"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!