Jedburgh and Hawick are at the bottom of a new top 10 league table reflecting the socio-economic wellbeing of the town centres of the region’s biggest towns.

At the other end of the spectrum in terms of prosperity are Peebles and Melrose.

The latest town centre index compiled by Scottish Borders Council’s economic development department offers a snapshot of all 10 towns in the region with a population of more than 2,000.

The data, presented to last week’s meeting of the council’s executive committee, was ordered to “provide a way to better understand the economic and social rubustness or potential need of our town centres relative to one another and provide an objective basis for prioritising public-sector interventions”.

Each town is scored on 17 criteria including population trends, town centre footfall, vacant shops, housing tenure, unemployment and educational qualifications, providing scope for a score of up to 170.

The index reveals that Jedburgh and Hawick shared the lowest mark of 56, giving them a rank of one.

Peebles, with a score of 133, enjoyed the top ranking of 10, followed by Melrose on nine, Innerleithen on eight, Kelso and Duns both on six, Selkirk on five, Galashiels on four and Eyemouth on three.

According to the index, Hawick suffered a 42% drop in daily town centre footfall – from 7,480 to 4,360 – between 2012 and 2015.

In the same timeframe, Jedburgh’s footfall fell 15%, from 2,900 to 2,460, and the number of empty retail units there rose by 4%, with 23 of the town’s 91 shops vacant.

By contrast, Kelso clocked up a 27% rise in daily footfall, from 4,360 to 5,550.

Jedburgh councillor Jim Brown has long attributed the downturn in his town’s economic fortunes to the 2004 de-trunking of the A68 south of Carter Bar.

At last week’s meeting, he called for English road authorities to be urged to install signs to encourage drivers to use the A68 instead of the A1.

And he welcomed the Scottish Government study, due for completion at the end of this year, to identify improvements to the infrastructure of three of the region’s trunk routes – the A1, A68 and the A7 south of Galashiels.

Pupils at 10 schools across the region put their best feet forward to earn accolades at this year’s Scottish Borders Council active school travel awards.

Nine primaries were given shields for having the highest percentage of pupils travelling in by either walking, cycling or using a scooter, and Hawick High won the prize competed for by the region’s nine high schools.

The winners are decided using information provided by a national survey and collated by travel charity Sustrans.

Besides Hawick High, this year’s winners were Chirnside and Cockburnspath primaries in Berwickshire, Tweedbank Primary, Knowepark Primary in Selkirk, Burnfoot Community School in Hawick, St Ronan’s Primary in Innerleithen and Ancrum, Ednam and Newtown primaries.

The council’s executive member for education, Galashiels councillor Sandy Aitchison, said: “These awards aim to recognise the efforts of pupils, teachers and parents in actively travelling to school.

“Well done to all the winners, and I hope to see another year of active travel by schools throughout the Borders.”

A dozen youngsters from all over the region are celebrating after winning prizes in a contest run by Live Borders’ libraries team.

The competition to design the best bookmarks attracted almost 250 entries, and the youngsters responsible for the best 12 were given their awards at a ceremony held at Galashiels Library. They will also get to see their creations reproduced and made available at all Live Borders libraries.

Communities librarian Christine Johnston said: “We were over the moon to have received 239 entries for the bookmark competition.

“It was a pleasure to see so many artistic and imaginative entries but very difficult to judge as the standard was incredibly high.

“Thank you to everyone who entered the competition and a big well done to the winners.

“The printed designs are fantastic. You can visit your local library and choose your favourite design or collect all 12.”

Ewan Jackson, chief executive of Live Borders, presented the winners with their prizes, and he said: “The bookmark competition is a fun way to engage with children and spread the word about libraries.

“The children really enjoy seeing their work reproduced and used by friends, family and members of the public.

The winners were Kitty Volino, 10, and Ellie Roper, nine, both of Innerleithen; Roberta Turner, 10, and Isla Bethune, nine, both of Selkirk; Edith Stuart, 11, of Duns; Charlotte Bunyan, nine, of Earlston; Ella Moore, seven, of Gattonside; Nicole Gunn, seven, of Westruther; Finlay Buckley, seven, and Sophia Jones, four, both of Hawick; Kate Campbell, five, of Fountainhall; and Faizan Adnan, four, of Kelso.

A section of road closed for preliminary works ahead of construction of flood defences in Hawick is to reopen tomorrow, February 11, four days ahead of schedule.

The stretch of Commercial Road between Bruce Motors and the North Bridge roundabout has been shut since Wednesday, January 25, to allow the flood protection scheme team to confirm the suitability of the road’s structure for future flood defences.

It was scheduled to be closed for three weeks, but the work being carried out by Galashiels-based contractor Holequest is said to be progressing well enough for the road, part of the A7, to reopen early, at noon tomorrow.

Scottish Borders Council’s executive member for roads and infrastructure, Selkirkshire councillor Gordon Edgar, said: “The council is pleased to reopen the road earlier than anticipated and thanks the local businesses and people of Hawick for their patience during the closure.

