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!

NOT for the first time, staff at the Jobcentre have been thrust into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

Readers may recall that at the end of April a letter published in the paper claimed that Jobcentre employees displayed an “uncaring attitude” when dealing with out-of-work Teries, and “spoke to them as if it was their own fault” they had lost their jobs.

However, I received no more letters on the subject (and, somewhat worryingly I thought, no denial from the Jobcentre), and came to the conclusion that it was an isolated incident. That was, until this week, when two strongly-worded missives landed on my desk, both of which were unequivocal in their criticism of the Jobcentre’s “bad mannered” staff. Then the phone rang. Another hacked off job seeker, another complaint about the “less than helpful“ staff at the Jobcentre.

It’s not good enough. The Jobcentre must get its house in order. And the staff at the centre of these complaints should be hauled over the coals. Remember, these are the very people job hunters are pinning their hopes on to find them work. Hardly fills you with confidence, does it?

ONE can't help but share in the outrage expressed by Hawick woman Sandra Johnston in today's paper. She's venting her anger at Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill, whose somewhat puzzling intervention in the case of Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi's bid for freedom looks likely to see the mass murderer released as early as Tuesday on compassionate grounds.

Compassionate? Megrahi? He has the blood of 270 victims on his hands, including the auntie and uncle of Mrs Johnston, and as such he should see out his days in prison. More than 20 years on, memories of the worst terrorist attrocity in British history are still raw, and for Mr MacAskill to even consider releasing Megrahi is an affront to justice and a real kick in the teeth for the relatives of those murdered.

"Why should he be freed when he killed so many people?" asks Mrs Johnston. Why indeed. Had Megrahi been incarcerated for 30 years and shown remorse for his terrible crime, then yes, as a dying man, there would be nothing to be gained from keeping him behind bars.

But Megrahi was only convicted in 2001 and has never expressed a smidgeon of remorse.

So we join today with Susan Johnston in asking Mr MacAskill: "Why the hell did you have to stick your nose in?"

"GRIM READING."

That was Councillor Stuart Marshall's stark assessment of the latest Hawick unemployment figures, which will also confirm many Teries' worst fears as the town continues to feel the full force of the economic downturn.

With the number of those out of work rocketing by 134 per cent last month (compared to June 2008), the frustration felt by many continues to bubble away under the surface . . . for now. It's been more than a year since Pringle pulled the plug on manufacturing at the Glebe, but still we've yet to see any real progress in attracting new employment and development to Hawick. And since then the jobs axe has fallen at Hawick Knitwear, Johnstons, Barrie, Emtelle and Slumberdown. The alarm bells continue to ring, but they seem to be falling on deaf ears.

Okay, should Sainsbury's get the green light for its Commercial Road store, which it looks like it will, that will be a real shot in the arm for the town. And will hopefully be the catalyst for more jobs/development.

But this optimism was somewhat tempered this week with Scottish Borders Council's infuriating attempt to 'dress up' the jobless figures. "Unemployment [in Hawick] is slightly below the Scottish average," we're told. And the number of folk claiming Jobseekers Allowance has, according to SBC, been falling in the Borders compared to increases at Scottish level. If there's a crumb of comfort to be taken from the previous two statements, I've clearly missed it.

Hawick needs, and deserves, better.


I'M on holiday next week and my next blog will be uploaded on August 14.

CONTRARY to what's printed in today's paper, no-one is in the firing line in this week's editor's blog. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Donald McLeod is a man one simply has to take one's hat off to. The embattled Hawick RFC president has had to tackle more than most during the first 12 months of his two-year tenure as club chief.

Indeed, while taking on the all-consuming role of project manager of the new £250,000 clubrooms development, Donald was also forced to contend with the Greens' ultimately unsuccessful bid to avoid relegation. The latter a real hammer blow that shook the club to its foundations.

However, displaying a rare ability to thrive in the face of adversity, Donald rolled up his sleeves and simply got on with the job in hand. His no-nonsense approach and attention to detail ensuring the clubrooms were completed to the highest of standards. While his experience as a former player and coach also seems to be rubbing off on the current crop of Hawick starlets, many of whom have pledged their futures to the Greens.

