Friday 11th February 2011 Turf roof plan for historic tower
Smailholm Tower, between St Boswells and Kelso, could benefit from a
turf roof in an attempt to stem problems with a persistently leaking
roof. The 15th century landmark in the Borders has suffered damage to
its upper floor with rain leaking through its stone flag roof. Trials
conducted over the past two years with turf and clay soft-capping have
helped to address the problem. Smailholm Tower, a five-star visitor
attraction, dates back to the 1400s and was built by the Pringle
family. Borders

Friday 10th December 2010 Teenager seriously injured by falling ice
A Scottish teenager was seriously injured by snow and ice falling from
a farmhouse roof. Samantha Kinghorn, 14, is in a serious but stable
condition. She was crushed by snow and ice which fell from the roof of
a farmhouse when she was clearing a path on Middlethird Farm near
Gordon, on Thursday afternoon. She was initially taken to a Borders
General Hospital near Melrose before being airlifted to Glasgow's
Southern General on Friday where she underwent emergency surgery.
Scottish Borders Council issued a statement saying: "Temporary
structures and agricultural sheds are usually most at risk. We would
advise that the agricultural and business community inspect roofs on a
regular basis. We would also stress that no-one should go onto roofs
without carrying out a full risk assessment and without using the
correct equipment." Borders

Wednesday 22nd September 2010 School sold for £1
A local community trust has taken over a former primary school in
Berwickshire for just £1. The Scottish Borders Council agreed the
proposal for St Abbs primary to be transferred to the group at its
executive committee. The school was originally closed in 1992 by what
was then the Borders Regional Council. The St Abbs Community Centre
committee leased it last year for £1 and outright ownership will now
be transferred to them for the same sum. Councillors at the meeting
were told the building was of "no operational value" to the council.
The council’s decision to transfer of ownership would contain
safeguards to ensure its continued use for community purposes. The St
Abbs Community Centre Trust will refurbish the property using funds
from the sale of the former village hall and a grant from the EU's
rural priorities scheme. Borders

Monday 12th July 2010 St Abbs walker found hanging by fingertips
A man out walking at St Abbs in Berwickshire was left hanging by his
fingertips over a 150ft drop after slipping on cliffs. The man's
walking partner rang Forth Coastguard to say he was hanging by his
fingertips. The 54-year-old was saved from his precarious position
after a major rescue operation, he was eventually saved by a
specialist team who attached a line to the walker and pulled him to
safety. A Forth Coastguard spokesman said: "The man slipped down the
ravine by the Lighthouse at St Abbs, and was hanging on by his
fingertips. The coastguard on scene managed to secure a line to him
and take him back to the top of the cliff where he was checked over by
paramedics and was given the all-clear after recovering from his
ordeal.” Borders

Thursday 27th May 2010 Coldingham Bay gets Blue Flag award
Coldingham Bay is one of seven beaches to be awarded the coveted Blue
Flag award for the quality of its beaches. The Scottish Borders beach
has received the flag for the first time and 56 other Scottish beaches
were commended for their quality by Keep Scotland Beautiful (KSB).

John Summers, chief executive of KSB, said: "Over the last 10 years
the number of Seaside Awards in Scotland has more than quadrupled,
there were just 13 in 2000. I am particularly delighted to welcome
Coldingham Bay in the Scottish Borders to the Blue Flag list and to
see more beaches joining the award scheme in Aberdeenshire and Angus
too." Borders

Tuesday 11th May 2010 Sir Walter Scott's Abbotsford House gets money for repairs
Abbotsford House, Sir Walter Scott's former home in the Borders, has
been granted £2.45m of funding. The cash is needed for vital repairs
to A-listed property, near Melrose. A new visitor centre to provide
improved facilities for tourists is also planned. The Scottish
government has contributed £1m, with £800,000 from Historic Scotland
and a further £650,000 from Scottish Enterprise.

Culture Minister Fiona Hyslop said: "Abbotsford gives us a glimpse
into what life was like for Sir Walter Scott."

David Parker, leader of Scottish Borders Council, said: "This means
that vital repairs can be carried out and that the facilities for
visitors can be developed to encourage more people to visit this
historic site." Borders

Thursday 25th February 2010 Postmistress, 72, fought off robber
A 72-year-old postmistress fought off a robber wielding a knife at her
rural post office branch. Sheila Jeffrey fought off Patrick Loyden at
Town Yetholm post office near Kelso in September 2008. Mrs Jeffrey’s
hand was cut as she fought off the thug who even resorted to banging
the postmistress’s head on a metal box.

The attacker eventually escaped with £127 but his vehicle was seen
leaving the area. The low-life was tracked down and charged with
assault and robbery. The judge in the case said: "This was clearly a
nasty, cowardly crime and the evidence suggests the perpetrator knew
it was quiet and quite probably it was manned by a single, female
postmistress. Had it not been for her plucky resistance and the brave
intervention of her daughter, who it was quite possible you did not
know was there, the consequences could have been quite different. The
robbery was to an extent foiled by the combination of their actions." Borders

Friday 7th August 2009 Millionaire gifts mansion to locals
Andrew Nimmo-Smith has left Haining House in Selkirk to his local community in his will. The A-listed Palladian mansion, built in the late 1800s, is set in 150 acres of grounds and even has its own private loch. The shock news was revealed after the 85-year-old former solicitor passed away at Borders General Hospital in July.

Although the Selkirk Regeneration Trust has spoken to Mr Nimmo-Smith about the possibility of him entrusting the property to the public benefit, the group were shocked to hear the news after his will was read. Chairman of the group Dr Lindsay Neil described himself as “gloriously heartened” by the news of Mr Nimmo-Smith’s generosity. A group of trustees have been appointed to ensure Nimmo-Smith’s wishes that the building should be of artistic, cultural and architectural benefit to the community. Borders

Wednesday 24th June 2009 Scottish Parliament has official tartan for 10th birthday
Teri Scott, of Heriot-Watt University in Galashiels, has designed the winning tartan in a competition organised to find an official tartan for the Scottish Parliament.

The winning submission contained “heather tones and vibrant thistle colours” according to its creator. The winning design will be produced into cloth by Perth kiltmakers and weavers Macnaughton Holdings Limited. A length of it goes to Ms Scott as part of her prize. She’ll also be at parliament as a guest for the 10th birthday celebrations on 1 July.

Ms Scott’s design will be registered with the Scottish Tartans Register as the official Scottish Parliament tartan. Borders