Hawick shoppers will be able to wake up and smell the coffee before Christmas as an international chain prepares to open a new cafe in the town.

Work has started on the conversion of the former WH Smith premises at 52 High Street into the latest Costa Coffee outlet in the Borders.

Conversion work is currently creating a counter-kitchen, seating area, toilets, two meeting rooms for rent and storage areas in the unit, vacant since the stationery chain pulled out of Hawick in 2014.

The proposals also include an external seating area.

Costa is currently looking to recruit a store manager, assistant manager and what it describes as a barista maestro in addition to other full and part-time posts.

The firm was founded in London in 1971 by the Costa family but is now based in Bedfordshire. Taken over by Whitbread in 1995, it now runs more than 3,400 cafes in 31 countries.

Besides its cafe in Peebles High Street, Costa has a franchise within the Next clothes store in Galashiels and operates Costa Express outlets at the Co-op in Lauder and Jedburgh’s Shell garage.

Hawick and Hermitage councillor Davie Paterson described the outlet’s imminent opening, in late November or early December, as a “timely boost to the town”.

He said: “News that Costa Coffee is opening in the High Street before Christmas will hopefully bring more folk onto the High Street and help other shopkeepers.”

Today, and every day, 11 children and young people in the UK will hear the devastating news they have cancer.

Here in Scotland, around 240 youngsters are diagnosd with the disease every year.

The charity CLIC Sargent last year supported 571 children and young people with cancer in Scotland – both the newly diagnosed and those who have had the disease for several years.

And the charity is also there for parents who, as well as dealing with the fact that their wee one has cancer, have to contend with so much more besides.

Travelling great distances for treatment, juggling family and work life and struggling with finances – it’s a hard slog for parents who are trying to stay strong for their child.

And it’s for that reason CLIC Sargent gathered a petition during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month calling on UK Governments to set up a Young Cancer Patient Travel Fund for children and young people with cancer and their families.

More than 24,000 signatures were gathered for the petition, which has now been presented to the Department of Health.

In Scotland, families of children and young people with cancer face a round trip of 68 miles, on average, to get to and from hospital for treatment but many have to travel much further.

Clare Laxton, CLIC Sargent’s assistant director of policy and influencing, explained: “With just three specialist centres in Scotland, some families have to travel long distances to receive life-saving treatment.

“We had one family recently who faced a 360-mile round trip and another family who had to travel to Great Ormond Street in London, doing an 800-mile round trip.

“Some childhood cancers are so rare they can only be treated at one or two specialist hospitals across the UK.

“There’s no choice in having to travel and families are having to pay for it.

“Travel is the biggest additional cost familes have to face. On average, a family of a child with cancer faces spending £600 a month extra, on top of every day expenses and bills.

“This is often money families struggle to find, especially if parents have had to give up work or cut their hours to be with their child.”

And it’s for this reason that CLIC launched its Young Cancer Patient Travel Fund petition.

Clare said: “None of the travel cost schemes run by the UK governments are fit for purpose or reflect the unique needs of children and young people with cancer.

“However, we are hoping the petition will lead to meetings with governments to bring about change.”

The Scottish Government this year introduced a £1.5 million fund to help ease the financial burden of travel on parents of premature and sick newborn babies and help meet the additional costs they face as a result of their baby being in hospital.

CLIC Sargent believes the Neonatal Expenses Fund could be used as a blueprint for a similar fund for those with childhood cancer.

Clare said: “Something like that for parents of children with cancer would be hugely beneficial.

“The number of families is relatively small so the expense would not be vast.

“We have written to the Scottish Government with our petition asking them for a meeting to discuss this in more detail.

“We needed to prove that there’s a national expectation that families facing childhood cancer should get help with transport costs.

“The fact we’ve managed to amass more than 24,000 signatures for our petition sends a clear message.”

Meanwhile, CLIC Sargent is doing all it can to help families who are struggling financially as a result of their children’s diagnosis.

As well as providing grants for families, it also runs two home from home facilities in Edinburgh and Glasgow, which enable families to stay together during treatment.

Clare said: “Families can stay there for free, for as long as they need to.

“Our aim is to keep families together when their child is having treatment so there is room for parents and siblings to stay.

“It gives them a chance to meet other families who know what they’re going through and can support each other too.”

CLIC Sargent is also working with ScottishPower and British Gas to provide specialist support.

“We have a direct route to a specialist team who can help with reduced tarrifs,” said Clare. “Often heating bills escalate when a child is ill so it’s a big help for families who are struggling.”

The charity is now in talks with other energy suppliers in the hope of extending the scheme further.

To find out more about the charity, visit www.clicsargent.org.uk.

How you can help to fund a new home

The principle treatment centres for children and young people with cancer in Scotland are the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh and Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital.

Patients can opt to have treatment at their local district hospital but specialist treatment often means travelling further afield.