“While the closure of Commercial Road did cause disruption, the work carried out has provided vital information on the road structure and what lies below it, which will be invaluable for taking forward the Hawick flood protection Scheme.”

Businesses in Commercial Road will welcome its early reopening as several have reported reductions in their takings since the road was closed including Shorts of Hawick’s knitwear factory shop and the Quality Used Furniture Warehouse.

During the closure, two pupils from Hawick High School are due to start engineering degrees at university later this year were given a short tour of the Commercial Road site.

Holequest staff including Fraser Murray explained to pupils Katie Kampion and Murray Cockburn how the survey of the structure of the road was carried out.

Mr Edgar added: “I am pleased a local company was used to carry out this essential work and that they were able to host local school pupils, who will have gained a valuable insight ahead of their future careers.”

The £36.4m flood protection scheme is currently in its outline design phase.

It has already received its first tranche of the £29.2m funding the Scottish Government will be providing, a payout of £1.34m.

More details of the scheme are available at www.hawickfloodscheme.com or www.facebook.com/hawickfloodprotectionscheme

Today’s snowfalls in parts of the Borders are expected to be followed by more over the weekend.

Snow is forecast to continue falling lightly and intermittently today, February 10, settling in a few parts of the region, and further snow is expected to follow in places on Sunday, February 12, but not tomorrow, February 11.

Britons are being urged to wrap up ahead of a bitterly cold weekend that will see the country lashed by icy winds and snow.

The Met Office has issued weather warnings for south east and central England and parts of southern Scotland, with icy roads and drifting snow potentially causing problems for ttravellers.

Temperatures across much of the UK are likely to be just a few degrees above freezing, but with cold winds blowing in from Scandinavia, it might well feel much chillier,

Met Office spokeswoman Nicola Maxey said: “In areas like the Pennines, North Yorkshire Moors and the southern Highlands, we are looking at lying snow of 3cm to 6cm above 200m and maybe as much as 10cm above 300m.

“Down the eastern side of the UK, we are likely to see snow flurries, sleet and showers coming through, which are likely to turn wintry.

“We could see gales in the north east of England, with drifting snow, and we could see icy conditions and disruptions to transport, particularly on higher routes through the Pennines.”

The weather warnings are in force from 6pm today until 10am tomorrow, covering higher ground in the north between Sheffield and Edinburgh and Kent and Sussex in the south of England.

Overnight into Saturday, there will be widespread frosts, particularly in the west.

Temperatures are expected to fall to 1C in Eyemouth, zero in Jedburgh and -1C in Hawick and Selkirk tonight, but to rise as high as 5C tomorrow.

Last week’s decision to introduce a 30p entry charge at 27 of the 41 public toilets across the Borders will stand despite being challenged by opposition members of Scottish Borders Council.

A group of six Conservative members led by Hawick and Hermitage councillor George Turnbull asked to call in the decision for further scrutiny at the council’s full meeting last Thursday in a bid to overturn the executive’s decision to phase in the charges over the next financial year.

The Tory group claimed there had been a lack of public consultation despite the issue being of great importance and public interest.

Mr Turnbull said: “There is no suggestion in this proposal that the quality of the facilities will be improved, and we believe charging the public for the privilege of using them is counterproductive when we are desperately trying to attract more visitors to the region to help regenerate our towns.”

“The Conservative group believes the projected savings are over-optimistic given the likelihood that there will be public resistance to the charges and that the machines are likely to be a magnet for theft and vandalism.”

He was backed up by Tweeddale East councillor Gavin Logan who added: “I think we are putting the cart before the horse here. We should engage with the public, we have to go through a consultation and find out what the people of the Borders think and then made a decision.”

Council leader David Parker said that while he had “some degree of sympathy” with the issues raised he defended the original decision as being the correct one. In response to Mr Turnbull’s concerns over the projected income not being met, he claimed the charge will help increase the standard of the facilities and therefore the amount of people using them.

Councillor Davie Paterson said that if the council does not make the savings within non-statutory services such as public conveniences, then they will have to be found elsewhere.

He said: “We have a large geographical area to cover in the Borders, and we have had to make some extremely hard decisions.

“Whoever gets in as the next administration, difficult decisions will have to be taken.”

Tweeddale East councillor Stuart Bell, the council’s executive member for economic development assured the committee that “the executive still fully support the provision of public conveniences” and went on to brand the debate as “preposterous”.

Mr Turnbull’s motion to overturn last week’s decision was outvoted 19-11 by council leader David Parker’s call for the original decision to be accepted.

After an initial capital outlay of £200,000 to install automated entry machines at the selected facilities, the regime is expected to achieve full year savings of £211,000 for a council which currently spends £323,000 a year maintaining 41 public toilets.

Savings of £141,000 are predicted in 2017-18 and are included in the administration’s revenue budget.