Life is going to be tough in Premier Two this coming season. Make no mistake about that. And for many it will be a bitter pill to swallow. But with guys like Donald at the helm, the club has every chance of making a real fist of things, both on and off the pitch.

Well done, Donald. And best of luck for the new campaign.

NEVER one to sit on the fence, our resident letter writer Jamie Batten is this week flushed with anger over what he describes as the "hugely embarrassing" toileting arrangements at the Moor.

Admittedly, we've had a couple of letters of complaint since the Common-Riding. But just two missives from an estimated 10,000 who picnicked over the two days perhaps suggests the situation isn't quite as bad as Jamie is claiming.

He's having none of it though. And tired of being "fobbed off" by the Common-Riding Committee, Jamie is calling for permanent toilets to be built at the Moor . . . although just how much such a grand project would cost, Jamie doesn't say. But with £169,000 in the Common-Riding Committee's coffers, surely there's cash available, he protests.

However, just why the Common-Riding Committe would spend thousands of pounds on permanent toilets, which would only come in for heavy use two days a year, is a question only Jamie can answer . . .

So let's concentrate on 2014 when the Common-Riding money will no doubt be put to better use!

BY THROWING out race horse trainer Alistair Whillans' expansion plans, the council's building and standards committee has shown a shocking level of intransigence. And, quite frankly, the councillors who voted against Mr Whillans' proposal to build a manager's house, stable blocks, horse exerciser and pool at Newmill-on-Slitrig should take a long, hard look at themselves.

The rigidity with which the building committee has stuck to SBC planning policy - even when they were told that the accommodation part of the development was a British Horseracing Authority requirement, and that their backing for the plans was needed for Mr Whillans to keep his Jockey Club licence - really does beggar belief. And Councillor Ron Smith hit the nail on the head this week: "We should be supporting the development of a business which is very much in keeping with the traditions and interests of the town, and in no way out of place in a rural area."

Couldn't agree more, Ron. But yours are obviously not sentiments shared by nine of your fellow councillors. Okay, so this development has been deemed to be in breach of SBC's housing in the countryside policy, but surely outweighing any such breach are the the economic benefits such a development would bring to the area. Apparently not.

So Mr Whillans' only hope now is the Scottish Government. And let's hope that if he does decide to lodge an appeal at Holyrood - and we hope he does - that the mandarins look at the proposal with a far more sympathetic eye.

HAWICK Boxing Club is once again set to punch above its weight.

With more than 40 youngsters climbing between the ropes every week for training sessions at the thinkfitness and Burnfoot gyms, the future of the sport in the town is as bright as ever. And backed by a team of dedicated coaches, many of the young fighters are destined to taste success, with some even being tipped to go on to gain international recognition, if they can dedicate themselves to the noble art.

But the development of this latest crop of talented fighters won't have come as a surprise to those who have followed the boxing scene in the town over the years. Because with the likes of Billy Finn, John Sharkey and Davie Paterson imparting their vast experience to the eager youngsters on an almost daily basis, it's little wonder that the boys have caught the fight 'bug'.

Such is the nature of boxing, though, that it's the fighters who will always grab the limelight, while the trainers rarely receive the praise they so richly deserve.

And with this lack of recognition in mind, it's worth remembering that without the Finns, Sharkeys and Patersons of this world there would be no boxing club. They laid the foundations all those years ago so the youngsters of today could build on them and eventually take the club forward into a new era.

So we say well done Billy, John and Davie and all those who have played their part in nurturing generations of boxers in Hawick. You're contributions have been a real knockout!

AS THE countdown to this year's eagerly anticipated Common-Riding weekend gathers pace, there's one man who knows more than most just what's required to make sure the celebrations run smoothly.

That's Ex-Cornet John Hope, master of ceremonies for the last five years and a man whose attention to the smallest of detail is matched only by his passion for the Common-Riding.

And it's that passion that drives John, who proudly carried the Banner Blue in 1963, to ensure that proper prodecures are followed in time-honoured fashion. From the moment the Cornet-elect receives his letter on Picking Night, right up until the big weekend itself, John has one eye on the clock and the other on what's unfolding before him.

