MSP's Jed visit sheds more light on men's plans

DISTRICT NEWS

ANCRUM

SWI

Annie Shanks gave a talk on recollections of her time on the Great British Sewing Bee. Jeannie Butler proposed the vote of thanks. Competitions – stuffed vegetable – 1, Ruth Walker; 2, Rachael Sinton; holiday snap – 1, Ruth Walker; 2, Mabel Goodfellow; 3, Liz Little. Members should bring a jam jar and £2 along to the next meeting.

CADDONFOOT

Parish church

Easter Day was celebrated on Sunday when the service was conducted by the Rev Elspeth Harley. The congregation was made up of all ages, with the children hunting for Easter eggs in the church and then rolling them outside. Jo Lawson performed the Bible reading, while Atholl Innes related the story of the ‘Soldier on Guard Duty’ outside the tomb close to the large stone which the minister had brought to the church. Music was played by Andy Bird, Anne Grieve and Georgie Bird. A holy communion service was held in the church on Good Friday, conducted by the Reverend Harley, following a joint Maundy Thursday service/supper in Trinity a day earlier. Bible study is taking a break and will resume on Wednesday, May 3.

DENHOLM

Whist

A whist drive will be held on Monday, April 24, in Denholm Village Hall at 7.30pm in aid of Ruberslaw Church.

EARLSTON

Parish church

The service on Sunday, April 23, at 10.15am will be conducted by the Reverend Julie Rennick. The congregational board meets on Tuesday, April 25, in the church hall lounge at 7.30pm. On Thursday, April 27, at the manse at 7pm, the next ‘Talking’ meeting will be held – the subject is ‘Faith, Life and Everything’.

ETTRICKBRIDGE

SWI

Last Wednesday’s meeting was entitled ‘Food and drink with Jan Little’. Demonstrating to her first audience, using her soup maker, she prepared a Thai soup in only 20 minutes. Jan also showed how to make mini pizzas from scratch then, while members waited for them to come out the oven, she explained how to make a gooey chocolate sponge using the microwave. Everyone got to taste the soup, pizza and her home-made blackcurrant and raspberry gins. Not only a talented cook, Jan also raises money for the Macmillan cancer charity and The Donkey Sanctuary, and brought along hand-made greetings cards and crafty bits and bobs. Nancy Hamilton won the McGowan trophy for the best Easter biscuits and Nora Hunter had the best egg cup. The speaker for the next meeting – on May 10 – is Michelle Skotzen with Skoczena Accessories. Members’ competitions – a vase of spring flowers and a favourite handbag.

GALASHIELS

Probus

“Herstory instead of History” was the topic of Isobel Gordon’s thought-provoking talk which she described as a “feminist rant”. While most of history was written by men, for men and about men, many women over the ages have taken an active role in events. In 20th century wars, women were given the opportunity to do many things previously the preserve of men – working in factories, driving, even flying, although only to deliver planes. When men returned from war, however, women lost their jobs and were expected to return to their household duties. While many opportunities are now available to females, in many cases they still do not have the chance for promotion to the highest levels in industry and the professions. Women were the first to use tools and walk upright. They stayed at home, tended the fields, made pottery and clothes, and looked after the health of the family while men were the hunters – an inefficient way to produce food. Islam, then Judaism and Christianity all made women inferior, although Mohammed was discovered by a woman. In early forms of these religions, women were denied all humanity. In the Adam and Eve story, the male was created first and the woman later, leading the man into sin. Even Charles Darwin believed that a woman’s brain was smaller than a man’s. In mediaeval Europe, however, nuns had power and kept alive knowledge through the Dark Ages. Other women were not educated and, until 20th century, were not encouraged to take a serious interest in art, music or science. Those who did struggled with finance and acceptance. The next Probus club meeting, at the Waverley Castle Hotel, is on Thursday, April 27 (10 for 10.30am) when Elma Cunningham’s subject is Donkey Sanctuary.

