Headlines for December 2009

• £750,000 in tax credits for Borders families - Wednesday, Dec 23 2009
  Scottish Borders Council has generated more than £750,000 in additional income for Borders families through the tax credit system.
• Joint Contact Centre plans unveiled for Peebles - Tuesday, Dec 22 2009
  Scottish Borders Council (SBC) is planning to establish a new joint Contact Centre on Peebles High Street.
• Council agrees to funding package for Abbotsford House - Monday, Dec 21 2009
  Scottish Borders Council (SBC) has agreed to provide £1.5 million in funding over three years to help secure the future of Abbotsford House as a major tourist attraction for the Borders.
• Two top awards for Council apprentice - Monday, Dec 21 2009
  Gary Lothian, from the Roads and Fleet Management team at Scottish Borders Council (SBC) has scooped the APSE (Association for Public Service Excellence) Transport and Vehicle Maintenance Apprentice/trainee of the year 2009 award.
• Welcome to the Scottish Borders - new guide launched - Friday, Dec 18 2009
  A guide aimed at helping people from other nations to access services in the Scottish Borders has been launched.
• Bus routes during the festive season - Friday, Dec 18 2009
  Following a meeting of Scottish Borders Council yesterday (Thursday), it was agreed that the initial decision taken by the Executive Committee on 10 November affecting rural bus services, would be reversed and the buses would continue to run as normal.
• Grants for young people up for grabs - Thursday, Dec 17 2009
  Youth Chex, the local grant-giving project which gives a panel of young people the power to award sums of money to their peers, is inviting new applications from today (Wednesday 16 December).
• Work suspended in Hawick for festive season - Thursday, Dec 17 2009
  No more maintenance work is to be carried out along Hawick High Street until after the holiday period. This will enable locals and visitors to shop freely during the busy run-up to Christmas.
• Flood protection scheme for Selkirk - Thursday, Dec 17 2009
  The first steps towards a major flood protection scheme for Selkirk have been taken, with the beginning of ground survey work at the meeting of the Ettrick and Yarrow rivers on the Philiphaugh side.
• More success for Swim Team Borders at East District Age Group Championships - Wednesday, Dec 16 2009
  Members of Swim Team Borders travelled to the Fife Institute of Sport on the 5 and 6 December 2009 to compete in the second round of the East District Age Group Championships.
• Visitors to SBC museums reach new high - Wednesday, Dec 16 2009
  The 2009-2010 season in Scottish Borders Council (SBC) museums has been the busiest ever with a record number of visitors passing through the doors at eleven museums and the ever-popular Harestanes Countryside Visitor Centre.
• Butterfly Atlas takes flight at Harestanes - Tuesday, Dec 15 2009
  Harestanes Countryside Visitor Centre recently hosted the launch of the first book devoted to the butterflies of the region.
• Core Paths for the Scottish Borders - Tuesday, Dec 15 2009
  The Scottish Borders Core Paths Plan has been formally adopted by the Council’s Executive Committee.
• M&S Eco Challenge encourages schools to ‘get green’ - Tuesday, Dec 15 2009
  Primary and secondary schools across the Borders are being encouraged to enter eco-projects into this year’s Scottish Borders Eco-Schools Challenge sponsored by Marks & Spencer.
• Pinnaclehill supermarket site - Tuesday, Dec 15 2009
  The closing date has now passed for the marketing process.
• Christmas message 2009 Older Peoples Champion - Tuesday, Dec 15 2009
  “Everywhere I travel across the Borders in my capacity as Older People’s Champion
• Victorian exhibition at Hawick Museum - Tuesday, Dec 15 2009
  Visitors to Hawick Museum are being given the chance to take a step back in time to the Victorian era.
• Christmas Message 2009 - Monday, Dec 14 2009
  Councillor Alasdair Hutton, Convener, Scottish Borders Council gives us his Christmas message for 2009.
• Homecoming Scotland and ancestral tourism help drive visitors to the Heritage Hub - Friday, Dec 11 2009
  The Heritage Hub in Hawick has attracted record numbers of visitors during Homecoming Scotland 2009.
• Improving customer service across the Scottish Borders - Tuesday, Dec 8 2009
  The Scottish Borders Council Customer Services team is continuing to improve the quality of its Contact Centres, with the recent opening of the refurbished Galashiels Contact Centre in Paton Street.
• MSP Fergus Ewing meets Scottish Borders Safer Communities Team - Tuesday, Dec 8 2009
  Fergus Ewing, MSP for Community Safety, visited Scottish Borders Council (SBC) today to meet staff from the newly-formed Safer Communities Team.
• Galashiels Inner Relief Road – Phase 2 - Monday, Dec 7 2009
  Work to open one lane of the new link road to traffic prior to the Christmas holiday period is nearing completion.
• Councillor Parker officially re-opens Lauder Public Hall - Friday, Dec 4 2009
  Leader of Scottish Borders Council (SBC) and Local Councillor David Parker led an all-Scottish affair today (Friday 27 November) to mark the re-opening of Lauder Public Hall following its £200,000 refurbishment.
• New Lauder Primary School welcomes back pupils - Wednesday, Dec 2 2009
  Headteacher Alan Vannan, staff and members of the parent council welcomed Lauder Primary School children back to a bright new school today (Tuesday 1 December).
• SBC welcomes Scottish Government funding for Duns Primary School relocation - Wednesday, Dec 2 2009
  Scottish Borders Council (SBC) is welcoming the decision by the Scottish Government to offer 50 per cent funding towards the relocation of Duns Primary School to the site of the former high school.
• Alex Scott MBE - Wednesday, Dec 2 2009
  Scottish Borders Council was saddened to hear of the death of former Galashiels councillor, Alex Scott MBE.
• Queens Leisure Centre teams up with Indigo Rooms during closure - Wednesday, Dec 2 2009
  The Queens Leisure Centre in Galashiels will be closed temporarily for one week from Friday 4 until Friday 11 December to allow repairs to be carried out to the heating system in the main sports hall.
• New regulations for the use of sunbeds - Tuesday, Dec 1 2009
  New laws which regulate the use, sale and hire of sunbeds come into effect on Tuesday 1 December.
• Queens Leisure Centre to close temporarily for essential works - Tuesday, Dec 1 2009
  Scottish Borders Council (SBC) has announced the Queens Leisure Centre in Galashiels will be closed temporarily for one week from Friday 4 until Friday 11 December.
• SBC welcomes Scottish Government funding for Duns Primary School relocation - Tuesday, Dec 1 2009
  Scottish Borders Council (SBC) has welcomed the decision by the Scottish Government to offer 50 per cent funding towards the relocation of Duns Primary School to the site of the former high school.