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Nature wins in £6msale of special moor

NEWS

BRIEFING

Buccleuch agrees deal to sell 10,500 acres to the community

NEWS

THE ESKDALE & LIDDESDALE ADVERTISER • Owned by the Community, Published for the Community

SPORT

Thursday April 30, 2020Series 2 No. 8353

Big benefitsfor community

THE delivery of digital skillsin Langholm and a newkitchen for Ewes hall are justtwo of the projects to be aidedby the Ewe Hill 16 windfarmcommunity benefit fund.

Full story: Page 4

A look around atlife in lockdown

As Eskdale and Liddesdaleface an extended period oflockdown with the rest of theUK, the E&L Advertiserspeaks to residents.

Full story:Centre Pages

THE horses are having a quiettime but the staff are busy atJames Ewart Racing’s yardnear Langholm.

Full story: Page 24

Happy 100th Captain TomSENDING OUR THANKS AND BEST WISHES TO THE NHS FUNDRAISING HERO

Quiet time in theracing yard...not!

A PRICE tag of £6m has beenput on more than 10,000 acresof land in Langholm beingsold by Buccleuch.The company has agreed adeal with the Langholm Initiativeto sell the land to the commu-nity.If it goes ahead, it will be thebiggest community buy-out insouthern Scotland and have amassive impact on the town’sability to determine its own fu-ture.The 10,500 acres includes nineresidential properties.The plan will be the first inwhich a community positionsthe environment and climatechange at the heart of the deci-sions it makes.The central aspect of the planis the creation of the Tarras Val-ley Nature Reserve, which willdeliver community regeneration,climate change action, ecologicalrestoration, wildlife conservationand develop outdoor tourism.The ambition has metwidespread support. Both locallyand nationally 23 organisationshave written letters of support.Cross-party political supportfrom MSPs Oliver Mundell,Conservative; Colin Smyth,Labour; and Joan McAlpine,SNP, has been shown as wellas support from the John MuirTrust, Scottish Natural Heritage,RSPB Scotland, WoodlandTrust, Forest and Land Scotlandand Borders Forest Trust.The Moor’s cultural impor-tance is celebrated annually bythe Common Riding which

marks the boundaries of the his-toric common land.

HeritageThe land has national and in-ternational natural heritage, be-ing both a Site of Special Sci-entific Interest and a SpecialProtection Area for breedinghen harriers, the most persecutedbird of prey in the UK.Kevin Cumming, project lead-er, said: “This is one of themost important and forward-thinking community plans inthe UK.“We’re in a climate emergencyand the decisions we make nowwill have a massive impact on

future generations.“We have worked extremelyhard for six months to get tothis stage of the process. It hasbeen a positive experience work-ing with Buccleuch and we’reexcited to try and get the buyoutover the line.”Some of the other plans includeplanting nearly 500 acres of na-tive woodland, peatland restora-tion work, developing modernbusiness units and creating aneco-campsite.Last month the Initiative ap-plied to the Scottish Land Fundfor £3m and approached Southof Scotland Enterprise to support

the purchase.Kevin added: “Southern Scot-land lags far behind the Highlandand Islands in the support it hasreceived for community landownership.

Issues“This is despite facing manyof the same issues such as anageing population, youth mi-gration and loss of industry.”It is hoped the remaining mon-ey will be found through a large-scale crowd-funding campaignwhich is likely to kick off inMay. The Initiative is also pur-suing other sources of funding.Kevin said: “This project ex-

tends beyond the communitybecause of its positive climateaction.“We raised £8,000 in eightdays through a crowd-funder tohelp us undertake our investi-gations into community own-ership.“These donations came fromall over the world. It’s rare thatwe, as individuals, have the op-portunity to make a differenceon this scale and we hope peoplewill support us.”A Buccleuch spokespersonsaid: “We’ve worked closelywith the Initiative on the po-tential sale of land, includingareas of Langholm Moor, andthese are progressing well.“We hope we will reach a pos-itive conclusion before the endof this year.”Gavin Graham, chairman ofLangholm Walks, said: “I havejust spent an hour on the moorwatching two male hen harriershunting.“It is the best place in mainlandUK to watch these beautifulbirds.“Buying the moor is so im-portant for the future of thesebeautiful birds and will, if prop-erly managed as I am sure itwill, be a magnet for peoplelooking for wildlife experiencesin such beautiful countryside.“Given time, Langholm canbecome a major destination forwildlife enthusiasts and an ed-ucation centre for young peopleto learn about the habitat wehave on our doorstep.”

>Turn to Page 2

The Tarras Valley Nature Reserve is part of an ambition by the Langholm Initiative to transform the moor

www.eladvertiser.co.ukEskdale & Liddesdale Advertiser2 Thursday, April 30, 2020

Crowdfunder planned to plug gap> From Page 1Roger Maxwell, Langholm Common Riding chairman, saidit was “excellent news” for thecommunity at a very difficult timefor everyone.He added: “It will be a greatasset to the community. I’ve beenup there a lot lately with the lock-down and when you look overthe back of Whita, it’s a greatarea.“It’s so wild and has so muchwildlife. We’re very lucky to havethat as an asset.“From the Common Riding pointof view, it will be great to see itback in community hands.”Margaret Pool, Initiative chair-woman, said they were due tohold a big fundraiser with en-

trepreneurs in London last week-end but it had been cancelled.“We’re going to start a crowd-funder on Facebook next weekand hope that will kick off things.It will give us an indication ofthe support out there.”

NationalMembership of the LangholmInitiative has soared to about 600as a result of the bid to buy theland.Margaret added: “That increasebodes well and now the press re-lease has gone national, we maysee membership numbers explode.People from as far as Devon,Cornwall, northern Scotland andIreland have joined.”Chris Miles is chairman of theboard of trustees at the Botanical

Society of Britain and Ireland andis the county recorder for Dum-friesshire. He runs the Dum-friesshire Botany Group.He said: “This is great newsand, for someone interested in na-ture, it’s very exciting. I’m surethe community will want to putnature at the heart of their plansfor the moorland.“That is because the moorlandwill do more for the communityin the future by being rich innature which will attract visitorsto the town.

Climate change“With restored and restructuredhabitats for nature, it will play abigger role in adapting to climatechange, storing more carbon andmanaging the flow of water.”

Colin Smyth, South ScotlandLabour MSP and its rural economyspokesperson, says the governmentmust throw its support behind theplan.He said: “This really would bringsignificant benefits to the Eskdalecommunity and its economy.“It would open up opportunitiesfor eco-tourism and boost the en-vironment by better promotingand protecting a Site of SpecialScientific Interest.“The positive difference, whichcommunity ownership has madein other parts of our region interms of jobs and opening up ac-cess, is there for all to see and wewould see those same benefits ifBuccleuch facilitated the ultimatetransfer to the community.”

Tributes to ScottTHE people of Langholm havebeen shocked at the tragic andsudden death of Scott Morrisonlast week.Many heartfelt tributes have beenpaid to Scott who was anaccomplished bowler andhorseman.He studied sports journalism atStirling University before changingto politics and graduated with a 2:1last year.Scott, 22, was the son of Tommyand Diane Morrison who live in theHigh Street from where they runtheir bike shop and garage.A Police Scotland spokespersonsaid: "We were made aware of aman being injured by a horse atabout 4.30pm last Wednesday."He was taken to the CumberlandInfirmary in Carlisle with life-threatening injuries and died a shorttime later.“A report has been submitted tothe Procurator Fiscal."Langholm Common Riding, ofwhich he was an enthusiasticsupporter, said: “It is with a heavyheart that we report the tragic deathof one of our youngest members,Scott Morrison.“Scott was a dedicated andhardworking member and will besadly missed by us all.“Our deepest thoughts andcondolences are with our vice-chairman, Tommy, his wife, Diane,and all family and friends at thisdevastating time.”Scott was a member of LangholmNew Town Bowling Club where hehad many friends and admirers ofhis bowling prowess.The club said: “We are all deeplysaddened by the news we receivedof our valued member and friendScott Morrison, who passed awayafter a tragic accident.“The club would like to extend itscondolences to Tommy, Diane,

Colina and family members whocan only be going through ahorrendous time.“Members of the community andthe club are truly devastated. Restin Peace Scott.”Scott had been a member of theYoung Riders Club, of which hisfather was a founder member.They said: “It is with greatsadness for our club to report thetragic death of former memberScott Morrison.“He was a member through all hisyouth and was always willing tohelp in the past few years withanything needed.

“Tommy is a founder member ofthe club and we cannot think ofwhat pain he and Diane will begoing through. We send our deepestsympathies at this very sad time forthem and their family. RIP Scott.”Langholm Old Town BowlingClub added their tribute, saying:“We are very, very sad to hear ofthe death of Scott Morrison.“A lovely, humble, young friendwho won many accolades both hereand around the circuit.“Condolences to Tommy, Diane,Colina and all their family fromeveryone here at Langholm Old.Thinking of you all.”

Scott Morrison was an accomplished bowler and member of Langholm New Town

A lovely, humble, young friend to manyChurch Notices

Funeral Services

FUNERAL DIRECTORS

For a Personal Service

Hedley and Turnbull013873 75404 / 013873 75532 / 0789 655 7941

Funeral DirectorsUndertaker & Monumental Service

New Memorials suppliedAdditional Inscriptions and Cleaning

David W. ErskineBriery Bank, Ewes, Langholm

Tel: 013873 81251 or 07710 906257

CANONBIE UNITED& LIDDESDALE

PARISH CHURCHES

Sunday 26th April

Morning WorshipLiddesdale 10amCanonbie 11.30am

Services led by Rev Tom Seaward

All welcomeCharity no. SCO00717

LANGHOLM, ESKDALEMUIR,

EWES & WESTERKIRKPARISH CHURCHES

With no services thechurch is getting little orno income.If you wish to donate bymaking a bank transferplease contact the trea-surer, David Johnstone,on the phone numbers be-low and he will supplynecessary details.

Tel: 013873 80859.Mobile. 07543 179469

Charity no. SCO11946

All ServicesCANCELLEDuntil further notice

All Serv

ices

CANC

ELLED

until furthe

r notice

Thanks for Sympathy

CAVERSTom and family would like to sincerely thank allfriends, relatives and neighbours for their cards,letters and messages of sympathy following thesad loss of Isa.

Special thanks to those who have helped in somany ways through this difficult time. Gratefulthanks to Dr Jeanne Taudevin, Greg and Hazeland the staff on Ward B2 for their care andcompassion and to David Erskine for his supportand advice.

