Border Telegraph
Christmas concert sees Borderer’s work hailed
A BORDERS exercise coach was honoured with an invite to an annual royal Christmas event to pay thanks for his work in the community. David McMillan, from St Boswells, owns DM Fitness and attended a Christmas Carol concert, organised by the Princess of...
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Joy as £64m school is officially opened
A NEW era officially got under way with the grand opening of the £64 million Galashiels Academy campus. The ‘state-of-the-art’ school welcomed students and staff for the first time on Tuesday, (January 6), with head boy Hamish Seggie and head girl...
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100 jobs to be created by medicinal cannabis
UP TO 100 new jobs could be created with the arrival of a medicinal cannabis facility in the Borders. Breathe Life Sciences is set to open its first Scottish manufacturing and distribution centre in the region. It aims to develop patientready...
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Recycling initiative donates to charity
THE work of a devoted eco-warrior has been commemorated in a generous donation to a Galashiels charity. Brian Barry passed away while on holiday in Canada and was the steering force behind an initiative to recycle valuable milk bottle tops. He built...
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Mary lends her voice to ongoing campaign
A BORDERER at the heart of a campaign calling for changes to disability benefits for people with multiple sclerosis has co-signed a letter to the Scottish Government. MS Society Scotland submitted the document to ShirleyAnne Somerville MSP, cabinet...
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Center Parcs proposal gets council go-ahead
A ‘TRANSFORMATIONAL’ £450m holiday village in the Borders has been given the green light. Center Parcs now has approval for its first holiday park in Scotland, on land at and incorporating Huntlaw Farm at Hassendean in Hawick. Scottish Borders...
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Center Parcs plan set to receive green light
MAJOR plans to build a Center Parcs holiday village in the Borders are set to be given the green light. A lengthy report on the development, which would see up to 700 lodges constructed on the site between Selkirk and Hawick, was published ahead of a...
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Galashiels stalwart is given ScotRail award
A STALWART of life in Galashiels has been recognised for her work in championing the Borders Railway. Judith Cleghorn received the Outstanding Contribution to Community Rail accolade at the ScotRail in the Community Awards 2025. This was given out...
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Burgh PS looks ahead withSTEMcurriculum
PUPILS at Galashiels’ oldest primary school are leading the way in learning about STEM disciplines in the classroom. STEM, meaning science, technology, engineering and maths, has been introduced at Burgh PS as kids jumped at the chance to implement it...
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Girl launches book with grandfather
STORYTELLING runs in the family after a Borders youngster teamed up with her grandfather to release their first novel. Nine-year-old Grace Moffat joined forces with her bestselling author and grandfather Alistair Moffat to write a children’s...
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Mothballing nurseries now only a ‘last resort’
MOTHBALLING nursery schools will become a ‘last resort’ under a revised policy endorsed by Scottish Borders Council this week. SBC has agreed a new policy on supporting the sustainability of early learning and childcare provision across the...
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‘Help us tell the story of the River Tweed...’
DEVELOPERS of a community-driven project are inviting residents to share their fondest memories of a key Borders waterway. The Destination Tweed project is calling on locals in the south of Scotland and Northumberland to participate in a new archive...
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Widow calls for investigation into care late husband received from NHS Borders
NHS BORDERS is facing calls for an investigation into its quality of care after a widow claimed that the service provided to her husband contributed to his death. Now, Tracey Wright has decided to share her story after a series of complaints to the...
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Community centre praised by minister
“INSPIRING” was the buzz word as a Scottish minister visited a Borders recreational venue. Jim Fairlie, minister for agriculture and connectivity, stopped by Philiphaugh Community Centre in Selkirk on October 8 as part of a programme recognising...
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‘Shop was caught with £10k of illegal tobacco’
A SHOP in Galashiels has been reported to HM Revenue and Customs after it was allegedly caught with £10,000 worth of illegal tobacco. A joint operation was carried out between Police Scotland and Trading Standards to target the sale of illicit...
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Leaking sewage issue at burn ‘isn’t going away’
A BORDERS councillor has raised concerns over sewage leaking into a burn in Galashiels. Neil Mackinnon has voiced the issue of sewage entering the Mossilee Burn at Gala Policies. The Galashiels representative for the Green Party claims the problem...