CLIC Sargent currently has two home from homes in Scotland, one in Glasgow and the other in Edinburgh.

With the Edinburgh hospital on the move, the charity is fundraising to pay for a new property.

The existing Edinburgh home, CLIC Villa, has supported thousands of families since it opened in 1997. More than 300 families have stayed at the house over the last two years, many for several months.

Kate Lee, chief executive of CLIC Sargent, said: “The new home will allow us to continue to provide a welcoming place to help families spend more time together and ease the burden of travel costs.”

Ciaran’s House, designed by LDN Architects, will be built on Old Dalkeith Road.

It will boast nine en-suite family bedrooms, as well as communal kitchens, laundry and social areas, helping families spend time together.

But the charity still needs help to raise the final £155,000 to cap a £3.3 million appeal.

To donate to CLIC Sargent’s appeal text HOME to 70020 to donate £3 or visit www.clicsargent.org.uk/donate.

A sex offender has been jailed for raping three sleeping victims over a five-year period.

Matthew Ferguson carried out those sex attacks on three teenagers at houses in Dundee and Galashiels.

Ferguson, 24, of Wellgrove Street, Dundee, had denied a series of charges, but after a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh he was found guilty of an indecent assault and three rapes committed between March 2011 and April 2016.

In all four cases, his victims were said to have been asleep and incapable of giving or withholding consent.

One victim, now 21, told the court that she first fell victim to Ferguson when she was aged 13 and staying overnight at a house in Galashiels as a guest at a party.

She later told police that Ferguson had gone into the room where she was sleeping and molested her.

She said that on a second occasion when she was aged 14 she was targeted again.

She had not been drinking, she said, adding: “I am a very heavy sleeper and groggy when I come to.

“It took me a minute or so to realise someone was lying on top of me.”

She told officers that she felt discomfort and a burning sensation and found it slightly difficult to breathe because of the weight on her.

The victim said she was crying when she later told her father what Ferguson did to her. She also said that a woman gave her the morning-after pill following the attack.

A second woman, now 21, told the court that in the spring of 2016 she was staying with her then boyfriend at a bedsit in Dundee when Ferguson visited.

She said he and her boyfriend were discussing a phone app and she fell asleep after midnight. Ferguson went to sleep on the floor, she told advocate depute Richard Goddard, and the next thing she remembered after falling asleep was “someone on top of me”.

The woman told the court: “I was lying on back, and I never lie on my back.”

She said she did not want to open her eyes, adding: “I was too scared.”

She said she woke up to hear her boyfriend shouting: “Get off her.” Ferguson was still on top of her when she heard those words, she said.

She said she was scared of Ferguson “in case anything else happened”.

She told the court: “I thought I had been raped.”

Ferguson had been on bail and was remanded in custody following yesterday’s guilty verdicts.

Sentence was adjourned until next month but he was put on the sex offenders’ register in the meantime.

Trial judge Lady Ailsa Carmichael called for the preparation of a background report and psychiatric report ahead of sentencing.

Defence solicitor advocate Iain Paterson said Ferguson had been deemed fit to stand trial by a psychiatrist.

The Ellemford Show this year was a huge success with large classes of sheep and tractors.

This year’s judges did a fantastic job of judging the sheep, tractors and cattle.

The weather stayed dry and although cool, did not deter a great turnout of visitors to the show.

An added bonus to this year’s show was a visit from approximately 35 IBEX (off-road) Landrovers who were on a weekend off-road excursion in the area.

Cups, Special Prizes and Class Winners – In Reverse Order

VINTAGE TRACTOR CUPS (Judge: Mrs S Manners, Deanfoot Farm, Denholm)

The LLOYD TRACTORS SALVER for the Best Prepared Fordson: T NISBET, EYEMOUTH

The Ancroft Tractors Bowl for Best Prepared Massey Ferguson: R SANDERSON, RESTON

The ROB GOURLAY CUP for Best Prepared Grey Ferguson; J HUNTER, KELSO

The ELLIOT CUP for the Overall Champion Tractor; R SANDERSON, RESTON

ROSETTE for Best Original Tractor; I SHEARLAW, GORDON

The JOHN CRON CUP for Any Other Tractor (excluding Ford or Massey Ferguson); K THOMSON, WEST BARNS

SHEPHERDS CUPS

The NOBLE CUP for the Single Blackface in the Shepherds Pen Class. (Judge: Ms F Paxton, Greenleighton, Longwitton) S BLAIKIE, BOTHWELL

BLACKFACE SHEPHERDS CLASS (In Reverse Order): (Judge: Ms F Paxton, Greenleighton, Longwitton)

3RD in Blackface Shepherds class: E RAMAGE, CRAIGWINDSHIEL

2ND in Blackface Shepherds Class: A BELL, TOLLISHILL

1ST & WINNER of the CRICHNESS CUP for the Best Shepherds Pen of one Blackface Ewe, one Gimmer and one Ewe Lamb: S BLAIKIE, BOTHWELL