James Rae & SonsHeadstones and Memorials

● Headstones● Memorials● Children’s Memorials● Desks and Vases● Memorial Design● Memorial Restoration

11a George Street ● Annan01461 202083 ● www.jraeandsonsheadstones.co.uk

The Eskdale & Liddesdale Advertiseris part funded by the following

organisations along with charitable trusts and individuals

from the community of Langholm.

LeaderD & G

The ScottishGovernment

Scottish RuralDevelopmentProgramme

The European Agricultural Fund

for Rural Developmenrt

Supported by the Dumfriesshire East Community Benefit Groupwhich is funded by ScottishPower Renewables

Ewe Hill Windfarm

By Jack Rae of Langholm

ASK any engineer why theybuy a particular tool andthey’ll say it was either because it was needed tocomplete a particular jobor they ‘simply fanciedone’.In my case, my 3D printer

fell into the latter category,although there was a seriousmotive behind the ‘fancy’.As a volunteer with the

national charity Remap, man-ufacturing bespoke items forthose with disabilities, I envis-aged a 3D printer would beuseful for creating componentpieces.With a table size of 200mm

square it was both largeenough to print sizeable itemsand relatively cheap to buy.But no way did I envisage it

would eventually be used forthe manufacture of PPE (Personal Protective Equip-ment) during some future pan-demic situation.Several national internet

organisations were publishingdesigns for full-face visorswhich could be readily made

by anyone with a suitableprinter.

SimpleHaving tried several designs,

I settled on what is proving tobe the most popular and simplemodel.This takes the form of a basic

plastic framework to which isattached an A4 sheet of clearacetate.Langholm Probus Club very

kindly offered to sponsor manufacture of the visors but

they really are so cheap to pro-duce.Each visor costs only 60p to

make; 30p for the plasticframework material and 30pfor the acetate sheet.To date, our visors have been

supplied to Brampton MedicalPractice and Langholm DayCentre, along with VirginiaLodge in Longtown andNotwen House in KirkpatrickFleming. Eden Valley Hospicemay be added to the list.

Thursday April 30, 2020 3

BusinessadviceA BUSINESSMAN inWesterkirk has launched anonline club for entrepreneurs.David Borthwick of Double

Trouble Drinks set up aLangholm Entrepreneurs Clubon Facebook.The club gives guidance,

advice and shares learning andexperience with people whoare interested in starting theirown business, those who havealready started and areinterested in learning more.Areas include getting started,

strategy and strategic analysis,marketing, operations,finances, brand development,sustainability, leadership andnegotiation.Equally important are

mindset, purpose, habits,critical thinking, persistence,decision-making andemotional intelligence.David said that during the

COVID-19 lockdown, allcontact was on social media,email or by phone. If anyone would like to

discuss their business idea ortheir existing business, theycan get in touch on Facebookand David will arrange a call.The advice is free.

ESKDALE’S MP hasreceived reassurance thatincreased mobile testing forcoronavirus, supported by amilitary team, will begin soonin his largely ruralconstituency, including inEskdalemuir.David Mundell, Dumfriesshire,

Clydesdale and Tweeddale MP,who raised the issue with NHSDumfries & Galloway,welcomed the additionalcapacity.He said he wished to ensure

that, as the testing operationwidened in the coming weeks,remoter parts of his constituencywould be fully covered.He said: "I've been assured

that both NHS Dumfries &Galloway's public health teamand the military personnel areavailable to go where it isjudged they can make the mostdifference."It is not only in the more

populated areas. One remotelocation, for example, wherecommunity testing is planned isEskdalemuir."NHS officials have confirmed

that residents with symptoms in

care homes have been tested inrecent weeks. They will continue to use a

well-established system fortesting key workers and theexisting processes in place fortesting staff and residents.Mr Mundell said he was

pleased the UK-wide initiativewould enable testing incommunities in Dumfries andGalloway where there weresuspected coronavirus 'hotspots'.

DreadfulHe understood this would

allow testing of residents whowould otherwise not be eligiblethrough existing programmes. He added: "It is clear that

testing is going to be a key partof the next phase of trying tomanage this dreadful disease."We need to ensure people in

our area have the same access totesting as elsewhere as well asensuring our elderly andvulnerable in care homes andthe community are protected.”An NHS Dumfries &

Galloway spokesperson said:“We have had some mobiletesting capacity, provided by thepublic health department for a

number of weeks, although thishas been limited.“It has allowed us to test a

small number of symptomaticresidents at home but, moreimportantly, visit all care homeswhere there have been potentialCOVID-19 cases and carry outtesting of symptomaticresidents.

Additional resource for mobiletesting has now been madeavailable for Dumfries andGalloway, linked to the UK-wide testing programme.

Hot-spotsAlthough this was meant to

support testing of key workers,NHS Dumfries & Galloway hashad a well-established system

for testing key workers in placefor some time.“We will continue to use our

own processes to provide thisservice to residents and staff inthe region.“However, we believe that this

additional resource will allow usto visit communities where weare concerned about possible‘hot-spots’ of COVID-19infection and offer testing tomembers of the community whowould not otherwise be eligiblefor other testing programmes.There is considerable extra

complexity about offering thiswider testing, but we plan onusing the mobile testing team inthis way from later this week.”

Eskdale & Liddesdale Advertiser • Owned by the Community : Published by the Community

Rural testing pledge

Welcome towww.eladvertiser.co.ukthe new website for the E & L Advertiser

At a time when we are continually beingreminded to stay at home, we have decidednow is the time to launch our new websiteand hope that it helps everyone in Eskdaleand Liddesdale to keep in touch with whatis happening locally. In these troubledtimes, self-isolating at home is a challengingexperience and the more rural our home,the more difficult it can be to get to ourlocal shops and buy our everyday needs,including our weekly copy of the E&L.

We had planned an all singing, all dancing website with subscriptions, interactions and afull digital version of the E&L but that will come later once the coronavirus, COVID-19,has been consigned to the history books....

Aye, the best laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft a-gley !

In the meantime, we hope that you will get some enjoyment from this abbreviatedversion which will become available early next week where you can access articlesfrom each week’s E&L as well as recent editions of the digital version of the E&L.

Hopefully, this will enable you to keep up with what is happening in Eskdale andLiddesdale and we can all look forward to the launch of the completed version ofwww.eladvertiser.co.uk later in the year.

And once you’ve tried it, let us know what you think of it –sharon@eladvertiser.co.uk

“Owned by the Community............Published for the Community”

The mask Jack made

The visor that Jack produces with the use of a 3D printer

David Mundell MP welcomes more mobile testing in his constituency

NHS to expand its service into hot-spots in rural communities

THE delivery of digital skillsin Langholm and a newkitchen for Ewes hall are justtwo of the projects to be aidedby the Ewe Hill 16 windfarmcommunity benefit fund.The Langholm Initiative was

delighted to receive the news thatits proposed digital skills projectwas awarded £12,500 by the fund.This will help support its plans

to deliver volunteer-led digitalskills sessions for older people,introduce young people to theexciting world of digital careers,and support the fantasticbusinesses in Langholm withimproving their digital marketingability.A spokesperson said: “We want

to make sure Langholm does notmiss out on the benefits of thedigital age.“The importance of the project’s

objectives is gaining recognitionboth nationally and regionallythrough our Building Our DigitalFuture report, available atbit.ly/digital-langholm.“It is clear, now more than ever,

that digital skills are essential foreveryone.“Our trustees are busy trying to

secure the rest of the fundingneeded for this project to take off.“Although much of the

Initiative’s work is suspendedduring lockdown, we lookforward to supporting people inour community as soon as wecan.”The Ewes hall regeneration

plan received £16,500 and AileenCavers, representing thecommittee, said: “We asked forthat sum but this is the secondtime we have applied.“Our bid was deferred last year.

We needed to secure match-funding and get up-to-datequotes.“The grant is mainly to

refurbish the kitchen which is notfit for purpose and, possibly, toimprove the heating so it’s moreenergy efficient.“The electric heaters in the

ceiling are quite elderly andhungry and we have tosupplement them with portablegas heaters.”Other groups in Eskdale to

benefit: The Buccleuch Centregot £11,250 to employ a

marketing and programmingsupport co-ordinator for twoyears; the Langholm Alliancewas awarded £14,000 to employa project assistant to help with itscommunity plan; Canonbie greenbowling club received £2,340 toreplace the clubhouse roof;OutPost Arts was awarded£5,000 for its Next Steps project;£6,000 went to Langholm PipeBand for uniforms andaccoutrements; and Muckle ToonMedia, which owns the E&LAdvertiser, received £15,000 forits Going Digital: A Sustainable

Future for our CommunityNewspaper.David Stevenson, chairman of

Muckle Toon Media CIC said “These grants make a huge

contribution to the sustainabilityof so many vital communityorganisations and are muchappreciated by the recipients”.

www.eladvertiser.co.ukEskdale & Liddesdale Advertiser4 Thursday April 30, 2020

EMERGENCYNUMBERS Big benefits for community

The users of Ewes hall are delighted to receive funding for a new kitchen from the Ewe Hill 16 windfarm community benefit fund

Don’t abusethe siteAS THE lockdown continues,it is understandable thateveryone is becomingincreasingly anxious andstressed and somefrustrations are being ventedthrough the LangholmCOVID-19 support grouppage on Facebook.As a support page, it is our

job to support each other inwhatever ways we can.Anyone seen to be either

accusatory or defamatory willnow be immediately blockedfrom the page and the postremoved without the need foran explanation.For every person, who

appears to be “flouting the

government rules”, there areseveral who have a real need togo out or visit other people’shouses, gardens or travelbeyond the limits of Langholm.

People casting aspersions arecausing vulnerable and honestpeople to become incrediblyanxious and scared that theyare doing the wrong thing. Thisis unfair and not why we arehere and I am sure not anyone’soriginal intentions.Consider what you are

looking to post. This site is forsupport, so verified

information on the situation,requests for or of help or ideason how to support peoplefurther are what we are lookingfor.Consider whether your post

would be better on another siteif it does not fall directly intothis category, especially if thecontent is venting frustrations.Lastly, remember this is a

very difficult time foreveryone. If you need help orsupport, including befriendingor counselling, contact usrather than become anxious,stressed or angry.Take care everyone and many

thanks to all the wonderfulpeople doing a great job withlittle or no thanks. You are trulywonderful.

