In a boost for Scotland’s cultural heritage, the Fallago Environment Fund has awarded a £23,936 grant to the Scottish School of Harp Making in the Scottish Borders. Based in Stobo and founded by Master Craftsman, Mark Norris, the School is launching a two-year harp-making course to preserve and pass on the rare skills of heritage harp-making to the next generation.

Harp-making is on the Red List of endangered Heritage Crafts with only three makers remaining in Scotland. The grant will help to purchase the essential tools, specialist equipment and raw materials the School needs and will play an important part in helping safeguard the country’s harp-making heritage. Students on the course will create six professional-quality harps per year.  These will form the foundation of the Scottish Harp Hub, an initiative designed to make harp playing more financially accessible.

The World Sheep Dog Trial is coming to Lauder in the Scottish Borders next year and the organisers – the International Sheep Dog Society – have been celebrating receipt of a £10,000 Fallago Environment Fund grant to support the event’s delivery.

Taking place every three years, it is the most prestigious global event for the sport and will involve over 300 elite dogs and handlers from 34 countries. Over 30,000 visitors are expected to attend, generating an anticipated £10 million boost for the region.

The Trial will showcase the highest levels of shepherding skill, with four days of competition featuring tough technical manoeuvres that test the ability, communication and precision of each dog-handler partnership. International competitors and their supporters will travel from across the world and there will be strong representation from the four home nations. Local accommodation providers are already reporting strong bookings and the event will also be livestreamed to a global audience.

His Grace The Duke of Roxburghe presented the Fallago Environment Fund cheque to the International Sheep Dog Society this week during a visit to Huntington Farm – home of the Runciman family – which will host the event.

His Grace said; “The World Sheep Dog Trial takes on a special significance in 2026, being hosted in the region where the Border collie originated. It will provide a spectacular showcase of the remarkable skills of sheepdogs and handlers and will also highlight centuries-old rural traditions that contribute to the unique identity and landscape of the region. The expected economic impact will be tremendously important for our local communities, so we’re delighted that funds generated from the Fallago Rig wind farm just a few miles away can contribute to the success of this exciting event.”

A new film celebrating the history, culture and traditions of the River Tweed catchment is set to premiere in Scottish Borders on 8 November.

Funded in part by a £13,600 grant from the Fallago Environment Fund, Our River, Stories of the Tweed has been created by Coldstream-based photographer and videographer, Jim Gibson. Filmed over many years, it is narrated by BBC Radio 4 presenter Paddy O’Connell and showcases the landscapes, legends and lives that have been shaped by one of the most famous rivers in the world. Blending stunning cinematography with vivid storytelling, the film features contributions from a range of local people and experts including historians, archaeologists, soldiers, rod and net fishermen, tour guides, mill workers and former principals from ride-outs across the region.

Film-maker, Jim Gibson said; “I was brought up beside the Tweed and always enjoyed hearing stories about the river.  I’ve wanted to make a film about the area for about forty years, taking the opportunity to share the history, myths and legends with others who live in the catchment. I’m sure, like me, there are people living near the Lower Tweed who know little about the traditions and culture of the Upper Tweed, and vice versa.  I’m pleased I’ve had the opportunity to explore these traditions and to capture them on film.”

Our River, Stories of the Tweed will premiere at the Heart of Hawick on Saturday 8 November at 7pm. Tickets cost £9 (concessions £7.50) and can be booked at liveborders.org.uk. The film will also be shown at Peebles’ Eastgate Theatre on Friday 16 January at 7.30pm. Tickets cost £10 and can be booked at eastgatearts.com. Further showings in the Borders and north Northumberland are planned for 2026.

On behalf of the Fallago Envionment Fund, His Grace the Duke of Roxburghe recently presented a cheque for £54,390 to the Tweed Foundation to support the creation of a new Volunteer Coordinator post. The role will be key in developing a network of “Guardians of the Tweed” citizen science volunteers who will assist the Foundation with vital ecological monitoring and restoration work.

Volunteers will be trained to undertake activities such as aquatic plant and invertebrate sampling and analysis, riverbank tree-planting, and assisting with the Foundation’s established fish tagging and electrofishing programmes in an effort to enhance the health and resilience of the river system. The Fallago Environment Fund grant will support the post for three years as part of its commitment to enhancing the region’s rich natural heritage.

Around 1,200 primary five children from across the Scottish Borders gathered in Kelso this week for the Border Union Agricultural Society’s annual Schools Countryside Day. Pupils from every school in the region were invited to come along to learn about farming, food production and rural life. The event has been supported by the Fallago Environment Fund since 2016, through grants totalling £109,161.

His Grace, The Duke of Roxburghe, attended on behalf of the Fund and is pictured below with Ivy and Pipper from Broomlands Primary as well as Grace Craig from Craigie’s Livestock and Tess, the Border Collie.

Children enjoyed a wide selection of activities at the Countryside Day including bread-making and milking, meeting lambs and learning about sheep shearing

Essential restoration work on one of the Scottish Borders’ most iconic landmarks, the 31 ft William Wallace statue at Bemersyde near Melrose, has taken place thanks to a £3,210 grant from the Fallago Environment Fund and local donations.

Erected in 1814 near Dryburgh by the 11th Earl of Buchan, the statue is a lasting tribute to Scotland’s legendary freedom fighter and remains popular with both locals and visitors alike. The passage of time had taken its toll however, with Wallace’s iconic stone claymore suffering significant weathering, necessitating urgent repairs.

Thanks to support from the Fund, specialist stonemasons were commissioned by statue owner, The William Wallace Trust, to restore the sword and help preserve the monument for generations to come.

The Fallago Environment Fund is celebrating awarding more than £2 million to projects across the Scottish Borders and the parish of Gifford which help develop the area as a tourism destination, preserve and enhance its environment, and conserve and tell the story of its very special heritage. So far a total of £2,016,436 has been awarded to 164 projects, ranging from habitat restoration and historic building preservation to the creation of new museums; from projects that support some of the most vulnerable members of our local communities to those that empower young people through education, music and drama. For a full list of Fund-supported projects please visit our Latest Grants and Previous Grants pages and for details on how to apply for a grant please visit Apply for a Grant.

Borders Youth Theatre has received a much-needed £10,250 funding boost from Fallago Environment Fund. The organisation runs regular theatre workshops for young people across the Scottish Borders and the grant will contribute to its core expenditure costs over the next 12 months.

Speaking on behalf of the Fund, Her Grace, The Duchess of Roxburghe said; “We believe that Borders Youth Theatre plays a hugely important role in the cultural life of young people across the Scottish Borders, supporting their personal development by using drama to teach them confidence and transferable life skills in a fun and welcoming environment. We’re delighted that funds generated by the Fallago Rig windfarm are being used to help continue this important work.”

The beautiful walled gardens of Sir Walter Scott’s Abbotsford House near Melrose have a fantastic new interactive visitor experience, thanks, in part, to a £25,000 grant from the Fund. A 19th century Pavilion designed by Scott and used as an outdoor retreat and to grow fruit, vegetables and exotic plants has been restored, alongside its subterranean Furnace House.

The centrepiece of the restored Pavilion is a Botanical Cabinet containing a handling collection with items telling stories from the gardens. There’s audio content for all ages with contributions from Scottish actors Mark Bonnar, David Rintoul and Maggie Service as well as a Listening Bench with an audio stream scripted from Scott’s private journal that illustrates the role the gardens played in supporting his mental wellbeing.

The restored Furnace House includes an immersive soundscape and helps visitors understand how the Pavilion’s heating system worked.

It’s a unique piece of cultural heritage that the Fallago Environment Fund has been proud to support.