A 43-year-old woman altered a doctor’s prescription in an attempt to get 60 diazepam tablets, Selkirk Sheriff Court has been told.

Janice Wood, of Connor Street, Peebles, had been given a prescription for co-codamol by a doctor at Borders General Hospital in Melrose on March 17, but she altered it by adding 60 diazepam tablets to it before presenting the slip of paper at Boots in Peebles.

However, the shop manager suspcted foul play, refused to hand over the extra tablets to Wood and the police were called.

Defence lawyer Ross Dow said his client was suffering pain at the time and it was a “desperate measure on her part”.

Sheriff Derrick McIntyre deferred sentence for three months for good behaviour.

A Galashiels man has been accused of racing another vehicle in a superstore car park in the town.

Ryan Stisi, 40, of Woodlea, denies a charge of careless driving at Tesco in Galashiels, on May 14 and forcing another motorist to take evasive action to avoid a collision.

A trial date has been fixed for December 19 at Selkirk Sheriff Court.

A man has owned up to being “a not very good drug-dealer”.

David Hosie pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cannabis and diazepam at a house in Galashiels on February 7.

The 28-year-old, of Glenburn Avenue, Newtown, was found in possession of the drugs after police raided a house in Torwoodlee Road.

Procurator fiscal Graham Fraser told Selkirk Sheriff Court that 218 diazepam tablets were recovered, along with 14 grammes of cannabis, with a value of more than £400.

Also found was £196 in cash.

The fiscal said evidence of drug-dealing was found on Hosie’s phone.

Defence lawyer Ross Dow said: “This was very short-lived on his part, and he has nothing to do with drugs now.

“He described himself as a not very good drug-dealer.”

Sentence was deferred for six months for good behaviour, and the cash recovered was forfeited.

A Selkirk amateur baker has raised £10,000 for charity as a tribute to her late mum.

Dorothy Scott has staged fundraising coffee mornings every year since the death of her mother Ann Thomson from a heart attack in 2011.

She has called on the support of family, friends and businesses to make the annual event a huge success, always coming up trumps.

Dorothy has now raised a total of £10,000 in support of Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland (CHSS), which earlier this year opened a new community hub and shop in Hawick High Street.

Despite that fundraising feat, she’s not planning to call time on her efforts and aims to continue honouring her mother in the same way for years to come.

She said: “My mother was never ill a day in her life until the day she went to bed and suffered a massive heart attack seven years ago and just didn’t wake up.

“I wanted to do something as a tribute to her and so I started staging the coffee mornings twice a year, at Easter and November, in the Connections Hall in Selkirk and occasionally at home.

“I have been overwhelmed with the support that I have received from the local community over the years. I couldn’t have done this without them.

“I would like to thank everyone who has supported the coffee mornings and my friends and family for all their help.

“Special thanks to Thomson’s, Border Chainsaw, Travis Perkins and Ainsley’s for their support in selling my homemade tablet.”

CHSS fundraising manager Alison Acosta said, “This generous donation will make a real impact on our ability to continue supporting those affected by chest, heart and stroke illness across Scotland and the Borders, and we’re extremely grateful to Dorothy and her friends and family for all their efforts on our behalf.

“We’d like to express our sincere thanks to everyone who supported the coffee mornings to assure them that their help is very much valued and appreciated and makes a genuine difference to those people who need our support.”

CHSS’s aim is to improve the quality of life for people in Scotland after a stroke, or diagnosis of a chest or heart condition. It offers vital advice, support and information to those affected, arrange group and one-to-one support in the community and influence public policy to ensure that people get the services they badly need.

Its ambition is to become Scotland’s leading organisation for person-centred, user-led community support for people with those health conditions.

A Borders-based clothing brand is gearing up to expand and prove it’s more than just the wheel deal after securing £250,000 worth of investment.

Innerleithen’s Findra was founded by designer Alex Feechan in 2014 to fill a gap in the market for cycling outfits for women, but it is now looking to build on its success so far by offering a wider range of outdoor clothing.

It has secured second-round funding of £250,000 from Tri Capital, Investing Women Angels and the Scottish Investment Bank, the investment arm of Scottish Enterprise, to bankroll that expansion.

As well as selling its gear online and via its High Street shop, Findra organises monthly events including talks, rideouts and runs to build up both community links and brand awareness.

North Lanarkshire-born Alex, 45, said: “I am delighted to have secured a second round of investment from our existing investors.

“We have laid great foundations for the business over the last few years.

“This second round of investment allows us to expand our product offering substantially, as well as growing and generating more brand awareness.

“As a team, we are very much looking forward to the next stage of the Findra journey.

Jamie Andrew, chairman of Tricapital, said: “We are very pleased to have led this round supporting another Borders-based business.

“We have been impressed with Alex’s plans for growing the company and with her ability to engage with people across a wide spectrum, from customers to employees.

“We believe that Alex has the qualities and ability to execute her growth plan effectively, and to support her in this role, Douglas Needham, from our membership, will continue to act as chairman.”

Jackie Waring, a spokeswoman for Investing Women Angels, said: “Alex is a former finalist of our AccelerateHer Awards which recognise female entrepreneurs developing a great business.

“Since getting to know her, we’ve enjoyed supporting the growth of Findra, a unique fashion brand which not only understands the needs of active women but also produces a stunning product range.

“We’re delighted to be involved in this round of investment, aimed at helping Findra achieve even greater heights going forward.”

Kerry Sharp, director of the Scottish Investment Bank, added: “Findra is a great example of an innovative, forward-thinking company focused on developing a premium lifestyle brand which has appeal across a variety of outdoor and leisure activities.

“Scottish Enterprise has provided various forms of assistance to Findra in addition to investment, and we look forward to continuing to work with the company as it expands its product range and market base to realise its long-term growth ambitions.”

Alex, an ambassador for Women’s Enterprise Scotland, has over 20 years’ experience in the global fashion and textiles industry, having worked on products for leading luxury brands such as Chanel, Calvin Klein, Escada and Brooks Brothers.

Doddie Weir isn’t just a hero to rugby fans all the way from Carter Bar up to John o’Groats. The rugby legend also holds a special place in the hearts of all associated with Lauderdale Scout Group as without the former Scotland international’s help, it might well not exist.

