Latest news with #Borders
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Man stabbed his partner 27 times in fatal Chirnside attack
A court has heard how a man stabbed his partner 27 times during a fatal attack at their home in Chirnside in the Dryden, 31, admitted murdering Megan Hughes at the property on the town's Windram Road in February this High Court in Edinburgh was told police arrested him soon after the assault and took him into had told police officers he could not remember what he had done. The court also heard how he started weeping during the police Tracey Brown said he told detectives: "I did really love her you know." Ms Brown told the court that officers had Dryden assessed by mental health professionals while he was in that assessment he was asked how he would manage if he was released but had replied that was unlikely as he had "hacked" his girlfriend to pleaded guilty to murdering 31-year-old Ms Hughes by repeatedly striking her on the head and body with a charge also contained details of how he repeatedly struck his partner on the head and body with a hammer "or a similar object" during the court heard the pair had known each other since childhood but had started living together in July last Hughes had two children from a previous court was told that on the day before Dryden murdered his partner, he sent text messages to friends and loved Brown said that these messages showed that he was "struggling to manage his emotions within the context of the relationship". She said that at about 02:15 on 9 February a neighbour had been woken by loud banging from the couple's home and heard Ms Hughes repeatedly shout: "Please help me."Things quietened down but Dryden phoned police at about 04:30 claiming his partner had stabbed herself after attacking him with a who responded found Ms Hughes lying on the floor of an upstairs bedroom with a kitchen knife in her right court heard how officers started doing CPR but paramedics later pronounced her carried out a post-mortem on Ms Hughes's body the day after the fatal attack and the cause of death was recorded as stab wounds to the chest and advocate Lili Prais KC said she would reserve her mitigation until after the court had obtained a report on her client's Harrower deferred sentence for a background report and remanded Dryden in custody.
BBC News
a day ago
- General
- BBC News
Borders village of Heriot seeks families to boost school roll
A small village in the Borders has issued a call for families to consider moving to the area to help boost pupil numbers at the local - near the region's northern boundary - has about 160 community has made the plea after pupil numbers at the village primary fell below 26 - the number needed for two classes - for the first time in Williams, who chairs the parent council, said pupils benefited from "really personalised attention from great teachers" and there was also plenty for parents to do. The village is about a 40-minute drive from Edinburgh and also close to the Borders railway station at a number of family homes up for sale, locals hope they can be sold to people with school-age Williams said Heriot's Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence Levels compared "very favourably" with other local said his family moved to the area about five years ago as they felt the children could "thrive in a small school" and also benefit from its "incredible outdoor facilities". "But it's not just about the school's scores: everyone says Heriot children are special," he said."The values the school instils in them and the way the school is embedded in the local area as a hub for events and gathering means that children tend to grow up with a real sense of community spirit and togetherness."He said there were "lots of things" for parents too."Beautiful hill walks are on your doorstep, while the cafes and boutique shops of Innerleithen and Peebles, and the mountain-bike trails at Glentress are just down the road," he said."In Heriot itself there's lots going on too, with a newly refurbished village hall, community cafe, ceilidhs, music nights, Bonfire Night event, pub nights, and an annual sports day to enjoy." Community council secretary Gavin Whittaker said it was hoped people currently living further afield might be drawn to the area."Heriot is located in a beautiful part of the country, with immediate access to some fantastic walking and cycling routes," he said."We'd encourage people living in Edinburgh, Midlothian and elsewhere in the Scottish Borders to come and take a look and see what Heriot can offer you and your family." Scottish Borders Council education officers have met both the community council and parent council in recent weeks to hear their concerns about reducing the number of Pirone, who holds the education portfolio, said: "Heriot is a great school and we fully understand the concerns, but we have to work with the numbers that are in front of us."If the numbers change, we will come back and look at the classes again."Heriot is like many rural areas where there are now a lot less children than there used to be."We have not been very good at taking a joined-up approach at tackling this, and whether it's allowing more houses to be built or finding ways to encourage more families into the area then that is what we should be doing."
