ANCRUM
Fun for the young
The village hall is to host three fun activity sessions for three to six-year-olds, each running from 10am-noon – August 2 – puppeteer and story-teller Poppy Browne; August 9 – Stephanie Knight (drama and theatre workshop); August 16 – disco. Tickets are available from the village shop, or by contacting Tara (07891 684457) or Nicola (07939 177511).
Bowden
Fete
A garden fete will be held in the village hall on August 3.
Earlston
Church
The July 14 service at 10.15am will be conducted by the Reverend Julie Woods, with help from the worship team. Refreshments will be served afterwards.
Teas
There will be a pop-up tea-room in Redpath Village Hall every Sunday in July, from 2-4pm. Donations will go towards hall funds.
ECKFORD
WRI
For their summer night out, members joined Heiton WRI for an evening at Teviot Smokery which involved a walk in the gardens, a meal and gift exchange.
Hawick
Rotary
The official handover night was held in the Buccleuch Hotel when Tommy Mulvee, outgoing club president, welcomed his successor, Scott Elliot, who assumes his second tenure of office. Tommy thanked members for their support during his year of office which he had enjoyed and presented Scott with the president’s chain. Scott thanked Tommy for his efforts in leading the club during the year and presented him with his past president’s badge. President Scott then presented vice-president Sandy Bannerman with his chain of office and congratulated Mairhi Tricket on becoming junior vice-president. Guest speaker was Nick Bannerman, managing director of Johnstons of Elgin. The company had been established in 1797 with eight employees – the current workforce comprised 260 employees in Hawick and 450 in Elgin. The firm had offices in Tokyo, Dusseldorf, London and New York, with Burberry the biggest customer. Johnstons also dealt with other high-quality customers. including Chanel, Nick related a number of his experiences on travelling around the world, saying that all travel was not glamorous – airport regulations and security could be tedious and frustrating. Nowadays there was much closer liason between local knitwear companies than in the early years, and this benefited the textile industry as a whole. Recently, Johnstons had been visited by Prince Charles and Camilla, and the firm honoured with a Royal Warrant which would be a great boost for future trading. Nick said Johnsons was promoting an apprenticeship scheme as it was important to ensure there was a younger workforce who could replace older employees when they left the industry. Past president Mulvee proposed the votes of thanks to Nick.
Innerleithen
Church
The 11.30am service on July 14 in Innerleithen Church will be the Games Week kirkin’ service.
JEDBURGH
Lunch club
Jedburgh Lunch Club for local pensioners meets on Thursday, July 18.
Concert
A concert featuring new music inspired by the 2009 discovery of the Hawick Missal Fragment will be taking place in Jedburgh on July 20. This is the first of a trilogy of unique and highly-distinctive events featuring new music by Sean Doherty, an award-winning young composer and lecturer at Trinity College, University of Dublin, alongside imagery, light, colour and sweeping soundscapes. The fragment would have been part of a missal – a book which contained the texts and chants for a mass. It was discovered in an uncatalogued collection of family and solicitors’ papers by Rachel Hosker and her staff at the Heritage Hub in Hawick. The event will begin in the Old and Trinity Church with a seated concert lasting approximately 40 minutes, after which the audience will be invited to explore Jedburgh Abbey in which there will be two installation art pieces created in response to the fragment. The event starts at 7pm and tickets are on sale from.historic-scotland.gov.uk/fragments.
KELSO
Bridge
July 3 – aggregate pairs – N/S – 1, Jim and Mary Stone; 2, Bob Stevenson and Annie Mitchell; 3, Val Johnstone and Mary Millar; E/W – 1, Stuart Graham and Ian Watson; 2, Archie Stewart and Billy Potts; 3, Jean Henry and Myra Thomson; July 4 – aggregate pairs – N/S – 1, Rena Stewart and Val Johnstone; 2, Brian Saywood and Evelyn Erskine; 3, Jim Stone and Annie Mitchell; E/W – 1, Archie Stewart and Billy Potts; 2, Helenor Pratt and Pauline Smart; 3, Lynda Douglas and Lesley Dick.
Farmers’ market
A farmers’ market will be held in Kelso Square on July 13.