Langholm COVID-19Support Group

POLICE SCOTLANDLangholm.......................101Newcastleton ................ 101

COUNCILSDumfries and Galloway Council .................................030 3333 3000.............www.dumgal.gov.ukFault reporting (potholes/street-lights etc) ............................0800 042 0188Langholm Town Hall/Library ..013873 80255Dumfries and Gallowaybus timetableswww.dumgal.gov.uk/timetablesScottish Borders Council ....0330 100 1800out of hours ..01896 752 111Scottish Bordersbus timetables ......www.scotborders.gov.uk

UTILITIESScottish Water.....................0800 0778 778......www.scottishwater.co.ukScottish Power.......................................105.....www.scottishpower.co.ukScottish Gas emergency ....0800 111 999National Rail enquiries ........03457 484 950.........www.nationalrail.co.ukFloodline SEPA.....................03000 996 699.................www.sepa.org.ukAmey (A7) .....................0800 042 0188...www.scottishtrunkroadsse.amey.co.uk

POST OFFICESLangholm .....013873 81109Newcastleton ..013873 75361Canonbie ......013873 71348Rowanburn ...013873 71542

HOSPITALSD&G Royal Infirmary......................01387 246246Cumberland Infirmary......................01228 523444Borders General Hospital ...01896 826000Thomas Hope Hospital.....................013873 80417

DOCTORSLangholm .....013873 83100Newcastleton ..013873 75100Canonbie .....013873 71313NHS24 ...........................111

CHURCHESLangholm,Eskdalemuir Ewes andWesterkirk Parish churchesMs Joy LunnSession clerk...07584 357180Canonbie United Parish churchSession Clerk..013873 25255Liddesdale Parish churchSession Clerk..Glynis Cambridge07469 397065

SCHOOLSLangholm Primary......................013873 80900Langholm Academy......................013873 80418Newcastleton ......................013873 75240Canonbie ......................013873 71336

CHEMISTSDalston Pharmacy, Langholm......................013873 80220Monday to Friday8.45am -1pm; 2pm-5.30pm.Saturday 8.45am-12.30pm.Boots Pharmacy, Longtown ......................01228 792859Monday-Friday 9am - 6pm.Saturday 9am-5pm.

DENTISTSMark Buddy .013873 80521Emergency - outside opening hours

01461 202508

Letters to the editorHave your say on the issues affecting our area. You can write to us at

Eskdale & Liddesdale Advertiser, 54 High Street, Langholm DG13 0JH oremail your comments to rachel.norris@eladvertiser.co.uk

A CAMPAIGN highlightingthe value of local newspapersis being backed by DavidMundell, Dumfriesshire,Clydesdale and Tweeddale MP.The former Scottish Secretary

points out the coronavirus pan-demic has shown the commu-nity-focused print medium's im-portance as a reliable source offact-checked balanced news andinformation.He is one of 40 MPs who

have written to Matt Hancock,health secretary, and OliverDowden, digital, culture, mediaand sport minister, urging themto give further support to localmedia outlets through an in-creased share of public healthcommunications spending.The letter was signed by a

cross-party group, including for-mer cabinet and shadow minis-ters and highlighted the impor-tance of the local press in pro-viding trustworthy informationand championing a good com-munity spirit.Mr Mundell said: "A good lo-

cal newspaper is a vital compo-nent for successful communi-ties.“Unfortunately, essential rev-

enues such as advertising havedeclined sharply during the coro-navirus lockdown."This crisis comes on top of

ongoing challenges facing tra-ditional newspapers from socialmedia and internet advertisingand it is important we supportefforts to safeguard this keysource of good journalism."

Champion yourlocal newspaper

Many groups in the area receive funding from the Ewe Hill 16

Jason Railton of Langholm Initiative

These projects are supportedby Dumfriesshire East Community Benefit Group(DECBG) which is funded byScottishPower RenewablesEwe Hill Windfarm.

Thursday April 30, 2020 5

Petition calls for Dayto reinstate workers

Forest roadupgrade

ESKDALEMUIR: Forest Direct Ltd of Clovenfords hasbeen told it does not need priorapproval to upgrade an existingforest road and lay a new 668-metre road at Post Office Wood.

____________________

CladdingapprovedCANONBIE: Ian Bell of 5Brighton Place has received un-conditional approval to installcomposite cladding on the ex-ternal elevation of the house.

____________________

AllotmentavailableLANGHOLM: There is allot-ment space available atLangholm New Town BowlingClub if anyone is interested.Please contact Avril Grieve on07980 467 483.

Staff made redundant should be furloughed, say MSP and MPA PETITION has been launched inFife urging billionaire businessmanPhilip Day to furlough staff ditchedjust before coronavirus lockdown.Mr Day’s Edinburgh Woollen Mill

Group has refused to re-employ andplace five workers at the Scottish DeerCentre on temporary leave.This is despite being able to claim 80

per cent of their wages from the gov-ernment.Willie Rennie, North East Fife MSP

and Scottish Liberal Democrat leader,along with MP Wendy Chamberlain, isnow garnering support for his call for areversal of the decision, which alsoaffects staff elsewhere in the company.Dubai-based Day owns several other

high street retailers, including Peacocks,Jane Norman, Austin Reed and Jaegar,and is worth more than £1 billion.Mr Rennie said: “When this crisis

comes to a close, we will all rememberwhich companies played their parts inthe national effort and which ones lefttheir staff hung out to dry.“Philip Day could reverse this selfish

decision to deprive staff of furloughfunds without it costing him a singlepenny but he’s refused to budge.

“I invite people in north-east Fife tosign this petition in solidarity with theworkers in Cupar.”

Stable incomeFellow Lib Dem Mrs Chamberlain

added: “The furlough system is availableto all employers and offers staff a stableincome in this extremely challengingclimate.“Philip Day’s decision not to offer

staff at the Cupar Deer Centre and theEdinburgh Woollen Mill is cruel andunjustifiable.“He has let down his former employees

and the community in north-east Fife.”One former deer centre employee told

of how he was let go two days beforethe government announced its coronavirusjob retention scheme, which includesthose made redundant as early as March1.The scheme is designed to help

employers severely affected by coron-avirus retain staff but Edinburgh WoollenMill said it knew the jobs would not re-turn.A company spokesman said: “We have

sadly made a small number of roles redundant at the Scottish Deer Centre.

“Unfortunately, we came to the conclusion that, given the downturn,these roles no longer existed.“Throughout this process we have tried

our best to limit the impact and scale ofredundancies in the group.“We employ more than 25,000 col-

leagues nationally and the decisions wetook were specifically aimed at safe-guarding as many jobs as possible inthe business, including colleagues whohave worked with the company for manyyears.”

IN BRIEF

AMONG the many key workerswhich communities rely on intheir daily lives are our posties.The men and women who walk

our streets before most people areup and deliver the post to rural vil-lages and farms are essential tokeeping the wheels oiled.Langholm and Eskdale are well

served by their posties and everyoneenjoys their friendly faces and theirhelp.Linda Irving is a familiar sight in

Langholm, with her mail trolley often decorated to match the season,whether its Common Riding timeor Christmas.As she pushes her trolley up and

down the streets, people heading towork or school often find themselveshaving a chat or laugh with Linda.At a time when everyone is feeling

a bit down and isolated Linda hascome up trumps, wearing a colourfulwig to make people smile and dec-orating her trolley with bunting.Another of our posties, Alan

Warwick, was filmed by ITV Borderlast week while he went up to Westerkirk on his day off with adelivery of groceries for peoplewho are self-isolating.Alan said: “I’d do anything to

help the community, absolutely any-thing.”

Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group has refused to re-employ and place five workers at the ScottishDeer Centre on temporary leave.

Celebrate our posties

Linda Irving puts a smile on people’s faces as she delivers the mail

Eskdale & Liddesdale Advertiser • Owned by the Community : Published by the Community

Are you up for a challenge? In the midst of Covid-19 we are looking for a newPractice Manager to lead us through Covid and beyond!

We are looking for a practice manager to join our team.We are a small, friendly and caring rural GP practice. Our team consists of 2 GPs,reception/dispensary/administration staff, a practice nurse and pharmacist. We are adispensing surgery and operate from a purpose built, Health Board owned healthcentre with a list size of 1600 patients.

The Practice serves the village of Newcastleton and the surrounding areas within theScottish Borders, Northumbria, Cumbria and Dumfries & Galloway.

You will be responsible for the administration, management and development of thepractice in delivering primary health care excellence for our patients. You will beresponsible for the efficient and safe management of the practice and ensure the well-being of the patients and staff. You will lead all aspects of general management,including human resources, financial management and planning, patient servicedelivery, risk management and aspects of information management and technologywith the support of the health board IT department. You will assist us provide thehighest quality general practice holistic care that we can give. Location - Moss Road, Newcastleton TD9 0RU, Scottish BordersNewcastleton is an eighteenth century planned village 30 minutes drive from Carlisleor Hawick. It is two hours from Edinburgh, Glasgow and Newcastle. There areexcellent local facilities and recreational opportunities within a beautiful rural setting

Informal enquiries to: Dr Howard Kennedy on 013873 75100 or E-mail Practice.NewcastletonHC@borders.scot.nhs.uk

PPrraaccttiiccee MMaannaaggeerrNNeewwccaassttlleettoonn MMeeddiiccaall PPrraaccttiiccee

Job Description available on request.Salary : Negotiable (depending on qualifications/previous work experience)Hours: LTFT/FT options available and negotiable/flexible.NHS Pension Scheme. Applications including CV, covering letter and two referees to:

Dr Howard Kennedy, Newcastleton Medical Practice, Moss Road, Newcastleton TD9 0RU, Scottish Borders

Closing date 29th May 2020

www.eladvertiser.co.ukEskdale & Liddesdale Advertiser

Farming on the BorderIn association with

C & D AUCTION MARTS - LONGTOWN & DUMFRIES

6 Thursday April 30, 2020

C&D Auction Marts Ltd had forward5,595 sheep comprising 3,705 prime hoggsand 1,861 cast ewes and rams at theweekly sale at Longtown on Thursday,April 23.A small show of cast cows was forward

which met a pleasing trade. Top pricewas 144p per kilo for an Angus fromBridgewater & Wood, Potholm, others to120p from Catslackburn. Limousins to121p from Potholm. Blue Greys to 120pfrom Catslackburn.Another good entry of hoggs forward,

with heavy hoggs proving difficult tocash while the fed export and light hoggssold to a premium, of which many morecan be sold to vendors’ advantage.Topping the sale at 310ppk were a pen

of Beltex hoggs from R & M Paterson,Upper Auchenlay. Top price per head was£132 for Beltex hoggs from B McAllister,Parkgate.Again, best Beltex lambs maintaining

last week’s outstanding trade and severalpens breaching 300ppk.Light hoggs were again dear, topping

at 268p for Beltex from M & S Cameron,Balmaglester.Hill hoggs sold to £103 for Cheviots

from M & S Cameron, Balmaglester, withBlackfaces to £97.50 from E. & RE. East-ham, Longburgh Fauld.Overall average 216.9p (SQQ 228.4p).

