Border writers’ group The Eildon Tree stands to lose their decade-old, free magazine, unless readers feedback to St Mary’s Mill arts service.
The council-funded, biannual magazine showcasing new Borders poetry and prose faces becoming another victim of Britain’s culture funding cuts.
“This is the best issue so far, but with massive cutbacks on arts, there’s vast pressure to justify expenditure,” Eildon Tree’s co-editor Carol Norris said. “You’ve got to battle to keep this going, because it’s a vanishing thing. It’s a little vestige of a public service doing good for the population.
“As far as I’m aware, the Borders is the only UK council with a publically-funded arts magazine. We’ve the second highest number of residents registered as artists in Scotland, so there’s a huge amount of talent out there, and we want to make them and their work better known. We’re open to all new submissions.
“If people want to keep The Eildon Tree magazine, write, email or phone St Mary’s Mill. Contact details are in the magazine, which is available in libraries, health centres, dental surgeries, and in Selkirk’s Forest Bookstore and Jaz Rose cafe.”