TWO teenagers who fought with each other in Galashiels during the early hours of Sunday have been issued with fixed penalty fines under anti-social behaviour legislation.

Both youths, aged 18, were arrested by police and admitted breaching the peace.

The teenagers from Galashiels and Heriot were caught fighting around 3.30am and both accepted the fixed penalties offered by police.

“A disgrace” is how Galashiels Community Council chairman Ian Purvis described the state of a riverside walkway which previously had £12,500 spent on renovating it, writes Kenny Paterson.

The 400m stretch from Low Buckholmside to Comely Bank Mill Retail Park was refurbished around six years ago using money from Scottish Borders Council’s pay parking funds.

Work by the Gala Waterways Group and a criminal justice team saw 20 broken coping stones replaced and tied down, the nearby Gala Water cauld tarmaced over, seating and bins put in place, overgrown bushes cut back and a stairway built.

However, Councillor Herd was left furious when he revisited the site last month.

Councillor Herd said: “When I walked along it my heart sunk.

“We are trying to encourage people to come to the town, but how do you expect visitors or local people to use the path when it is completely overgrown?

“We had a verbal agreement that it would be looked after by the council.

“£12,500 is a lot of money to spend, but it seems that money has been abused.”

An SBC spokesman said: “Our neighbourhood services team will look into this issue and is happy to meet Councillor Herd to discuss further.”

THE Scottish Ploughing Championships return to the Borders later this month.

World ploughing champion Andrew Mitchell, of Forfar, will be competing in the contest over the weekend of October 27-28, defending his Scottish title won on the Black Isle last year.

And his father, Andrew, who was runner-up in the world reversible class at last month’s world championships in Croatia, will also be at this year’s 50th championships.

Scottish Championship Ploughing Association’s Peter Small said: “All types of ploughing will be carried out, from the ancient art of horse ploughing through to vintage trailing and mounted to modern reversible classes, while the latest tackle will be put through its paces in the demonstration plots.”

He added: “The event is a tractor spotter’s paradise with virtually every make you can think of at work on the stubble fields which are accessed by tractor buses.”

Organisers expect 180 competitors to take part on the 250-acre site at Coldstream Mains, Coldstream.

The event was last held in the region at Upper Nisbet, Jedburgh, in 2010.

This year Scotland will host the Six Nations Vintage Competition over two days when ploughmen will come from Northern Ireland, Wales, England, the Republic of Ireland and the Isle of Man to compete against three Scotsmen keen to win on home soil.

Most of the ploughing action takes place on the Saturday and Sunday, but there will also be preliminary events on Friday, including a Royal Highland Education Trust-organised visit by Borders children.

To celebrate the championships’ 50th anniversary, Borders Vintage Agricultural Association and local farmers are hoping to assemble 50 tractors and ploughs in a special display.

Also scheduled – if work allows – will be farmer host Colin McGregor’s Case Quadtrac articulated tractor which took part in the Quadtrac Challenge in Lincolnshire in the summer, when 50 of the huge machines cultivated a field at once for charity.

Trade stands offering wares and services, from parts for vintage ploughs to children’s books, will be on site along with catering and toilet facilities.

The first Scottish Championships match took place in Perthshire in November 1963 and the contest is held annually in October in a different area of the country each year with the aim of promoting the importance of good ploughing.

The late Bob Anderson of Lauder was the first Scotsman to win the British Ploughing Championship and went on to be the only Scot to represent Great Britain in the World Championships on two occasions.

The emerging 2012 Scottish champions will have the chance to represent their country in international competition next year including the World Championships in Alberta, Canada, next July.

Visit www.scotplough.co.uk for more information.

All is not quite safely gathered in, but the recent spell of lovely October weather has brought that happy day closer. Grain and beans, that is. Maincrop potato harvesting has some way to go and the way won’t be pretty, with low yields, incipient or obvious disease and, for some, wet field conditions persist.

But the countryside in general has been looking a picture during days of sunshine and blue skies. Winter barley and winter wheat are rowing up nicely, oilseed rape is looking presentable where slugs have left plants alone.