GREYFACE SHEPHERDS CLASS (In Reverse Order): (Judge: Ms A Gordon, Northfield, St Abbs)

3rd in Greyface Shepherds Class: J GILCHRIST, RAWBURN

2nd in Greyface Shepherds Class: W BORTHWICK, HAREHEAD

1ST & WINNER of the 1902 SWAN CLARET JUG for the Best Shepherds’ Pen of one Grey Face Ewe, one Gimmer and one Ewe Lamb: S THOMSON, COCKBURN

MULTI-BREED SHEPHERDS CLASS (In Reverse Order): (Judge: Ms R Allen, Stoup Hill, Humblehaugh)

3RD in Multi-Breed Shepherds Class: S RENTON, DUNS

2nd in Multi-Breed Shepherds Class: E RAMAGE, CRAIGWINDSIELD

1ST & WINNER of the BORTHWICK CUP for the Best Shepherds Pen of one Multi-Breed Ewe, one Gimmer and One Ewe Lamb: B HEDLEY, CORSBIE

MULTI-BREED CUPS (Judge: Ms R Allen, Stoup Hill, Humblehaugh)

The HARBRO CUP Cup for Best Single MV Accredited Multi-Breed: PROF. PENNY, CRICHNESS

The DAVID P MARSHALL CUP for the Best Single Multi-Breed: M PERRING, HOPRIG

GREY FACE CUPS (Judge: Ms A Gordon, Northfield, St Abbs)

The LONGFORMACUS CUP for the Best Grey Face Pen: S THOMSON, COCKBURN

The LANDALE CUP for the Best Single Grey Face: B HEDLEY, CORSBIE

BLACKFACE CUPS (Judge: Ms F Paxton, Greenleighton, Longwitton)

The AITKEN SILVER CHALLENGE CUP for the Best Pen of Three Blackface Ewe Lambs: J & G SINCLAIR, CROOKSTON

The MURRAY SILVER CHALLENGE CUP for the Best Pen of Three Blackface Gimmers: PROF. PENNY, CRAIGWINDSHIEL

The T. DOUGLAS VEITCH CUP for the Best Blackface Pen of Three: P LOTHIAN, LONGCROFT

The PRIESTLAW CHALLENGE CUP for the Best Single in the Pens of Three: P LOTHIAN, LONGCROFT

The PATE CUP for the Best Blackface Group of Ram, Ewe, Gimmer and Ewe Lamb: A BELL, TOLLISHILL

The TOM HEATLIE CHALLENGE CUP for the Best Blackface Ewe Lamb: A BELL, TOLLISHILL

The A J B SPENCE CUP for the Best Blackface Tup Lamb: PROF. PENNY, BOTHWELL

The AINSLIE PERPETUAL CUP for the Best Single Blackface in Classes 17–22: A BELL, TOLLISHILL

PRIME LAMBS CUPS (Judge: Mrs S Devlin Stafford, Alnwick)

The 1898 SWAN CUP for the Best Prime Lamb in Class 30: J & G SINCLAIR, CROOKSTON

The 1899 SWAN CUP for the Best Prime Lamb in Class 31: J & R WHITECROSS, CLARABAD MILL

The BANK OF SCOTLAND CUP for the Best Pen of Prime Lambs in Classes 30-31: J & G SINCLAIR, CROOKSTON

CATTLE COMPETITION (Judge: Mrs W Hobbs, Wedderlie, Westruther)

Cattle Competition in Reverse Order:

2ND in the Cattle Competition: PROF. PENNY, BOTHWELL

1ST & WINNER of the 125th ANNIVERSARY PROFESSOR W A PENNY CUP for a field of a minimum of 20 Suckler Cows and Calves: D MYCOCK, ELLEMFORD

YOUNG HANDLERS (Judge: Mrs M Cockburn, Stirkfield, Broughton)

The JOHN SCOTT MEMORIAL TROPHY for the winner of the Young Handlers: JACK ROYAN, PUTTON MILL

OVERALL AND RESERVE CHAMPIONS’ CUPS (Judge: Mrs M Cockburn, Stirkfield, Broughton)

The SPOTTISWOODE CUP for the Overall Champion Pen: P LOTHIAN, LONGCROFT

The SWAN & KELLIE CUP for the Reserve Overall Champion: PROF. PENNY, CRICHNESS

The JAMES COULTHERD MEMORIAL CUP for the Shepherd bringing out the Overall Champion: A BELL, TOLLISHILL

The Golden Jubilee Cup for Overall Champion: A BELL, TOLLISHILL

SHEEPDOG TRIALS (Judge: C Smart)

The DUNS CASTLE CHALLENGE CUP for the winner of the 2017 Sheepdog Trials, kindly run by Johnny Robinson: R HENDERSON’S ‘GLEN’, ABBINGTON (96 POINTS).