A 30p charge will be introduced at the authority’s public toilets in Galashiels at its High Street car park, Bank Street gardens and transport interchange; in Hawick at the Common Haugh, Howegate and Volunteer Park; in Peebles at Kingsmeadows, the Eastgate car park and School Brae; in Jedburgh at Lothian Park and its tourist information centre; in Kelso at Shedden Park and Woodmarket; Selkirk Market Place; Innerleithen’s Hall Street; the Avenue in Lauder; Earlston bus station; St Boswells’ Main Street; Melrose’s Abbey Place; Newcastleton’s Langholm Street; and St Mary’s Loch in the Yarrow Valley.

Charges are also on the way at loos in Eyemouth at the Bantry car park and harbour, at Coldstream’s courthouse car park, at St Abbs Harbour, at Coldingham Sands and in Duns at Briery Baulk.

The council-run toilets that will remain free are those at Chirnside, Greenlaw, Burnmouth, Cockburnspath, Jedburgh’s Lothian car park, Kelso’s Croft Park, Yetholm, Morebattle, Greenyards in Melrose, Selkirk’s Scotts Place, Denholm, West Linton and Broughton.

A whisky distillery due to open in Hawick later this year is planning to waste not, want not – and it’s putting its money where its mouth is by looking to invest £3m in a pioneering zero-waste facility.

The extra cash the Glasgow-based Three Stills Company is hoping to raise for the waste-processing operation would take the budget for its Commercial Road distillery to £13m.

Plans to convert the Hawick Urban Electric Supply Company’s old home into the first large-scale distillery in the Borders for 200 years were approved last July.

The latest proposals for the site would see a facility for turning waste from the distilling process into biogas, and that, in turn, would be used in a steam boiler to help power the whisky-producing operation.

John Fordyce, a co-founder of the Three Stills Company, told the Hawick News: “Distilleries produce co-products, as what once was considered waste is now known as in Scotland, which is an inevitable part of the distilling process, and in traditional facilities, these co-products are usually taken off in a lorry to another site.

“However, the Scottish Government and the Scotch whisky industry has an agreement for targets to remove that waste and potential harm to the environment through co-products and the use of renewable energy.

“We will use these co-products to create our own energy, and we will also not be creating pollution through the likes of having to use additional lorries that may be commuting over long distances, so we are now trying to comply with that agreement.

“By processing 100% of our liquid co-products to make biogas, we remove any potential harm to the environement.

“We are basically keeping everything on site, and we would have no waste. It would be a circular process.”

In an unusual move for an entire industry, it was announced last September that makers of Scotch whisky would agree to targets to see 40% of energy used in production come from non-fossil fuels by 2030, and that is hoped to double by 2050.

Adding to that, the Borders Distillery, as the new site will be known, will offer draff, another name for spent barley, to local farmers to be used as animal feed for livestock.

It is expected that 20 new jobs will be created at the site and that whisky production will begin later this year, with the distilling process expected to start at the end of August.

Renovation work to the site is currently ongoing.

John added: “This is at the forefront of modern distilling and is something quite new, different and funky, which is what we are all about.”

Hawick and Denholm councillor Watson McAteer has welcomed the latest proposals, saying: “The proposal to build a zero-waste facility at the Borders Distillery is highly innovative, and using co-products generated from the manufacturing process to help generate power will reduce costs and improve the environment in Hawick.

“I am confident that this will satisfy the planning authority and be agreed soon to allow distilling to take place later this year.”

The plant has been designed by Berkshire-based Clearfleau, a firm specialising in engineering solutions to enable food and drinks companies to become more sustainable and environmentally friendly.

It will turn co-products from the distillery into biogas using a process called anaerobic digestion.

Rosemary Gallagher, head of communications at the Scotch Whisky Association, said: “The Scotch whisky industry has a long-term commitment to sustainability and has an ambitious and far-reaching environmental strategy.”

“The strategy was launched in 2009 and refreshed last year as a clear sign of bold industry intentions on sustainability, and it is the only one in Scotland covering an entire industry.

“Scotch, made with only the three raw materials of water, cereals and yeast, is very much a product of its natural environment.”

Hawick residents can expect a knock on the doors over the next few days from volunteers passing on advice that could help save them a small fortune.

Members of Hawick Volunteer Flood Group have been going around house to house since last Saturday to make people aware of a UK Government-backed flood reassurance scheme known as Flood Re.

It is making cheaper home insurance available to people whose properties are most at risk of flooding.

With Hawick still counting the cost of Storm Desmond in December 2015 and a town flood protection scheme some years off, the scheme is seen as an ideal opportunity for townsfolk to get themselves covered in case of a repeat performance.

Stuart Marshall, chairman of the volunteer flood group, says he knows of many people in the town who do not have insurance because of the massive excesses that apply, and it is believed that about 1,000 households in the town could take advantage of the initiative.

Mr Marshall, also a councillor for Hawick and Denholm, said: “On Saturday we launched a massive door-to-door exercise in the town, and during the next 10 days or so, our group will be delivering a leaflet with vital information on how 1,000 householders can take full advantage of the Government-backed Flood Re scheme.

“This scheme is designed to offer all those who are most at risk from flooding a chance to gain cheaper home insurance with affordable excesses.