The dark brown of ploughed and recently-drilled fields is now dominant, although straw is still to be baled, when dry enough, and there are bales to be cleared.

As ever with a bad harvest, after the satisfaction of at least getting crops into store comes the reckoning of extra costs, lower yields, poorer quality and what happens with forward contracts made in good faith between sellers and buyers months ago.

An important rule of contracts – First Rule, as the comedian in ‘Hi de Hi’ almost said years ago – is that a verbal agreement is binding. Because so much in farming is still, remarkably, done on trust, verbal agreements are more common than prudent business management would suggest.

The advice to get something in writing on both sides holds good, even for the closest relationships.

Many other questions are asked about contracts in a difficult year, for instance, not enough grain to meet quantity agreed, grain rejected because quality is too low to meet specifications, late collection by a buyer, market price rising way above the forward price agreed. But the basic answer is always that a contract should be in writing and that whatever is agreed on either side has to be fulfilled. Variations or easing can only be by agreement. Best of luck if that is necessary.

It is a certainty that this year’s bitter harvest will have a dramatic effect on arable farming profits, or lack of them.

It will be interesting to see what it does to returns from rural estates, which Savills reported recently were “remaining resilient” to economic pressures.

That finding in the firm’s estate benchmarking survey was based on a year ending April 5, 2012. That is, returns based on the excellent farming year of 2011, with an average gross income on all estates of £494 per hectare; income from the agricultural sector of estates increased by 6.9 per cent.

Net in-hand farm income – farms run by estate managers – rose by 19 per cent to £326 per hectare and income from contract farming increased by 47 per cent. Secure tenancy rents rose by an average of 0.5 per cent to £173 per hectare. Farm Business Tenancy rents – short-term agreements used only in England – increased by one per cent to £227 per hectare.

That modest increase seems to belie concerns and criticism from national farmers’ unions and the Tenant Farmers’ Association that big rent increases are being squeezed out of persecuted tenant farmers.

But only about one third of tenants have a rent negotiation in any given year – because most are on a three-yearly review system – so the average increase for those involved in a particular year is higher than the figures quoted.

Farm Business Tenancy figures, as with short-term limited duration tenancies in Scotland, are a different matter.

These tenancies are usually sought in a sellers’ market by farmers anxious, sometimes desperate, for more land. The interesting part will be how many are as desperate to extend operations after this harvest. And how resilient estates remain to economic pressures according to next year’s findings.

There has also been a recent survey of banks and bankers. No surprise about the main finding, namely that many farmers feel their bank is giving them a hard time, an ill reward for the loyalty most have shown their banks by staying with them for 10 years and more.

Any farmer who has dealt with a bank knows it can be a one-sided relationship. It can be frustrating. It can also be rewarding. But for most of us the rot set in 20 years or more ago when the old-style bank manager disappeared, to be replaced by a range of customer service operations ‘master minded’ from, for most of us, Edinburgh or Glasgow headquarters.

Some things don’t change. The Royal Bank of Scotland and the Clydesdale were by some distance the banks with most customers in the survey, Bank of Scotland some way back and others such as Lloyds, Halifax and Barclays barely figuring. It was also, being fair, a sample of only 109 farmers persuaded to reply to NFU Scotland’s request for information.

The survey found that the average overdraft arrangement fee was 1.34 per cent, but in some cases was as much as four per cent.

The average interest rate above base was 3.69 per cent, but was as high as eight per cent and as low as 1.25 per cent. Eighty of the farmers were owner-occupiers, 29 were tenants.

Without knowing the basis on which overdrafts were agreed with all 109 and what their personal circumstances are, it’s wrong to say that banks are behaving badly to loyal customers. But we might think it.

POLICE are targeting Borders schools as the next stage of Operation Goal kicks off.

The anti-drugs initiative will see officers attend schools across the region before the end of the year, and discuss the consequences of using and dealing in substances such as heroin, cocaine and cannabis.

And partner agencies NHS Borders and Scottish Borders Council will also be involved, encouraging children to ask any questions or voice any concerns they have relating to drugs.

