Latest grant awards Map view of all grant awards
Ensuring Community Access to Clovenfords’ Recreation Areas
Caddonfoot Road Footbridge Capital Project – Clovenfords & District Community Council (approved subject to match funding)
The local Clovenfords community are working together to replace/upgrade a deteriorated footbridge and ensure safe, accessible access to the village playing field and recreational area. The new footbridge will provide safe passage for over 1,000 local residents, develop access for people with disabilities and pushchairs, support outdoor learning for +150 pupils at Clovenfords Primary School, and create opportunities for recreation and exercise. Replacing the footbridge is becoming increasingly urgent as it is the sole means of access to the community recreation areas.
Grant Awarded: £50,000
Total Project Cost: £150,054
Black Hill Walking Route – Access and Interpretation
Black Hill Access and Information Project – Earlston Paths Group (approved subject to match funding)
The Black Hill route is very popular with local walkers and visitors, featuring a stunning panoramic view of the Scottish Borders at the summit. Earlston Paths Group will create and install an information panel, at an appropriate point on the lower section of the footpath, highlighting some of the many interesting geological, archaeological and ecological features to be found along the way. A direction locator, highlighting key points in the landscape, will also be built into a robust metal seat to be located at the summit, both to inform walkers and provide a welcome resting point.
Grant Awarded: £6,930
Total Project Cost: £32,750
New Multi-Purpose Activity Space, Melrose
Project POWER UP – Melrose Football Club (approved subject to match funding)
By extending and restoring the historic Engine Room at Gibson Park, which currently serves as Melrose Football Club’s headquarters, Project POWER UP will create a new changing room area which will also be opened up to the community as a multi-purpose activity space. For the Club, the new space will provide changing facilities for match play, and help team bonding, tactics, strategy and game review in a safe, secure, private and warm setting. This valuable long-term community asset will be particularly valued by Melrose Primary School which has already identified many uses for the new space.
Grant Awarded: £18,750
Total Project Cost: £37,500
Upgrading Gifford Village Hall
Gifford Village Hall Improvements – Gifford Community Association (approved subject to match funding)
Gifford Village Hall is a B-listed building and a much-loved resource used by hundreds of people each week. Essential improvements supported by a grant from the Fund will include work to secure the external stonework; improve the wooden floor surface for longevity and user safety; and repairs to the distinctive and iconic clock tower.
Grant Awarded: £7,907
Total Project Cost: £17,461
Selkirk’s Wild Side
Selkirk’s Wild Side: A Community Exploration of Biodiversity and Heritage – Bright Green Nature (complete)
Working with local communities and schools, Bright Green Nature will collect extensive biodiversity data for the Haining estate as a baseline against which the impact of future restorative action can be determined. This project will also produce a draft Ecosystem Action Plan for the Haining estate which is aligned with the existing Deer Park BAP and the heritage aspects of the site, and which also outlines possible nature restoration options. An Engagement Plan will also be created to actively engage landowners, the wider community and other local environmental organisations in shaping the future of local sites and the wider Selkirkshire landscape.
Grant Awarded: £10,593
Total Project Cost: £21,186
Youth Theatre Workshops
Youth Drama Workshops – Borders Youth Theatre (ongoing)
Borders Youth Theatre aims to support the personal development and social integration of young people in the Scottish Borders by offering high-quality drama activities in a non-formal learning environment. With support from the Fund, they will be delivering weekly drama workshops across the Borders during the school term, as well as skills learning projects and productions outwith term-time. Borders Youth Theatre’s inclusive ethos has encouraged young people who are often overlooked by mainstream arts groups to acquire life-skills, grow emotionally, raise their ambitions, and to work effectively as a team – all through fun and creativity.
Grant Awarded: £10,250
Total Project Cost: £32,750
Tweed Valley Canoe Trail
Tweed Valley Canoe Trail Infrastructure – Go Tweed Valley (completed)
Covering a 30-mile stretch of the majestic River Tweed, the first official canoe trail in the south of Scotland launched in April 2024. Journeying along one of Scotland’s great rivers, paddlers of all abilities can immerse themselves in the area’s rich cultural history, while also experiencing the diverse landscapes and plentiful wildlife found along the way. The Fund will be supporting a variety of light touch infrastructure associated with the trail including interpretive signage, waymarkers and canoe anchor points.
