Free rider - Graham Riddell

A fantastic online image bank has been created with stunning photographic images that portray Scottish Borders life, to support the development of the Our Scottish Borders brand.

Showcasing the talents of some of the region’s foremost photographers, the image bank can be used free of charge by any individual, business or organisation.   All we ask is that you credit the photographer and consider including Our Scottish Borders branding, where possible.

Selkirk Standard Bearer - Rob Gray

Feel free to contact photographers if you need images that reflect other aspects of life in the region or visit Scottish Viewpoint which contains a large collection of images of the Scottish Borders.

Wallace statue - Steve Wyper

Please note that these images are not for re-sale or any other commercial use. Action will be taken in the case of any illegal use of the image bank. 

All images are copyright of Scottish Borders Council (on behalf of the New Ways Partnership).

As part of the Scott Douglas collection given to The Heritage Hub in Hawick by Ian Abernethy, My Secret is the private and personal diary of Hannah Charlotte Scott Douglas. 

 April 1^st this year saw the launch of the Voyage of the Vampire online blog featuring the diary of George Henry Scott Douglas of Springwood Park Estate by Kelso.  The blog unfolds in real time with his daily adventures around the Greek Islands and Turkey in 1846 with his ship The Vampire.

Eleven years later George’s sister, Hannah Charlotte Scott Douglas wrote her own diary.  In complete contrast to her brother George’s stories of shooting, fishing and exploring foreign lands, Charlotte’s is an eventful, emotional journey from a young lady’s heart.

Her diary begins with accounts of her daily life in Edinburgh where she lives at 38 Melville Street with her stepfather Mr William Scott Kerr and his family. As a young lady of the aristocracy, her life consists of attending lectures and concerts, going to parties, visiting friends and taking singing lessons. Throughout her daily scribblings, however, there is often reference to her dreadful secret which eventually reveals itself and is the driving force behind many of her life choices.

The diary will be launched online on Monday 17^th August on the Voyage of the Vampire website and will be revealed weekly in narrative threads every Monday until December.  Charlotte’s Jane Austen-like language and thoughts are funny, sad, poetic and at times surreal. There are marriage proposals causing family rifts and contracts to be drawn up to protect Charlotte and her fortune as well as gripping tales of blackmail, destruction, disapproval and deceit.

To read Voyage of the Vampire please visit www.voyageofthevampire.org.uk/mysister

For further information on the Heart of Hawick and Heritage Hub please visit  www.heartofhawick.co.uk

The Scott family chief is inviting children, teenagers and adults to show off their undiscovered creative talents in a work of poetry or prose exploring the idea of homecoming.

The contest marks this year’s first ever gathering of the Scott family in their ancestral homeland, and the greatest of all Scott kinsmen: the first best selling novelist Sir Walter Scott.

Prize-winners will be announced during September’s gathering at The Muster, a tented village at Bowhill welcoming all Border families and all those who love the Borders to come together to celebrate the land and its people.

The overall winner of the great Borders story will also be awarded with a trophy and have their masterpiece published in The Southern Reporter and on the Homecoming and Bowhill websites.

More details and ideas have already been sent to every primary and secondary school in the Borders, and can also be found at www.bowhill.org.

Up-and-coming national treasures should email their tales to goodwithwords@buccleuch.com, or send them to Helen Currie, Buccleuch Heritage Trust,  Bowhill,  Selkirk,  Scottish Borders,  TD7 5ET by Friday 11^th September.   Aspiring scribblers shouldn’t forget to include their name, age and contact details too.   Good luck!

Image courtesy of Keith Robeson

To celebrate September’s first ever gathering of the Scotts in their ancestral homeland, Bowhill has launched a competition to find the iconic Borders picture.

It could be of the people, the landscape, the nature, the ridings, the sevens, or any one of the things you think makes the Borders what it is, and why you love it as your home.

Iconic images catch the moment, saying everything there is to say. Now picture the Borders, or a Border homecoming. What photograph, painting or drawing says it all?

Do you have an image capturing the essence of our way of life in the Borders, or the spirit of homecoming? Perhaps you snapped it recently, or it’s an old photo with a family story. Maybe you haven’t even taken it yet.

The prize-winner will be awarded a specially crafted trophy at The Muster on Saturday 26^th September, a gathering at Bowhill for all Border families to come together and enjoy traditional food, drink and games.

Please send your entries, along with your name, age and contact details, to Helen Currie,  Buccleuch Heritage Trust, Bowhill,  Selkirk,  Scottish Borders, TD7 5ET by Friday 11^th September, or alternatively you can send them by email to hcurrie@buccleuch.com.   Good luck!