Operation Goal was the culmination of months of intelligence gathering and saw more than 100 police officers from across the Lothian and Borders force raid homes in Galashiels, Hawick, Kelso, Melrose and Selkirk during a six-week period this summer.

SBC leader David Parker said: “Education is clearly a key part of tackling the problem and I’m especially pleased that police officers will be visiting all of our schools to interact directly with the children.

“The council is really pleased with the results of Operation Goal so far, and we remain committed to working closely with Lothian and Borders Police and NHS Borders as it enters a new phase.

“By engaging with local communities and providing the necessary assistance and information to them, we can prevent people from going down this dark path, while also supporting those already affected by drug and substance issues.”

In total, 54 people have been charged under the Misuse of Drugs Act following the raids – which saw thousands of pounds worth of Class A drugs seized – with seven people currently in jail.

A series of trials are also scheduled to start at the end of this month.

Following the operation, a number of issues such as the cycle of addiction and the protection of vulnerable people, including children, were identified as essential areas to address, as well as the need to bring drug dealers to justice.

As a result, focus has now switched to diversion and intervention, starting off with the school visits.

The police say a range of specialist support services are available to those currently dealing with an addiction and their families, and information on overcoming substance abuse is being provided to anyone seeking assistance.

But more arrests could yet be made, as detectives gather further information on drugs activities in the Borders.

Detective Chief Inspector Amanda McGrath, who is leading the campaign, said: “Operation Goal is a long-term project to not only minimise, but eradicate the scourge of drugs within Scottish Borders communities.

“More than 50 people have been brought to justice so far and whenever we receive more information about others involved in drug crime, we will take swift and robust action against them.

“However, tackling the root problems associated with drugs goes much deeper than just removing the dealers from the community.

“It is essential that we educate and deter the public from substance abuse as early as possible and we will carry out various engagement activities with schools and other groups to achieve this.

“Our partners at NHS Borders and Scottish Borders Council play a pivotal role in this new phase of Operation Goal, and the support and guidance they can provide to our communities will further assist the ongoing efforts to eliminate the devastating impact of drugs.”

Dr Eric Baijal, director of public health for NHS Borders and SBC, added: “This initiative continues the good joint work of agencies towards preventing substance misuse and minimising its impact on health and social wellbeing in Borders.

“The message is simple. If you or your family are involved in substance misuse, this is an opportunity to change your life.

“Help is available and there is a range of confidential support services available for adults and young people across the Borders who wish to seek help for a drug problem.”

The Borders top policeman defended Operation Goal in July after suggestions the initiative would have little affect.

Critics also believed using more than 100 police men and women, many from Edinburgh and the Lothians, was not cost effective, especially when £300million worth of cuts need to be made across Scotland in the next three-and-a-half years.

But local area commander, Superintendent Andrew Allan, told TheSouthern in July: “One or two comments have suggested our action will not change very much about the underlying issues of addiction. That is exactly why the Alcohol and Drug Partnership (run alongside NHS Borders and Scottish Borders Council) has also been involved, both in the planning and delivery of this operation.

“We routinely work with these partners to try and steer people towards support services they may need and this is a significant part of the current operation.

“The support services in the Borders are good and I would encourage people using drugs to take this opportunity to get the help that is available. Operation Goal has not finished.”

BORDERS primary schoolchildren planted nearly 700 native trees at Buckholm Farm on Friday.

The 150 children were planting the first phase of Halkburn Diamond Wood on Torwoodlee Estate near Galashiels.

The 60-acre site will be one of 60 Diamond Woods being created across the UK as part of the Woodland Trust’s Jubilee Woods project which aims to see six million trees planted to celebrate the six decades of the Queen’s reign. Two of Scotland’s 20 Diamond Woods are being created in the Borders.

Estate owner James Pringle said on Friday: “I was amazed and delighted by the enthusiasm shown by the head teachers when I suggested the schools join in with our exciting project, and today I was quite overwhelmed by the sheer delight on the faces of the kids as they told me how many trees they had each planted. They were all a joy to have planting here and they got suitably muddy and I hope learned something about working in the countryside as well.