TERRIER RACING (Judge: J Baker)

The TAFF MEMORIAL CUP for the winner of the Terrier Racing: J MATHER’S ‘TILBERT THWAITE’ FOULDEN.

Industrial Section

LPS Award (plain horn stick) Allan Hay

LPS Special Award (plain wood stick) Allan Hay

Tait Cup (novice stick) David Lochhead

John McGuffie Cup (fancy stick) Allan Hay

LPS Champion of Champions (best stick) Allan Hay

Eunice Elliot Cup (most points child age 8 and over) India Doyle (age 12)

RAC Simpson Cup (most points child age 7 and under) Sarah Sanderson (age 5)

Muriel Milne Cup (best exh. childrens’ section) India Doyle (age 12)

Harehead Quaich (crafts) David Lochhead

CMR Breadboard (best bread) Kerry Eloner

CMR Butterdish (best exh. savouries) Cally Gilchrist

Lidded Jug (best painting) Betty Snow

Marygold Cup (best exh. vegetables) Elisabeth Leeming

Anniversary Trophy (best photograph) Sheila Pattullo

Ferguson Salver (best exh. flower section) Duncan Roe

LPS Tankard (gentlemen’s cup)* Willian Young

Elliot Cup (most points under age 25) Emma Armatage/Debbie Harris

Dickinson Cup (most points overall) Sandra Young

*(gentleman with most points overall excluding Vegetables and Flowers)

A man has been fined £200 at Jedburgh Sheriff Court for creating a disturbance outside a Hawick supermarket he used to work at.

Jamie Walsh, 30, of Noble Place, Hawick, admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by shouting and swearing, challenging a person to fight and making threatening and intimidating gestures.

That incident happened outside the Sainsbury’s store in Commercial Road just after 9pm on February 8.

Tessa Bradley, prosecuting, explained that Walsh was employed at the store until recently but had been facing disciplinary proceedings and had been advised to stay away from the shop until they were concluded.

She said some former colleagues of his had finished their shift and were leaving the store when Walsh saw them and began “throwing his arms about” and “kicking off”, as well as shouting expletives.

A man waiting to pick up his wife outside the shop saw what was going on and got out of his car to assist her, prompting Walsh to say to him: “Come on, big man, do something about it.”

The fiscal said that Walsh continued to be abusive for several minutes to staff members before leaving.

The police were called, and they then tracked down and questioned Walsh after having a look at CCTV footage of part of the incident.

When cautioned and charged, Walsh replied: “It’s a joke.”

Defence lawyer Mat Patrick said his client had been using the cashpoint there as one of the others nearby was not working.

He added that while at the cash machine Walsh was approached by staff members and told to get away, causing him to feel aggrieved.

Mr Patrick said: “Things escalated from that. It was all fairly unnecessary.”

The lawyer explained that Walsh had worked at Sainsbury’s for eight years, but because of mental health problems he’d had to take a significant period of time off work and that had led to ill feeling.

A woman has been fined £400 for kicking a female police officer in the face, causing her nose to bleed.

The police were called to Donna Wilson’s home in Grieve Avenue, Jedburgh, last March by two people holding her down in a bath to stop her harming herself with a piece of glass from a broken mirror.

Wilson then turned her attention towards the officers, however, making threats to assault them and struggling with them, Jedburgh Sheriff Court was told.

During the ensuing fracas, she lashed out with her foot, catching a female constable on the nose.

Defence lawyer Stephanie Clinkscale said her client had taken a large amount of prescribed medication mixed with vodka and six cans of Dragon Soop, an energy drink containing caffeine and 8% alcohol by volume.

A man has appeared in private at Jedburgh Sheriff Court charged with attempted housebreaking.

Edward Hannah, 43, is alleged to have committed that offence at a property in Chris Paterson Place in Galashiels at around 11.55pm last Wednesday, October 3.

He made no plea, and the case was continued for further examination.

Hannah, of Galashiels, was granted bail in the meantime by sheriff Peter Paterson.

Police are appealing for help to trace a missing Melrose teenager.

Jessie Lunts, also known as Heiki, was last seen in the Morningside area of Edinburgh around 1pm on Friday, October 5.

The 18-year-old, who is originally from Melrose, has not returned home or spoken to her family since and concern is growing for her welfare.

Jessie is described as white, 5ft 6ins tall, of slim build, with shoulder-length fair hair, which she mostly wears tied back.

She was last seen wearing blue jeans, a black hooded top, black Vans trainers and carrying a green rucksack.

Inspector Norman Towler of Howdenhall Police Station, said: “Since Jessie was reported missing on Sunday, we’ve been conducting extensive enquiries with our colleagues in the Borders and are now asking for the public’s help.