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Team completes Kiltwalk in memory of Margaret
A TEAM of women from the Borders took on a 21mile walking challenge in memory of their late colleague. Margaret Mills passed away on March 28 earlier this year, just weeks after her retirement from Children First. There, she spent 54 years working...
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TEN YEARS ON TRACK
A DECADE of trains running to and from the Borders was celebrated in Galashiels over the weekend. First Minister John Swinney was joined by representatives from ScotRail, Network Rail and the Scottish Government, alongside campaign and community...
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First minister visits under threat community centre
JOHN SWINNEY visited a Galashiels community centre last week that is under threat of closure due the ongoing review of Live Borders. The first minister visited Langlee Community Centre on Monday (August 25) where volunteers highlighted the importance...
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Housing technology is ‘first in the world’
A GALASHIELS pensioner was the “first in the world” to receive a new home energy system last week. Muriel Allison, a Scottish Borders Housing Association (SBHA) tenant, received the new domestic energy storage system that uses battery technology not...
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‘A celebration of what is possible’ for the area
START-UP entrepreneurs will pitch their ideas in Dragons Den style as a Galashiels project enjoys a “dynamic revival”. Galashiels Soup, which launched in 2015, has been awarded Scottish Government cash to host three events. Audiences will gather over...
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Only one way to solve safety issue in Selkirk
A PETITION calling for a one-way system on three streets in Selkirk due to safety concerns has been launched. The campaign was brought forward by independent councillor Caroline Cochrane following concerns due to the roads being busy and narrow. She...
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Station staff threatened with knife
A KNIFE-WIELDING robber who demanded cash from workers at two petrol stations in the Borders, less than a fortnight apart, has been jailed. The 34-year-old, from Earlston, also stole a car and mobile phone from Gattonside Toll and attempted to rob a...
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‘Delight’ as Post Office set to reopen in Selkirk
THE Post Office has announced its branch in Selkirk will reopen just months after it was closed. Its site at 40 Market Place shut in January following the postmaster’s resignation. But now the branch will reopen in September, just a short walk away...
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Road safety plan in mind for Selkirk
NEW pedestrian crossings and a one-way system have been proposed as ways to boost the safety of pedestrians in Selkirk. Concerns have been raised for years about the section of the A7 passing through the town centre, which includes two sharp...
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Conman stole £100,000 from retired duo
A GALASHIELS construction boss left a retired couple with “a half-demolished” house and in “a dire financial state” after fleecing them out of more than £100,000. Sean Sutherland, 31, took payments totalling £101,673.35 over a ninemonth period to pay...
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Borders school mothballed as council makes shock decision
A COMMUNITY has been left “reeling” after a decision to mothball a Borders school. Councillors chose to temporarily close Fountainhall Primary at a meeting on Thursday last week (June 26) after being told that there was only one pupil enrolled for...
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Sammi helps to unveil new school plaque
FORMER Earlston Primary School pupil Sammi Kinghorn was an honoured guest at the grand opening of the new building last week. The Paralympic champion wheelchair racer, along with resident and ex-pupil Bunty Mason, unveiled a plaque to commemorate the...
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Book festival director set to receive MBE
ALISTAIR MOFFAT is among the Borderers to have their achievements recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours list. The historian and Borders Book Festival director has been awarded an MBE for services to literature and culture. Mr Moffat played a...
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Man jailed over indecent messages to ‘young girls’
A 62-YEAR-OLD Galashiels man who was convicted for the third time of communicating indecently with what he thought was a young girl has been jailed for 12 months at Selkirk Sheriff Court. Keith Ward was also given a two-year extended sentence so he...
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Food waste collections cancelled after accident
SCOTTISH Borders Council has cancelled all food waste collections this week as an investigation continues following an accident which hospitalised a staff member. The worker suffered a concussion, cuts and bruises after being caught and dropped by a...
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Co-driver dies in Jim Clark Rally accident
TRIBUTES have poured in following the death of a 39-year-old competitor in the Jim Clark Rally. Co-driver Dai Roberts was killed in an accident on the Edrom Mains road, while driver James Williams was taken to hospital with ‘serious, but not...
