Party-loving Galashiels pensioners raising a racket about pumping up the volume

Bosses at the Hazeldean sheltered housing complex have banned residents from playing amplified music following a complaint from one of them about a birthday party in its day room.

Police have been called to the Windyknowe Road site to investigate, and Scottish Borders Council environmental health workers have also visited it to monitor noise levels.

However, the party-loving pensioners are fighting back and have launched a Facebook page to drum up support for their early-evening shindigs.

A post on the Facebook page, entitled ‘Let’s get Hazeldean back to having their entertainment evenings’, reads: “Scottish Borders Housing Association are listening to one resident over the other 38 in an elderly amenity development and not letting the residents have their usual events and entertainment as they have banned all amplified music as it upsets this one resident.

“The residents have now signed a petition to get this revoked as they are fed up of the association not listening to them.

“They have tried using local councillors to sort this out, but nothing is working, and one of the housing officers recently came in and put up posters saying that there is to be no amplified music.

“The lady that helps organise the events even had to check as to whether the minister coming for an Easter service had an electric organ or not.

“Something needs doing. These are people in the later years of their lives, and it’s a real shame that they cannot enjoy a bit of entertainment and have a singalong and a dance once in a while. It’s not like it’s every week.”

The post has attracted more than 120 likes and has been shared 86 times, but housing bosses are sticking to their guns and refusing to take into account that many of those involved are hard of hearing and struggle to make out music played at low volumes.

A spokeswoman for the association said: “We recognise the significant social, emotional and psychological benefits music can bring, which is why, when we were approached by a resident last year advising that they were being disturbed by the loud music from some events – evidenced by environmental health readings to be above acceptable noise levels – we met with all tenants on a number of occasions to find and agree an amicable solution, achieving a balance between the rights of all tenants to live in their homes in a quiet and peaceful manner while enabling them the continued use and enjoyment of the day room.

“Since then, we have continued to regularly meet with tenants at Hazeldean and have received no further complaint in relation to this.”