Clearly still thrilled to have been given the the chance to play his part in upholding the town's traditions over the last few years, John is happy to admit that he's "always on duty" during the Common-Riding. And duty calls now at this most hectic of times in the Hawick calendar.

So, we'll let you get on, John. But with you at the helm, this year's celebrations are sure to be the best of a'!

THERE'S never a dull moment down Albert Park way, with sackings, resignations and heavy deafeats commonplace at the perennial strugglers. So much so, the impact of yet another manager calling it a day would, normally, really only be felt by those closest to the club.

But this week's bombshell news that newly-appointed boss Derek Hanock has quit after less than a week in the hot seat has sent shockwaves round local footballing circles.

Apparently, Hancock has been let down by several Hawick-based players who, he claims, have decided against joining the Albert after originally pledging to do so.

Okay, so a few of his player targets are not so keen to sign up after all. But isn't that part and parcel of the game? And one could argue that players whose commitment appears to be some way short of what is required weren't worth bothering about in the first place.

I just can't help thinking that Hancock, no stranger himself to dragging struggling clubs out of the mire, was THE ideal man for the Albert job. With his track record of success, I'm sure he could still have brought in the quality needed to get the Albert on the right track. But now we'll never know.

LAST Friday the Royal Albert brought the curtain down on what has been the worst season in the club's history. And although the 1-0 defeat to Vale of Leithen saw the Hawick side turning in a decent performance, the end result was the same. Defeat.

And without a win to their name throughout the 2008-09 campaign, and coach 'Prof' Blaikie failing miserably to find a winning formula on the pitch, it was inevitable that there would once again be changes in the coaching set-up.

Out goes 'Prof', who has somewhat surprisingly been installed as the new Kelso United manager. The Tweedsiders choosing to ignore the latter's abysmal record at Hawick.

And in comes former Gala Fairydean manager Derek Hancock, who now has a massive job on his hands to revive the Albert's fortunes. But to his credit, he has already pledged to get Royalists playing good football and, more importantly in some people's eyes, to sign up local players to bolster a confidence-shot squad.

"There are some very good players in the town," said Hancock this week. That's true, but the difficulty has always been prizing them away from their Border Amateur League sides.

Just how Hancock aims to do this remains a moot point, and one which could make or break his bid to get the club moving in the right direction.

AFTER more than 30 years of service, Hawick's community council has this week been forced to admit defeat in its efforts to attract new blood. Apathy has won the day, and although I'm sure a lot of Teries want a community council, they are simply not prepared to form a part of it.

And there will no doubt be those who are more than willing to lay the the blame for the community council's demise at the door of townsfolk. But one needs to delve a bit deeper to establish why such a lack of interest in Hawick's affairs has taken root.

Ask yourself:

Have your views and opinions ever been sought by the community council?

Have you ever been encouraged to attend coummunity council meetings?

Do you feel that the community council best reflected the spectrum of interests in Hawick?

Have you ever received a newsletter from the community council?

Do you feel the community council has done enough to counter growing apathy over the last few years?

Now, I'd wager a bob or two that a majority of you reading this will have answered no to all five questions.

In all honesty, I don't think that Teries felt the community council affected them, or could make a difference. Those are the sad facts of the matter.

THE perennial problem of vandalism continues to blight the grey auld toon.

The cretins who destroyed the sapling trees around the new college in Buccleuch Road should hang their heads in shame. But they won't. They've probably long since realised that this type of wanton destruction rarely leads to an arrest and subsequent punishment. That's the disturbing reality of the situation.

Now I'm not for a minute suggesting that the police aren't doing everything in their power to apprehend the perpetrators. Far from it. But their resources are spread so thinly these days and it's little wonder these yobs feel they can get away with it. We musn't let them though.

So what can we do? Well, after a little research on the subject, I've came to the conclusion that an effective way to tackle vandalism would be to try and exercise peer-group pressure on those involved.