“The scheme has already been backed by more than 90% of British insurers, and with that level of support, I am confident it will be very competitive indeed.

“I am delighted that the volunteer flood group is right at the front of supporting this fantastic scheme, and hopefully those who receive these leaflets will read them very carefully as not only are we targeting those homes specifically, but more importantly it may also help to gain them access to affordable flood insurance.

“I know many people in the town who don’t have insurance for flooding simply because they just can’t afford the massive excesses that apply. This scheme is designed to take that burden away.”

Flood Re was successfully launched in April last year, and a drop-in session to promote it was also staged at Hawick Rugby Club last month.

Flood Re allows insurers to make affordable home insurance available even for those households that have suffered flooding in the past.

An important part of the Flood Re scheme is to provide information to consumers about how to increase their understanding of their level of flood risk and how they can take action to reduce that risk.

The scheme will be in place for a further 23 years and is designed to enable flood cover to be affordable for those households at highest risk of flooding and increase availability and choice of insurers for customers.

It will also allow time for the Government, local authorities, insurers and communities to become better prepared for flooding and create a level playing field for new entrants and existing insurers.

Hawick’s long-awaited river defences might still be years away from completion, but the arrival of a new water rescue unit at the town’s fire station will offer some peace of mind to Teries fearful of further flooding.

The unit, now ready for deployment from the Howdenbank station to anywhere in the Borders or beyond, is a purpose-built vehicle to carry up to six firefighters and tow a permanently-inflated boat on a trailer.

Other equipment on board includes an inflatable rescue sled, inflatable mud path, floating hose, throw lines, personal protective equipment for crews, a first aid bag and defibrillator.

Russell Bell, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s Hawick-based station commander for the Borders, said: “All the whole-time watches at Hawick have been undergoing intensive training over the last few months, and this has seen them become proficient in a wide range of skills, including carrying out rescue from a riverbank, from the boat or physically entering the water to retrieve a casualty.

“Some staff have been trained as boat operators, and this allows them to manoeuvre the boat in conditions ranging from rapid water on the river to severe flooding on a high street.

“I know they’re delighted to have this resource and recognise its worth.

“The introduction of the unit at Hawick is not only a fantastic addition to our local resources but also to the Scottish Borders community and can provide further resilience in the event of climate-related flooding and other inland water-related incidents.”

The decision to provide an additional water rescue capability in the Scottish Borders follows a review by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service of its specialist equipment.

The project is ongoing with the aims of providing equitable access to specialist resources across Scotland while ensuring the service has the correct resources in the correct locations based on risk.

This new addition sees an increase in water rescue capability within the Borders, with crews at Galashiels fire station also providing a water rescue response.

Further cover is provided by retained staff at both Hawick and Galashiels being trained to respond to flooding incidents.

Although the water rescue teams are based in Hawick and Galashiels, they can be deployed anywhere in Scotland, as well as providing mutual aid to their opposite numbers south of the border.

The full line-up of events making up this year’s Hawick Reivers’ Festival has now been announced.

Activities for people of all ages will be on offer from Friday, March 24, until Sunday, March 26, including historical re-enactments, ceilidhs, tours and plays.

The festival, held annually by Hawick Reivers’ Association since 2003, celebrates the Borders’ history from the 14th to the 17th centuries, a period characterised by cross-border raids in both directions by reivers.

Association chairwoman Catherine Elliot said: “The festival is a very popular annual event. As it takes place right at the start of the tourist season, we are really hoping to get a lot of visitors to the area. Of course, we also hope that there will be a large turnout from the locals too.”

The festival will open with a family ceilidh featuring music by the Reivers Ceilidh Band at Hawick Auld Baths, in Bath Street, on the Friday at 8pm, with tickets priced £5.

The opening night will also include guided tours including tales of the townsfolk’s ancestors.

Saturday will see a 16th century-style market open from 10.30am in High Street with live music and games.

A parade will proceed aalong High Street at 10.45am, and pupils at Drumranlig St Cuthbert’s Primary School will act out a four-part play at St Mary’s Church at noon.

Headteacher Jeanette Gordon said: “The schoolchildren will prepare a four-part performance all about different families at the time of the reivers, which is hopefully going to give a different flavour of the importance of families of that time.

“At the school hall, they will have a reivers-themed breakfast to really soak in the whole experience, then they will walk up to the meeting point, where they will take part in the parade before holding their performance at the church.”

A performance by Stirches Primary School pupils will follow at 12.45pm of Alan Jermison’s play A Reiver’s Romance.

Later, a torchlight procession will be held at 6pm from the Common Haugh, and at Wilton Lodge Park, there will be a firework display from 7.30pm in the bandstand area.

Visitors are also invited to a reivers-style banquet at the Auld Baths at 8.15pm.

Entertainment will be provided by Hawick minstrels including Michael Aitken, Henry Douglas, Billy Young, Robert Scott and Michael Scouler.

Tickets cost £15, or £8 for primary school-age children, or £100 for a table of eight.