“Anyone who may have seen Jessie since Friday afternoon, or who has any information on her current whereabouts, is urged to contact us immediately. If Jessie see’s this appeal, we’d also ask her to get in touch with either police or a loved one as soon as possible.”

Anyone with information can contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 0103 of October 7.

The A6089 road between Gordon and Kelso has been reopened following a collision earlier this afternoon between a car and a tractor.

Police were called to the incident at around 12.15pm today, and the road was closed off in both directions at the junction with the A6105.

A police spokesperson told us: “One person was taken to the Borders General Hospital by the ambulance service, but their condition is unknown.

“The road was reopened at around 2.25pm.”

Two members of a Borders hunt have gone on trial accused of breaching fox-hunting laws.

Timothy Allen, 41, and Shaun Anderson, 28, have been charged with deliberately hunting a fox with a pack of dogs while out with the Buccleuch Hunt.

That offence is alleged to have been committed on land surrounding Whitton Farm, near Morebattle, on December 20 last year.

Their trial at Jedburgh Sheriff Court, starting today, October 8, is another major test of the 2002 Protection of Wild Mammals Act.

Allen and Anderson, both of Eildon, near Melrose, confirmed they are sticking to their not-guilty pleas.

Giving evidence, Robbie Marsland, 61, director of the League Against Cruel Sports Scotland, said he feels the current legislation needs tightening up, so he has had hired a team of field workers to covertly film the country’s 10 regular hunts “to check their patterns of behaviour”.

Mr Marsland said he suspects that loopholes in the legislation are being exploited to allow traditional fox-hunting to take place, so he hopes to gather as much evidence as possible to convince the Scottish Government to strengthen the existing legislation.

He added that his investigators had attended around 20 hunts between last October and February, reporting incidents to the police on eight occasions.

Farmer Thomas Edgar, 49, confirmed he had been contacted by Allen about the Eildon-based hunt coming onto his land at Whitton Farm to carry out fox control.

Asked how many lambs he loses a year to foxes, he replied: “It won’t be less than 100 a year. Sometimes it is more than that. They are pretty persisent.

“There are financial implications, and it is pretty devastating for the sheep.”

Three days have been set aside for the trial, looking likely to be only part heard for now as two witnesses due to give evidence are unavailable.

It is understood that film evidence submitted by investigators from the League Against Cruel Sports will form the crux of the case against the two huntsmen.

It will be the latest test of the 2002 Protection of Wild Mammals Act recently subjected to a review by Lord Iain Bonomy.

The main purpose of the act is to ban the deployment of dogs to chase and kill wild mammals. However, it also makes exceptions allowing the limited use of dogs in specified situations and for foxes to be killed by guns.

Father and son John Clive Richardson, 68, and Johnny Riley, 25, became the first members of a mounted hunt to be successfully prosecuted in June last year since the act was introduced north of the Border.

The Jed Forest Hunt members were filmed by investigators from the League Against Cruel Sports too.

Following eight days of evidence, sheriff Peter Paterson ruled that in two cases Richardson and Riley were in breach of the act and found them guilty of deliberately hunting a fox with dogs.

Riley, in charge of the Abbotrule-based hunt at the time, was fined £400 at Selkirk Sheriff Court and Richardson, described as having a lesser role, was fined £250.

There have also been a successful prosecutions under the act of individuals not taking part in recognised hunts.

The latest trial, again being heard by Mr Paterson, continues.

A fundraising bike ride in memory of the 270 victims of 1988’s Lockerbie disaster will head through the Borders this weekend.

The five-strong Cycle to Syracuse team is due to complete the preliminary stage of its transatlantic tribute to those killed by the Pan Am 103 bombing this Wednesday, October 10.

The cyclists – Lockerbie Academy rector Brian Asher and emergency services representatives Colin Dorrance, Paul Rae, David Walpole and David Whalley, RAF Mountain Rescue Service – have been visiting schools in and around Lockerbie as part of their commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the tragedy.

Those visits, the first of three stages of their tribute, have seen them encourage pupils to participate in their journey by clocking up miles on exercise bikes and also give talks to the youngsters involved about the December 21 terrorist atrocity.

The initial stage of the event, in aid of mental health charity Soul Soup, is dedicated to the three children in the Dumfries and Galloway town left dead by the disaster – Joanne Flannigan, Lynsey and Paul Somerville – and also to Andrew McClune, a former Lockerbie Academy head boy killed by an accident at Syracuse University in New York State in 2002.

The next stage is a 70-mile bike ride from Lockerbie to Edinburgh this Saturday, October 13, passing through Broughton and Blyth Bridge.

After that follows a 600-mile ride across the US from Washington DC to Syracuse University in memory of the 35 students there killed when the New York City-bound jet was blown out of the sky.

Colin said: “My team-mates and I are looking forward to being joined by friends and colleagues on the next leg to Edinburgh. The prospect is exciting, humbling and moving.”

Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale MP David Mundell, also Scottish Secretary, will host a reception at Edinburgh Castle for the cyclists after their arrival in the capital, and he said: “The Cycle to Syracuse is an imaginative and entirely appropriate way to acknowledge this milestone in Lockerbie’s journey since the disaster.”

“I’m particularly pleased that local young people are involved and also that many townspeople and others who helped in the aftermath of the bombing will be represented at Edinburgh Castle.”

A 54-year-old motorcyclist has died following a collision with a car near Coldstream yesterday morning.

Police have launched an appeal for witnesses following the fatal collision on the A6112, just north of the Berwickshire town.

The incident happened near Lennel at around 11.25am on Sunday, October 7, involving a “D” registered 1984 model blue Honda VFR motorbike travelling north and a white Volkswagen Polo which had been travelling south.

The motorcyclist, who has not yet been named, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Sergeant Ross Drummond from the Road Policing Unit in Dalkeith, said: “This was a serious road traffic collision in which a 54-year-old man sadly lost his life and my sincere condolences go to his family and friends.

“Enquiries continue to establish the full circumstances surrounding the collision and anyone who witnessed this, or who saw the motorcycle beforehand, is urged to contact us as soon as possible.”

Those with information can contact the Road Policing Unit in Dalkeith via 101, quoting incident number 1726 of October 7, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

There are few people in the Borders can boast a birthday card from the Queen, but for one lady her second such piece of post arrived through the door last week.

Dorothy McCrerie, from Hawick, celebrated her 105th birthday last Friday and she had her work cut out getting through more than 35 birthday cards, as well as that all-important one from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

The great-grandmother, born in 1913, was also treated to a rendition of happy birthday on the bagpipes and a celebratory cake and sing-song with her family and fellow residents at Bonchester Bridge Care Home.

“She is absolutely amazing,” care home manager Lisa Lothian said. “She lived on her own until she was 103. She is a Catholic and takes communion here regularly and enjoys gentle one-on-one activities.”

Dorothy was born in Lincolnshire but moved to Hawick after marrying her husband William in 1938.

She had left school at 14 and originally worked as a housekeeper in Lincolnshire, where she met William, of Hawick, then working as a gardener there.

After returning to his native Hawick in 1938, the couple had two children, Sheila who lives in Lincolnshire, and Charlie, who stays in Hawick.

And while Dorothy reckoned she hoped to celebrate the big event on Friday by “spending the day sleeping, most likely”, there was little time for that with an abundance of visitors to keep her entertained.

“She had a lovely day, if a little tiring,” her daughter Sheila said. “They organised a piper to play happy birthday, which I thought was a really nice touch. I don’t think they realised she’s English, but she’s lived in Scotland 80 years, so she’s an adopted Scot.”

“She has seen a lot in 105 years. From the first wireless to the invention of cars and everything else. If you think about it, it’s wonderful.”

The eldest of seven siblings, Dorothy’s brother John Langley, 92, lives in Lincolnshire. She has four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Borders MP David Mundell has offered his backing to former Scottish Labour Party leader Kezia Dugdale in a legal battle centred on his homosexuality.

Mr Mundell says he and his son Oliver, a Conservative MSP, would do “anything we can” to help Ms Dugdale contest a £25,000 defamation case brought by blogger Stuart Campbell.

That action was prompted by the Lothian Labour list MSP denouncing a 2017 tweet posted by Mr Campbell about the MP as homophobic in a newspaper column.

Mr Campbell’s tweet described Oliver Mundell as “the sort of public speaker that makes you wish his dad had embraced his sexuality sooner”.

Scottish Secretary David Mundell, a father of three, came out as gay in 2016.

The 56-year-old, MP for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale since 2005, says he has provided a witness statement for Ms Dugdale and is prepared to appear in court to back her case if necessary.

Scrapping a bungled IT system overhaul has left one of the biggest employers in the Borders in need of a £28.2m bailout from the public purse.

The Scottish Public Pensions Agency’s Tweedbank headquarters, staffed by more than 300 workers responsible for payouts of £2.25bn-plus a year, needs that cash to balance its books after abandoning what was intended to be a cost-cutting initiative in February this year.

The agency, based at Tweedside Park since relocating from Edinburgh in 2001, handed out a contract initially worth £5.6m but later increased to £6.3m to Capita Employee Solutions in 2015 to develop an integrated administration and payment IT system.

The aim of that replacement system, called PS Pensions and due to have got up and running in March this year, was to improve efficiency and customer service, as well as saving money.

An Audit Scotland report on that failed initiative out now reveals that the agency will need an extra £9.8m from the Scottish Government to plug gaps in its revenue budgets over the next four years.

It will also need £18.4m in capital expenditure – more than three times the initial bill – for a replacement IT system, it says.

A spokesman for Audit Scotland said: “The closure of the project means that the agency has not been able to progress its strategic, business and workforce plans as originally intended.