“I need to say a big thank you to the teachers and children involved for their input, and a huge thank you to Anna Craigen from BFT for all her efforts from the very start. I see this as giving something back – both something to nature and something to today’s youngsters.”

Children from Stow, Clovenfords, Glendinning Terrace and Balmoral Primaries in Galashiels, and from St Mary’s School in Melrose, took part, escorted by teachers, Borders Forest Trust volunteers, Scottish Borders Council rangers and Jill Donnachie from Woodland Trust Scotland.

Over the next two years, about 25,000 trees will be planted in the area, providing new habitats for native species and enhancing existing ecosystems.

SELKIRK Accordion and Fiddle Club kicks off its new season with an open evening at the town’s cricket club tonight (Thursday).

Musicans and non-musicans are welcome for the free event, which begins at 7.30pm.

The 29-year-old club, set up by Murray Beattie, was threatened with closure last year due to rising costs.

But Galashiels’ Scottish accordion champion Paul Capaldi stepped in to keep the club going, along with help from anonymous sponsors.

IT is the Borders – but from a bird’s eye and Iron Age view.

A new book entitled Scotland’s Landscapes includes a series of stunning aerial photographs of some of the region’s most recognisable natural landmarks which are believed to have been lived on by people more than 1,600 years ago.

Among them is the Eildon Hills, with its north peak said to have been a home to one of the biggest Iron Age forts in the area.

Also included is a photo of a wintry Talla Reservoir, now more than 100 years old, near Tweedsmuir, which had a number of bronze- and iron-age sites. And the impressive fort on Whiteside Hill, between West Linton and Peebles, is another highlight 
of the 200-photo catalogue of Scotland’s past.

The book by James Crawford is the third in a series showcasing Scotland’s National Collection of Aerial Photography.

A spokesperson for the the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, which creates and curates the collection, said: “Over the past 10,000 years, every inch of Scotland – whether remote hilltop, fertile floodplain, or storm-lashed coastline – has been shaped, changed and moulded by its people.

“No part of the land is without its human story.

“Scotland’s Landscapes tells the enduring story of this interaction between man and his environment.”

A COUNCILLOR has apologised to Galashiels Bowling Club after the local authority failed to adhere to a parking agreement.

The Scott Crescent club hope to build an access door through a boundary wall with neighbouring Old Gala House, run by Scottish Borders Council.

However, the town’s community council opposed the planning bid, stating that bowling club members currently cause problems by parking in the grounds of the house, a popular site for weddings and exhibitions.

But October’s meeting of the community council heard that the bowling club are meant to have a gentleman’s agreement with SBC, allowing its members to use the space in front of the house when it is not in use, and being told in advance by the authority when a function is taking place.

A Galashiels Bowling Club representative told the meeting: “It was our closing day of the season last month, but there was a wedding on the same day. We never knew until we arrived.

“We want to fit in with Old Gala House. We don’t want to cause a problem.

“If the council fitted in with what we wanted it would be a lot easier.”

Councillor Sandy Aitchison, who previously met club officials to discuss the agreement, told the member: “The council side of the arrangement has not happened and I apologise for that.”

The bowling club representative also questioned the community council’s decision to oppose the access door planning application.

He said: “I understand the historical significance of the house, but the suggestion that we could build a door at our road-side gate would be more difficult to do.

“The new gate is needed because once a year at the end of the season we need to get in heavy equipment to work on the green. It would only be once a year.”

Rick Kenney, Galashiels CC’s planning representative, said the majority of members told him they were against the bowling club proposal.

He added: “There have been nights when there have been meetings at Old Gala House and we couldn’t get into the car park with a bowling match on.”

A decision on the access door is expected at the start of November.

people COULD be so bored of devolution talk that when a referendum happens it will be an anti-climax, says Lord Steel.

The former Liberal leader was asking “What Kind of Country?” in the Kirkgate Lecture, organised by a local church, which he gave in Linlithgow at the end of last month.

He told his audience: “One of my anxieties about the forthcoming referendum on the future of Scotland is that it is so long in coming that, after three years of parliamentary debates and endless radio and television discussions, not to mention the daily outpourings of newspaper columnists on the topic, we shall all be so bored that when it actually happens it will be something of an anti-climax.”