All classes can be sold to vendors’ ad-vantage here at Longtown. “Sell live andthrive.”For further advice on marketing your

livestock in these difficult times pleasedo not hesitate to contact our auctioneers:John Walton 07880527066; Nick Wood-mass 07584200489.Principal prices (per kilo): Beltex 310p

& 304p Upper Auchenlay. Texel 289pHill Close, 282p Golden Lane, 270p EastRaffles. Mule 255p Borlum, 236p Cul-doach.Charollais 253p Auchengray. Blackface

250p Thorns, 247p Haresteads, 245pSykehead. Cheviot 261p Sykehead, 260pThorns, 258p Sykehead. Suffolk 242pBarr Hill, 233p Balmaglester, 228 ClerkHill. Herdwick 234p Clea Hall, 231pAuchengray. North Country Cheviot 232pPilmuir, 230p Plumpe. Kerry Hill 228pBreckon Hill.Dorset 215p Green Aton & Lowfield

House. Swaledale 213p & 212p Western-hopeburn, 203p Breckon Hill. Romney211p Westernhopeburn.Principal prices (per head): Beltex £132

& £131 Parkgate, £128 Upper Auchenlay.Texel £128 Pasturewood, £119 East Raf-fles, £116 High Hall. Suffolk £109 &£100.50 Balmaglester, £101 Outertown,£100 The Scales. North Country Cheviot£106 Plumpe. Charollais £105 Pasture-

wood, £104 Auchengray. Cheviot £103Balmaglester, £101.50 Longburgh Fauld,£100.50 Yett. Herdwick £100 & £99.50& £97 Auchengray. Mule £98 Yett, £95Mirkbooths, £93.50 Haythwaite Lane &Westernhopeburn. Blackface £97.50 Long-burgh Fauld, £96 Emblehope.A small gathering of spring lambs sold

to a fast trade topping at 264ppk for apen of Texel lambs consigned by R John-ston Kimmeter Green. Again, many morecan be sold with an ever-increasing buyerdemand. Principal prices (per kilo): Texel 264p

Kimmeter Green. Suffolk 215p The Land,210p Kimmeter Green. Zwartble 214pLittle Tongue. Principal price (per head):Suffolk £116 Kimmeter Green, 3114 &£110 The Land. Texel £111 KimmeterGreen. Zwartble £102 Little Tongue.A similar show of ewes was forward to

the usual buyers. Best quality ewes stillselling to premium rates, with over-fatewes easier on the week.Topping the sale at £195 for Texel ewes

consigned by J & C Hastings, Kilncroft.Hill Ewes topped at £85.50 for Blackface

ewes consigned B Storey, New Hummer-becks, with Cheviot ewes to £83 consignedby SJ Harrison, Aimshaugh.Many more are needed weekly for an in-

creased demand. Please do not hesitate tocontact our auctioneers for further enquiries.

Heavy ewes: Texel £195 Kilncroft, £185Foxglove, £174 Kings Mount. Beltex£156 Tercrosset, £135 Hillside, £132 Wal-lend. Charollais £143 Hillcrest, £130Beckfoot & Crossnamuckley, £128 Park-gate & Cascum. Suffolk £125 Beckfoot,£121 Calf Park, £120 The Land. BluefacedLeicester £108 Linkshead, £104 Reaygarth,£102 Culdoach. Cheviot Mule £104 HillClose, £97 Torkirra, £96 Pilmuir. NorthCountry Cheviot £98 & £92 Aimster, £92Hill Close. Mule £95 Mirkbooths, £90Hill Close, £89 Parkgate.Light ewes: Blackface £85.50 New

Hummerbecks. Cheviot £83 Aimshaugh.Swaledale £70 Broomhills, £68 Spoutbank,£67 Lowergate. Kerry Hill £70 Westerloch.Jacob £68 High Hall. Herdwick £66Cardewlees.Rams: Suffolk £156 Barr Hill. Texel

£140 Fearn. Beltex £134 Ashton. Charollais£138 Badoney. Bleu Du Maine £122Beckfoot. Dorset £90 Fearn. Cheviot £83Skinnet. Herdwick £79 Rowhead. Averages. Hoggs: light to 268.8p

(208.6p); standard to 310.5p (235.9p);medium to 304.8p (221.2p); heavy to262p (198.1p). Lambs: medium to 264.3p(253p); overweight to 215.1p (199.2p).Ewes: light to £85.50 (£58.76); heavy to£195 (£100.24). Rams: £156 (£84.44).

Around the marts

Kitchen is dumpedand set on fire

Call for advice ifyou need support PEOPLE working in agricul-ture are encouraged to callthe RSABI helpline if theyare stressed or worried aboutCOVID-19, feeling isolatedor need practical support.The organisation gives emo-tional, practical and financialsupport and if it can’t directlyprovide the support needed, itgenerally knows someone whocan.The helpline is open everyday of the year from 7am to11pm and all calls are confi-dential. It also offers a phone call-outservice through which its teammakes regular calls to people.It’s had a lot of requests recently for call-out becausepeople feel a bit more lonelyand isolated because of the pan-demic.If you know someone whoneeds support, call 0300 1114166.

A spokesperson said: “We'reencouraging farmers to plan soothers can take over tasks incase of ill health.“They'll find an emergencyfarm plan template on the FarmAdvisory Service website andif they need help completingit, call 0300 111 4166 or emailrsabi@rsabi.org.uk“They can find more infor-mation on how RSABI can helpat this time and get links to information and guidance fromindustry organisations on theCOVID-19 page of our web-site.”Lantra Scotland has launcheda skills matching service puttingland-based and rural businessesand potential employees withrelevant skills and experiencein touch with each other.Visit the website, phone LantraScotland on 01738 310164 oremail SMS@lantra.co.uk.

A COMPLETE kitchen hasbeen dumped and set on firenear Newcastleton.Police are appealing for infor-mation after the incident near

Whitropefoot on Thursday, April16 between 12.30pm and 2.30pm.Officers want to speak to thedriver of a white Ford TransitTipper which was seen in the

area because it’s believed theymay have more information.A CCTV image of the vanhas been posted on CopshawCommunity’s Facebook pageand people are being asked toreport any sightings.The items included worktops,cooker, hob, cupboards, radiatorand a false wall, all of whichwas set on fire. It took holdand set fire to the bank andyoung trees.Enquiries into the incident areongoing and anyone with information is asked to contactpolice on 101, quoting incident2075 of April 16. They can alsoemail Allan.Patterson@scotland.pnn.police.ukThe countryside continues tobe used as a dumping ground.An irresponsible minority havetargeted fields, lay-bys and roadsto dispose of household waste,unwanted furniture, appliancesand DIY remnants.Increasingly, garden waste isbeing dumped and poses a hugerisk to the health of livestock.Five of Scotland’s leading ruraland environmental organisations,

NFU Scotland, Scottish Landand Estates, Scottish PartnershipAgainst Rural Crime, Keep Scotland Beautiful and ZeroWaste Scotland, issued a jointstatement on the rise in fly-tipping during the COVID-19.Penny Middleton, NFUS ani-mal health and welfare policymanager, said: “It’s so disap-pointing to see people usingour beautiful countryside as agiant tip but, with the upturn inthe weather and people workingin their gardens, the surge ingarden waste being dumpedwill result in animals dying.“Litter and waste of any kindcan cause hazards for livestockand wildlife.“Of immediate concern is theamount of garden waste beingdumped. Grass cuttings pose asignificant danger to horses.Feeding horses on lawn mowerclippings can be very dangerous.When clippings are fresh, theyferment. If a horse eats them, itcan cause colic and laminitis.The public are asked to storetheir waste until lockdown isover.

SSOOLLWWAAYY AAGGRRIICCUULLTTUURREELLIIMMIITTEEDD

Glasgow Road, Lockerbie, DumfriesshireDG11 2SE

Tel. Lockerbie (01576) 204124Fax. Lockerbie (01576) 203806

Beet Pulp Pellets,Barley Grains,

NB Grains, Wheat GrainsRolled Barley,

Wheatfeed, Rapemeal,Hi Pro Soya, etc.

Can be mixed to yourrequirements

Collect or deliver ex Laurmar, Heathall Ind. Est., Dumfries

Bekina Wellingtons,Waterproof Leggings &Jackets, Boiler Suits, etc

FOR ALL LAMBINGREQUIREMENTS

lamb colostrum, lambs milk,bottles, teats, lammacs,

castration rings and pliersmarking sprays etc.

Police in Newcastleton are seeking the van which dumped this rubbish

Thursday April 30, 2020 7

£7,000 for childcareand textile traditions Aid for

extra costsTHE Langholm Initiative hasbeen approached by theDevelopment Trusts Associationfor Scotland to support organi-sations in the community to apply for funding from the Supporting Communities Fund.The Scottish government setit up to support the communityresponse to COVID-19. Margaret Pool, Initiative chair-woman, would like to hear fromgroups which are deliveringservices during the pandemicand have incurred additional ornew costs.Any new or extended activitymust have been started no sooner than March 16 and fund-ing will be available for four tosix months. Eligible organisations will becharities, voluntary organisationsor social enterprises and deliv-ering services or activities incommunities.Organisations must be incor-porated, legally constituted andhave a UK bank account.If anyone thinks their organi-sation meets these criteria, con-tact Margaret at mepool.ashlea@gmail.com

Two Langholm organisations receive welcome funding boostsTWO organisations inLangholm have been awarded£7,000 between them by afund set up to help communi-ties being affected by the con-struction of a windfarm.Muirhall Energy set up thefund to coincide with Crossdykeswindfarm, between Langholmand Lockerbie, being built.This is the fifth of six roundsof awards by the Lanarkshirecompany which distributes thefunds to groups in the affectedcommunity council areas.Langholm Playcare has received £3,000 to upgrade thestandards of play and securityto meet current legislation requirements.The project is seeking to enhance the small outside playarea by upgrading the surfacing,building a child-friendly barrierand buying a two-way walkietalkie system.It is also buying a CCTV sys-tem to secure the building, enhancing the safety of childrenin their care and as an added

protection to staff.The Langholm Initiative’s Textiles Eskdale received£4,000.Textiles Eskdale will allowyoung people and adults to haveaccess to development oppor-tunities and workshops in prac-tical skills such as hand-sewing,machine-sewing, weaving, knit-ting and other skills, for whichthey are already showing a greatenthusiasm.A series of structured work-shops are proposed and will bedelivered by a mix of visitingspecialist and local experiencedvolunteers.The participants will gain anunderstanding of their textileheritage and direct links willbe established between the com-munity and textile-related busi-nesses.Residents will have a renewedpride in the industry and tradi-tional skills will be passed downthe generations.As the industry continues togrow, there will be opportunities

for work experience and employment as well as the intrinsic benefits of being in-volved in a sociable, creativeactivity.

