspended online sales, refusing to pay more.

The spat has now been resolved, but it is a great example of how big businesses can struggle with the post-Brexit vote uncertainty. Not only does this raise a few warning flags about the ability of big corporations to cope with change, but it also shows the importance of the role small businesses play in keeping our economy healthy.

Jonny Dunning, CEO of weliketowork.com, believes small businesses are key, “There are around 5.4million small businesses in the UK which represents 99% of all businesses in our country. They are often referred to as the engine room of our economy and rightly so as they employ more than half of all private sector workers and account for a decent proportion of the UK’s GDP.

“With this in mind it stands to reason that if we focus on helping small businesses grow, our economy is much more likely to stay healthy if big companies have a wobble”.

Brexit is making trading difficult for many small businesses and Dunning says uncertainty is to blame and is making long-term financial and business planning difficult.

“The uncertain future facing the UK is making small business owners cautious. It’s not easy to commit to long term financial planning or investing in growth when the future’s so unclear. But ironically it’s now that small businesses owners need to be more ambitious, creative and productive than ever before.”

Small businesses contributed £1.8trillion to the economy in 2015 (source: gov.uk - Department for Business Innovation and Skills), up from £1.2trillion in 2016, and represented roughly half of all private sector turnover.

But despite the levels of growth over the last 12 months, committing investment in hiring full-time staff might seem like a scary prospect for a lot of small business owners right now.

Dunning believes there is an option for small businesses to continue to push for growth and productivity without having to take large financial risks. By using a large network of freelancers in the UK, it is possible to outsource small, manageable projects, which allow businesses to stay productive.

“Small businesses owners can stay productive by tackling their objectives in smaller chunks. For example, hiring a permanent member of staff on £40,000 a year to create a new website is not an option for a lot of small businesses at the moment. But offering a website project to a freelancer can result in the same outcome for a fraction of the cost.”

Dunning continues: “It’s possible for a small business to outsource almost anything to a professional freelancer: web development, graphic design, bookkeeping, HR. What I think is really exciting is that a few small projects can kick-start growth in a small business, which can then create opportunities to hire full-time employees where this would previously have been out of the question”.

According to IPSE, the body representing freelancers in the UK, there are around 2million freelancers in the UK, covering almost every professional service from web design to accounting and HR.

Their 2015 Freelancer Survey showed that freelancers can be stay-at-home parents freelancing around raising their families, recently retired professionals or full-time employed people earning a second income by freelancing outside of their normal working hours.

The ability to reach skilled workers in the UK could increase in importance if freedom of movement is restricted to and from the EU. Dunning believes this could lead small businesses to using ‘hidden’ freelance workers like stay-at-home parents or people freelancing as a second job.

“There is a real concern about the UK’s skills shortages getting worse if we’re not able to attract workers from the EU. However UK small businesses could get a real boost from offering project work like website design, marketing, accounting or HR to freelancers, who typically would be out of the reach of their traditional recruitment options.”

To learn more about outsourcing projects to highly skilled UK freelancers visit freelance.jobstoday.co.uk

A motorist has appeared in court accused of causing the death of a mother of four by careless driving.

Roddy Graham, 27, of Denholm, was charged with the offence following a crash on the A698 road near the village on Thursday, February 11.

He appeared in private at Jedburgh Sheriff Court on Monday but made no plea or declaration, and the case was continued for further examination.

The accused was released on bail by Sheriff Peter Paterson.

Kirsty Parker, 34, also of Denholm, died at the scene of the collision with a Peugeot 207 at around 4.15pm.

Three of her children – aged one, nine and 12 – were also travelling in her Vauxhall Zafira, and they were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

She was due to get married in September.

NURSERY NURSE DISQUALIFIED

A nursery nurse who admitted driving while three-and-a-half times the legal alcohol limit has been banned from the road for 14 months.

Zoe Robertson, 54, pleaded guilty to having a breath/alcohol count of 77 microgrammes – the legal limit being 22 – on the A1107 near Coldingham on October 8.

Procurator fiscal Graham Fraser told Jedburgh Sheriff Court on Monday that she was seen by police parked in the entrance to a farm at about 11.30pm.

He said: “The engine was switched off and she appeared visibly upset and was smelling strongly of alcohol. She had been staying at a local caravan park and there had been an argument with a family friend who had stormed off, and she had been driving around trying to find her.”

Defence lawyer Mat Patrick said his client had no intention of driving, but was genuinely concerned for her friend as she might harm herself. He said: “She came to her senses and stopped driving. She has held a licence for 30 years.”

Robertson, of Forrester Park Drive, Edinburgh, was also fined £300.

CHARGED WITH SEX OFFENCE

A Berwickshire man appeared in private at Jedburgh Sheriff Court charged with having sexual activity with an under-age girl.