St Peter’s Church

Thursday, April 20 – 10am, communion service; Sunday, April 23 – 9.30am, Sunday Squad, followed by juice and toast; 10.30am, sung eucharist (Bishop John Armes); noon, bring and share lunch; Thursday, April 27 – 10am, communion.

GLENDOUGLAS

Whist

Results from the whist drive held on Monday, April 10 – ladies – 1, Greta Middlemas; 2, Ilene Law; 3rd, Evelyn Taylor; booby – Janet Rodgers; gents – 1, Alistair Hogarth; 2, Jean Rayburn; 3, Anne Kellet; booby, Peter Hedley; sweep, Angus Cameron, Hannah Wilson and Sandra Jeffrey.

Lunch club

The lunch club gathering last Wednesday was one of the best attended.

HAWICK

Rotary

The club has lost one of its senior members with the passing of noneganarian and former hosiery executive Archie Purves, formerly of Denholm. He died in a retirement home at North Berwick and was cremated at Melrose Crematorium when a number of club members attended the service. Archie, a past president of the club and Paul Harris Fellow, had been a Rotarian for more than half-a-century. There was no meeting last week when, instead, the club had a ‘scatter week’ and members visted other Rotary clubs.

HEITON

SWI

Four members had agreed to share their skills in parchment work, crochet, beginners’ drawing and knitting twiddlemuffs (to be donated to dementia sufferers). All enjoyed being creative and learning something new. Competition – knitted hat for a premature baby – 1, Ann Bacon; 2, Evelyn Gillespie; 3, Linda Watson. All the hats entered will be donated to the special care baby unit at BGH, which is also seeking knitted jackets/cardigans for premature babies.

INNERLEITHEN

Service

The service on Sunday, April 23, in Innerleithen Church beings at 11.30am.

JEDBURGH

Rotary

The Club is grateful to all those from Jedburgh, Oxnam, Denholm and the district round about who took part in the quiz night in the Carter’s Rest on March 31. The event was well attended, with the team from ‘The Cannon’ lifting first prize again this year after a close-fought contest. The event raised £200 for local good causes. Rotarians are looking forward to their annual coffee morning in the British Legion on Saturday, April 29. This year Parkside Primary School is participating and there will be various stalls and some of the club’s international endeavours will be showcased, including ‘End Polio Now’ and ‘Lend with Care’. Members have been selling raffle tickets and will be stationed outside Jedburgh Co-op on April 21 and 22 for this purpose. May’s packed programme of activities for the club includes the annual litter pick in the town on Saturday, May 6, assisted by Scottish Borders Council Neighbourhood Services, which will provide equipment to help with this community endeavour; the AGM on Thursday, May 18; junior fishing day at The Hass Loch on Saturday, May 20; and a Partner’s Dinner at Teviot Smokery on Thursday, May 25. The club has welcomed two new members – Thomas Gollander-Jensen and Mark Hatcher.

Bridge club

Results from Monday, April 10 – N/S – 1, V. Johnstone and M. Miller; 2, J. Urquhart and J. Kyle; 3, D. Harris Burland and I. Whillans; E/W – 1, R. Oates and S. West; 2 (equal), S. Mclachan andJ. Portch, D. Gray and D. Cessford.

KELSO

Kelso Laddie

The declaration of this year’s Kelso Laddie will take place on Friday, April 21, in the Square starting at 7.30pm. The Lady Bussers will also be announced on the night. The pipe band will play from 7pm.

Bridge club

Results from Wednesday, April 12 – match-pointed pairs – N/S – 1, Val Fairbairn and Jean Bunyan; 2, Jean McLaren and Alison Ireland; 3, Dominic and Diana Alkin; E/W – 1, Gerry Eglington and Jon Bridger; 2, Brian Saywood and Ken Ross; 3, Celia and James Holgate. Thursday, April 13 – match-pointed pairs – N/S – 1, Avril Ronald and Donald Swanson; 2, Bob Stevenson and Lee Leeson; 3, Jean Henry and Myra Thomson; E/W – 1, Nigel Lindsay and Elaine Morrison; 2, Brian Saywood and Lesley Dick; 3, Jon Bridgerand Gerry Eglington.