Grant Awarded: £8,000
Total Project Cost: £15,876
Restoration of Historic Brunton Fountain
Restoration of Brunton Fountain – Bowden Village Committee (ongoing)
The Brunton Fountain was a gift to Bowden Village in 1912 from the three surviving sons of Thomas Brunton, a village resident who emigrated to Australia and became a wealthy mill owner and statesman. Brunton was strong supporter of employee rights and championed the right of women to own property, and also had a strong commitment to the provision of clean water – resulting in the gift of the drinking fountain to his home village. The fountain is an important surviving example of public drinking fountains from this era and has been a central feature of the village through the decades. As part of the restoration plan, listed status will be sought and a programme of interpretation and outreach delivered.
Grant Awarded: £3,696
Total Project Cost: £11,646
Community Outreach Theatre
Community Outreach Project – Duns Players (completed)
Duns Players will be delivering a community outreach programme with the aim of expanding audience engagement, developing diversity and inclusion and fostering community collaborations. The theatre group will be exploring themes of natural heritage (including the use of outdoor theatre and powerful messages of environmental stewardship) as well as serving the cultural needs of the region by supporting creative opportunities such as Duns Playfest or productions that incorporate local oral traditions and other local cultural institutions.
Grant Awarded: £4,222
Total Project Cost: £8,958
Restoration of the William Wallace Statue
William Wallace Statue: Repairs & Enhancements – The William Wallace Trust (completed)
The B-listed William Wallace statue and urn lie within the Dryburgh Abbey Gardens and Designed Landscape. Designed by the Earl of Buchan as part of wider works within the Dryburgh Abbey area, the statue was carved by John Smith of Darnick and occupies a prominent position within the planned landscape. The 220 year old statue is in need of stonework repairs and support from the Fund will ensure that this landmark is secured for future generations.
Grant Awarded: £2,950
Total Project Cost: £5,900
Hay Meadow Habitat Restoration/Creation
Tweed Meadows Project – Merlindale Nature (ongoing)
97% of hay meadows have been lost across the British Isles since the Second World War; this project will galvanise action and generate momentum to reverse these losses across the Scottish Borders. Working in partnership with sympathetic landowners, the project will reintroduce mowing and grazing management to restore neglected meadow habitat as well as creating new areas of flower-rich hay meadow.
Grant Awarded: £30,847
Total Project Cost: £226,393
Schools Countryside Day
Schools Countryside Day – Border Union Agricultural Society (ongoing)
The Fund will be contributing to this annual event, held at the Border Union Showground since 2013, where around 50 organisations offer various activities to engage Primary 5 children from every school within the Scottish Borders area about the countryside, rural issues and the environment around them. Over 1200 children attend each year, with the help of nearly 100 volunteers.
Grant Awarded: £51,250
Total Project Cost: £186,411
International Tartans Project
International Tartans Project – Re:Tweed (completed)
Having been bequeathed the International Tartans philanthropic business, Re:Tweed is looking to ensure that the 125 registered nation state, district and themed tartans they have inherited will continue to support social good for people and communities in Scotland and deliver humanitarian support globally; strengthening links through shared history, heritage and trade. The values that underpin Re:Tweed are social justice, sustainability and common good by providing advanced textiles training (at least 80% of the textiles in their products are upcycled) and education for women and young people and routes into employment and enterprise.
Grant Awarded: £21,136
Total Project Cost: £131,183
Gifford Village Hall
Gifford Village Hall: Essential Improvements – Gifford Community Association (completed)
Gifford Village Hall is a B-listed building which is central to many aspects of village life. Essential improvements supported by a grant from the Fund will include work to preserve the condition and character of the building itself, ensure continued accessibility for hall users and provide upgraded safety systems.
Grant Awarded: £3,193
Total Project Cost: £6,387
Creation of a Flag for Berwickshire
A Flag for Berwickshire – Berwickshire Civic Society (completed)
Berwickshire Civic Society will be coordinating the creation of “A Flag for Berwickshire”. A region-wide competition will take place to encourage individuals and groups to submit a design for the flag, followed by a public vote to select the winning entry. The new flag will celebrate the heritage and culture of Berwickshire as well as helping raise awareness of the region as a destination for visitors.
