Oliver warms to winter name contest

Oliver Phillips of Duns won the competition,and the machine will now be known as The Gritter Bug.

Nine Scottish Borders Council (SBC) gritting vehicles have been given new names following the competition among the region’s primary schools.

A winner was selected in each of the nine high school cluster areas after the contest was held among primary four to seven pupils across the region to come up with the best winter related name.

It followed a similar contest last year which saw gritters given names such as Border Blaster, Winter Soldier and Sub Zero Hero.

Chosen from thousands of entries by the local integrated police officers, the winning names for this year’s contest have been printed on the vehicles which will then visit the respective school, when the winning pupil and their class will also be presented with a framed photograph.

The first winners to be announced were brothers Ethan and Johnny McMurdo of St Ronan’s Primary School in Innerleithen, who were visited by the gritter which they entitled Sir Salter Scott.

The competition was organised by the Council’s Safer Routes to School Team and was run within each school by the Junior Road Safety Officers (JRSOs).

Councillor Gordon Edgar, Executive Member for Roads and Infrastructure at SBC, said: “I am pleased to see the return of the Name of the Gritter competition and impressed once again by the witty and interesting responses.

“I believe this is a great way to engage with our primary school pupils and highlight the important work the Council’s gritting fleet does during winter.

“They are unsung heroes who are out in all weather conditions, and with three new gritters in the fleet, they will be working hard to keep the region on the move in the coming months.

“Their vehicles will be even more recognisable now with names such as Sir Salter Scott and Miss Dee Froster emblazoned on them.”

The full list of winners are:

Berwickshire – The Gritter Bug, Oliver Phillips (Duns Primary School)

Earlston – Ready Salted, Erin Herbert (Lauder Primary)

Eyemouth – Snow Prince, Kirsty Buchanan (Cockburnspath Primary)

Galashiels – Snow Patrol, Layla Whitson (Stow Primary)

Hawick – BFG – Big Friendly Gritter, Andrea Brennan (Stirches Primary)

Jedburgh – Snow Stopper, Archie Borthwick (Parkside Primary)

Kelso – The Blizzard Wizard, Robert Nairn (Broomlands Primary)

Peebles – Sir Salter Scott; Ethan and Johnny McMurdo (St Ronan’s Primary)

Selkirk – Miss Dee Froster, Lily Byers (Knowepark Primary)