He agreed with the late Donald Dewar who often said, “devolution is not an event but a process”. And the former local MP added: “I support any commonsense moves to increase the power of the Scottish Parliament within the framework of the UK.”

And, calling for a more democratic House of Lords, he said: “If Scotland continues in the UK it is all the more important that the SNP be represented in the Upper House, and in a revised constitution maybe it could even have a role assigned to it by the Scottish Parliament to act as a long-stop advisory reviewer of its legislation, thus responding to complaints that Holyrood at present has no such mechanism.”

A FORMER Galashiels KOSB pipe major has received a personal thank you message from The Queen after penning her a poem to mark the Diamond Jubilee.

Bill Heatlie, 82, now of Dalmeny near Queensferry, put together the piece before the Jubilee weekend at the start of June.

He only received a response from The Queen last week, which explained that it had taken her months to work through all her messages of congratulations.

Mr Heatlie, who left Galashiels in 1971 with wife Margaret, said: “I am delighted with the letter I got back.”

Mr Heatlie visited Malta and Jersey while a pipe major with the 4/5 battalion.

A CALL has been made for Galashiels to cash in on community funding available from wind farm projects.

Galashiels councillor Bill White said he was “astonished” by how much small nearby villages have benefited from surrounding renewable energy sites.

In particular, he noted Stow, who receive a combined total of £63,000 per year from Toddleburn and Longpark wind farms.

Councillor White said: “I think Galashiels is in a good position to say ‘We are entitled to funding’.”

A GALASHIELS nightclub has closed its doors on its fifth anniversary.

Move Music Venue on Overhaugh Street shut down last week, with a lack of business believed to be the main reason behind the closure.

The venue opened in October 2007 and brought a series of big name acts to the town, including ex-Happy Mondays frontman Shaun Ryder, DJ Andrew Weatherall and indie pop band Pearl and the Puppets.

Meanwhile, a planning application has been submitted by Borders Cycles and Hawick Skate Park Voluntary Group to turn Diesels nightclub into a shop and cafe.

Some years ago I had a rather soft spot for a crazy old man called Mr Trebus; he was the reluctant star of a television documentary series where urban local authority workers took on the unpleasant task of clearing away accumulated garbage from houses where the occupiers were either unwilling to do it for themselves or had moved on without taking the trouble to redd up their rubbish.

There are not many towns where this situation does not occur to one extent or another; it even happens in Selkirk occasionally – maybe it is a sign that modern society is going quietly potty.

In the case of Mr Trebus the huge amount of stuff he had gathered over many years was clearly evidence of a form of obsessive/compulsive disorder, something not considered rare these days. He gamely defended his cherished trash against the council workers who had a dickens of a job to make any progress on the mountain of junk in and around his house as Mr Trebus berated and cursed at them in several languages. It was clearly a health hazard so the stuff had to go.

If I recall correctly, poor old Mr T eventually fell ill and ended his days in care within a short time; I suspect he died of a broken heart, with enforced cleanliness an ancillary cause.

In copping days, I stumbled upon several cases where some folk might have run Mr Trebus a close second in garbage acquisition. The main difference was that as long as someone else would undertake the shifting of the stuff, they were more or less happy, thus proving the essential difference between those who are driven to collect society’s discards and those who are just too bone idle to clean up after themselves.

As the years pass I have become increasingly honest about the way I lead my life and own up to some but not all of my faults and funny little ways.

That is why documentary programmes about hoarders now bring out a tinge of guilt in my mind as I survey some of the stuff I keep in and around my home.

For a start, I hoard shedloads of books on a very wide range of subjects, some of which I confess I will never read, but still they clog up my bookshelves. One day soon I am sure I will be forced to carry out a strict cull of my library stock. In Selkirk we have a bit of a head start on other towns as we have a firm that will usually take care of anyone’s excess bookage, recycling or reselling them in a bright and professional manner.

I took a decent load down to what was once the old Burn Mill council depot last week and can rest assured those volumes suitable for disposal will go on to entertain more people, while the really far gone stuff will go for pulping and maybe return to us all as bog paper or similar.