Liam Murray, who is 20 and from the village of Preston, near Duns, made no plea or declaration and his case was continued for further examination.

He is alleged to have committed the offence earlier this year in the Borders.

Murray was granted bail by Sheriff Peter Paterson.

BANNED FOR

50 MONTHS

An Eyemouth motorist has been disqualified from driving for more than four years at Jedburgh Sheriff Court.

Marcin Szostak, 32, of Acredale Road, pleaded guilty to committing three motoring offences near Chirnside on October 1.

He admitted driving while unfit through drink or drugs, while disqualified and with no insurance, as well as kicking a police constable.

Szostak was banned for 50 months and given an 18-month community payback order with supervision, which also involves doing 125 hours’ unpaid work.

HEROIN OFFENDER

An Eyemouth man found in possession of heroin has admitted spending between £40 and £60 a day on the class A drug.

Dougal Windram, 41, of Chapel Street, pleaded guilty to the offence which happened at Bennison Square, Eyemouth, on April 21.

Jedburgh Sheriff Court was told seven wraps of brown powder – valued at £150 – were found.

Defence lawyer Ross Dow said his client had a long-standing heroin addiction. He had managed to kick the habit, but started again.

Sentence was deferred for six months for good behaviour.

£200 BILL FOR RACIST REMARKS

A patient has admitted making racially-offensive remarks towards a doctor at Borders General Hospital in Melrose.

James Markie, 48, told the doctor he should return to his original home and learn to speak English.

But the procurator fiscal, Graham Fraser, told Jedburgh Sheriff Court on Monday that the doctor was born in Huddersfield and spoke perfectly good English.

“It was a very objectionable thing to say to someone who was trying to assess him,” added the fiscal.

Markie, of Murray Place, Denholm, also pleaded guilty to assaulting Brian Hall at a house in Headrig, Jedburgh, earlier on Friday, March 18, by repeatedly punching and kicking him to the head.

He was given a restriction-of-liberty order, keeping him in his home for the next 11 months between 7pm and 7am, and told to pay £200 compensation to the doctor.

THREATS MADE VIA SOCIAL MEDIA

A Hawick man has admitted making threats of violence via social media messages.

Aaron Atkinson, 24, of Allars Bank, pleaded guilty to placing a man and a woman in a state of fear and alarm.

The offence happened at Bourtree Place, Hawick, on Sunday, July 24.

Sentence was deferred until Monday, November 14.

Cocaine charge going to trial

Lisa Sharkey, 32, will stand trial at Jedburgh Sheriff Court on January 10 on a charge of being in possession of cocaine at her Branxholme Road home in Hawick on Friday, July 22.

DANGEROUS DRIVING TRIAL

A motorist has denied a charge of dangerous driving.

Alexander McCombe, 62, of Towerburn Cottage, Bedrule, pleaded not guilty at Jedburgh Sheriff Court to driving a motor pick-up dangerously and overtaking vehicles in the face of oncoming traffic on the A698 between Heiton and Eckford on Sunday, June 5.

His trial date was set for Thursday, December 1.

SENTENCING DATE FOR THIEF

A painter and decorator will be sentenced at Jedburgh Sheriff Court on Tuesday, November 29, for stealing £900 worth of jewellery while working in a house.

Terry West, 68, of Mansefield Court, Kelso, pleaded guilty to committing the offence on Saturday, May 21, in the Tofts area of the town.

MAN ACCUSED OF BENEFITS FIDDLE

A Hawick man will stand trial next month on charges of receiving benefits of more than £10,000 he was not entitled to.

Craig Kewin, 32, of Chay Blyth Place, pleaded not guilty to failing to notify a change in his circumstances when claiming employment support allowance, namely that he was living with someone.

He denies receiving £231.43 he was not entitled to in October 2011.

Kewin also pleaded not guilty to receiving £4,545.09 between November 2011 and November 2013, and another £6,301.39 in benefits between October 2011 and January 2014.

The case was continued until Monday, November 14.

SHOP BREAK-IN ALLEGATION

John Donaldson, 48, of Ivanhoe Terrace, Hawick, will stand trial at Jedburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday, December 1, on a charge of breaking into Adam’s Shoe Repairs in Bourtree Place, Hawick, on Sunday, May 15, and stealing two watches.

MAN, 27, FACES ASSAULT CHARGE

A Kelso man appeared in private charged with assaulting a man to his severe injury.

It follows an incident in Kelso Square during the early hours of Sunday when a 27-year-old man sustained facial injuries and had to be taken to Borders General Hospital.

Joshua Watson, 23, made no plea or declaration, and his case was continued for further examination.