Five years ago, it was struggling to attract both members and adult helpers, with fewer than 20 of the former on its books.

Group scout leader Andy Beaumont turned to Doddie, dad of two of the group’s members at the time, for help, and the 47-year-old was only too happy to oblige and set up a group executive, taking the role of chairman.

The group now has 150 youth members, with 38 adults helping at its daily meetings.

“With his usual charisma and personality, he made things happen,” recalls Andy, also 47.

“More adults and children began to join, and the group quickly established a beaver scout colony for six-to-eight-year-olds.

“The group began to thrive, and in 2013 it was presented with an award for the highest percentage growth in the whole of Scotland.

“Doddie was also responsible for the name change from Lauder to Lauderdale, reflecting the catchment area of the group and bringing in children from Westruther, Fountainhall, Stow, Oxton and Gordon as well as Lauder.

“Next was the scout group’s base. Doddie led the way in purchasing the hall back from the youth trust, securing a home for scouting in Lauderdale for future generations. “Doddie is always first to deny having been responsible for the scout group’s success, but he was definitely a key part of creating the successful group that it is today, providing exciting opportunities for boys and girls from the age of six to 18 in Lauderdale.”

Doddie stood down as chairman in April this year, and a couple of months later he revealed he had been diagnosed with motor neurone disease.

To thank Doddie for the role he played in reviving its fortunes, the group held a sponsored walk through Lauderdale to his farm near Blainslie, drawing a turnout of about 200.

Older scouts walked from Oxton along the old railway to Lauder, where they met the group’s cubs, and they then all walked through Lauder to the Southern Upland Way to meet the younger beavers en route for Blainslie.

“It was a great day enjoyed by all who attended,” said Andy.

It raised more than £3,000 for Doddie Weir’5 Discretionary Trust, and last week group members handed that money over.

The worlds of religion and football have come together to pay tribute to Rev Frank Campbell of Ancrum, who died last Wednesday, November 22, following a short fight with cancer.

Frank, who turned 60 earlier this year, was universally admired, whether he was performing services at Ale and Teviot United Churches in Ancrum, Lilliesleaf, Crailing and Eckford; or officiating as referee or linesman at local football matches in the Border Amateur and East of Scotland leagues.

Frank was born in Paisley in 1957, qualified in Business Administration at Strathclyde University and worked for a while as an accountant and paralegal.

He was called to his first charge in the West of Scotland in 1989 and it was there that he met his soulmate, his wife Alexis.

Frank applied for the post of minister at Ancrum church in 1991, and was met at Harestanes by session clerk John Rogerson for an informal interview.

John told us: “He was there when I rolled up on my motorcycle, and he was very interested in it, as he said he was a big fan of speedway.

“I remember thinking then that this guy was alright.”

And John’s first instincts proved correct – Frank got the job and the two became firm friends.

John said: “That was one of his great strengths – he could talk to anybody and be interested in anything they had to say.

“He had a great rapport with the congregation and he liked to get responses during the service.

“Sometimes, he had me sit in the front row so I could heckle him ... he loved that.

“For instance, once, he started reading from a book in the bible, and told the congregation he would take an hour and a half. I told him ‘Well, you’ll be here yourself’ ... it was never dull.”

Another of his friends, the Rev Neil Combe, who is the interim moderator, told us: “He was physically big – well equipped for looking over the heads of players to see what was going on elsewhere on the field.

“In public meetings his size and deep resounding voice gave him presence.

“He had a big vision for the church and the gospel, and had little time for the petty-minded introspection that sometimes infects the church. He had a big passion for God and the Gospel.

“And he was big hearted. He had such a love for people of all ages and stages of life. Just as he was fair as a referee, he treated everyone he dealt with in the same warm and fair-minded way.

“He was a model of what a parish minister should be and I count it a great privilege to have known him.

“Like hundreds of other people, I will miss him.”

John and Neil said Frank had hoped to retire in April and move to Fuerteventura, but his diagnosis with cancer meant his dreams of living in the sun were never to be realised.

And while he was very ill, Frank had hoped to perform one last service at Christmas this year. Again, this was not to be,

He was much loved by his congregation, and many took to social media to give tribute.

Melanie Hannay wrote: “RIP Frank. Such a kind man who helped us and our children settle in here. Happy moments playing with trains. Thinking of Lexi and family.”

And Amanda Geist commented: “A true gentleman, one of the nicest people you could hope to meet, a huge loss for the community and his family, just so sad.”

And Frank’s wife Alexis thanked them all for their kind words.

She wrote on Wednesday: “I’ve just read the comments about my wonderful husband. He died peacefully this morning after a battle with cancer.

“My heart is breaking at the moment with my soulmate gone, but reading all these comments has brought a smile to my face. Thank you for all your support. Lexy And the Campbell clan.”

Frank’s first love was football refereeing, and in an interview with this paper in 2001, 10 years after he moved to Ancrum, he told us how his move up the referee rankings was somewhat halted.

He said: “In 1987, I tried to get promotion to a higher grade, but it wasn’t to be. The first game in which I was assessed by the supervisors went well, but the next game in Glasgow didn’t go completely to plan.

“There was an incident right at the end, where I had to send two players off, and because it was the last minute I hadn’t checked they had gone back to the changing rooms.

“The wee guy who was the supervisor was on the line at the European Cup Final in 1960. He was about five feet nothing, and he came up to me and roared: ‘Frank, I’m no very happy wi’ you the day.’

“While he was giving me this, one of the players who was sent off came up and lifted him up by the neck and said: ‘Is this little **** bothering you ref?’

“I just said: ‘No, no, it’s all right, you can put him down.’ From that moment on, I thought, ‘Frank, you’re wasting your time here.’”

Frank was for three years club secretary of Queen’s Park Football Club, looking after the national stadium at Hampden.

During this time, he was involved in an initiative which saw booze being banned from the stadium – a rule which was soon upscaled to the rest of the country and is still in place today.

However, he said that he was being disillusioned with the post.

He said: “Increasingly, my job was becoming one of managing a decaying property ... also, it is one thing to have a hobby in your spare time, but it is not neccessarily a good idea to make it your full-time job.”