The more likely use for recycled paper of this kind is often as home insulation, although I could be corrected on this point.

With winter fast approaching, working on my fleet of erratic vehicles outdoors won’t be a whole load of fun, so I thought it was high time I looked at my workshop and got to work on a good old fashioned clear-out of non-essential stuff.

It has been difficult work, with some awful decisions to make as to which of my little treasures are kept and those destined for the skip.

It is a slow process and I expect to lose concentration sometime soon, which means the job will stagnate for a while, creating a danger period as more junk could arrive at any time.

I am spurred on by the unwelcome thought of servicing vehicles in cold and wet conditions which plays hell with my increasingly arthritic joints, so I suppose I should take comfort from the idea of a warm workshop for those dark days and nights.

But it is not all bad news; I have burrowed into several dusty piles of stuff and all the wee nooks and crannies of my workshop with an enthusiasm not seen around here for many years. Lo and behold, I have unearthed all manner of kit I thought I had lost forever.

Chief among them has been a variety of spanners, screwdrivers etc, which, having fallen down behind the work bench, I tended to ignore, just reaching out a hand for another one from my tool chest.

With virtually criminal idleness, I confess to just buying more tools when I had finally lost enough to exhaust the supply. Isn’t that so sad? I now realise I have rather more tools than I thought, but they never go wrong as it is only a matter of time before the whole darned process starts over again.

Given the modern zeal for recycling, very little of my throw-out heap will end up in landfill. Metal, glass, paper and plastic will all find a new life somewhere, probably in China, where all forms of raw material still command good prices. I still think it is a loony scheme to send trash half way round the world, but that’s the way it goes.

I imagine any form of serious recycling in the UK will always attract the stoppits who can be relied on to invent reasons why almost anything is bad for the planet.

What they cannot be made to see is the folly of shipping stuff long distances when the processes involved can be undertaken in this country, creating jobs and revenue, while also taking steps to limit unnecessary pollution.

The very existence of human beings is a form of planetary pollution, so making false targets for society’s ills is futile.

Maybe that nice Mr Osbourne should slap a tax on gloomy predictions; it might not yield much money but it would cheer us all up no end.

A NEW Selkirk shopkeeper is living her dream.

Cathy Meldrum, 60, has opened Granny’s Den in the High Street.

“I’m selling everything you would find at your granny’s. When I was young you would go to your granny’s and she would have sweets, handbags, hats, gloves and scarves and you could dress up – so that’s what we’ve got, along with arts and crafts materials.”

Also in the former sweetie shop are beads and other items to make jewellery and Cathy hopes to run a class teaching bead jewellery making in January.

And she said, “If you’re going out at the weekend and fancy a new necklace, earings, or a bracelet, you can come in and choose their beads and I’ll make it up then and there, if it’s not busy.”

The sweeties are traditional, but they’re all sugar free: “The selection is amazing, from dandelion and burdock to strawberry fizzes,” said Cathy.

She also sells Bessie bags, at her granddaughter’s insistence.

A former hairdresser and waitress, Cathy lived in Greece for 14 years where she worked for a holiday company.

Back for three years she says now: “This is my venture and I’ve spent my life savings on it.”

Cathy’s grandparents were from Selkirk – and she was to have been born at the cottage hospital, but it was full so came into the world in Galashiels. Her parents spent some time in Selkirk before moving to Edinburgh.

ASHKIRK farmer Scott Davies (pictured) enjoyed more than the glorious weather at the Borders Shepherds’ Show at Yetholm on Saturday.

For the North Country Cheviot breeder took the overall championship with a gimmer at the event in the village’s Haugh.

Scott said: “The judge liked her. It’s nice to get something to show, it’s been a wee while since we’ve had one like that – they don’t come along very often.”

Earlier outings this summer saw the young female sheep win the overall championship at Yarrow and Ettrick Show and win the Cheviot section at Langholm.

The traditional show, which celebrates its 150th anniversary nextyear, enjoyed bumper crowds and saw Scotland’s champion of champions stickmaker ticket go to Stephen Bell of Barrow-on-Humber.