WeavingJudith Johnson, project man-ager, said: “The current Weavinga Future project is due to finish

in June so this is a contributionto help it run for another year.“We hope to continue and expand what we do and, giveneverything, which is happeningat the moment, it’s more important than ever.“I’m delighted that the people,who have learned sewing skills,are now sewing scrubs, pyjamas

and wash bags, along with lapquilts for the elderly people togive them a bit of comfort.“I’ve spoken to one woman,who did the classes, and shesaid they had given her a net-work of contacts around thearea.”Judith said the news aboutDrove Weaving was a blow,adding: “Never has it been moreimportant for us to weave.“It’s a time of change for a lotof businesses and industries.There is a lot of potential forScottish weaving; we’ve beenfinding this out over the pastyear and how well respectedScottish products are aroundthe world.“I hope people can keep thefaith and enthusiasm and keepweaving close to home. Theproject has proved how invalu-able these traditional skills are.“I’m glad we got involved lastyear and started getting peopleto sew, weave and knit. Theyhave become crucial.”

IN BRIEF

TWO Langholm friends havebeen raising money for a can-cer charity but had to go theirseparate ways when theCOVID-19 pandemic causedthe country to go into lock-down.Ellie Hotson and Emily Beattie

signed up for the Walk All OverCancer Challenge at the end ofFebruary.Their mission was to walk

10,000 steps every day in Marchand all the money raised wentto Cancer Research UK.Ellie said: “We both completed

the challenge and I raised £200,while Emily raised £150.“In total, all the people all over

the country, who completed thechallenged, raised more than£1.5 million for the charity.“We mostly walked together at

the beginning but had to finishthe challenge separately at theend because of COVID-19.

A group of weaving students take part in a workshop with Jan Beadlefrom Cumbria in Langholm Day Centre last February

Walking all over cancer

Ellie Hotson takes a selfie with Emily Beattie while out walking during their fundraising challenge

Eskdale & Liddesdale Advertiser • Owned by the Community : Published by the Community

www.eladvertiser.co.uk Eskdale & Liddesdale Advertiser Thursday April 30, 2020 9www.eladvertiser.co.ukEskdale & Liddesdale Advertiser8 Thursday April 30, 2020

A look around at life in lockdown

Paula and Adrian Downey are both essential workers

Eva Zemla of Langholm misses family and friends on both sides of the Atlantic

PENSIONER Eva Zemla waslooking forward to a family re-union in Florida next monthbut, instead, she is shieldingin her Langholm home andwaiting for the day when shecan resume normal life.Eva has an underlying healthcondition and received a letterfrom the Scottish government tosay she should stay inside, apartfrom going into her garden.She says she is finding plentyto do; she has the TV and Netflixas well as researching things onthe internet and, with the lovelyApril weather, she can enjoy hergarden.She said: “I’ve been self-isolatingsince the start of March when itall started and before lockdown.“My daughter works for the NHS,as a practice manager in a doc-tor’s surgery in Carlisle, and shetold me to stay in when I was stillgoing out.”“I feel quite lucky and take eachday as it comes. I don’t thinkabout tomorrow; I just get up inthe morning and think about whatI’m going to do.“I have a Kindle and like toread. I’m getting through a booka week just now. The weather isglorious and I can sit in the gardenbut can’t go for walks.“I’ve also been enjoying Fridaynight’s musicals with AndrewLloyd Webber.“I have crept out to JohnRitchie’s New Town ConvenienceStore but go early in the morningwhen it’s quiet.“It’s very difficult to get deliveries

from supermarkets – it takes twoto three weeks - so I’m gratefulto our shops, including Brown’sButchers, Dalston Pharmacy, Paterson’s and the Co-op for de-livering things.“The only problem is I can’t goup the street to get cash fromthe hole in the wall so one of myfriends takes my card and shedoes this for me.“I’m managing fine and gratefulto live in a small town; I don’tknow what it would be like in acity, especially with children.“I do miss my volunteering atthe Buccleuch Centre, my job atthe filling station and the fact Ican get on the bus and spend aday in Carlisle.“But, it’s not the end of theworld. I’m still here and I wakeup in the morning and say thankyou.”Eva said she admired CaptainTom Moore who was raising money for the NHS charities andhad gone viral on social mediabut it was sad that someone athis age had to raise money whenit should be the government doingit.She said: “We also have thewomen here doing the sewingand I love that.”Eva said five members of thefamily were due to go to Floridain May to visit her sister and theywere trying to get a refund. Shehad already been given back hertravel insurance.Joining them were Eva’s niece,who lives in Hawaii, and hernephew, who lives in Pittsburgh.

ADRIAN Downey and his wife,Paula, who live in Newcastletonare both still working throughthis crisis as essential workers.Adrian, who is a keen cyclist,and Paula, who is an artist andwas last year’s Copshaw Tub,live with their younger son, Oli,16, while Sam lives in Carlislewith his partner.Life in lockdown is not so dif-ferent for them. Adrian works forMetal Box in Carlisle which makesbeer cans and is an essentialpart of the food supply chain.He said: “It’s good to keep work-ing; it gives you some normality.I’m still doing shift work and, asfar as production goes, nothinghas changed.“Paula is still working becauseshe is a practice nurse at thehealth centre and she’s also doingsome community nursing because some of the nursescoming from Hawick are showingsymptoms and can’t come downhere.“She’s been going into elderlypeople’s homes and is quite enjoying the change.“Sam works as a duty managerat the Sands Centre and hasbeen furloughed, along with hispartner, so they’re stuck at homein isolation, which is quite tough.“Oli is at home. He started anapprenticeship with Rock UK inFebruary and has been fur-loughed.”Adrian says Copshaw is alreadya quiet place, apart from tourism,but people are walking, ridingtheir bikes and going for jogs.He said: “I’ve not been involvedin the community help but Paulais doing her bit with the resilienceteam.“There are several housesaround ours which she goes totwice a day and checks on theresidents if they are vulnerable

people living on their own.“If they want help, they put ared card in the window so sheknows they need assistance.“The resilience team is doing agood job; Newcastleton looksafter itself.”Paula’s parents, Jim and MoiraRowan, live in the village. Shecan’t see them but they are beinglooked after with food deliveries.Adrian’s parents live in Carlisleand he hasn’t seen them for amonth.He acknowledges there are alot of good things going on allover the world.He said: “It’s good that peopleare using their common senseto do whatever is necessarywhether making bags for nursesor using technology to make facemasks. They’re doing it withoutbeing told.”Adrian goes cycling every dayand, after posting a ride to KielderDam on Facebook, he was askedwhy he had gone to a differentcounty and country.He said he was on his own, notin a group, and he was not evenstopped by a police car whichpassed him.

PHILIP and Cathie Gunn havebeen doing lots of gardeningduring the enforced self-isolation at their Langholmhome.Philip owns Art Corner Galleryin the High Street where he sellshis own and others’ works, framespictures and works on commis-sions. He is also the instructor atthe town’s karate club.Cathie is a former health visitorand she has reregistered in caseshe is needed for nursing butshe has not heard anything yet.Philip, who is 70, said: “We’reboth at home. Cathie is shoppingand I’m staying in. It’s more dan-gerous for men around 70 thanfor women.“We’re gardening; we’re doinglots of gardening and I sortedout my training room so I’m doinglots of training.“A couple of my instructors, onein Staten Island, New York andanother in Norwich, are doingonline classes so I’m followingthem.“I’ve got to keep going and keepfit; otherwise, it’s very easy to sitin front of the TV and Netflix.“The Langholm club is not doinganything online but other clubsare so our members can followthem.”Philip’s shop is closed and he’sdone no business since mid-

March. He has applied for supportfrom the small business rate reliefscheme but isn’t sure whetherhe’ll get it.“If I don’t get anything, I’m notbothered because I get my pen-sion. There are other people in aworse state than me.”Gardening has kept Philip fromdoing any painting during the nicespell of weather but, if it rains, hewill get back to it.He says the worst thing is notbeing able to visit their familyand especially their two sets ofgrandchildren.

Their son is a teacher in Londonand goes into work on certaindays which is a worry for them.Philip said: “They live in a flatand we’re doing Facetime withthem every day.“They love it when they comeup here. At least in Langholmwe’re remote and can go for awalk.”Philip also has a nephew whois a police officer in Stoke-on-Trent and a big racing fan. Hewent to the Cheltenham Festivalfor a break and caught the virus.

Phil Gunn is gardening his way through self-isolation

FORMER community councillor and keen walkerJoan Robson of Newcastleton said she and herhusband, Jim, were “bearing up”.Joan said: “We’re staying at home, although I’mgoing out for little walks.“I phone my order for groceries to the shops andpay by card and they deliver them.“I use the Spar and Costcutter and I can get ev-erything I need from them.”Joan says they have very good neighbours nextdoor and they keep an eye out for the elderly cou-ple.She said: “We’re managing fine and, apart fromnot being able to visit my sister in Penton once aweek, life is not that much different.“Jim is frail and his movement is very bad so hedoesn’t get out of the house. We don’t have carersfor him.“Last year I had the house altered to make lifeeasier and there is now a bathroom and bedroomdownstairs.“We’re more fortunate than some. I’ve just beenout today and we have these long-distance con-versations with people dotted about at differentpoints.“We can do that because the weather is nice sowe’re not isolated really.“There are also people coming round twice a dayto check on everyone and there have been differentthings for people to do.“In fact, the volunteers have done a very goodjob but I don’t think life will ever be the same.There will be a lot of changes.”