Intriguingly, it was football which brought about his involvement with the church.

In that interview in 2001, he told us: “It was while I was involved in full-time football in 1981 when I had a conversion experience in, of all places, Jerusalem.

“I was there to watch Scotland playing Israel in a World Cup qualifier. That was a big turning point in my life, it led eventually to a change in career direction. I think really you can see things from different angles.

“Although I enjoy football and refereeing, the Gospel is much more important.”

However, his continued involvement with refereeing in the Borders – something he did right up until the end of last season – saw him earn much admiration and respect.

One touching tribute following his death came from former footballer and now referee, Craig Lowrie.

He wrote on his Facebook post: “One of the nicest men I’ve ever met. In my playing days he would always try calm me down before I did or said something stupid, without flashing his cards.

“(He) always stopped to speak in the street. ‘Poacher turned gamekeeper’ were his words when I became a referee and I had the pleasure in two cup finals of having Frank on my line.

“Frank gave up a lot of his time for the Border Amateur League. True gentleman that will be sadly missed. RIP Frank.”

Frank passed away on Wednesday at the Margaret Kerr Unit, and is survived by his wife Alexis, daughters Lisa and Laura, son Alistair, grandchildren Connor and Amy and his mother Sheelagh.

After a private cremation, there will be a Service of Thanksgiving in Ancrum Parish Church on Friday, December 1, at 1pm, to which all family and friends are invited, family flowers only, however, the family has said donations may be made in aid of the Margaret Kerr Unit, if so desired.

KJ

Hayley Logan, a 21-year-old woman from Stow, died on Saturday following an early-morning fatal collision on the A7, just north of Galashiels.

Borders Police are appealing for witnesses following the incident, which happened at around 3.30am on Saturday, November 25, at Torwoodlee Golf Course.

Hayley was within a Peugeot 107 car, which left the road, resulting in her sustaining serious injuries. She was taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, where she later passed away.

Road policing officers closed the road for around 10 hours while they conducted inquiries at the scene and are asking anyone with information relating to this collision to come forward.

Sergeant Gary Taylor, from the Lothian and Scottish Borders Road Policing Unit, said: “Our thoughts and sympathies are with Hayley’s family at this time and we continue to investigate the full circumstances surrounding this incident.

“If you were on the A7 at Torwoodlee Golf Club in the early hours of Saturday morning and remember seeing anything suspicious then please contact police immediately.

“In addition, anyone with any further information that can assist with this investigation should also get in touch.”

Those with information can contact the Lothian and Scottish Borders Road Policing Unit via 101 and quote incident number 697 of November 25.

Local SNP MSP Paul Wheelhouse has joined his party’s politicians in formally supporting the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).

He signed a parliamentary pledge, instigated by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) which commits parliamentarians worldwide to “work for the signature and ratification of this landmark treaty by our respective countries”.

Mr Wheelhouse said: “I was honoured to sign this important pledge of support for the ban treaty. This change in international law will usher in a necessary shift in bringing human rights to the forefront of the nuclear disarmament debate.

“Nuclear weapons not only kill hundreds of thousands of civilians but are also lived-through.

“They have lasting detrimental effects on families and communities of survivors (Hibakusha), many of whom saw the devastation first hand.

“I urge the UK Government to sign the UN ban treaty so they can stand with the majority of states in the world who have already taken this step.”

The Holyrood signing, which saw every SNP MSP sign the pledge as well as all Scottish Greens MSPs and three Labour MSPs, came just two weeks before ICAN receives the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo for its international nuclear disarmament advocacy.

A spokesperson for ICAN said: “The endorsement and commitment to the TPNW by a majority of Scottish Parliamentarians stands in marked contrast to the position of the UK Government.

“During the March Treaty negotiations, the UK UN Ambassador Matthew Rycroft told the Ufirst Committee at the United Nations that the UK had a clear mandate to renew its Trident nuclear weapons system. That appears to be arguable.

“The decision by so many Scottish parliamentarians to align themselves with a treaty aimed at the complete elimination of weapons at least critically undermines that mandate.”

ScotRail has released the Christmas and New Year schedule, with warnings that there will be no trains on certain days over the festive period.

The last trains of the day will depart earlier than normal on both Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, and there will be changes to train times over the Christmas and New Year period.

With Christmas less than a month away, the ScotRail Alliance is urging customers to plan their journeys now.

Important details include:

• As with previous years, no trains will run on Christmas Day or New Year’s Day.

• On Boxing Day there will be no services for Fife or Edinburgh.

• A limited service will run in parts of the west of Scotland, and trains on some routes in and around Glasgow will be replaced by buses to allow major improvement works to take place.

• All trains will run as normal between 27 and 30 December, with the exception of the Cumbernauld to Motherwell route, which is replaced by buses while improvement works take place.

• On Tuesday, 2 January a reduced service will be in place across much of the country, with trains starting from mid-morning.

Improvement works on the main route west from Edinburgh Waverley will be taking place:

• Edinburgh to Bathgate services will be replaced by buses

• Edinburgh to Dunblane services will start/terminate at Linlithgow instead of Edinburgh

• Edinburgh to Glasgow Queen Street via Falkirk High services will be diverted

Graham Heald, the ScotRail Alliance’s head of customer experience, said: “We will be working flat out to keep people moving during the Christmas and New Year holidays.

“But with many of our customers taking time off work to be with their loved ones, the network is quieter between Christmas and New Year. That means it’s an ideal time to carry out vital improvement works while causing as little disruption to our customers as possible.

“There will be changes to train times, so we encourage our customers to plan their journeys now on our app or at scotrail.co.uk.”

• The ScotRail Alliance has set up a dedicated webpage to provide customers with information on train times over the holidays. The website can be viewed at scotrail.co.uk/Christmas.

Go-ahead has been granted for a £6.7m project to create a permanent home for the Great Tapestry of Scotland in Galashiels, but the controversy surrounding it shows no sign of abating.

Scottish Borders Council’s planning department has given the green light to the demolition of the former Poundstretcher store in the High Street and the redevelopment of the old Channel Street post office next to it.