Grant Awarded: £2,410
Total Project Cost: £4,820
A Flowerbed “Trail” for Duns
Duns Flowerbed Trail – A Heart for Duns/Keeping Duns Blooming Marvellous (completed)
Volunteer groups will be providing habitat for pollinators within the town of Duns with the creation of the “Duns Flowerbed Trail”. The trail will be supported by the creation of information boards and will help bring the community together in a sense of civic pride.
Grant Awarded: £3,250
Total Project Cost: £6,500
Preservation of the Ancient Capon Tree
Capon Tree Preservation Project – Jedburgh Community Trust (completed)
The Capon Tree is an ancient Sessile Oak (between 500 and 1000 years old) situated on the banks of the River Jed, and is one of the few remaining trees from the ancient Jed Forest. With support from Fallago Environment Fund, Jedburgh Community Trust will preserve this outstanding Heritage Tree/Tree of National Special Interest as well as developing a wildflower meadow and creating interpretation boards which will outline the history of the Capon Tree and the ancient Jed Forest. This will create an attractive heritage site for visitors, as well as celebrating an important Jethart Callant’s Festival site.
Grant Awarded: £7,000
Total Project Cost: £14,420
Securing the Future of the Borders Ice Rink
Ice Plant Machinery Replacement – Border Ice Rink Club (completed)
The Borders Ice Rink is the only ice rink facility in the Scottish Borders and is home to 24 curling clubs and a skating club. New ice-making equipment will help to secure the rink’s future and enable the Border Ice Rink Club to abide by environmental protection rules, reduce its energy costs and carbon footprint, and continue to provide a Borders venue for participants in curling – one of Scotland’s oldest and best-known sports, as well as ice skating.
Grant Awarded: £75,000
Total Project Cost: £305,811
Scottish Traditional Building Forum Schools Outreach
Promoting the Traditional Building Sector – Scottish Traditional Building Forum (completed)
This initiative will promote the diversity of roles available in the built heritage sector to help secondary school pupils throughout the Scottish Borders make an informed decision about joining the industry. By delivering traditional building skills demonstrations and the Repurposing [derelict buildings] Challenge to every high school over the next three years, the Scottish Traditional Building Forum aims to challenge pre-conceptions about the built heritage sector (and wider construction industry) and make a positive impact on addressing issues such as the lack of gender diversity.
Grant Awarded: £30,000
Total Project Cost: £192,300
Kelso Music Society Schools Outreach
KMS Connecting – Kelso Music Society (completed)
Kelso Music Society, part of Kelso’s cultural life for 70 years, will offer an interactive concert for up to 200 primary school children along with several pre-and post-concert school workshops led by professional musicians. By encouraging participation in an active musical environment, music provision in schools will be supported and children will experience the joy of live classical music.
Grant Awarded: £675
Total Project Cost: £1,350
Eyemouth Parish Church as a Community Space
Eyemouth RENEW – Eyemouth Parish Church (completed)
Eyemouth RENEW will ensure that Eyemouth’s largest indoor space – Eyemouth Parish Church – is converted into a venue fit for the entire community, whilst preserving its Grade C-listed status. Multi-user activities will be possible, including new disabled access, and the installation of a new, zoned sustainable heating system will reduce carbon emissions. Interpretation for the purposes of sharing local history will also be on display throughout the building.
Grant Awarded: £50,000
Total Project Cost: £340,730
Abbotsford House: Pavilion & Furnace House Restoration
Pavilion & Furnace House Restoration – The Abbotsford Trust (completed)
Restoration of the Pavilion will ensure that one of Abbotsford’s (the home of Sir Walter Scott) most historically significant buildings continues to delight visitors for many years to come. As part of the 250th anniversary of Sir Walter Scott in 2021, the Abbotsford Trust will restore the Pavilion – and the adjacent Kitchen Garden Wall and Furnace House – creating within it a dedicated space for well-being.