“This includes its target operating model to deliver future services more efficiently.

“The delay in implementing the target operating model means that planned annual efficiency savings are not achievable.

“As a result, the agency has forecast significant budget gaps and estimates that it requires additional revenue budget of £9.8m between 2019-20 and 2022-23.

“The agency also estimates it needs a total capital allocation of £18.4m from the Scottish Government over the next five years to deliver a replacement project.

“Discussions are currently under way between Capita and the agency over legal responsibility for the failed contract and any potential financial penalty.”

A further Audit Scotland report for auditor general Caroline Gardner will follow next year once any legal proceedings are over.

A spokesperson for the agency said: “We would like to reassure our customers that our focus, as it was throughout this project, is to safeguard services for them.

“This will ensure that pensions continue to be paid on time and that we support scheme members appropriately.

“There is no change in the service that we provide and we will continue to put customers’ needs at the heart of our service delivery and work on business solutions to enhance the customer experience.

“The auditor general has signalled her intention to prepare a report on the PS Pensions project in 2019 once negotiations between the agency and Capita Employee Solutions have concluded.

“For commercial reasons, neither Audit Scotland nor the agency can comment on those negotiations.”

A hugely popular Lord Lieutenant of Berwickshire, who was born exactly one year before the Queen, has died, aged 93.

Major-General Sir John Swinton’s passing will be met with great sadness among his many friends in Berwickshire and beyond.

The father of well-known actress Tilda Swinton, John died peacefully at the age of 93 at home at Kimmerghame, near Duns, in the early hours of Thursday, October 4.

The son of Brigadier Alan Henry Campbell Swinton and his wife Mariora, John was born on April 21, 1925, appropriately sharing that birthday with the Queen, albeit being born exactly one year previous.

He was educated at Harrow School, in London. Commissioned into the family regiment – The Scots Guards – in 1944, he saw active service in NW Europe, being wounded twice.

He celebrated VE Day in a hospital ship returning to the UK, having lost a leg at a place very close to where his father had suffered a similar wound in the Great War.

He saw further active service in Malaya from 1948 to 1951, being mentioned in dispatches.

He was Aide-De-Camps to Field Marshall Sir William Slim, Governor General of Australia, and it was there that he met and married Judith.

The couple went on to have three sons, James, Alexander and William, and one daughter, Tilda.

John commanded the 2nd Battalion Scots Guards from 1966 to 1968, the 4th Guards Armoured Brigade as a Brigadier between 1972 and 1973, followed by the Scottish Lowlands, centred on Edinburgh Castle, from 1975 to 1976.

He was then appointed general officer commanding London District, as Major-General commanding the Household Division from 1976 to 1979, being appointed KCVO on relinquishing that command.

During that time, he organised the state funeral of Lord Mountbatten and was in charge of London’s emergency services during the fireman’s strike.

He had held the title of Lord Lieutenant for Berwickshire from 1989 to 2000, succeeding the late Lieutenant-Colonel Sir William Swan.

During this time, he organised a number of royal visits, including a highly successful one by the Queen and Prince Phillip in 1994.

In addition to being Lord Lieutenant, John Swinton held many other positions including chairmanships of The Royal British Legion Scotland, Borders Area SAAFA, the Berwick Military Tattoo, the Thirlestane Castle Trust and the Berwickshire Civic Society.

He was not a man who could be an idler.

He was a member of the Queens Bodyguard for Scotland (The Royal Company of Archers), and was captain from 2003 to 2007.

He enjoyed fishing and shooting, being active in both into his 90s. Most of all he enjoyed being at home with his family at Kimmerghame.

A Borders councillor is making it his mission to save the world from global warming, and he’s taking that crusade to the top.

Bypassing the likes of Scottish Government First minister Nicola Sturgeon and UK Government Prime Minister Theresa May, Hawick and Hermitage councillor Davie Paterson this week contacted US president Donald Trump to make an impassioned plea for him to act now to avert a climate change disaster.

World leaders have been told they are under a moral obligation to do more to prevent a climate crisis in the wake of a new UN report revealing that even half a degree of extra warming will affect hundreds of millions of people, decimate corals and intensify heat extremes.

Mr Paterson emailed the president’s office expressing his concerns and was told that his message will be “reviewed carefully”.

However, Mr Paterson might find it a hard act to change Mr Trump’s stance.

The 72-year-old, America’s 45th president, is known to be a global warming denier and has withdrawn the US from the 2015 Paris Agreement, a United Nations pact to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from 2020.

Mr Paterson said: “I sent an email to him, and I have given him my mobile number and said that he can call at any time. I am waiting for his call.

“I told him that, as the leader of the free world, surely to goodness he should be listening to the non-political world experts and lead by example.