Jim and Joan Robson of Newcastleton are grateful to have such good neighbours Business as usual for Alan Miller and his Yarns to Year For bears

IT’S pretty much business asusual at Yarns to Yearn Forand for owner Alan Miller inLangholm.Unfortunately, for Alan and hispartner, Kirsty Ash, they shouldhave been on holiday in Los Angeles and Las Vegas at themoment.He said: “We were meant to flylast Monday so it’s a bit of ablow. We’ve deferred it until October but we don’t know whatwill happen. These are verystrange times.”He added: “Businesswise, it hasnot really changed except peoplecan’t come through the door.“I’m still getting orders from allover the world, like Australia andAmerica. I can come in here,close the door and do everythingwithout seeing anyone.“I do the post online and drop itat the sorting office. It hasn’tchanged greatly.“It tends to get quieter goinginto the summer and when wefirst went into lockdown, it wasquiet but it’s been good recently.I just need to keep it ticking over.”Alan says he is up to date withhis own supplies and the woman,who makes his tartan teddies, isstill making and sending them.He’s waiting for stock to comefrom Yorkshire but, in the mean-time, he’s plenty to work on.

He hasn’t applied for any gov-ernment support yet, saying: “Ihaven’t looked at any grants.“I would rather not if I can keepit ticking over and come out atthe end with a business. It wouldbe different if I couldn’t carry on.And it’s easier not having employees.”Alan sometimes gets smallweaving jobs done at DroveWeaving and he had heard thatthings were not great there buthe hadn’t expected redundan-cies.He said: “I’d spoken to Robbie(Trussler) about a couple of jobsI’d needed doing. He’s remainingpositive that something will comeout of it.“There aren’t many firms doingcommission weaving for peoplewho want small runs. DroveWeaving is the ideal place to getit done.”

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was theage of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epochof belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season oflight, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope,it was the winter of despair.”This opening paragraph of A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickensexpresses what we are all feeling 160 years after this book was writ-ten.As Eskdale and Liddesdale face an extended period of lockdownwith the rest of the UK, the E&L Advertiser speaks to residents,whose lives are being disrupted to a greater or lesser extent by theCOVID-19 pandemic.There is no doubt that communities are feeling fearful of thisdeadly new virus which is indiscriminate in its impact and is affectingeveryone from the Prime Minister to health and care workers.But there is a great spirit of co-operation which is helping everyoneto stick with self-isolation and make the best of these strange days.

IF YOU were to choose where tospend life in lockdown, youcouldn’t do much better than thefriendly little village of Bentpath.Clare Johnstone, her husband,Andrew, and their two daughters,Martha and Ashley, have beengetting used to a new routine.Andrew, who works as an elec-trician for Buccleuch, has beenfurloughed until June 1 and islooking after the children whileClare works weekday morningsseeing to the horses at Paul andShona Armstrong-Wilson’s yardnear Canonbie.Clare said: “I’m doing a coupleof hours every weekday morningbecause the grass is not throughyet so the horses can’t go outcompletely.“They need their holiday but wecan’t throw them out without aproper field of grass so they’regoing out during the day and inat night.“I go in, put on my gloves andsanitise and do what I have todo. I’m just doing the necessitiesand not staying longer than Ihave to. I’m on my own in theyard and if I see someone, wekeep our distance.“Andrew has the job of homeschooling, and, to be fair, he isdoing alright. He loves gettingstuck into it.“I came home one day to findthe house upside down but they

had had good fun.“They do their daily mile, likethey do at school, and take Toby,our dog, into the woods and lookfor wildlife and flowers and countthe lambs in the fields. It’s hardfor them having to stay at home.“I go to the Co-op twice a weekbut stay at home at weekends.Once a week I pick up shoppingfor Hazel, my mother-in-law, andbuy my milk from John Ritchie. Ialso get a fruit and veg deliveryfrom Paterson’s.“Andrew is riding his horse,Chav, and a couple of times we’vetaken the girls to the stables withtheir bikes and I walk with themdown to the Enzieholm bridge.“I feel sorry for people who livein flats in London and have nogarden. I can see why they wantto visit parks.“We have a back yard with atrampoline and paddling pool sowe’re lucky.”Clare’s parents, Arthur and Margaret Graham, farm nearCanonbie and it’s been five weekssince Clare has seen them butthey talk on the phone and catchup on Facetime.“My dad has been busy lambingand is isolated anyway. My mumdoes the vulnerable people shop-ping hour and is home by 8.30amand also gets deliveries fromBrown’s Butchers.”

Clare Johnstone with daughters Martha and Ashley enjoy life at the Benty

ANOTHER Clap for Carersis coming up tonight. It’sstrangely emotional, a sincereand deeply-felt expression ofgratitude and solidarity forNHS and all care workers.It gets bigger and noisier in

Langholm every week. As wellas the message it sends to ourheroes, it’s the highlight of theweek.Keeping clear of the virus by

staying at home takes no stren-uous effort but, let’s be honest,social distancing is boring.Tables and graphs on the news

may help to make sense ofwhat’s happening but they aren’tmuch of a spectacle. Despite the geek-factor, there

is growing interest in interpretingand presenting statistics, which

are playing such a massive partin current events.Desperate boredom was the

driver behind a survey in theMuckle Toon. One couple, whoasked to remain anonymous, de-cided to get a sense of the impactof the lockdown by measuringthe Thursday morning rush-hourtraffic.All vehicles on Langholm’s

High Street were relentlesslyand meticulously listed and cat-egorised.Starting at 7.45am every north

and southbound vehicle wasnoted. By 9am, a clear impres-sion was emerging.It can now be revealed, exclu-

sively in the E&L Advertiserthat, in 75 minutes, there were29 northbound HGVs, 36 vans

45 cars, no buses or bikes.Southbound, the A7 carried

nine HGVs, 30 vans, 64 cars,three buses, one motorbike, onecyclist.It isn’t easy to see what we

can make of these figures; moregoods going north, more peoplein cars going south. That’s aboutit.The surveyors plan to repeat

the exercise, saying: “It meansmore than an hour effortlesslyfilled in. We stayed away fromCOVID-19 disaster news on TV.We didn’t order anything online. Best of all, we avoidedraiding the fridge again.”They added: “Of course, there’s

still tonight’s clapping to lookforward to. What’s not to enjoy?”

SINCE it was first publishedin 1935, the poet Edwin Muir’sScottish Journey has rarelybeen out of print.The current edition contains

a substantial introduction byChristopher Smout, Scotland’sHistoriographer Royal, writtenin 1979 and briefly updated in1996, which outlines Muir’s unconventional background andcareer.He was an Orcadian – always

claiming to be Norse rather thanScots.His odyssey traces the attempt

by an outsider to find his wayhome to his roots in Orkney,which he regarded as uniquelyblessed, a place with a strongcommunitarian spirit, few extremes of wealth and povertyand a thriving agriculture largelyunaffected by the march of mod-ern industrial society.Muir’s account, far from being

a conventional travelogue, is,in reality, a search for somethingwhich always eludes him.He writes of the ‘various

Scotlands’ he encountered, ‘butwhat Scotland is I am unable tosay’.He mockingly notes the tra-

ditional rivalry between status-conscious Edinburgh and egal-itarian Glasgow and regardsHighlanders and Lowlanders as‘temperamentally incompati-ble’.

IndustrialismDuring his travels Muir is pre-

occupied with the ravages ofindustrialism, which has turnedGlasgow and its environs intoa vast slum, housing, by the1930s, legions of unemployedmen sunk in hopelessness.Yet in a striking, few pages

he recalls the desperation ofpre-industrial agrarian society,

wracked by famine, poverty anddisease. In that sense he con-cedes industrialism had broughtreal benefits to the population.But the system upon which it

was built – free-market capital-ism – has proved incapable ofovercoming the worldwide depression of the 1930s.Muir’s remedy is a remarkable

one. When working as a clerkin Glasgow before the GreatWar, he had joined the nascentIndependent Labour Party but,although he admired the self-lessness and integrity of itsmembers, he could never rec-oncile himself to the rigiditiesand conformism of Marxist socialism.

DistributivismInstead, he turned to the then

fashionable theories of MajorC H Douglas, the proponent ofDistributivism, a cause whichattracted such writers as HilaireBelloc and G K Chesterton.Social Credit, as it was known,

has long been consigned to thecuriosity cabinet of history butit led Muir to adopt a very par-ticular view of the emergingScottish Nationalist movement.He argued that such a move-

ment could achieve a broad fol-lowing only if it jettisoned bothsocialism and distributivism.Muir was only too aware of

the ideological rifts within Scottish Nationalism.He regarded Hugh

MacDiarmid’s view of a unitedScotland as a Celtic nation underthe banner of Leninist inter-nationalism as pure fantasy,which is why they fell out sospectacularly, yet, at the sametime, he was scathingly dismis-sive of nostalgic kailyard na-tionalism.Muir regarded Sir Walter

Scott’s Abbotsford as an osten-tatious and vulgar monumentto a mock-heroic Scots past.Nor did he care much for

Burns as a poet, whose AnnieLaurie he saw as a fateful stepon the path to the kailyard.

ShibbolethsWhat stands out at every turn

is his detachment from the political and cultural shibbolethsof his day.He notes the Scots’ exceptional

facility for myth-making, stretch-ing from Wallace and Bruce toMary Queen of Scots and Bonnie Prince Charlie.In the end, Muir believed the

solution to Scotland’s ills waseconomic, not national. The variety and contradictions withinthe Scots character made a nationalist agenda problem-atic.As he concluded: “From this

indistinct yet vivid image I triedto extract a picture of Scotlandas an entity, but I did not suc-ceed.”The fascination of Muir’s

account lies in the fact that thequestions he raised have yet tobe answered.

www.eladvertiser.co.ukEskdale & Liddesdale Advertiser10 Thursday April 30, 2020

Reflections on Edwin Muir’sScottish Journey by Tom Scott

A survey of the traffic on Langholm High Street during the pandemic did not show anything of significance

Brough of Deerness juts out from the Orkney Mainland

Published by Mainstream Publishing1851588418 (ISBN13: 9781851588411)

What a boring survey

Edwin Muir author of Scottish Journey

Thursday April 30, 2020 11

Windfarm companytake on MoD in court

HardshipfundNEWCASTLETON & DistrictCommunity Trust, acting as thecommunity anchor organisation,has announced the launch of ahardship fund.This has been created with

the support and help of thecommunity council and the resilience leader team.Many people, businesses, vol-

untary groups, clinicians andcarers are working together toprotect the community.This frontline effort started

before COVID-19, with manyof the same teams working tire-lessly to support homes andfamilies since the flooding ofStorm Dennis on February 15.Newcastleton has suffered

much more than most as a com-munity in recent weeks and because of the combined impactof what has happened some inthe community need extra financial help.Since the COV1D-19 lock-

down and the flooding, thesegroups have seen directly thehardships which many residentshave suffered and how muchthis has had an impact on dailylives.They know many people still

await pay-outs from insuranceassessors and some remain intemporary accommodation forlonger than anticipated becauseof the lockdown and lack ofsupply materials, delayingprogress on home repairs.This is tough and hugely

costly, with unforeseen costsnow being incurred by house-holds.Find out more at www.visit-

newcastleton.com/community/hardship-fund/

____________________

NormalserviceNHS Dumfries & Galloway isurging people to continue touse health services for issuesunrelated to the coronavirus.The emergency departments

at Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary in Dumfries isoperating normally.Dr Kenneth Donaldson, med-

ical director, said: “Anyone whoneeds urgent medical treatmentshould always attend their clos-est emergency department forchest and abdominal pain, sus-pected stroke, breathing prob-lems, a very sick child, severebleeding and broken bones.“Great care is taken to ensure

no one is exposed to the risk oftransmission of coronavirus andpatients with COVID-19 havea specific, separate route fortreatment.”