On the Sunday, a literary high tea will be hosted by Hawick Rotary Club, and author Rosemary Goring will give a talk on the Battle of Flodden in 1513 and its aftermath.

Tickets for events can be bought at ILF Imaging in Sandbed, at Dorward’s gift shop in High Street or online at borderevents.com

For further details, go to www.hawickreivers.com

Shares in a £2,000 prize kitty are the icing on the cake for a dedicated team of shop workers in Hawick.

The 15 staff at the Iceland supermarket in Victoria Road are celebrating after winning the company’s Christmas incentive cash prize.

In the run-up to the festive period, customer service was judged at all of the chain’s 14 stores in southern Scotland up to Edinburgh.

Mystery shoppers were even drafted in to test staff helpfulness and interaction with customers.

And the Hawick outlet proved triumphant, seeing off competition from its nearest rival, the Granton Iceland supermarket near Edinburgh.

That success only came after a number of near misses, however, according to Bill Innes, the store’s manager for the last seven years.

“This incentive competition is something the company stages every year and is based on customer service and mystery shopper results,” he said.

“Our store’s results were judged against those for the 14 other stores in the area.

“We have been there or thereabouts in the last few years as our staff really engage well with the customers.

“I’ve been told by head office that, in the end, it all came down to the mystery shopper result, and that it was between ourselves and Granton.

“It’s an appreciation of the work on the shopfloor and at the tills and the service we give to customers, which is first class.”

Bill is the only non-Teri working at the store, open in Hawick for over two decades, adding: “I live in Galashiels but all the other staff are from Hawick.

“I’ve worked here seven years, and I hope to be here for at least another seven. It’s a great place to work.”

The staff’s success has been given the thumbs-up by customers on various Facebook sites.

Janice Rudkin posted: “You are all great customer-centred staff. You allowed me to shop before Christmas just before you were about to shut. It is well deserved.”

Linda Frame added: “I was in there a few weeks ago buying loads of food for the sponsors’ buffet at Kelso Rugby Club, and the staff were so friendly and extremely helpful. It was a pleasure to shop there. Well done from a satisfied customer.”

And Michael Bell said: “Bill has always been an excellent manager. He ran Woolies so well in Gala for many years.”

The wait is almost over as Hawick shoppers prepare to welcome the return of the town’s Lidl supermarket next week.

The company has confirmed its new store in Wilton Path is to reopen its doors from 8am next Thursday after undergoing a complete rebuild.

It was originally due to open yesterday, but that date has now been put back a week as the store was not ready.

Hawick and Denholm councillor and honorary provost Stuart Marshall will be on hand to cut the ribbon, and customers will be given the chance to sample some of Lidl’s produce throughout the day.

The supermarket forms part of ongoing expansion and regeneration plans in the UK that will eventually see the German-based budget chain’s store portfolio here increase to 1,500.

Hawick shoppers will certainly notice the difference as in addition to the creation of 15 jobs, the store’s sales area has been vastly increased.

New facilities also include a bakery, longer dual-style tills, customer toilets, baby-changing facilities and ample parking for both cars and bicycles.

The glass-fronted facade of the building has been designed to maximise natural daylight, and sensor-controlled exterior sun blinds will operate automatically.

The electrical lighting system is made up entirely of LED fittings said to be 50% more energy-efficient than traditional lights.

Gordon Rafferty, Lidl’s head of property for Scotland, said: “We would like to thank all those who have played a part in improving our Lidl store in Hawick.

“It is wonderful for us to create more jobs and investment opportunities in the area, and we can’t wait to start serving our multi-award winning products in the local community once again.”

Mr Marshall said he was delighted to have been invited to do the honours at next week’s official opening and believes townsfolk are excited about its arrival despite concerns from some quarters that its arrival, along with that of a nearby Aldi, could further hit trade on the already-struggling High Street.

He said: “I think the design is modern, bright and attractive, and compared to the former building it certainly lends itself perfectly to this part of town.

“I have lost count of how many times I have been asked as to when will this new store be open.

“We mustn’t forget that the opening of this store is not only for Hawick.

“I think it will also complement all the other development works that are going on in that particular part of our town, and I’m sure it will give visitors to Hawick some added choice. I am delighted to have been invited by Lidl to open the store.”

A shop worker was left requiring hospital treatment for injuries inflicted on him during a robbery at a Galashiels post office and newsagent’s yesterday.

A raider armed with an unspecified weapon, said not to be a firearm, threatened, then attacked a a 33-year-old man working at the Gala Park Post Office, in Balmoral Place, leaving him with what police describe as a serious head injury.

The robber also attacked a customer, a 61-year-old man, after he tried to intervene during the assault on the shop worker, then fled with a four-figure sum of money and cigarettes taken from behind the counter.

His haul also included a mobile phone and wallet taken from the customer.

The member of staff required treatment for his injury at the Borders General Hospital in Melrose but has since been released. The customer was unhurt, however.

The robber is described as being a white man in his early 20s, wearing black trousers, a black top, light pink trainers and a black scarf covering his face.