“This isn’t just about America – this is about the future of the world, and if we don’t make drastic changes now, we will increase climate change and cause real economic hardship to some of the poorest nations in the world, which are already struggling to survive.

A reply, from the office of presidential correspondence, says: “Thank you for contacting the White House.

“We are carefully reviewing your message.

“President Donald J Trump appreciates you taking the time to reach out.”

Mr Paterson says he now intends to contact other world leaders including Russian president Vladimir Putin and Chinese president Xi Jinping to demand action.

Closer to home, Mr Paterson is also calling on Scottish Border Council chief executive Tracey Logan to do more to cut use of plastics here.

In particular, he wants to see the back of one-use cups for coffee in council vending machines.

He said: “I am disappointed at the lack of action by councils and governments to combat the ever-increasing misuse of plastic and one-use items.

“For example, our council has one-use cups for coffee at vending machines and one-use plastic stirrers for the same machines.

“There must be hundreds of one-use items that I would consider Scottish Borders Council could consider phasing out.

“Surely It wouldn’t be a hardship to bring a mug and spoon to work?”

Motorists are facing further disruption after serious structural issues were discovered on the Galafoot Bridge.

Amey, which manages the trunk road, has been carrying out repairs on the A6091 bridge that links Galashiels and Tweedbank, with eastbound traffic diverted via the A7 to B6360 Abbotsford Road to Tweedbank roundabout, since August 5.

The current work is set to finish on November 9, but further works will be required next year.

The initial scheme included the replacement of the road and footpath surfacing, the waterproofing of the bridge deck, deck repairs and an investigation into the condition of the expansion joints.

However, once the deck was removed, it became clear that concrete sections and underlying steel reinforcement were badly deteriorating.

Stuart Wallace, Amey bridges manager, said: “These refurbishment works were originally intended to prevent the further deterioration of the bridge structure by repairing defects at an early stage.

“This work has subsequently uncovered several previously hidden defects that far exceeded expectations, and this is the reason for the increase to the construction programme.”

Praising locals for their patience and understanding, Mr Wallace said, having listened to feedback, Amey felt it “prudent” not to continue the works over the coming months and throughout the busy holiday season, and will instead restart a second phase of works in February.

“We want to thank road users, businesses and residents for their goodwill, and we will continue to consult with local stakeholders and provide updates on this scheme via our website and social media,” he added.

Leaderdale and Melrose Councillor David Parker said: “I will be meeting with Amey and Transport Scotland next week to discuss the current works, but more importantly, to make sure a more robust plan is in place for phase two now that there is a better understanding of the bridge’s condition. “

Border Search and Rescue Unit is drawing plans to move to a new base in a bid to respond faster to emergencies across the region.

The unit’s team of 26 volunteers currently works out of Kelso police station and the garage at the town’s racecourse that houses its three rescue vehicles.

However, the land its current garage facility stands on is rented and does not provide enough space for all its associated equipment to be stored in one location.

The building also lacks the necessary welfare facilities for its volunteers.

In an effort to address those issues, an application has been submitted to Scottish Borders Council for a purpose-built unit at Kelso’s Pinnaclehill Industrial Estate, close to the Vermilion Dental Practice.

A spokesperson for the unit said: “A purpose-built facility in the right location will allow us to respond quicker and more effectively to any callout, as well as hosting command and control of an appropriate incident.

“Pinnaclehill Industrial Estate represents a sound location for a medical rescue base.

“It provides the necessary space and location to provide a long-term, fit-for-purpose facility.”

The 1,900 sq yd site being eyed up as a potential new rescue base, north east of the dentist’s, is currently vacant.

The unit was formed in 1963 to provide mountain rescue cover in the south east of Scotland, and all its members are volunteers living and working locally.

The team is on call round the clock every day of the year, and last year members dealt with 19 incidents taking up 667 hours of their time.

It also supports local events including common ridings, providing medical cover for rideouts at Duns, Kelso, Coldstream, Jedburgh and Edinburgh.

In addition, its volunteers provided 531 hours of support during this year’s heavy snowfalls in the Borders caused by the storm dubbed the Beast from the East, assisting 80 people in the process.

The unit has been looking for a new home for the last four years, having considered and ruled out eight other sites during that time.

It expects the price-tag for its new base to come to around £300,000, but it has already secured a £35,000 grant from Scottish Borders Council’s localities bid fund to help it foot that bill.

If its application is approved, it would hope to start work on its new home early next year.

A three-figure sum of cash has been stolen from Oxton Community Shop.

The portacabin store on Station Road, which was officially opened in July, was broken into overnight on Monday.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Police in the Borders are investigating a break-in and theft in Oxton, near Lauder.

“The incident happened at a shop in the Station Road area between 6.15pm on Monday, October 8 and 6.15am on Tuesday, October 9, during which time a three-figure sum of cash was stolen. Inquiries are ongoing.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police via 101, quoting incident 0399 of October 9, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”