Petition on seismic budget allocation will go to judicial reviewA DEVELOPER of commercialwindfarms, which applied forplanning permission for a wind-farm within the consultation zoneof the Eskdalemuir seismologicalmonitoring station, has succeededin petitioning a court for a timeextension to begin proceedingsfor judicial review.The planning application of

Energiekontor UK Ltd at the LittleHartfell site was objected to by theMinistry of Defence in accordancewith its policy on noise budget.The petition was heard in the

Court of Session by Lord Tyre.The seismic array comprises seis-

mometers intended to detect vibra-tions caused by nuclear tests.Government policy, managed by

the MoD, is to protect the arrayfrom seismic vibrations from othersources which may interfere withits intended purpose.The forces acting on wind turbines

cause vibrations in their structurewhich can travel underground formany kilometres.As a result of a 2005 report, a

10km exclusion zone operatesaround the array, along with a further50km consultation zone.MoD policy is to object to any

windfarm development within the

exclusion zone and must be notifiedof any planned developments withinthe consultation zone.The report authors recommended

a seismic ground vibration thresholdfor windfarms within the zone,known as the noise budget.

ExclusionIn 2014 another report challenged

the 2005 report’s methodology incalculating the noise budget andrecommended it be replaced with aphysics-based algorithm.This could allow more windfarms

within the exclusion zone. The MoDallocates noise budget on a first-come, first-served basis.The petitioners applied for plan-

ning permission in 2018 for a wind-farm with a capacity below 50megawatts within the consultationzone.The MoD objected because the

budget had already been reached.Before the MOD submitted its

formal objection, the petitioner hadlearned that an objection was likelybecause all the available noise budgethad been allocated to a scoping application submitted for an appli-cation for a windfarm at Faw Side,Ewes, with a capacity exceeding50MW.

The petitioner submitted that theMoD’s policy was unreasonable because it treated applications dif-ferently, depending on the devel-opment’s capacity.In relation to a proposed devel-

opment, whose capacity did not exceed 50MW, noise budget wasallocated to a development whenthe MoD was notified by a council’splanning authority of the applica-tion.In relation to a proposed devel-

opment, whose capacity exceeded50MW, a budget was allocated whenthe MoD was notified by the Scottishministers of a scoping request bythe developer for an environmentalimpact assessment report.

UnreasonableThis allowed larger developments

to be allocated noise budget at anearlier stage of the planning processthan smaller ones. There were, there-fore, public policy reasons for allowing the petition to continue.The MoD opposed the application

for a time extension. It had beeninappropriate and unreasonable, hav-ing regard to the principle of goodadministration, to wait until the endof 2019 before raising proceedings.Lord Tyre concluded it was equi-

table to extend the time period.He said: “A consequence of the

current MoD policy is that a single,large project, which has not reachedthe stage of submission of an application, can more than exhaustthe available noise budget and operate as a block on windfarm development in a very large areaand for an indefinite period.“I have no view on the petition’s

substantive merits, beyond statingI’m satisfied the statutory thresholdof real prospect of success is met.“It seems the argument ought to

receive judicial consideration and Isee no advantage in refusing toallow the petition to proceed.

“The mere fact of permissionbeing granted will not, so far as Iam aware, have any immediate prac-tical consequences.

Exhausts“The current situation is that,

because of its proposed capacity,the Faw Side proposal not only exhausts but greatly exceeds thecurrently available noise budget sothere does not appear to be anyquestion of interference withprogress with a development whichwould otherwise be under construc-tion.“Nor would the remedies sought

affect any windfarm developmentwhich has already received the rel-evant planning approval.”He concluded: “I do not consider

that any prejudice to the MoD hasbeen identified.“The petitioner does not dispute

that the MoD is entitled to deviseand enforce a policy to protect thearray from interference with its detection capabilities.”“The challenge is concerned rather

with allocation of priority as betweenproposed developments, whichshould be a matter of indifferenceto the MoD so long as there is noisebudget available for allocation.”

IN BRIEF

Lord Tyre

Take part in TV debate show

Stephen Jardine, presenter of Debate Night, is inviting viewers in Dumfries and Galloway to take part on June 3

Eskdale & Liddesdale Advertiser • Owned by the Community : Published for the Community

VIEWERS of BBC Scotland’s DebateNight in Dumfries and Galloway are in-vited to take part in the programme onWednesday, June 3. It is to resume with a virtual audience,

while restrictions remain in force during thecoronavirus outbreak.Audiences for the current affairs debate

programme can put their questions to apanel of politicians and public figures viavideo link from the comfort of their ownhomes.Stephen Jardine, presenter, said: “Debate

Night is the only place where people canregularly put their questions and experiencesdirectly to Scotland’s policymakers.“Having a forum like this has scarcely

been more important and, despite the re-strictions, we’re determined to give peoplethe opportunity to question those in charge.”In line with the show’s usual practice of

travelling to venues around the country, itwill go on a virtual tour and the audiencewill be made up of people living in a particulartown or region.People can apply at https://email.

myconnect.bbc.co.uk/my.policyDetails of panellists for each programme

will be confirmed nearer transmission dates.

www.eladvertiser.co.ukEskdale & Liddesdale Advertiser12 Thursday April 30, 2020

Times Past

80 years: Cabaret and DanceBooking for the entertainment to be given on 26th April leaves little doubt as to the popularity ofthe cabaret and dance. The proceeds are to go to very worthy causes at the present time – the fundsof the local Detachment Red Cross; also, to the Eskdale Nursing Association and the Red Crossfund for the wounded. New numbers and scenes of song, dance and comedy are being introduced.It is hoped to give additional seating accommodation in the hall, and to make slight alterations insupper arrangements. Patrons are asked to buy their tickets as soon as possible. Every item in theshow is entirely new with a complete change of dresses and music. In the ballet “The SleepingBeauty,” the costumes present a tremendous variety of colour and design whilst other numbers include fresh items of comedy and dance.

25 years: Thanks to Sisters given in songs of praiseLangholm Townsfolk were able to give thanks for the Sisters of St Francis on Sunday in song. Fora Songs of Praise was arranged in Erkinholme’s Chapel by all the local Churches. The chapel wasfull to hear the Rev John Stevenson of All Saints Church thank them for their work and the specialatmosphere they had brought to Erkinholme. He said that although it was a particularly upsettingtime for everyone concerned it could as with many obstacles turn out to be one for the long termbetterment of everyone and everyone should try and look at the move positively and with someoptimism.

100 years: Supper and Dance at Canonbie

A supper and dance organised by the Misses Marshall, Watchill House, and Mr John Armstrong,Parkhead, in aid of the funds of Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, was held in the Public Hall, Canonbie,on Friday evening. A large company was present, and the excellent music provided by Mr Allison’sorchestra was a great attraction. After deducting expenses, a sum of £18 has been forwarded to theInfirmary.

Heavenly SummersIf winter was good in these faroff days, summer was heaven.As far as the eye could see therolling green hills were closecropped by the famousCheviot sheep flocks of the Eskdale Valley whose woolwas sorted, dyed, carded,spun and woven into the traditional Cheviot andThornproof cloths in the millsbelow Langholm.These were greatly desired bykings and courtiers and exported to the far corners ofthe earth and made great for-tunes for the mill owners andprovided daily bread for theskilled craftsmen who createdthese masterpieces. Ourfavourite hill was our belovedWarbla with the beautiful ver-dant green canopy of the Kerni-gal Wood below us whenviewed from Warbla’s crest,with the silvery Esk below that,the smoking chimneys of thebusy mills then the beautifulheather clad sweep of AuldWhita rearing heavenwards andthe finger of the monument

pointing to heaven itself in theclear blue sky. Behind us, was the SolwayMoss famed in legend and his-tory and which Pinder and my-self had tried to cross theperhaps 18 miles to reach theScottish Solway coast. FromWarlba’s crest we could see theSolway Firth in full tide, shininglike a bar of silver in the dis-tance and sometimes I wouldsee a fleck of smoke from adirty old coaster and I woulddream of the “Flag Lieutenant”.Having run barefoot from thepark to Warbla’s crest on a sum-mer’s day in the full bloodedenergy of youth in 10 minutesand less and gulping God’sclean fresh air as I gazed on thatheavenly panorama and shouldI never reach the true heaven,that memory will do me instead.

Kernigal WoodAs my great friend the lateJohn “Popple” Elliot, - scribe,philosopher and Fair Crier –said to me with a sigh, in thetwilight of his years over a pintin the Eskdale Hotel; “Aye! Aday oot o’ Langholm is a day

wasted.”Then there was our KernigalWood where we would buildtree top hides or play at the footof “The King of the Kernigal”.“The King of the Kernigal wasa giant oak tree, in fact it is reported in Hyslop’s ‘LangholmAs it Was’ that it was the onlytree left standing when the “Gonial Blast” swept throughthe Eskdale Valley (gonialmeans dead sheep). This giantoak was so large that 10 littlechildren clasping outstretchedarms could not span it. Prince Charles was laughed atin the national press recentlywhen it was reported that hecould talk to vegetables. I amquite sure that he never said thathe “talked” to them. Of courseyou can talk to a tree like “HelloJimmy” but I, and perhaps Pinder, know what hemeant. You can commune witha tree or flower or weed (a weeddoesn’t know that it is a weed).You can be in harmony withthem.

(to be contd)

Langholm with the Lid OffWe continue our serialisation of Wattie Bell’s book.