He was also carrying a black backpack possibly with pink markings on it.

Police trying to identify the robber are appealing for help from anyone about in Balmoral Place or nearby yesterday morning.

Detective constable Andrew Hope, of Police Scotland’s Borders criminal investigation department, said: “This was a shocking attack. It was vicious, and the member of staff sustained a serious head injury during the attack.

“He was taken by ambulance to the Borders General Hospital, where he was treated and has since been released.

“The suspect had no thought for the staff member or the customer, who, thankfully, was not injured in the incident.

“The post office is a busy place, as is Gala Park, where the suspect made off towards, so I would appeal to anyone who saw the attack and who hasn’t already spoken to police, or anyone who can assist officers with their inquiries, to contact us via 101 or, alternatively, Crimestoppers on 0800 555111, where details can be given in confidence.”

The robbery took place between 7.30am and 7.45am yesterday.

The Borders General Hospital’s maternity unit has been given a £400 boost by a charity set up to help women come to terms with the trauma of stillbirth.

Lauder-based charity Zaagi transforms donated wedding dresses into gowns and blankets for youngsters born dead in an effort to help ease the stress and pain felt by their grieving parents.

Its founder, Kim Shaw-Walker, and volunteer Michelle Gibb handed the money over to staff at the Melrose hospital including obstetrician Brian Magowan.

That money was half of £800 raised by the charity via table-top sales of cakes, craft items and knitwear.

The other half will pay for thread and other materials used in recycling dresses.

Kim, 46, originally from the US, founded the charity in 2015, two years after giving birth to a stillborn baby girl.

She said: “As the time drew near to leave the hospital, we had one last opportunity to spend time with her.

“We wanted to dress her. It became clear to us, with very little time left, that none of the outfits we had for her would remotely fit her, and suddenly we were faced with the urgent need to find something that was appropriate.

“Speaking to a friend who worked as a counsellor, she asked if there was anything that could have been done differently, what would it be I answered ‘something to dress her in’.”

Kim researched clothing for stillborn babies and found a range of charities worldwide that transform wedding dresses to help comfort grieving parents.

She said: “When we decided on the idea of what garment it should be, it was important to consider just how special the item of clothing was in that this garment is every item of clothing the baby is going to wear. It is everything. It is the first shoes, the first.

“It therefore had to be something really special. I researched projects across the world and came across the likes of Angel Gowns in the US, among others, that were using this idea of recycling wedding garments.

“They are so special, but also the fabrics are usually the ones used for baby garments such as baby burial outfits.

“The materials are usually higher-quality fabrics and you can get a lot of material from the dresses.

Following a post by Kim on Facebook, Michelle was one of the first to respond and sent in a donated wedding dress.

Together, the pair established Zaagi, that being a native American word meaning to love and treasure, and it was granted charitable status in November 2015.

Zaagi now has 15 regular volunteers making dresses and blankets, and it is hoping to double that over the next year as it has more than 400 wedding dresses waiting to be recycled and each dress can yield about a dozen baby garments.

Kim added: “We want to have gowns in as many hospitals as possible, so that parents don’t have to deal with that one more horrible thing.”

Dr Macgowan said: “All money donated is used to enhance patient care and can often fund the simple things that can make a big difference.”

Donations can be made to the charity at www.facebook.com/zaagiUK

Dumfriesshire farmer Andrew McCornick has been elected the 62nd president of NFU Scotland. Mr McCornick, previously a vice-president at the Union, now takes over one of the top jobs in Scottish agriculture.

Andrew, is married with three sons and a daughter. He was born and brought up on a dairy farm in Wigtown. Andrew and wife Janice farm their 230+ ha unit at Barnbackle, Lochfoot, with 160 suckler cows and 600 breeding ewes with a small herd of pedigree Charolais cattle.

Perthshire farmer Martin Kennedy and Gary Mitchell from Wigtownshire are the Union’s new vice-presidents.

In the vote, taken at the Union’s council meeting in Glasgow, Mr McCornick secured the presidential spot, after a keenly fought election contest which saw him run against sitting president Allan Bowie and fellow vice-president Rob Livesey. The unsuccessful vice-presidential candidate was Lanarkshire’s Tom French.

After the election, NFU Scotland’s new president Mr McCornick commented: “Wow! There are difficult and challenging times ahead but I have been given a mandate by members to represent them – I see the membership as part of the team – and I am honoured to carry their message forward.

“It is a big operation to get our views on the importance of Scottish farming in to the highest places in government so let’s get stuck in.

“We are on a mission to take this industry forward so let’s make it count.”

The elections took place at the Union’s council meeting at the Radisson Blu Hotel. The Union’s AGM, conference and annual dinner was staged at the same venue the previous day.

The presidential position is held for two years and a president can serve a maximum of two consecutive two-year terms. Under the terms of the constitution, Mr Kennedy and Mr Mitchell, being elected to the position of vice-president for the first time, will initially serve for two years before the post reverts to an annual election.