LAUDER

Church

Worship will be celebrated by the worship team at Channelkirk (10am) and Lauder (11.30am) on Sunday, April 23. Christian Aid Week, which this year runs from May 14-20, has be well supported by Lauder over many years – and appeal envelopes should start dropping through letter boxes early May. St Cuthbert’s walk is on Saturday, June 10 – details of the event and how to register can be found at www.clchurch.org.uk. Registration closes on May 13.

LINDEAN

SWI

Carol Axon, from New Road Quilters, spoke about patchwork and quilting and showed some of her quilts. Competitions – poem on spring – 1, Margaret Milne; 2, Marjorie Mabon; 3, Margaret Inglis; hand-made purse – 1, Jean Roden; 2, Margaret Milne; 3, Edith Scott. The next meeting is the AGM.

MELROSE

Roxburgh Singers

The Roxburgh Singers, with the Berwick Arts Choir and conducted by Marion Dodd, sing Bach’s B Minor Mass on Sunday, April 30, in Melrose Parish Church at 7pm. The event also features soloists Annabelle Ellis, Richard Shaffrey, Jerome Knox and Mhairi Lawson. Tickets cost £10 (accompanied children and under-16s free) and are available from Hector Innes (Kelso), Abbey Mill Coffee Shop and Spar (Melrose), borderevents.com, 01750 725480, choir members and at the door. Enquiries to [email protected].

Parish church

There were daily evening services, Monday-Friday, during Holy Week, after Palm Sunday and extending to Easter Day itself on the following Sunday, tracing the events of the last week of Jesus’ life in Jerusalem leading up to the Crucifixion. The Reverend Rosie Frew (with guitar) led the 34 people gathered for the service on the saddle of the Eildons at 7.30am. They included children and 10 dogs, and a good number came down to the church hall for a bacon roll breakfast. The service at Bowden was held at 9.30am and the Melrose one at 11am included a group of visitors. The choir sang ‘Easter Song’ by Allen Pote, conducted by Jim Letham amid a number of Easter hymns, voluntaries and readings, with Jim Marshall at the organ. Thursday, April 20 – 2.30pm, guild, Sheila Mary Carruthers on ‘Fashion’. Sunday, April 23 – services at Bowden (9.30am) and Melrose (11am); Maxton MS Treasure Trail, 2pm. Wednesday, April 26– midweek service and community lunch 11.45am.

Trimontium

The second week of the school holidays pulled good numbers of visitors into the museum to see the gilt bronze Milsington (statue) Leg and the dainty shoes from Newstead. The first Trimontium walk of the season took place last Thursday when a handful of pioneers set out to reccy the route. The cleaning of the closed road to Leaderfoot had been completed by local volunteers and all went well with the circuit of the fort site until the last section of the ‘Roman road’ down to its junction with the road off the bypass into the village and teatime. This has been very wet and its churning up by horses then has now been set hard by the recent dry spell, making it difficult to walk. A diversion will be devised for the second walk this week and future walks.

Lectures

The spring series by well-known ‘repeat’ speakers begins on Thursday, April 27, with John Poulter and his ‘New Discoveries on the Antonine Wall’ – a favourite outing venue for the trust. He is returning in October to speak on ‘General Wade’s Roads’. Professor Alastair Small (ex-Alberta and Edinburgh universities) will give an address on May 11 about life and death on the emperor’s estate at Vagnari in southern Italy where he and Professor Carola Small have been excavating for 10 years. Roman crime novelist Lindsey Davis returns to speak at the launch of her latest Flavia Albia (her female detective) novel, ‘The Third Nero’, or ‘Never Say Nero Again!’ on Thursday, May 18. Tickets are available from the Trimontium Museum.