The location is set to become the permanent home for a visitor centre which will create 16 permanent jobs, attract more than 50,000 visitors each year and generate an annual income of £900,000.

But the realisation of the project has been far from a smooth one, with elected representatives from towns across the Borders questioning its value.

Councillor Mark Rowley, the council’s spokesman for economic development at Newtown, is more upbeat.

He believes the visitor centre will prove a great asset, saying: “It will also provide educational, retail and community facilities to benefit a wide variety of groups. The visitor centre would also be the first stage of a long-term strategy to stimulate investment in the local economy.”

Equally enthusiastic is Galashiels and District councillor Euan Jardine, who added: “It is great that a cultural building of national significance will be based in Galashiels. I am sure it will make our town a destination area for many years into the future.”

But many other elected members retain their animosity towards the project.

Councillor George Turnbull, Conservative for Hawick and Hermitage, fears it will become a burden on taxpayers.

He said: “I have never supported the Great Tapestry based on it having been viewed at every location free of charge, and now we are going to expect the public to travel and pay to view, admittedly, a wonderful potted history of Scotland, just does not stack up in my mind. We are going to lumber the taxpayers of Scottish Borders for 30 years with loan charges to pay off a building to house the Great Tapestry something the council does not even own.”

It’s a view shared by Hawick provost Councillor Watson McAteer, who added: “I do not believe there is any serious support for this initiative outside of Galashiels and even within that community I am aware of elected representatives and members of the public who regard this as a complete and utter waste of public money.”

But Councillor Clair Ramage, SNP for Hawick and Denholm, added: “Whilst accepting that folk might have wildly different views we need to move on.”

The project involved over 1,000 volunteers stitching the entire story of Scotland.

“Come on big man,” says the tallest guy I’ve ever met. “We’ll do this interview on one of these machines. They are brilliant, you can watch telly on them.”

Doddie Weir is one of the few people in the world who could get me on one of these infernal machines – and the jovial manner with which he did it goes a long way to explaining just how likeable he is.

An inspiration on the pitch and as a commentator, he is one of the genuinely nice guys in Borders rugby.

But since his diagnosis with Motor Neurone Disease earlier this year, he has had to pull out all the stops to get to grips with the condition – and is inspiring many more people as he does so.

As MND is a condition that wastes muscle, Doddie has been visiting his local TriFitness gym in Galashiels since the summer.

And he’s now helping the team there put together a programme which will help others with the condition – funded through the Doddie Weir’5 MND Trust.

The former international lock forward told us it was really helping him come to terms with MND.

“My chiropractor, Donald Francis, told me that if I don’t use it, I’ll lose it, so I came along to see Mark Forsyth and his team at this great gym.

“After coming away from here, it is such a wonderfully positive feeling. So we want to reach out to other sufferers or anyone else in a similar situation, to come along here and try it out for themselves.”

It really is on a suck-it-and-see basis, as little is known about how exercise will work with the condition.

And it’s the lack of knowledge available that really frustrates the former Melrose and Scotland star.

He said: “It’s a terminal condition, but very little has been done behind the scenes as to whether exercise is good not.

“The only thing available to myself is a drug that came out 22 years ago. Apart from that, nothing else has come to my plate.

“I’ve had to go out and do absolutely everything else. And being involved in professional sports, I’ve taken the attitude that if it’s a muscle wasting disease, let’s try and make it as difficult for the disease as possible.

“As far as I’m concerned, exercise is good for you, and the team here has come up with a programme for me to crack on with.

“I come in maybe two or three times a week for 45 minutes at a time. It’s a very fresh atmosphere, and you get to watch telly as you work out.”

TriFitness’s Mark Forsyth said: “Doddie has been a breath of fresh air in the gym since he started coming here in the summer.

“His personality is infectious, the staff love him and the other members love him.”

Mark described the programme they have prepared for the big fella.

He said: “When he comes in, he starts off on the rowing machine before going on the bikes. That’s his cardio work.

“Then he will do some resistance training on a variety of the machines, and then he’ll do some stretching to finish off. It is a programme that has been devised especially for Doddie after chats between him and Scott Chapman who is our senior health and fitness advisor and it’s fitted around what he wants to do and what he needs to do.

“Doddie has said that when he leaves, he feels not just physically good but mentally good too, so if we can help any more people in that way, if we can improve lives, that’s why we are doing this.”

There was barely a dry eye in the country earlier this month, as Doddie, along with his sons Angus, Hamish and Ben, delivered the match ball ahead of the All Blacks game.

He said: “That was such an emotional, unbelievable and difficult to explain day, given the support of the rugby public, the Scottish Rugby Union and the national team manager Gregor Townsend, which has been remarkable.

“It has helped propel the awareness of this condition to a magnitude we could never have expected.

“I have to thank them from the bottom of my heart for what they have done.

“Walking out with the kids was quite a memory for them as well.

“And on the flip side, it was nice to meet up with Gregor in the tunnel ... it was him who had orchestrated it all.

“He came out with the advice not to pass the ball amongst the boys in case I dropped it, and that was probably good advice, to be fair, because we could have been scarred for life.”

Doddie rounded off the interview by checking the display on my running machine.

“See! You’ve been doing five minutes on the treadmill and I can see the massive difference it’s made,” he cackled.

“You’ve burned off maybe enough for a sausage roll.”

A Scottish charity has launched a new online resource to support people who have had or been affected by an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland say Life After Cardiac Arrest aims to support people who have survived an out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), their families and anyone who has suffered a close family bereavement as a result.

The website, which features advice and information as well as personal stories and videos, has been welcomed by survivors and health professionals.

Dr Gareth Clegg, clinical senior lecturer and honorary consultant in emergency medicine, University of Edinburgh said: “Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland is leading the way in terms of aftercare of OHCA by producing materials for survivors and trained responders.

“This resource offers rehabilitation advice and information for patients and their families to not only help them understand what has happened to them now, but what is to be expected in the future.”

Around 65 people in Scotland experience an OHCA every week.

There are more than 3000 cardiac arrests outside of hospital in Scotland every year, but only one in 20

of those affected will survive.

Those who live in one of Scotland’s most deprived areas are twice as likely to have a cardiac arrest out of hospital and 43 per cent less likely to survive than your counterparts in other areas of the country.