A Duns farmer who has been breeding Aberdeen-Angus cattle for almost 30 years, won the supreme championship at Stirling, just eight months before he retires.

David Lucas and his wife Christine, from Cheeklaw Farm, won the honour on the opening day of the Stirling Bull Sales with their home-bred intermediate champion, the May 2015-born Cheeklaw Jake Eric by Cardona Proud Punch.

In the sale itself he sold for 10,000gns to Albert Decogan, Cork, Ireland.

Dave, who originally farmed in Wales and moved to Scotland 26 years ago, said he would be dispersing his 40-cow herd at Stirling’s October bull sales. “We’ve reached the top of our game. It’s the time to go,” he explained.

Dave’s daughter Sian added: “Brought out on the day by the Rettie family, Cheeklaw Jake Eric was born May 2015. He is by Cardona Proud Punch L752, out of the Tweedside Jewgal Eric Z083 daughter. He carries a milk figure of +15, a positive direct calving ease and a self replacing index of +48.”

Standing reserve overall champion was the junior champion from John and Marion Tilson, and their daughter Wanda Hobbs, of Wedderlie, near Westruther.

The Tilson family, who run a herd 200 cows, lifted the reserve title with home-bred September-2015 born Wedderlie Evenkeel. On his first outing, he is by Wedderlie Kenyon and out of Wedderlie Evenart.

Judge Liam Muir, of Upper Onston, Stenness, Stromness, Orkney, said: “There was not much between the champion and reserve, but the champion was just a wee bit wider. They are two bulls with a lot of potential in them.”

The reserve senior champion rosettes went to the Trustees of the Late Gordon R. Brooke of Upper Huntlywood, Earlston, while reserve in the intermediate section went to Messrs T.H. Brewis of Lempitlaw, Kelso.

The victim of an armed robbery in Galashiels has told of his shock at being attacked during a raid on his business yesterday.

Shopkeeper Farrukh Sair, 33, was left requiring hospital treatment for injuries inflicted on him during the robbery at his Galashiels post office and newsagent’s.

A raider armed with an unspecified weapon, said not to be a firearm, threatened and attacked Mr Sair in the Gala Park Post Office, in Balmoral Place, leaving him with what police describe as a serious head injury.

The robber also attacked a customer, a 61-year-old man, after he tried to intervene during the assault on the shop worker, then fled with a four-figure sum of money and cigarettes taken from behind the counter.

His haul also included a mobile phone and wallet taken from the customer.

Mr Sair, owner of the shop for the last three and a half years, said: “It was very shocking. You don’t expect this to happen here. Normally it is very quiet and a good area.

“Sunday morning is our quietest morning, and I was working on my own when it happened.

“One customer came in. He got his things stolen too, but he ran outside to flag down a car to call the police.”

Mr Sair said he was treated at the Borders General Hospital in Melrose and was released yesterday afternoon before immediately returning to the shop to tidy up.

The store reopened as normal at 5.30am today.

His employee of over two years, Kenny Phillip added: “The general public have been showing concern. They are in a state of shock.

“It’s part of the community this place and all our customers that have been in have been showing concern and asking after Farrukh.”

He added that the store’s paperboys and girls had already been in and left on their rounds for the morning, so they were not caught up in the robbery.

The robber is described as being a white man in his early 20s, wearing black trousers, a black top, light pink trainers and a black scarf covering his face.

He was also carrying a black backpack possibly with pink markings on it.

Police trying to identify the robber are appealing for help from anyone about in Balmoral Place or nearby yesterday morning.

Detective constable Andrew Hope, of Police Scotland’s Borders criminal investigation department, said: “This was a shocking attack. It was vicious, and the member of staff sustained a serious head injury during the attack.

“He was taken by ambulance to the Borders General Hospital, where he was treated and has since been released.

“The suspect had no thought for the staff member or the customer, who, thankfully, was not injured in the incident.

“The post office is a busy place, as is Gala Park, where the suspect made off towards, so I would appeal to anyone who saw the attack and who hasn’t already spoken to police, or anyone who can assist officers with their inquiries, to contact us via 101 or, alternatively, Crimestoppers on 0800 555111, where details can be given in confidence.”

The robbery took place between 7.30am and 7.45am yesterday.

Scottish Water is still dealing with almost 100 blocked drains and sewers daily, despite a drop in blockages over the last three years.

Figure released by the water authority reveal a drop of 11 per cent in that time, falling from 39,792 in 2013 to 35,473 in 2016, but more people are being urged to help tackle the problem.

Around 80 per cent of call-outs are avoidable and caused by people putting the wrong things down their sinks and toilets.

Scottish Water has launched the latest phase of its campaign, ‘Keep the water cycle running smoothly’, with a combination of nationwide television, radio and digital/social media advertising. The campaign highlights the damage that can be caused by people wrongly disposing of fats, oils and grease down sinks and bathroom items such as wipes and cotton buds down toilets.

Such materials can collect in large clumps in Scottish Water’s 31,621 miles of sewers and waste water pipes, often creating blockages which can lead to sewer flooding in properties with all the hassle and expense of repairing damaged property and items making their way into rivers and onto beaches and impacting on the environment.