PARKING capacity has been reduced at the Borders General Hospital where two of the car parks are undergoing essential maintenance.

Resurfacing and realignment began this week on parks one and two – the largest facilities closest to the hospital’s main entrance.

Work is expected to last a month and while the parks will remain in operation the number of spaces will be substantially reduced and reserved for patients and visitors.

David McLuckie of NHS Borders is encouraging drivers to use public transport whenever possible.

He said : “By doing so, much of the pressure will be taken from other parking areas.”

A LOCAL charity has been awarded £14,000 from the Scottish Autism Development Fund.

The cash will be used by the Borders Asperger and Autism Group Support (BAAGS) to set up and run an employment transition project aimed at encouraging employers to take on people with autism.

Chairman of the local group, Derek Purvis, said the aim was to bring together employers, employment agencies, volunteer bodies, supporting agencies and potential employers to show that the skills and abilities which persons with an autistic condition can bring to the working environment can be positive, helpful and insightful.

He went on: “We would like to encourage all business people – regardless of size of their workforce, type or location of business – to consider employing a person who has autism.”

He revealed that companies will be invited to seminars to network their own businesses and meet with people who can offer support, guidance and suggestions on how valuable an autistic person can be to their company.

Mr Purvis added: “We are encouraging all adults with autism who wish to enter employment to contact us so we can learn their skills, their interests and their ideas which we can share with employers.

“We are also encouraging employment-supporting agencies to come to attend and share how they would be able to offer ongoing support to an autistic person in the workplace if support is required.”

CAMPAIGNERS fighting to save an historic inn are confident they will raise the £160,000 needed by the end of the year.

The Tweedsmuir Community Company already has £100,000 to buy the village’s Crook Inn, once a haunt of Sir Walter Scott and Robert Burns.

Chairman Duncan Davidson said: “We are cautiously optimistic. The community spirit has been amazing.”

He said the group would be targeting individuals and organisations not yet approached for bigger donations.

“We are a very small community and we need people who can see that this could be great for the community long term and would preserve an iconic listed building which is very important.”

He said anyone pledging big sums would get their money back if the project did not go ahead at any stage.

The group hope to restore the hotel to a “good sustainable pub” and community place, he said, adding: “The Crook is not a failed pub, it was a functioning pub before it was purchased.”

A community needs and feasibility study is going ahead within the next month which will look at the area’s needs, employment, transport, opportunities for business and other issues. The results would help the company come up with the best plan for the community and business at the Crook, said Mr Davidson.

Buying the old inn from owner James Doonan is the first stage, then the company will try to raise £1million to renovate the building.

The hostelry, where in 1792 Burns penned Willie Wastle’s Wife, was first licensed in 1604 and closed in 2006.

The campaigners’ next fundraiser is a race night at Broughton village hall next Friday.

PATIENTS who failed to turn up for appointments in the Borders last year wasted almost £800,000 of health service cash, writes Bob Burgess.

More than 6,000 slots were missed, according to NHS Borders, which is about to launch a scheme aimed at slashing the number of missed appointments from 7.3 per cent to 4 per cent. 
Health chiefs will launch an appointment reminder service on Monday, beginning with gynaecology and diabetic services. Patients will be contacted five to seven days before their appointment by an automated interactive voice response phone call. Those who confirm they are attending will receive a text prompt the day before their appointment.

But those who fail to respond to the five/seven day alert won’t have their appointment cancelled – it remains in place.

Those who know they will be unable to attend are urged to cancel in order that the time can be allocated to someone else.
Jane Davidson, Chief Operating Officer with NHS Borders said: “We know there are genuine reasons why some patients do not attend for their appointments but every missed appointment is a lost opportunity for someone else to be seen.

“This service alerts patients to their appointment and encourages them to contact us to rearrange, if they are unable to attend.

“If we reduce the number of people who miss their appointment, we will be able to see more patients and our clinicians will be better placed to spend their time seeing patients.”

The alert scheme will be rolled out to other departments by the end of this month.

Other measure being taken by NHS Borders include having booking staff on duty in evenings as well daytime to enable appointments to be offered and amended beyond the time already in use.