Caitrian Guthrie, Cardiac e-Resources Project Manager at CHSS said: “An OHCA can have a huge effect not only on the lives of those who survive but also on their family and friends. This resource is critical in helping people know they are not alone in their journey following an out of hospital cardiac arrest. It looks at the main issues identified as being important to people and sign-posts them to sources of information, advice and support.”

Public Health Minister Aileen Campbell said: “This is an important resource which will provide vital information, support and advice to survivors of Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest and their families.

“There is no doubt that the success of the strategy is due to the hard work of services right across Scotland and I am delighted that the funding provided by the Scottish Government is being put to such good use.”

The resource is being officially launched in Edinburgh today.

For information, visit www.lifeaftercardiacarrest.org or follow on social media using #LACA

A budding young writer from Stow has been shortlisted for a prize at this year’s Young Muslim Writers Awards.

Nine-year-old Aaliyah Mason has reached the final five in the poetry category for youngsters aged seven to 11, for her work ‘The Lake’.

The national awards recognise young literary talent in the Muslim community, and Aaliyah is the only finalist from Scotland to be invited to the awards, which will be handed out next month.

The primary five pupils Stow Primary School, has been a keen writer and reader from a young age and entered the competition for the first time this year.

Delighted with the response to her poem, she said: “It’s supposed to be about a lake and it goes to all the times of the day there from morning, middle of the day, evening and at night.

“It’s a poem that’s supposed to make a big image in your head.”
Aaliyah, will be joined by her mum Ghizala, who works as GP in Edinbugh, and dad David, a software architect from the Borders, at the award ceremony in London on Saturday, December 9.

She added: “I feel really excited. I always wanted to be successful in a writing competition and it makes me really happy. I might like to be an author.”

Her entry has been assessed by an internationally renowned panel of judges including award-winning children’s author Patrice Lawrence, director of The Royal Society of Literature, Tim Robertson and award-winning author and comic writer G Willow Wilson.

The family, which moved to Stow over a year ago, has always supported the Muslim Hands charity behind the awards, and it was an invite from that charity which prompted Aaliyah to get involved this year.

Her mum, Ghizala, added: “She has always loved writing and has a way with words.

“She has loved reading and writing from a young age and always liked the idea of entering competitions. She likes broadening her horizons.”

The Young Muslim Writers Awards, initially set up as a standalone competition for 5 – 16 year olds in 2010, has encouraged and nurtured the writing talents of thousands of children through creative writing workshops and the annual competition.

Chairman of Muslim Hands, Syed Lakhte Hassanain, said: “This year’s entries are once again remarkable! Young people of all ages from different corners of the country have taken part in the competition. The pieces written for the competition have been truly inspiring. It is amazing to see young people write so skillfully and with such creativity. As the work of young people continuously improves in its quality, it becomes more challenging for our judges to select the best pieces of work. Young people and children are incredibly talented individuals and we must support them in their development of learning, as it will help them achieve more and also thrive.

“At Muslim Hands, this is what we are motivated by – in both our international development work and in our UK community projects.”

The ceremony will be broadcast on Islam Channel, the official media partner of the Awards since 2006.

Work on the region’s first private-sector specialist residential unit for severe dementia sufferers got underway this week.

It was a milestone moment for the team working to bring Murray House, an 18-bedroom new-build development next to the Queen’s House care home in Kelso, to fruition in time for an opening this time next year.

Queen’s House board of trustees, which is leading the project, has ploughed ahead with plans, despite the project’s costs rising from an estimated £3m to an increased £4.34m total.

Trust chairman Ray Jones said: “There is a desperate need for what we are doing.

“What we have got in the Scottish Borders is, over the next 20 years 30 per cent of the population will be 60 years and above, whereas in the rest of Scotland it will only be 24 per cent.”

Since planning permission was granted in March, the build cost has increased by £500,000 while an additional £1m has been incurred in legal, surveying, grounds and architecture costs. The trust has received no funding from the Scottish Government or local authority, however, with a Royal Bank of Scotland loan for £2.1m, a Robertson Trust grant of £380,000 and a Life Changes Trust grant of £225,000 secured, it is confident the new total will be met.

“We have about a £250,000 shortfall at the moment,” Mr Jones added. “But we reckon we will have that by the time the unit is ready in November 2018.

“We will do more local fundraising once the build has started and will be going out to the businesses and the people of Kelso over the next few months.”

This week, Sir Willie Purves, ex-chairman of HSBC and a former Kelso High School pupil, was invited to cut the first sod together with Kelso High School’s head boy and girl.

Six construction companies submitted tenders for the work, with the contract going to Ayrshire-based 3B Construction who began last week, one week ahead of schedule.

“They came with a very good price and will be using a lot of local sub-contractors,” Mr Jones added.

The new unit will be built on ground alongside Queen’s House in Angraflat Road and consist of 18 large bedrooms, two common rooms, a reception, laundry, kitchen, offices, quiet room and beauty room.

Queen’s House will require 30 additional staff to run Murray House, in addition to the 65 already employed at the home.

Scottish Borders Council is expected to introduce its first simplified planning zone to the region in an effort to capitalise on the revival of the Borders Railway.

Councillors are being asked to introduce the scheme, which would effectively relax planning legislation, to make it easier for businesses to set up home in the Central Borders Business Park at Tweedbank.

The move could pave the way for new retail outlets, offices and accommodation to move into the park without the need for planning permission.

If the plans are approved by the local authority today, SBC will become only the second Scottish local authority to have put a simplified planning zone (SPZ) in place for more than 20 years.

Within the zone the need to apply for planning permission for certain types of development would be removed, so long as the development complies with the details and guidance set out in the scheme, the idea being that this cuts out the need for repetitive planning applications, saving time and money for the existing organisations and new businesses looking to invest in the park.

Under the proposals parts of the business park will be open to development by hotels or businesses while others will be available as retail outlets.

Planning officer Karen Ruthven said: “The arrival of the Borders Railway offers a significant opportunity to create a high quality business park which both capitalises on the railway terminal and provides a supply of high quality business and industrial land for the Central Borders.