Scott Fraser, campaign manager, said: “We believe for effective change we need to campaign at multiple levels. Our national advertising is aimed directly at customers and we use education to inform young people about their role.

“We are also working closely with colleagues across the water industry to educate and influence manufacturers and retailers, which has seen some real progress in the last year.”

Customers can learn more about what they can do to keep the cycle running, what should not be flushed down toilets or poured down sinks and how they can save their drains, protect their homes and the environment at www.scottishwater.co.uk/cycle

Dog owners are being warned that their pets could be killed if they are found anywhere near sheep, regardless of whether or not they have attacked them.

The warning comes at start of a national campaign by Police Scotland to highlight the devastating effects of livestock worrying.

Owners who walk their dogs in the countryside are being urged to keep their dogs under control. A dog attacking or chasing sheep, or even loose in a field where they are kept can lead to serious injury which can often lead to the sheep being killed or destroyed.

The campaign is being run in conjunction with the Scottish Partnership Against Rural Crime, Scottish Natural Heritage, NFUS, Scottish Land & Estates and the Kennel Club,

Inspector Jane Donaldson, Police Scotland’s rural crime co-ordinator, said: “The worrying of livestock can have devastating consequences for farm animals and has an obvious financial and emotional impact on farmers and their businesses. This campaign is being launched to coincide with the spring lambing period because this is when sheep are at greatest risk.

“The vast majority of livestock worrying incidents involve sheep and can occur when a dog attacks, chases is or not on a lead or otherwise under close control in a field where livestock is kept. Pregnant ewes can abort their lambs or lambs can be separated from their mothers, causing distress and in some cases malnutrition.

“The advice is to ensure dogs are under control at all times and avoid going into fields where livestock is grazing. The Scottish Outdoor Access Code says dogs shouldn’t be taken into fields where there are lambs or other young farm animals.

“We are encouraging farmers and landowners to put signs up on gateways and on key roads and paths alerting them to the presence of sheep and lambs in their fields.”

Andrew McCornick, NFU Scotland president said the increase in instances of livestock worrying are “disappointing”.

He added: “Particularly at this time of year, when there are young lambs all over the Scottish Countryside, we would urge dog owners to ensure they comply with the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. The Union urges its members to consider shooting a dog worrying livestock as a very last resort, however I remind the public that this is a very real possibility if dogs are not under proper control.”

A Borders art student is hoping to add to her ever-expanding body of work while taking part in a world-renowned Italian festival this year.

Catrina Barquist, 24, of Peebles, is one of 11 students and three graduates representing Scotland at this year’s Venice Biennale.

The group are taking part in a professional development programme set up by the Scotland and Venice Partnership together with Hawick’s Alchemy Film and Moving Image Festival and Edinburgh’s Talbot Rice Gallery and university.

They will act as exhibition assistants for a solo show by Glasgow-based artist Rachel Maclean.

Catrina, a fine art student at the Borders College in Galashiels, said: “It feels amazing to be selected, and I feel very lucky to have been given this amazing opportunity.

“A call was put out to borders college as Alchemy Film and Moving Image Festival was keen to have an art student from the Borders involved.

“I jumped at the chance and applied before Christmas the year before last.

“I am excited about this opportunity as it is a chance to connect with other artists, experience a different culture and improve my own work.

“I plan to share my experience with my fellow students at Borders College by documenting my time there, artists that I meet and films that I see and by creating a presentation for class, as well as on my online blog.”

Catrina’s work uses the human body as a canvas to express inner feelings which she then photographs before applying paint to the image.

The festival begins in May and will continue until November, during which time the students will travel in pairs for four weeks each.

The students will be involved in welcoming visitors, assisting with events and screenings, informing visitors about Maclean and her new work and maintaining the project’s online presence.

Catrina added: “After college, I plan to further my education. I have always had an interest in art, but it wasn’t until I started looking at body-painting and special effects make-up that I found a true interest in painting and decided to go to college to learn more.

“This is a huge opportunity for me because not only is it a chance to work closely with Rachel Maclean’s process, but it is also a chance for me to study a different culture and take my own work to another level.”

Borders College art and design lecturer Niall Campbell said: “We are delighted to have one of our students selected to take part in what is a very prestigious event in the art world.

“The experience that Catrina will have will have a lasting impact on her, and we are looking forward to reading her live reports from the venue.

“I have no doubts that her fellow students will be inspired by her presentation of her experiences on her return.

“This is such a positive result for Catrina and all the students studying on the art and design course.”

A fundraising event to help pay for Catrina’s trip to Venice will be held Friday, February 17, at the Heart of Hawick, in Kirkstile, starting at 7pm.

Tickets for a screening of Mclean’s film Feed Me cost £9, including a glass of wine or a soft drink, and all proceeds will go towards Catrina’s travel costs.

For further details, go to www.alchemyfilmfestival.org.uk/2017/fundraiser-rachel-maclean-17th-february