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Last chance to shape Center Parcs project
CENTER Parcs is set to unveil a “3D flythrough simulation” of its proposed Borders development. The final pre-application consultation event at Hawick Rugby Football Club will take place today (Wednesday). This will be the fourth and final community...
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Fresh approach agreed to keep nurseries open
A NUMBER of mothballthreatened Borders nurseries will remain open next year. Councillors decided to agree a fresh approach at a special meeting on Friday following community backlash. The nurseries in Channelkirk, Cockburnspath, Ednam, Walkerburn and...
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CHANGE OF PLAN
SEVERAL nurseries threatened with being mothballed by the council look set to remain open following passionate protests from parents. Councillors will be asked on Friday (May 9) to “set aside” last month’s decision to push ahead with a consultation...
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Borders man involved in serious organised crime
A 50-YEAR-OLD man found with more than £10,000 in cash in his car has admitted his involvement in serious organised crime. Jason Brown, of Laidlaw Court, Galashiels, had been put under surveillance by police as part of an operation targeting the...
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Scale of closure proposals a ‘real shock’ amid shake-up
A HOST of community buildings could be closed and more than 50 jobs lost as part of a major Live Borders shake-up. The council commissioned an independent review of sport, leisure and cultural services and properties operated by the cashstrapped trust...
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Communities protest SBC nursery proposal
WORRIED parents have gathered outside Scottish Borders Council’s headquarters as the row over potential nursery closures continues. Senior councillors were due to meet yesterday (Tuesday) to discuss proposals to mothball seven sites for the next...
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DNA tagging spray used to fight crime and disorder
POLICE in the Borders now have access to a new DNA tagging spray to help combat anti-social behaviour. The aim of the mist, which can only be seen under a UV light, is to help provide a forensic link to offenders. Sergeant Andrew Hope said: “This...
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Concern Galashiels parking cash could be taken from town
CONCERNS have been raised that cash generated by drivers paying to park in Galashiels will be taken out of the town. Historically, pay-parking money has been spent in the area it was raised in. But Scottish Borders Council chief executive David...
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BIRTHDAYS
Erica Jong writer, 83 Bob Woodward Watergate journalist, 82 Diana Ross singer, 81 IN HISTORY 1707: 1780: 1827: 1945: 1973: 1979: 1997: Jennifer Grey actress, 65 William Hague Conservative politician, 64 Amy Smart actress, 49 The Acts of...
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Police inquiry into abuse allegations at school
AN INVESTIGATION has been launched into reports of historical sexual abuse at a secondary school in the Borders between 1969 and 1980.
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IN HISTORY
1710: Thomas Augustine Arne, composer who wrote the masque Alfred, which included the song Rule Britannia, was born in London. 1890: Dancer Vaslav Nijinsky was born in Kiev. 1904: The first main-line electric train in the UK left Liverpool for...
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Doddie Aid raises £1.35m for MND research
MORE than £1.3million has been raised in an “incredible” effort at Doddie Aid 2025. Thousands of supporters walked, ran, swam and cycled more than one million miles in memory of the late rugby player and Borders hero Doddie Weir.
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IN HISTORY
1531: About 20,000 people died in an earthquake in Lisbon. 1797: £1 notes were first issued by the Bank of England. 1839: The Grand National was first run at Aintree. 1846: William Frederick Cody – Buffalo Bill – American army scout and showman, was...
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MAYBE SHARK?
Add a little teeth to the spring cleaning with a chance to win Shark vacuum cleaner
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‘Alliance’ made as campaign to oppose pylons continues
NINE protest groups have joined forces to oppose a pylons project proposed in the Borders. Scottish Power Energy Networks is looking to build giant steel towers to connect a planned substation near Lauder to the Carlisle area.
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IN HISTORY
1856: Queen Victoria instituted Britain’s highest military decoration, the Victoria Cross. 1880: WC Fields, US comedian who claimed he wouldn’t act with children or animals, was born in Philadelphia. 1886: Karl Benz patented the first practical car...
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No prison time for nurse over fatal head-on crash
A NURSE convicted of causing the death of a grandmother in a headon smash has avoided a custodial sentence. The court heard 48-year-old Angela Hislop was returning home from working a 12-anda-half-hour night shift when the accident occurred close to...