“The savings in terms of time, money and effort in considering these changes and the certainty offered by the SPZ status will help promote the Central Borders Business Park as a location to invest.”

If approved by the council, the simplified planning zone will be advertised and referred to Scottish Ministers.

The vision for the new business park at Tweedbank was first unveiled in 2014 by Alex Salmond, then First Minister, as part of a Blueprint for the Borders aimed at capitalising on the revival of the Borders Railway.

The early draft plans for the new Central Borders Business Park were discussed at length almost a year ago by the planning committee, and after a public consultation, have returned to councillors, recommended for approval by officers.

Children in Galashiels received an early Christmas present this week with news that a town playpark was to undergo a near £300,000 revamp.

The improved facilities in the Public Park will be on a par with new playparks in Tweedbank and Wilton Lodge Park in Hawick, which have proved popular with the community.

The upgraded playpark will include dedicated areas for children up to six years of age and for older children, both including a number of new items of equipment not available elsewhere in Scotland, including a special play train.

The park, which will be on the site of the current Public Park play equipment and will be enclosed by fencing, will include wet pour rubber safety surfacing throughout and specific facilities for children with additional needs.

Work is likely to start in March 2018, with a grand opening party planned for June, so the park is ready for the school summer holidays.

A joint statement by Galashiels and District councillors Sandy Aitchison, Andy Anderson, Euan Jardine and Harry Scott said: “We are delighted to be able to unveil the exciting plans for the new play area in the Public Park.

“The new design provides more equipment than is currently available in the park, will have quality safety surfacing and will be fully fenced in.

“The scheme will provide Galashiels with an excellent new facility and will be enjoyed by children for many years to come.”

A carer caught on camera stealing money from the handbag of the elderly woman she was looking after will be sentenced next month.

Relatives of the frail OAP suspected cash was going missing during visits to her sheltered housing home in Melrose.

They set up the cameras and caught on film 40-year-old Hellen Johnson going into the woman’s bag and removing £35.

Police were called and as officers viewed the CCTV evidence in another room, the cash turned up underneath a table where the bag had been sitting.

The officers insisted the money was not on the floor when they first arrived at the property.

At a trial at Selkirk Sheriff Court (pictured), prosecutor Tessa Bradley told Johnson: “You tried to get away with it by dropping it on the floor when the police had their backs turned.”

When she was first quizzed by police, Johnson said she had never gone into the handbag and had no reason to. But when confronted with the CCTV evidence, she said she had gone into the handbag to find a key to lock her client’s door.

Johnson – who lives at Fairnington Cottages, Kelso, and who also works as a psychiatric nurse with the National Health Service in Glasgow – said she suffered from mental health problems and was adamant she had not taken the £35, despite the CCTV evidence.

But Sheriff Derrick McIntyre found her guilty of stealing the money from the property in Priorwood Court on January 19.

Background reports prepared did not contain any sentencing recommendations, so the case was continued until December 5.

MAN ASSAULTED HIS SISTER

Jail sentences totalling almost 16 months have been imposed on a Galashiels man at Selkirk Sheriff Court.

Twenty-three-year-old Michael Brown was imprisoned for nine months for committing three offences, including assaulting his sister at a house in Larch Grove, Galashiels, and then being involved in a violent confrontation with police officers at Borders General Hospital.

After being sentenced he was brought back to court the following day and was given another 189 days. This time it was for behaving in a threatening and abusive manner, and breaking the window of a house in Scott Street, Galashiels, on June 4.

Brown had initially denied the June offences, but changed his plea to guilty when footage from a neighbour’s mobile phone was shown to the court of him threatening to stab a male inside the property and breaking the window.

Lawyer Mat Patrick said his client had initially denied the offences as he could remember little about the incident, but changed his plea on viewing the video.

He added that Brown had claimed he was assaulted twice previously by the man inside the property who was well known to the court with 27 pages of previous convictions.

Sheriff Derrick McIntyre ordered that the 189-day sentence should run consecutively with the nine months he had imposed the previous day.

HEROIN FOUND IN CARAVAN

A Galashiels man who was in possession of almost £5000 worth of heroin has been jailed for almost 10 months at Selkirk Sheriff Court.

Samuel Wightman (51), admitted possession of the class A drug with intent to supply.

The court heard how police obtained information about heroin being in Galashiels and went to an insecure caravan in the Langlee Road area of the town in June last year. Discovered in a light fitting was 49 grammes of heroin with a street value of £4900.

The caravan owner – who has since died – denied any knowledge of the drugs and it emerged Wightman used the vehicle for storing tools.

Ed Hulme, defending, accepted it was a large quantity of drugs, but claimed it was only a technical breach of the supply charge. He insisted Wightman had entered into a mutual arrangement with a friend – not the caravan owner – to buy the drugs in bulk to supply each other, saying it made “financial sense” as they both smoked heroin.

Mr Hulme pointed out that his client did not have any drug-related previous convictions.

Wightman, of Glendinning Terrace, had his jail sentence reduced from 12 months to 293 days due to his guilty plea.

DRIVER DENIES BEING CARELESS

A motorist will stand trial at Selkirk Sheriff Court on a careless driving charge.

Stuart Fraser, (49), of Oakbank Place, Winchburgh, is alleged to have persistently driven at excessive speed, overtaken when unsafe to do so and driven close to a marked fire and rescue emergency driver-training vehicle.

The offence is said to have been committed on the A697 road near Lauder on February 16.

SENTENCING DATE FOR STALKER

A Galashiels man will be sentenced at Selkirk Sheriff Court in the New Year for a stalking offence.

Paul Gallagher pleaded guilty to engaging in a course of conduct likely to cause his former partner fear and alarm. This involved repeatedly contacting her when he knew she did not wish him to, waiting outside her Galashiels home and observing her movements, as well as entering her house without permission.

The offence happened on several occasions between April 1 and May 14.

Background reports have been ordered on Gallagher (32), of Scott Street, for the sentencing date of January 3.

CURFEW CASE NOT PROVEN

A Walkerburn man accused of breaching his night-time home curfew had the case against him found not proven at Selkirk Sheriff Court.

Harrison Long (26), said he took medication for PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and was asleep when police officers called at his Hall Street home on three consecutive days last month around 11pm.