50 years: Local Government Officer to RetireMr James Simmons retires from the Post of Local Government Officer for Langholm, Lockerbieand Moffat districts in May 1970. Mr Simmons has held this position since 1948, but his connectionwith Langholm District goes back further, because he was Burgh Surveyor and Fire Master from1939 to 1946 and Local Government Officer for Langholm District from 1946 to 1948. He hasacted as Clerk to the District Council and Education Sub-Committee and carried out his duties loy-ally and diligently, and in a way which has earned him the respect of the many people with whomhe came in contact. At the last meeting of the District Council Mr. Simmons was presented with aTravelling Clock, as a token of appreciation for his services. The Chairman, Captain J.G MilneHome made the presentation on behalf of the members of the District Committee and Education Sub-Committee. Mr Simmons is going to live at Milnthorpe inWestmoreland on his retiral and will carry with him the good wishes of the Community in the areaswhere he worked. Mr. Robert Hastings, Local Government Officer at Gretna is taking over fromMr Simmons.

Liz Irving presented Hawick Harlequins captain Tim Prestwell with the Ladies Cup at the Junior Sports at Milntown in1990. Looking on are LRFC President Kenneth Pool and vice president Robert Grieve.

Langholm Ladies under 16’s team who won the Edinburgh Sevens in 1995 are Alison Hislop, Aileen Cubbon, Kerry Bell, Fiona Mowbray, Jenny Saville, Iona Innes (captain) and Kathryn McVittie.

www.eladvertiser.co.uk Eskdale & Liddesdale Advertiser Thursday April 30, 2020 13

In a previous edition of E&L Life, Young ReporterSophie Mitchell looked at the advantages of villagelife. Now it’s time to consider some of the downsidesas well.

LIVING in a village is great but there are plenty ofdownsides, too. In February Newcastleton was badlyflooded, which caused more than 100 villagers to moveout temporarily into other accommodation because ofthe damage to their homes.The availability of spare accommodation was very

limited so some people have had had to go elsewhere.It has been a very devastating time for the village but,

luckily, everyone rallied round and there has been supportfor all.Another disadvantage to living in a village is that there

aren’t a lot of jobs going for younger people.A handful of places have younger people working there

but when I was looking for a full-time job, I really struggledto find something in the village.Fortunately, I got full-time work in Hawick which isn’t far

from where I live. In towns there is always something to do whether it’s

bowling, going to the cinema or going out shopping.This village does have a park, football pitches, a golf

course and many other similar recreational outlets sowe’re really lucky but if you’re not into sports these won’tinterest you.I would love to see more activities available for a range

of different people so everyone’s needs are catered for. My last negative reason for living in a village is that

there is very limited transport.For people who can’t drive or have no way of getting to

other places, again, we are very fortunate because wehave a bus company which has multiple runs to getpeople to where they need to be.This helps a lot of people, like me, to get to work and

get to places to go shopping.However, if, for example, you want to go to Edinburgh

from Newcastleton and you can’t drive, the only waythere is to take multiple buses and the train.There is a major campaign underway to bring the

Waverley railway line back through the village and I thinkthat would benefit many people.

A common lizard, sunbathing in Westerkirk, photographed by Margaret RailtonCamera:Samsung S9

The E&L Gallery

The ups and downs of village life

E&L Life

bySophie Mitchell

An

Feature

Sophie Mitchell of Newcastleton

A WHISTLE from WorldWar Two has found its wayback to the vast ammuni-tions depot between Long-town and Eastriggs afterlying abandoned for about20 years at Shankend,north of Newcastleton.The Air Raid Precaution

(ARP) whistle has been do-nated to the Devil’s PorridgeMuseum by the person whofound it on an old railwaysiding.It was found in 1964 by

the donor, an avid trainspot-ter, who came across it in1964 when he was just 14.He discovered it at the bot-tom of a railway wagon in apile of old grease.The rolling stock had been

left on a railway siding nearShankend on the former Wa-verley Line, 11 miles southof Hawick and had interest-ing markings on the side ofit.

FocusHe thought the whistle

should be donated to themuseum with its focus onthe history of Longtown,Gretna, Eastriggs and sur-rounding areas in both worldwars and beyond.On the wagon was written

W. D. Ordnance Gretna with faded red Explosives warnings on eachside of it.In World War Two

Eastriggs and Longtownwere the sites of ammunitionstores (or depots) and it isknown that munitions weretransported from them to theNorth African campaigns, toNormandy for D-Day and tothe USSR via the AtlanticConvoys.

It seems munitions regu-larly travelled north from thisregion.The donor writes:

“During World War Twofreight trains came fromGretna Munitions Depot dur-ing the night and the wag-ons, full of various munitions,were hidden in the mile-longWhitrope Tunnel to protectthem from being bombed.”

AbandonedThe whistle was found in

a wagon which had beenabandoned after derailingduring the war.“It may have belonged to

one of the workers fromGretna who came to reloadthe train after the accident.“We certainly found it in-

teresting to place the workdone here in the context ofthe wider war and one ofour volunteers shared an-other interesting bit of infor-mation about this section ofrailway line.“It is located near Stobs,

which was a World War OnePOW internment camp.“Several years ago a BBC

sound recordist went to therailway to record steam en-gines.“When he listened back to

his recording, he could hearGerman voices on the tapeand was amazed to discoverhe had been standing nearthe cemetery where GermanPOWs had been buried allthose years ago.

www.eladvertiser.co.ukEskdale & Liddesdale Advertiser14 Thursday April 30, 2020

Local newsis vitalLIDDESDALE’S MP has high-lighted the crucial role of localnewspapers during this periodof crisis.There has been a collapse in

advertising revenues and printcirculation as many businesses,unable to operate, choose not toadvertise. Circulation is droppingas fewer people go out to buypapers.“The important role of local

newspapers has been recognised,especially during emergencies.“Highlighting services, publi-

cising government advice andproducing trusted content areall important.John Lamont, Berwickshire,

Roxburgh and Selkirk, haspraised the support given by theUK government, including se-curing key worker status forjournalists and those engagedin producing news to allow papers to continue their workand supporting publishers tomake use of support such as thejob retention scheme which al-lows employers to furloughworkers.He said: “National media out-

lets don’t have the capacity tocover local stories and providelocal information. It would be ashame to lose such a vital resource.“I welcome the increased sup-

port for local newspapers. I knowmany are struggling for adver-tising revenue, given that manybusinesses are closed.“Journalists provide vital scruti-

ny during these difficult times.Even more importantly, theyhighlight the great work of vol-unteers and key workers as wellas signpost services available tothose who need help.”

____________________

FinancialsupportSOUTH of Scotland MSP JoanMcAlpine has welcomed asecond phase of financialsupport from the Scottishgovernment to help businessesdeal with the economic impactof the coronavirus outbreak.The funding, worth £220m,

was announced by Kate Forbes,finance minister.The package includes £100m

for newly self-employed peopleand businesses ineligible forother Scottish government orUK government schemes.£120m will go towards

extending the small businessgrant scheme to ensure that, aswell as a 100 per cent grant onthe first property, small businessrate payers will be eligible for a75 per cent grant on allsubsequent properties.She said: “This area has more

small and medium-sizedbusinesses and self-employedpeople than the Scottish averageso this help is very welcome.”Go to www.findbusiness

support.gov.scot/coronavirusadvice Wagons full of munitions were hidden from sight inside the mile-long Whitrope tunnel

Shankend’s lost whistle

The view from the signal box at Shankend station

An ARP Warden’s uniform at the Devil’s Porridge Museum in Eastriggs

The ARP whistle which was abandoned during WWII

Thursday April 30, 2020 15

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Sports NewsThursday April 30, 2020

Sponsored by KELSO RACES

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HorseracingTHE horses are having a quiet time but the staffare busy at James Ewart Racing’s yard nearLangholm.

Racing has been off for several weeks but there isstill plenty to keep everyone occupied while a numberof horses are out at grass in the spring sunshine.

Trainer James Ewart had earlier spread some fer-tiliser, calcium and lime to give the paddocks a goodboost.

Briony Ewart said: “The team on site looking afterthe horses have been doing a sterling job paintingand disinfecting with antibacterial and antifungalpaint and it is all looking superb everywhere. We willbe ready once the world is ready.

“I have the job of cleaning and checking all thetack which is quiet fun in the sun until I realisedtaking 50 bridles apart is no small task. It could takea while.

“We have put a few more out to grass and we havealso put out the lovely new horse from Ireland whoarrived just before lockdown.

Westland Row is a real Black Beauty and alreadya six-6 times winner and a second at Punchestown.

“We will put together an ownership group for himonce racing resumes. Any enquiries into the office,please.

“We wished Merv Beattie a happy birthday. Mervused to do the horses’ chiropractic treatments atFerdy Murphy’s and still drives up from Yorkshirewhenever the need arises for special projects. He’sa bit of a genius.

“We have just rehomed stable star Un Guet Apenswho will give Grace Gale her first start in a point-to-point. It was love at first sight.

“We hope you are all keeping well.”

Don’t stop me now

Exercise at home as part of an online class

Virtualexercise

NetballLANGHOLM Academy senior and junior netballteams have recorded their own video of “pass theball” to keep everyone entertained during the lock-down.

Performed to the Queen song, Don’t Stop Me Now, thegirls pass a netball to each other standing in their owngardens.

Both the junior and senior netball teams made it to thefinals of the Dumfries and Galloway Schools regionalnetball league.

The senior team also made it to the final of the ScottishSchools (silver) Cup.

The coronavirus, unfortunately, stopped them fromplaying the finals but it didn’t stop them from having agood time and it certainly didn’t stop them from having aball.

The video is message from the girls in the club to thankand encourage people to help and protect the NHS.#staysafe #stayhome #savelivesLangholm Academy senior netball team with their coach Ruth Foster

ExerciseMANY fitness instructors areturning to virtual online class-es to remain engaged withmembers and offer other waysfor the public to keep fit dur-ing the current COVID-19lockdown.

Louise Ross, who works forDumfries and Galloway Councilin some of the sports centresin Annandale and Eskdale, isalso the area’s Macmillan MoveMore champion.

She is a qualified and experi-enced fitness instructorrenowned for her excellent fit-ness sessions.

She offered her first virtualclass this week through theZoom app to members who at-tend fitness classes at the Eskdale Sports Centre inLangholm.

The classes, which are free,are open to the public and are

promoted on social mediaThe HIIT classes (High In-

tensity Interval Training) includehigh-intensity cardio andstrength exercises interspersedwith brief periods of recoverywhich raise and maintain theheart rate and help burn fatduring and after exercise, withthe added benefits of body con-ditioning.

She structures the classes sothey are suitable for people ofall fitness levels and includesadapted exercises for whomhigh impact moves are unsuit-able.

These classes are of physicalbenefit and the social interactionvia Zoom and the benefits ofexercise on mental health arewell known.

The classes will be deliveredregularly during the lockdown.They are on Wednesdays at7pm. For more information, goto the centre’s Facebook page.

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