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IN HISTORY
1559: Queen Elizabeth I was crowned. 1790: Fletcher Christian and eight fellow mutineers from the Bounty landed on the remote Pitcairn Island in the Pacific. 1880: The first telephone directory was published by the London Telephone Company. 1893:...
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Trio jailed over cannabis farms found in Gala
THREE men have been jailed for more than five years in connection with the discovery of two major cannabis farms in Galashiels town centre. Police officers raided the former Ladbrokes store in Channel Street on March 26 where they found 1,360...
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Clegg to receive MBE in New Year Honours list
SWIMMING star Stephen Clegg is among the Borderers to have their achievements recognised in the King’s New Year Honours list. The 29-year-old won his first Paralympic Games gold medals in Paris this summer. Clegg has been awarded an MBE for services...
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Visionaries being sought to shape Galashiels’ future
“PASSIONATE” traders in Galashiels are being urged to come forward to help shape the future of the town as a new era begins. The establishment of a Business Improvement District (BID) was supported by a strong turnout at a vote in November. It plans...
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Pressure heaped on bid for big rise in council tax
A SIGNIFICANT amount of planned Scottish Government cash for the Borders next year has already been earmarked to tackle rising costs, according to the council leader. Last week, finance secretary Shona Robison said Holyrood’s proposed funding...
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Pressure builds over railway extension bid
PRESSURE is growing on the UK Government to confirm its commitment to £5 million in funding to ensure a bid to extend the Borders Railway remains on track. The funds would enable a £10m feasibility study needed to progress the much-desired...
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Key projects bidding for share of £20m cash pot
THE 20 “key” Borders projects looking to secure a share of a £20m UK Government fund have been revealed. A £400k bid for ‘design-related’ work associated with a potential hotel development in Galashiels is among the submissions for ‘levelling up’...
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Galashiels BID project earns trader backing
A SCHEME to inject more cash into Galashiels has been overwhelmingly backed by traders. Thousands of pounds could be heading into the town over the next five years under the new Business Improvement District (BID). The project focuses on increasing...
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FAI into death of Lilliesleaf teenager
TEN days have been set aside for a fatal accident inquiry into the death of an autistic teenager from the Borders who took his own life after being placed in an adult psychiatric ward. The family of Harris Macdonell, from Lilliesleaf, had campaigned...
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Protesters air concerns over ‘super pylons’ project
BORDERS residents have come out in force to raise concerns over a ‘giant pylon project’. Scottish Power Energy Networks (SPEN) is looking to connect a proposed substation near Lauder to the Carlisle area using overhead lines. It said the project was...
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Ex-rugby captain admits domestic abuse campaign
FORMER Scotland rugby international Stuart Hogg has admitted abusing his estranged wife over the course of five years. Hogg, 32, had been due to stand trial at Selkirk Sheriff Court on Monday but pleaded guilty to an amended charge when he appeared at...
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‘Huge shock’ as star dies one day after charity ride
A SELFLESS former Scotland rugby player has died just hours after finishing a 1,000-mile bike ride for charity. Ken Macaulay’s death on Sunday (October 27) came as a “huge shock” to his family, who in a joint statement said they were “overwhelmed” by...
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Borderers facing a hike in council tax
A PROPOSED 10 per cent council tax hike next year will yield an extra £7million for frontline services, elected members in the Borders will be informed this week. In her budget planning report for 2024/25, Suzy Douglas, Scottish Borders Council’s...
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‘Forceful monster’ jailed after failed murder bid
A BORDER BORDERS man who tried to kill his former partner and her mother by driving his vehicle through the window of a funeral directors has been jailed. William McBurnie caused Zoe Turnbull and her mum Beverley to jump to avoid being hit by the car,...
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Man carried out ‘grave violence’ against women
A DOORMAN who carried out shocking campaigns of abuse against six women, stretching almost three decades, has been jailed for more than four years. Colin Bell, of Woodstock Road, Galashiels, targeted his victims, while in relationships with them, at...
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Council united in anger at winter fuel cut
MEMBERS of Scottish Borders Council have united to send a clear message to the UK Government over their anger at a decision to cut winter fuel payments for older people. A motion calling for a U-turn on the move to means-test the benefit in England...
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