IT NEVER ceases to amaze me the amount of time, effort and money Teries are prepared to give when it comes to fund-raising for a good cause.

This charity and commitment was brought sharply into focus on Monday night at the fifth annual Eden fashion fund-raiser, which resulted in the fantastic sum of £1,400 being donated to Action Medical Research (AMR) - whose pioneering work is targeted at improving the health of babies and children.

A worthwhile cause indeed, but one which many of our readers may not know is neglected and underfunded. And as such, the Hawick folk - including event organiser Sandi Spence, all who helped at the show and all those who gave so generously - can be proud that they did their bit to help AMR.

Charity begins at home? It certainly does.

DID you know that motorists who use a mobile phone while driving are four times more likely to crash, injuring or killing themselves and/or other people?


This sobering statistic alone ought to be enough to put the brakes on such irresponsible behaviour. Unfortunately not. Scores of Teries continue to break the law on a daily basis, and, clearly exacerbated by the problem, Inspector John Scott is this week steering towards taking a far tougher line on those who persist in driving while on the phone.

Hammering home his message in this week's paper, Inspector Scott said: “Speaking on the phone while driving could cost you your life, or the life of someone else."

So you have been warned. If you're not prepared to pack in this dangerous habit, you'll either end up dead, injuring or killing someone else or, at the very least, with a £60 fine and three penalty points.

Is it really worth the risk . . .?

HAWICK has been rocked to the core this week over claims that the poison of match-fixing has seeped into the local football scene.

Splattered all over the front pages of local and national papers, news of the illegal betting probe which has centred on Royal Albert FC’s Scottish Cup tie against Huntly has not only cast the club in a dreadful light but also put Hawick’s sporting integrity on the line.

Also on the line is the very future of a once-proud club, a club that was once a force to be reckoned with, and a club that once attracted the cream of Hawick’s footballers.

It seems pride has gone out of the window, with the team no longer commanding any respect, and the town’s best players avoiding the club like the plague. It’s all gone wrong, but let’s be honest, it all went wrong years ago.

And this week's furore over an alleged betting scam is merely symptomatic of a wider malaise that has been allowed to fester at Albert Park for more than two decades.

What would the late Paddy Dunne have made of it all? What indeed.

LAST week's excitement over Sainsbury's being given the go-ahead for a new store in Commercial Road has been somewhat tempered over the last few days with the news that the Camping and Caravanning Club has decided against pursuing plans to develop a site in Wilton Lodge Park.

Citing "investment market conditions", the club, which has a membership of more than 400,000, is "unlikely to revisit the proposal in the foreseeable future", according to council leader David Parker.

Here at the paper, we had been concerned for several months over the inordinate amount of time it was taking to progress the plans and the lack of dialogue from either the club or the council. Admittedly, the scale of the project was such that it was always going to be a fairly lengthy process, but unfortunately our concerns have not been without foundation and have been borne out by this week's gloomy announcement.

Gloomy indeed. But charged with helping lift the economic gloom in the town is the much-trumpeted Hawick Development Sub-Committee, of which Mr Parker is chairman. And presuming that the caravan park wasn't the only iron in the fire, efforts need to be redoubled as the Sub-Committee's focus shifts to other projects. Projects which have never been more vital if the economic impetus of Sainsbury's (and Commercial Road) isn't to be lost.

Over to to you, Mr Parker . . .

SET to deliver a significant boost to the local economy while also challenging the dominance of other stores in the town, Sainsbury's new supermarket in Commercial Road means the renaissance and regeneration of Hawick is finally gathering pace.

And by pledging to bring new jobs and investment to the town, Sainsbury's should be congratulated on its commitment to Hawick. A commitment which is underlined by the firm's impressive track record over the last year, during which it has generated 5,000 new jobs at 11 new supermarkets and 20 new convenience stores across the UK. And all this in the face of what has been widely recognised as the harshest economic period in living memory. But far from resting on its laurels, the firm's recession-busting expansion plans are set to continue well into next year with a further 6,500 jobs set to be created, as well as a mind-boggling 28 new supermarkets and 55 new convenience stores.

And when building a new supermarket, the benefits regulary extend far beyond the store itself. With development programmes often including investment in local roads, pedestrian access to the site and support for community projects.

Locally-sourced products are also flying off the shelves at Sainsbury's up and down the country. And Hawick will be no different as the firm looks to identify local suppliers to work with. There's already more than 3,500 local firms supplying Sainsbury's at the moment, and the company is aiming to increase this number.

Let's not forget the spin-offs for local contractors too. Their knowledge of the area could be invaluable and lead to them being awarded some of the building work and, in the process, providing a further boost to the Hawick economy. An economy which has taken a battering over recent years, but one that has just been given a real injection of hope . . .

Testing times

FOR some Teries taking their driving test will be one of the most stressful events they ever experience. And it's about to get a whole lot worse for Hawick's learner drivers with the news that the North Bridge Street test centre is earmarked for closure at the end of March.

As if getting your licence wasn't nerve-racking enough, anyone aiming to do so will soon have to pass their test in Galashiels, currently ravaged by roadworks, or face the body-jarring experience that is the cobbled streets of Kelso. And you'll have to pay extra for the privilege with Hawick-based instructors forced to charge their pupils more for taking them back and forwards to Gala or Kelso!

However, the financial burden about to be imposed on local learner drivers has been compounded significantly by the very real threat to the jobs of Hawick-based instructors, many of whom are fearful that potential drivers will simply take all their lessons in Galashiels or Kelso. They're right to be concerned, their livelihoods are at risk. But to at least try and alleviate this risk, why didn't the Driving Standards Agency manage to find alternative premises in the town? Or, as seems more likely, did it give the DSA the perfect 'out' with the rental agreement on the current premises in North Bridge Street coming to an end?

The bottom line is that once again Hawick has been hit by the loss of services, and I can only hope that the move doesn't lead to job cuts.

GO GREENS!

TRAVELLING more in hope than expectation, Hawick RFC's vociferous band of supporters were richly rewarded for making the 190-mile round trip to Stirling on Saturday.

It was edge-of-your-seat stuff at Bridgehaugh, but the Greens battled as if their lives depended on it. And their stunning 26-24 victory was no more than they deserved after a rip-roaring performance - summed up perfectly by a clearly delighted coach, Gerry McGuinness: "It's attitude, technique and desire and the boys have got that in buckets."

Typifying that desire in the Hawick ranks was scrum-half Rory McPherson. The former Quins man was down receiving treatment in the closing stages and it looked as if he'd have to be replaced. McPherson had other ideas, though, and, showing great determination and bravery, he was soon back on his feet, carrying the fight into Stirling territory.

But McPherson was just one cog in a well-oiled Green Machine. And McGuinness was quick to point out that Saturday's opening victory was "a big team effort". Herein lies the key to Hawick's season. The coming weeks and months will no doubt throw up some stern tests, but if the Robbie Dyes can reproduce that "big team effort" week in, week out - there's absolutely no reason why the club's somewhat ignominious sojourn into premier two shouldn't be just that. A temporary stay, before they're back where they belong - the top tier of Scottish Rugby.

C'mon Hawick!