Donations
There have been three donations towards Kelso mum Jo Ballantyne’s charity climb of Africa’s highest peak – Mount Kilimanjaro – taking place in September. Kelso Rugby Club raised £430 from a 200 evening, Borders fitness instructor and pilates teacher Laura Quilietti, plus her clients, realised more than £520 from sponsored walk and the Ex-Kelso Laddies’ Association donated £200 towards the £3,000 raised so far by Jo. The cash she raises will go to Marie Curie, Hospiscare and the Brain Tumour Charity. To donate, visit www.justgiving.com/teams/jokilimanjaroclimb
Langholm
Kirk fete
The annual kirk fete for the parishes of Langholm, Eskdalemuir, Westerkirk and Ewes took place in the town’s parish church grounds and although it was wet for most of the time, there was good public support and £2,700 was raised. Baptise the Minister was a popular attraction, with the Reverend Scott McCarthy getting soaked with wet sponges – but he was the only one who did not looked bothered about getting wet. There was a barbecue in the grounds and cream teas were served in the church. The town band managed to play part of their programme before it got too wet to continue, and the pipe band, who had performed along the streets to the fete, went into the church to entertain.
Academy awards
The Academy held its annual awards ceremony, packing the school hall with parents and children. There was a change to the usual ceremony, with only S1-3 receiving their awards. The honours for the more senior pupils will take place in November. Acting head John McFadyen welcomed everyone to the event. Also at the top table were Robert Drennan, acting deputy head teacher, and English teacher Richard Stratton. As well as the award presentations, there was a piano solo from Leanne Donald and cornet duet by Rebecca Hall and Josh Calvert.
Presentation
Cornet Alasdair Cavers was presented with his spurs at Ewes Hall by his rugby team-mate at Milntown, Steven Nicol. Although not an official part of the Common Riding, the spurs presentation has now been carried out for a number of years – and it gave Cornet Cavers a chance to meet up with close friends and enjoy a social evening.
Retirement
Primary teachers Joan Cubbon and Ada Bell have retired after 75 years of service between them.
MELROSE
Church
July 14 – services at Bowden (9.30am) and Melrose (11am); July 24 – midweek service and lunch; August 4 – after church, strawberry tea in aid of breast cancer charity.
Trimontium
The arrival of the Ian Brown Sunday afternoon round-the-site Trimontium Walks at Newstead shows that the height of the walking season has begun. Ian Skinner’s first-Monday-in-the-month Monks’ Walks round Old Melrose still pull in the punters, a score of ‘pilgrims’ turning up last week for their passes, with more opportunities to come – in aid of the archaeology project – at the beginning of the months of August, September and October. The longer Trimontium Walks on Tuesdays and Thursdays benefited from the good weather – three new members joined the trust on a recent trip.
MOREBATTLE
Fishing
Results of the fishing competition held at Caverton Mill – 1, Stuart McNulty; 2, David Gray; 3, Jeannie McNulty.
Coffee morning
A Guide Dogs for the Blind coffee morning will be held in the village hall on July 20 from 10.30am.
oxnam
Walk
The next outing for Oxnam Walking Group is on July 14 and over Hownam Law, starting from Hownam village hall (10am for 10.30am start). This is a circular walk and quite strenuous. Dogs are welcome, but must be kept on leads at all times.
Traquair
Service
The next service in Traquair Kirk will be on July 21 at 10.30am.
Walkerburn
Service
The next service in Walkerburn Public Hall will be on July 28 at 10.30am.
Yetholm
WRI
President Netta Harvey welcomed members to the latest meeting when Annette Fraser, from Borderland Fabrics, spoke about modern quilting and demonstrated ready-to-sew fabrics. The next regular meeting will be on September 17 when the subject is Indian cooking. However, there are summer events to enjoy – a whist drive in the Youth Hall at 7.30pm on July 16 and a shopping trip to The Gyle and Dobbies on August 20.
Community council
Members of Yetholm Community Council are undertaking a household survey to ascertain local views on alternative uses for the Playing Field pavilion At the same time leaflets are being distributed explaining the Campaign against Cold Calling. Residents are urged to interest themselves in both matters
Bric-a-brac plea
As a fundraiser to form part of Yetholm Open Village Gardens event on July 14, there will be a bric-a-brac stall. Items for sale are needed and should be handed in to the village shop.Otherwise plans for the Open Gardens day are well in hand.
Lizard
Regulars and visitors to the Plough Hotel bar had a treat the other day. A person staying in the hotel showed off a pet lizard called Olaf – a bearded dragon which normally lives in a temperature-controlled tank, but was briefly allowed to meet those in the bar. Olaf lives off crickets and lettuce.
Kelso Laddie
The Kelso Laddie ride-out to Yetholm – one of the busiest days in the village calendar – is on July 20.