His curfew stated he should be in his property between the hours of 7pm and 7am.

DENIES SPITTING IN OFFICER’S FACE

A Galashiels accused admitted smashing the windows of a neighbouring house and making threats towards a man before being involved in a six-hour stand-off with police.

Simon Hadden (39), previously pleaded guilty to three offences, but denied a fourth charge of spitting in the face of a police sergeant.

Hadden admitted breaking two windows at a house in Hawthorn Road in September and behaving in an aggressive manner, shouting and swearing, and making threats towards John Tunnicliffe. He also behaved in a threatening or abusive manner, was shouting and swearing towards police and others, repeatedly uttering threats towards police and refusing to come out of his house when requested to do so by the police.

Sentence was deferred until the outcome of the trial on the spitting assault charge which will take place on February 13.

REMANDED IN CUSTODY

A Peebles man appeared in private at Selkirk Sheriff Court accused of two offences.

Michael Snodgrass (35), is charged with behaving in a threatening or abusive manner and possessing an offensive weapon in a public place.

The offences are alleged to have occurred in Peebles last week.

Snodgrass made no plea and the case was continued for further examination. Bail was refused and he was remanded in custody.

FALSE JAIL CLAIM MAN LOCKED UP

A man has been remanded in custody after falsely claiming he was unable to appear in court because he was in jail at the time.

Paul Millar was charged with failing to show at Jedburgh Sheriff Court without reasonable excuse earlier this month.

When he was arrested on a warrant and appeared from custody at Selkirk Sheriff Court, he explained he had been unable to turn up previously because he was locked up in Durham Prison at the time.

The 57-year-old was detained overnight as court officials checked out his story with jail chiefs. Millar appeared in court the following morning when it was revealed that he was released from Durham Prison on Friday, November 10, so he should have been in court on Monday, November 13.

Defending, Mat Patrick said his client had mixed up the dates. He said it would have been pointless to mislead the court “for something that could so easily be checked out”.

Millar changed his plea to guilty for failing to appear in court on November 13. But he denied removing four alloy wheels from a vehicle parked in Edinburgh Road, Jedburgh, on October 15.

A trial date was fixed for December 28 at Jedburgh Sheriff Court, with an intermediate hearing on December 14. Millar, of Spencer Street, Carlisle, was remanded in custody until then.

OAP’S TRIAL ADJOURNED

The trial of a Selkirk pensioner accused of three offences has been adjourned until December 14 due to a lack of time at the town’s sheriff court.

The case of Nicholas Weeks (65), of Newburgh Farm Estate, was due to call last Thursday.

He is charged with engaging in a course of conduct likely to cause fear and alarm towards his wife by texting her repeatedly and threatening to have her visa removed and benefits stopped. He also denies threatening or abusive behaviour towards her and assaulting a young child .

The alleged offences date back to January and February 2016.

BAIL ORDER BREACH TRIAL

A Galashiels woman is facing trial.

Charley Brown (23), of Croft Street, denies breaching a bail order preventing her from approaching or contacting Logan MacKenzie, and failing to remain at her curfew address after 7pm on October 22.

A trial date was set for February 27 at Selkirk Sheriff Court, with an intermediate hearing on January 29.

LEG WAS BROKEN DURING STRUGGLE

A 24-year-old man involved in a struggle in Galashiels town centre which resulted in his friend breaking his leg has been ordered to carry out 225 hours of unpaid work at Selkirk Sheriff Court.

Greg Stewart pleaded guilty to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner in Lawyers Brae, Galashiels, on July 8.

His lawyer said the pair had known each other all their lives and too much alcohol had been consumed. He added that his client did not set out to break his friend’s leg, but accepted his behaviour was reckless.

In addition to the unpaid work, Stewart, of Adersier, near Inverness, was ordered to pay £800 compensation to the leg-break victim.

Sheriff Derrick McIntyre told Stewart if it had been a stranger involved in the incident he would be going straight to prison. He said the sentences imposed were an alternative to custody.

CRASHED INTO PARKED CARS

A Heiton motorist who collided with three parked cars while more than three times the legal alcohol limit was banned from driving for 14 months at Jedburgh Sheriff Court this week.

Steven Jack – groundsman at the Border Union Showground in Kelso – was returning from a night out when the accident happened in the town’s East Bowmont Street on October 21.

The 29-year-old, of Ladyrigg Farm Cottages, pleaded guilty to driving with a breath/alcohol count of 68 microgrammes – the legal limit is 22.

Procurator fiscal Graham Fraser said Jack had been driving a four-wheel drive vehicle and had lost control, colliding with three cars at around 11.50pm. He said he had tried to contact the owners and was traced a short time later.

Defence lawyer Mat Patrick said his client had been at a function at Kelso Rugby Club, but had been set upon by another person who had been ejected from the club for inappropriate behaviour.

He went on: “He had intended to get a taxi, but after the scuffle he just wanted out of there and decided to drive. He had four pints during the course of the day and thought he would be okay, but he has misjudged it.”

The court agreed with Mr Patrick’s recommendation that his client be placed on the drink-drivers’ rehabilitation course which offers a 25 per cent discount on the length of the ban if completed at the offender’s expense.

Jack was also fined £300.

DRINK-DRIVE SOLDIER BANNED

An army sergeant who was more than four times the legal alcohol limit when stopped on the A68 in Jedburgh was this week banned from the road for 16 months at the town’s sheriff court.

Duncan Collins, 29 – who serves with the First Regiment Royal Horse Artillery based in Newcastle – pleaded guilty to the offence which happened during the early hours of November 7.

The court heard he had been drinking while visiting family in Edinburgh, but felt he was fit to drive after waiting several hours.

But police noticed he was driving slowly and weaving in and out of a lane as he drove through Jedburgh. Collins was breathalysed and found to have a breath/alcohol count of 90 microgrammes – the legal limit being 22.

Defence lawyer Mat Patrick said his client could face a reduction in rank as a result of the conviction.

As well as the disqualification, Collins was fined £400.

DANGEROUS DRIVING CHARGE

A motorist has been accused of dangerous driving on the A68 at Oxton.