Daily Record
4 days ago
- Daily Record
Scotland's top five 'bikepacking' trails this summer for scenic bike ride
From the Scottish Borders to the northern coast. Scotland's top 'bikepacking' routes have been named. Cycling trails across the country were singled out, including the Cairngorms National Park Route and the Borders Three Abbeys Loop. As the summer progresses, many Scots will be keen to get out and make the most of it before autumn rolls around. When it comes to taking in Scotland's sights, it is hard to top a bike ride—with bikepacking in particular being a popular phenomenon. Bikepacking refers to backpacking with a bike, using light bags that attach directly to the bike as opposed to carrying around a large backpack. Bikepackers carry their own food and equipment, with the aim being to spend a couple of nights sleeping under the stars or in a bothy. Ahead of the midpoint of summer, The Insurance Emporium have shared a roundup of five "off the beaten track" bikepacking routes across Scotland to take on. Ranging in difficulty and length, there is sure to be at least one that stands out. 1. The Badger Divide The Badger Divide route, which links Glasgow and Inverness, will take cyclists through the spectacular Scottish Highlands—with plenty of awe-inspiring landscapes to admire. It features a blend of gravel roads, rocky passages, forest paths, and lanes, as well as numerous lovely towns and villages. According to The Insurance Emporium, The Badger Divide is medium-to-hard in difficulty. It is also 200 miles in length, taking around five days on average to complete. The route offers numerous opportunities for camping. The experts state that there are also "plenty of bothies, youth hostels, and B&Bs on the route". 2. Cairngorms National Park Route This route will lead you around the Cairngorms National Park, which is home to both a quarter of Scotland's native forest and four of its tallest mountains. It begins in Aviemore, taking in some of the Speyside Way through a mixture of farmland and woodland. The experts state that the Cairngorms National Park Route has a length of 186 miles and usually takes four days to finish. Like The Badger Divide, it is a medium-to-hard trail. Highlights of the route according to The Insurance Emporium are its hidden lochs, beautiful Scots Pines, and barracks from the Jacobite period. Also singled out was Tomintoul, which is the highest village in the Highlands. 3. Borders Three Abbeys Loop As the name suggests, the Borders Three Abbeys Loop features three famous Scottish Borders abbeys. Cyclists will be able to see landmarks such as Melrose Abbey and Monteviot House along the way—each having their own fascinating history. The circular route is shorter than others on the list at 39 miles in length, and is also classed as easy. It can take anywhere between two and seven days to complete, depending how often you stop to take in the sights. Despite its short length and overall easy difficulty, The Insurance Emporium warns that there are some steep sections along the way. The route is also popular amongst horse riders. 4. Alternative North Coast 500 The North Coast 500 (NC500) is one of Scotland's most iconic road trips, taking in 516 miles of the country's breathtaking northern coastline. The Alternative North Coast 500 is a version of the route that is perfect for cycling, combining parts of the NC500 with off-road sections. The Alternative North Coast 500 is divided into five parts, with a total length of 191 miles. The route, which is classed as having a medium difficulty, should take four or five days from start to finish. Among the standouts of the trail are Bealach na Bà and Loch Shieldaig. The former is one of the highest roads in Scotland, while Loch Shieldaig is home to stunning shore-side cottages. 5. The John Muir Way Rounding out the list is The John Muir Way, which The Insurance Emporium describes as "a great introduction to bikepacking". The route links Helensburgh in the west with Dunbar—birthplace of Scottish naturalist John Muir—in the east. According to the experts, The John Muir Way is another medium-difficulty trail. At 132 miles in length, cyclists should expect to complete it in four or five days. The route was singled out for its wildlife-spotting opportunities. In particular, the East Lothian town of North Berwick was named as a top destination to look for seabirds.