An Easter Messiah

The Abbey Consort, under conductor Jim Letham, performed Handel’s masterpiece, An Easter Messiah, in Holy Trinity Church on the evening of Easter Day, and the libretto seemed even more fitting at this time of the church year. This event paid particular homage to Handel as a composer of opera and dance music and its lightness of touch was as far removed from a heavy Victorian rendition as could possibly be imagined. The conductor’s research produced the original lively tempi and even the inclusion of a ‘Glad Tidings’ duet and chorus in part two which perhaps few in the audience had heard before. The youth of many of the soloists and instrumentalists added to the mix of a moving occasion.

MINTO

SWI

Members met in Denholm and the president, Enid Cruickshank, introduced speaker Anne Sears, who told how she had come to write her book, ‘Born under a wandering star’. When clearing out her parents’ home, she had came across all the letters she had written to them, once a week, throughout her years of following her husband, a soldier then engineer, around the world. The story began with her birth in India, then after school in England to Jamaica just after the Second World War where she met her husband. Then it was to East Africa, Algeria, Kashmir, Jordan and Istanbul. Anne’s journey continued – back to Tanzania where, living close to Lake Victoria, she persuaded local elders to instigate swimming and life-saving lessons to reduce the number of drownings of local fishermen. Now it’s retirement in the Borders. The fund-raising quiz sheet was won by a Ms Spiers from Galashiels and raised over £100. Entries came in from as far afield as Southampton and Aberdeen. Result of the parade of Easter bonnets – 1, Pat Jardine; 2, Sheila Marshall; 3, Christine Rogers; 4, Enid Cruickshank. The next meeting is on May 10, featuring a demonstation of various supper dishes.

MOREBATTLE

SWI

This month’s meeting was held last Wednesday night when Catherine Mabon, president, welcomed Rachel Hammerton, from the Border Kilt School, who gave a talk and power-point display. She told how kilt-making courses are delivered, being run by nationally-qualified and experienced instructors. The vote of thanks was given by Helen Cessford. Competitions – three shortbread biscuits – 1, Nancy Anderson; 2, Lizzie Thomson; 3, Linda Nairn; tartan scarf – 1, Lizzie Thomson; 2, Nancy Anderson; 3, Catherine Mabon; jar of three fruit marmalade – 1, Margaret Blackmore, who now goes forward to the next round at the federation rally on May 15.

London Marathon

Graeme Lang travels south today (Thursday) to participate in Sunday’s London Marathon. Graeme has had amazing support from family, friends and the local community, and with a recent donation from Bite the Bullet in Kelso, has now topped £5,000 in sponsorship for his chosen charity, Whizz-Kidz. Villagers will be rooting for number 52366 on Sunday.

SELKIRK

Souter Quilters

At 7pm in the Argus Centre on Wednesday, April 26, guest speaker is Shetland-b0rn Ann Hill. She is currently quilter-in-residence at Alzheimer Scotland and Quilters Guild co-ordinator for Scotland.

TRAQUAIR

Service

There will be a church service held at 10am in Traquair Kirk this coming Sunday, April 23.

WALKERBURN

Service

The next service to ber held in Walkerburn Public Hall will be on Sunday, May 21, at 10am.

YETHOLM

Theatre time

National Theatre will show live screening of Rosencrantz and Guildernstern are Dead on this Thursday evening (April 20) at 7pm in the Wauchope Hall. Tickets are available now from the village shop or Susan Stewart.

Bingo night

A bingo night with quiz will be held on Friday, April 21, at 7pm in the Wauchope Hall, with all proceeds going to the Children’s Hospice Association Scotland.

Craft club

Anyone interested in a craft club should attend a meeting on Monday, April 24, at 2pm in Yetholm Church.

Community council

Community councillors will hold their monthly meeting and Annual General Meeting on Tuesday, April 25, at 7pm in the Youth Hall.

Scrabble

The Scrabble Club meets for the final meeting of this curerent session on April 26 at 2pm in the Youth Hall. The new season begins in September.