Scott Brown, 43, is alleged to have clipped cones marking the edge of roadworks where people were employed and veering towards the works, causing them to take evasive action to avoid being struck by his vehicle or the cones that had been dislodged.

Brown, of Windsor Avenue, Falkirk, pleaded not guilty to the offence which is said to have happened on February 2.

A trial date has been set for February 13 at Selkirk Sheriff Court, with an intermediate hearing on January 15.

PUNCHED BUS WINDOW

Background reports have been ordered into a Hawick man who smashed the window of a X95 bus while he was on board by punching it.

James Jackson, 27, of Havelock Place, also pleaded guilty to being in possession of a knife in Stirling Street, Galashiels, on February 3.

He will be sentenced at Selkirk Sheriff Court on December 18.

BREATH-TEST TRIAL FOR OAP

A pensioner has been accused of three motoring offences at Selkirk Sheriff Court.

Ray Haynes is said to have failed to co-operate with a breath test at Eildon Holiday Cottage at Dingleton Mains, Melrose, on August 27 and also failed to tell police who the driver of his vehicle was.

He also denies failing to give two specimens of breath at Galashiels police station.

The 65-year-old, of Betley Road, Stockport, will stand trial on January 16, with an intermediate hearing on December 18.

CANNABIS DEALER JAILED

A Peebles drug dealer has been jailed for four months at Selkirk Sheriff Court.

Kevin Robertson, 30, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cannabis at his North Street home between August and September last year.

The court was told that the cannabis and cannabis resin had a potential value of more than £1,500 if broken up into deals.

STUDENT DENIES DRUGS CHARGE

A student accused of possessing class A drugs in Melrose will stand trial at Selkirk Sheriff Court on February 13.

Duncan McClements, 24, formerly of Newtown St Boswells and now living in Glasgow, denies being in possession of cocaine and ecstasy in Eastport on April 8.

A pre-trial hearing will take place on January 15.

SEX ASSAULT ALLEGATION

A Selkirk man will stand trial at the town’s sheriff court on February 13 accused of sexually assaulting a female.

Simon McIntosh, 31, of Leslie Place, denies striking her on the buttocks with his hand and intentionally sending her a sexually-verbal communication.

The offence is alleged to have been committed at Gaitschaw Lane in Selkirk on March 5.

ROW OVER VAN DOOR LED TO JAIL

A Galashiels teenager who admitted committing two offences while carrying out his community service has been sentenced to four months’ custody at Selkirk Sheriff Court.

David Scougall, 19, of Gala Park Court, turned up shortly after 8am on November 1 to get a lift to carry out his unpaid work. But a row developed with another man who was also carrying out his community service.

Scougall admitted violently struggling with others in Channel Street, Galashiels, on November 1.

He also pleaded guilty to damaging a motor van by punching the wing mirror.

The court was told that Scougall was getting picked up for his unpaid work in respect of a community payback order. But as he closed the door of the van he caused it to strike a fellow worker, cutting his head, and an argument developed.

Scougall claimed he was then punched in the face which caused him to lose his temper and the struggle developed.

The four-month sentence was backdated to earlier this month when he was first remanded in custody.

A 27-year-old man has been reported to the Procurator Fiscal in connection with a series of housebreakings in the Galashiels area.

The incidents occurred during the last week of August and first week of September in the Halliburton and Langlee areas of the town where cash and electrical items were stolen from five houses.

The man will appear in court at a later date.

Community Inspector Tony Hodges said: “The negative impact of having your house broken into cannot be underestimated.

“I would like to thank the local community who assisted our investigation with valuable information.”

Fed-up residents in a Hawick street are being forced to switch their lights on in the morning because overhanging trees are leaving their homes in semi-darkness, it has emerged.

Residents in Borthaugh Road say that fir trees across from their homes are blocking out natural light to their properties.

Now some are demanding their ‘right to light’ and want Scottish Borders Housing Association (SBHA), which owns a number of the properties in the street, to contribute to their electricity bills as way of compensation.

A spokesman for SBHA said the trees in question are healthy and there were no current plans to carry out any work to them, although residents with safety concerns over individual trees are welcome to get in touch.

Councillor Davie Paterson, independent for Hawick and Hermitage, has taken up the residents’ case.

He said: “I have been approached by several constituents in the Borthaugh Road area who are having to put their lights on early in the morning and early in the afternoon. It’s pitch black in their homes, even on summer mornings.

“One elderly constituent was asking me if Scottish Borders Housing Association would contribute towards their lighting bills, they shouldn’t have to put their lights on when it is a bright summer morning.

“I realise that it was probably a planning condition but I think everyone in the Borthaugh Road area is of the opinion that this has got way out of control. I have written to the housing association asking them if they could please help out my constituents.”

Resident Bruce Lindsay, who has lived in the street for 35 years, described the situation as a “nightmare”.

He added: “The fir trees were here when we moved in but recently they have grown so big that it has become a nightmare.

“It seems they provide a screen for the private behind them but they block out the light to our homes.

“We don’t get any sunshine and we can’t open our windows because the flies and beasties get in. They have never been cut or maintained.

“We’re not asking they are chopped down, just cut back to allow us some light in our homes.

“One of the problems is identifying who has responsibility for maintaining the trees. There are a number of housing association properties in the street and others, like our own, who have bought their homes under Maggie Thatcher’s ‘right to buy’ policy. We just seem to go from pillar to post.”

A spokesperson for Scottish Borders Housing Association said: “SBHA recently completed a survey of all 3,000 trees on our land across the Borders and these have been tagged and numbered.

“This resulted in two tender packages being put in place for works on around 200 trees.

“The first of these was for trees which required urgent works to be carried out on them, and a second package was for non-urgent works. Works on both of these packages have now been completed.

“SBHA has invested a significant proportion of this year’s budget in this tree survey and subsequent work packages, and going forward, SBHA will manage its trees on a cyclical basis to ensure all are safe and not causing damage to any infrastructure.

“Currently there are no plans to carry out any works on the trees at Borthaugh Road, which have been assessed and are healthy, but if SBHA tenants are concerned about a tree for reasons of safety, each one has a tag number and if they report their concern to us along with the tag number, we will take appropriate action to resolve the situation.”