The Sun
7 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
ID cards will not stop illegal immigration from fuelling Britain's black market – we must quit the ECHR instead
IDENTITY Cards, if introduced, would be a burden on the law abiding, change the relationship between the citizen and the state but do nothing to stop crime and safe guard our borders. Indeed the idea that they could do so is laughable. 3 The answer to Government failure is, of course, always seen as yet more Government and higher taxes to pay for it. Illegal migrants swim through the system because the borders are not secure but by magic an ID card would stop them. Drug dealers, Russian Oligarchs and other undesirables launder money by the billions, once again an ID Card is the answer. Yet this is just displacement activity, a state that is broken seeking to mend itself by doing more, rather trying to do what it is meant to do well. Identity Cards, if introduced, would be a burden on the law abiding, change the relationship between the citizen and the State but do nothing to stop crime and safe guard our borders. Indeed the idea that they could do so is laughable. Remember illegal migrants are illegal. They work for people who do not dutifully fill out PAYE returns and they rent property from exploitative landlords. 3 It is already the case that honest businesses, which are the vast majority, have to go through expensive administrative hoops to check up on their employees, likewise landlords with their tenants, but these make no difference. People who employ illegals or who let them property do not care, and because they operate outside the law they pay less and charge more for the service, making the most out of the failures of the migration system. Additional checks merely put up the profit margins of those who disobey the law and reduce them for those who obey it, they do not begin to solve the problems. Consider the tented village in Park Lane in the very centre of London, last year it was at the north end near Marble Arch but it was cleared in an act of bold leadership by the authorities. It has now popped back up at the south end near Hyde Park Corner. A remarkable success for the government. None of them would have an ID card, so if arrested what would the authorities do? It certainly would not deport them because our deportation ratios are feeble and human rights excuses allow illegal entrants to stay for the most spurious reasons. 3 Foreigners in this country are meant to have an ID card anyway - it is called a passport. But those who are here illegally dispose of them as without a clear country of origin them it is harder to be sent home. ID cards, while making no difference for criminals, would be a burden on the law abiding. First of all there would be an additional cost because they would have to be paid for and this would come in the form of extra taxation, but it is not just the cost. The Windrush scandal is a reminder of what happens when the UK adopts a continental style 'show me your papers' attitude. Some people were even removed from this country who were found to have been here legally and had been for decades. The hostile environment policy turned out to be hostile for His Majesty's subjects but not for criminals. AJP Taylor, one of the last century's most famous historians, said that 'Until August 1914 a sensible, law abiding Englishman could pass through life and hardly notice the existence of the State, beyond the Post Office and the policeman'. This was the foundation of freedom; law abiding people would not be bothered by the State and would not have to prove who they are or be asked about what they are doing by the authorities. In the UK we do not have to register with the police where we spend the night and we do not even need to show our driving licence if stopped for an alleged motoring offence, there is a seven day window in which to do so. The State has limited powers over what we do. The argument for identity cards says that if we are innocent then we have nothing to fear, but that is not true. Inconvenience and intrusion have increased in recent years, as successive Governments have tried to increase their control of individual lives. This reached a peak during Covid when limits were put on people's shopping and outdoor exercise. These onerous rules would have been easier to enforce draconianly if ID cards had then been compulsory. Track and Trace was fortunately useless but it would have been able to follow our every move with ID cards being registered wherever we went. As we now know that lockdown was excessive, went on too long, damaged the economy and made little difference to the end result, thank goodness the lockdown Stasi did not have this additional power. To stop crime and reduce illegal migration a range of different policies are needed. We need to pull out of the Refugee Convention and the one on European Human Rights. We need a Government that is willing to be tough. Donald Trump has managed to reduce illegal entries in April by 91 per cent, not by ID cards but by effective action. Britain is broken, swathes of public services do not work. This is the fault of the Blairite constitutional settlement that has stymied decision making. It is not the fault of the hard pressed, over taxed, honest citizen who does not need to prove who he is or worse still pay for the privilege.
BBC News
19-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Gardens in Duns open to public for first time in over 40 years
A historic walled garden and glasshouses in the Borders are to open to the public for the first time in more than 40 last public viewing at the site now run by The Hugo Burge Foundation (HBF) near Duns was in foundation is taking part in Scotland's Garden Scheme which encourages owners to open their gardens to raise money for part of the initiative, the walled gardens and glasshouses will be open every Friday afternoon in July and August. The glasshouses were built in the early 20th Century by Mackenzie and Moncur, who counted Queen Victoria among their estate owner at the time, Robert Finnie McEwan, commissioned the company to design and build them as part of a grand development plan for the house and fell into disrepair before the late Hugo Burge financed their restoration and are now at the heart of the work of the foundation which carries his name. Head gardener Toby Loveday said: "The driving force behind opening the gardens is to allow people to appreciate our beautiful surroundings at the peak of summer."We're looking forward to seeing the reaction to our contemporary approach within such a historic horticultural space."As it develops, there will be opportunities for visitors to enjoy seeing the garden grow and change over all the seasons to come."HBF chief executive Lucy Brown said they hoped the site would offer visitors a "sense of beauty, nurture and calm that is often missing in the anxious and ever-present online world".