He was released on bail.

LAMB KILLED BY DOGS, COURT TOLD

A Newcastleton man has been accused of allowing dogs to worry a sheep and a lamb.

Mark Ashe, 37, denies the offence, said to have involved his lurcher-type dog and an Irish hound on land near his Whisgills home on June 18.

The charge alleges that the lamb was killed.

A trial date has been set for Jedburgh Sheriff Court on January 24, with an intermediate hearing to be held on December 12.

WARRANT ISSUED FOR ARREST

A warrant has been issued for the arrest of a Hawick woman who failed to turn up at Jedburgh Sheriff Court.

Emma Stewart, 23, of Duke Street, previously admitted biting two police officers during a disturbance in North Bridge Street, Hawick, on April 20.

Stewart bit one constable on the body to his injury and also assaulted another officer by biting him on the body and spitting blood at him.

TEEN DENIES POLICE ASSAULT

A Galashiels teenager has been accused of wiping blood on a police constable during a disturbance inside Jedburgh Sheriff Court.

David Scougall, 18, of Gala Park Court, appeared from custody back at the same courthouse on Thursday and denied assaulting the officer on the previous day.

Scougall also denies injuring two police officers by struggling violently with them, kicking and attempting to butt them, and also behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by challenging the officers to fight.

He further pleaded not guilty to struggling with ambulance personnel and police officers in a police vehicle in Hawick on Saturday, March 5, and failing to appear in court on two occasions.

A trial date was fixed for Thursday, November 17, at Jedburgh Sheriff Court.

MAN GRABBED WOMAN’S BOTTOM

A Berwickshire man has admitted engaging in a course of conduct which caused fear and alarm to a woman.

Michael Oliver, 40, pleaded guilty to approaching the woman in Gordon Bowling Club on June 12 and laying his head on her chest, seizing her by the buttocks, following her into the toilets and attempting to enter a cubicle she was using.

Oliver, who lives near Gordon, also admitted turning up at the woman’s address and repeatedly attempting to gain entry while uninvited, refusing to leave when requested to do so.

Defence lawyer Ross Dow told Jedburgh Sheriff Court his client stupidly took a drink while on medication and had no recollection of the incident, adding: “He was mortified by his conduct.”

Sheriff Peter Paterson deferred sentence for a year for good behaviour and told Oliver he wanted him to save up £400 during that period so he could pay compensation to the woman.

TEENAGERS WILL GO ON TRIAL

Two Hawick teenagers are due to stand trial on charges of assault and behaving in a threatening or abusive manner.

Connor Jackson, 19, of Duke Street, and a 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, both pleaded not guilty to the offences which are alleged to have been committed in Hawick’s Branxholmee Road and Silverbuthall Road on Sunday, August 14.

Jackson faces a third charge of brandishing a bottle at a police constable in Princes Street, Hawick.

A trial date was fixed at Jedburgh Sheriff Court for Thursday, December 1.

Motorcyclist denies charge

A Kelso man has been accused of riding a motorcycle while double the alcohol limit.

Peter Darlington, 60, of Springwood Rise, denies having a breath-alcohol count of 44 microgrammes, the legal limit being 22, on the A6089 near Kelso on August 20.

A trial date has been fixed for December 1 at Jedburgh Sheriff Court.

EMBEZZLEMENT ALLEGATION

A woman will stand trial next year on an embezzlement charge.

Catherine Knight, 23, of Scott Crescent, Hawick, pleaded not guilty at Jedburgh Sheriff Court to embezzling money and vouchers from clients to the value of £355 while working as an agent for Merseyside-based Park Retail between November 2014 and October 2015.

A trial date has been fixed for Tuesday, January 24, with an intermediate hearing on Monday, December 12.

BACKGROUND REPORTS

Background reports have been ordered on a Hawick woman after she admitted a second drug-dealing offence.

Maryanne Kellagher, 30, pleaded guilty at Jedburgh Sheriff Court to being concerned in the supply of cannabis at her home in Burnhead Road on Monday, April 18.

Sheriff Peter Paterson told her: “This is a serious issue. It is the second occasion that you have been supplying a class-B drug. I will call for a restriction-of-liberty assessment to see if there is any alternative to a custodial sentence.”

The case will recall on Tuesday, November 29.

MAN APPEARED FROM CUSTODY

A 46-year-old man appeared from custody at Jedburgh Sheriff Court and denied three offences.

Dale Forrest, previously of Galashiels but now of Macmerry, near Tranent, denies threatening or abusive behaviour, and headbutting the inside of a police van on the A7 on Saturday. He also pleaded not guilty to damaging the police vehicle and assault at Borders General Hospital.

A trial date was set for January 31, with an intermediate hearing on December 19.