And who better than our youngsters to promote what is and isn't socially acceptable? While at the same time instilling a real sense of pride in the town.

Now whether this is a high school-led campaign or is spearheaded by the police, I'm not sure. But I'd like to think that by adopting a more subtle approach to the problem, it would go some way to addressing what is a chronic lack of respect for other people's property.

Dirty business

NOT for the first time, Jamie Batten is making the headlines on our letters page today.

The bold Jamie has had enough of irresponsible dog owners who fail to clear up after their mutts, and he's urging anyone who spots the can't-be-bothered brigade to do their utmost to have them brought to book

Couldn't agree more, Jamie. Hardly a week goes by when we don't get a complaint in the office about the proliferation of dog mess in certain areas of the town.

There's a groundswell of opinion in Hawick that we need to be taking a far tougher line on offenders. And the £500 fine which Jamie quotes in his letter should certainly make dog owners think twice.

Interestingly, and contrary to popular belief, Jamie also states that evidence from two sources is not required to bring about a conviction. All you need to do is report the offender to the police, dog wardens or council. They'll do the rest.

Remember, we've tried asking the dog owners in question nicely, but they didn't take a blind bit of notice. So it's time to start hitting them where it hurts . . . in the pocket.

Nice work . . .

WITH mill workers in Hawick being told to curb pay expectations, why on earth are fat-cat salaries still being paid to bosses?

The disturbing news that Dawson International saw fit to double its chief executive’s salary last year is sure to generate a massive outpouring of anger among Teries. And it’s totally vindicated.

Dawson’s sums simply don’t add up. One minute the firm is wielding the jobs axe at Barrie’s Burnfoot factory, and the next it is handing out pay rises like there’s no tomorrow.

Chief executive Andy Bartmess’s wage hike of more than 100 per cent to £390,000 a year is, in these grim economic conditions, nothing short of obscene. And it’s a real kick in the teeth for the 19 who were deemed surplus to requirements at Barrie, many of whom have no idea where their next pay packet is coming from.

But Mr Bartmess isn’t the only one to have picked up an exorbitant pay increase, and hot on his heels in our fat-cat league is Dawson’s finance boss David Cooper who pocketed £259,000 – up a staggering £133,000 from the year before. While just managing to keep the wolf from the door, chairman Michael Hartely received pay and bonuses of £153,000.

Nice work . . . if you can get it.

Preparing for the inevitable

A WORKFORCE whose commitment and skills are the envy of mills around the world is this week preparing for the worst on the back of Hawick Knitwear's shock announcement of yet more job cuts at its Liddesdale Road factory.

Thirty-two face the axe in the latest round of redundancies which, according to company bosses, will "safeguard the future of the business". Who are they trying to kid?

It's just that back in December the same mill bosses were confident trade would "pick up" at the turn of the year. Instead, the beleagured firm is shedding even more workers and trying to chip away at the terms and conditons of the remaining employees.

It's a desperately sad situation and one which has disturbing similarities to the demise of Pringle's Glebe Mill last summer. There's a chilling air of inevitability about the situation at Hawick Knitwear, just as there was at the Glebe for many years. So much so, that for many, it's now not a question of if, but when, the factory will eventually close.

THE council's much-trumpeted pledge over its commitment to support the region's economy has a somewhat hollow ring to it these days.

I use the adjective 'hollow' because the local authority, already under fire over what many perceive to be its lack of action in tackling the Borders' unemployment woes, this week delivered the bombshell news that care contracts have been awarded to two firms outside the area. Now, by anyone's standards, this decision beggars belief.

And social work director Andrew Lowe's less-than-convincing attempt to put a positive spin on the controversy has only served to fan the flames of anger among Borders care companies and their clients, many of whom are extremely upset at the situation.

"It was a fair procurement exercise," insisted Mr Lowe. I've no doubt it was, but the whole thing still stinks. And it's the stench of double standards which will continue to hang in the air for many months to come.

Welcome to my blog. Here I'll be discussing the issues that have come up in the week. They could be local, national or just the things that have irritated me. If you agree or disagree with anything on the blog just post a comment. The best of them may well be printed in the Hawick News