Grant Awarded: £25,000
Total Project Cost: £354,395
Maldesheugh Community Wood
Maldesheugh Community Wood Path Improvements and Interpretation – Selkirk Community Council/Go Wild Scotland (completed)
Improvements to the newly established Maldesheugh Community Wood path network will widen access for the whole Selkirk community, including the local chapter of Cycling Without Age, as well as providing a circular route for other interest groups such as the new Forest School. Interpretation boards will enhance the visitor experience and raise awareness of local biodiversity.
Grant Awarded: £15,000
Total Project Cost: £31,973
Hawick Wildflower Habitat Creation
Wildflower Habitat Creation – Future Hawick (ongoing)
Future Hawick, working in conjunction with the Borders Green Team, will create and maintain new wildflower areas on the outskirts of Hawick. The new biodiverse areas will enhance the main gateway into Hawick, with the approach to local town attractions improved by the new wildflower habitat. Local wildlife will also benefit from this habitat creation project, with pollinators, in particular, thriving in areas where wildflowers are abundant.
Grant Awarded: £8,750
Total Project Cost: £15,150
Great Borders River Clean
Great Borders River Clean – Trash Free Trails C.I.C. (completed)
This wide-ranging project will involve as many people as possible across the Scottish Borders in regular, large-scale river clean-ups to reduce plastic pollution in the riverine environment. The initiative will also increase awareness about the effects and causes of plastic pollution. Through skilful use of TV, radio, print and social media, the project aims to keep this simple message of plastic pollution reduction at the forefront of peoples’ minds.
Grant Awarded: £1,900
Total Project Cost: £3,850
Dark Age Tweeddale
The Hidden History of Dark Age Tweeddale – Arthur Trail Association (completed)
The Arthur Trail Association, local heritage groups and community councils will work together to develop a better understanding of lifestyle, culture, ethnography and events from the 5th to 7th centuries AD in southern Scotland. The project will also strengthen present-day community identity and sense of place, and promote cultural tourism. Volunteers, guided by professional archaeologists, will investigate this early medieval monumental landscape.
Grant Awarded: £14,800
Total Project Cost: £99,800
Gifford Community Woodland
Supporting Health and Wellbeing (caring for, learning from and sharing our community woods) – Gifford Community Woodland (completed)
This project is working to ensure that all members of the local community, irrespective of age or ability, can access the exceptional natural resource that is Gifford Community Woodland (55 acres of ancient woodland). 186 events will take place over 3 years – involving around 1000 people per year. These events will engage the community with this historic woodland by conserving and enhancing its biodiversity and sustainability.
Grant Awarded: £25,000
Total Project Cost: £134,144
Artist Residency
Connecting Threads – Artist Residency at Merlindale Meadow: The Southern Uplands Partnership (completed)
Connecting Threads is one of several strands of the over-arching Destination Tweed project, which has at its heart the creation of a linked path along the length of the River Tweed. Connecting Threads will be hosting an artist’s residency at Merlindale Meadow to encourage local farmers and landowners to convert some of their land to create and sustain biodiversity. The artist’s residency will be used to demonstrate the benefits of involving an artist in an environmental project.
Grant Awarded: £6,000
Total Project Cost: £12,000
Roxburgh Village Hall
Roxburgh Village Hall Upgrade – Roxburgh Village Committee (completed)
Roxburgh Village Hall will be upgraded to provide a fit-for-purpose facility for both the local community and historic material from the village archives. As the only venue within the village for events and meetings, securing the future of this key building will allow the local community to continue to flourish.
Grant Awarded: £4,000
Total Project Cost: £19,022
Oxton Village Hub
Oxton War Memorial Hall Village Hub – Oxton War Memorial Hall Committee (subject to match funding)
Oxton War Memorial Hall will be upgraded and extended to provide the communities of Oxton and Channelkirk with a modern village hub which is sustainable and relevant to community life. This project will also secure the future of the Oxton Community Shop, ensuring that this service can operate from a suitable venue at the heart of the village. Furthermore, this project will protect the built heritage of the Borders’ only War Memorial Hall.
Grant Awarded: £4,000
Total Project Cost: £19,022
Community Orchard Sculpture Stone
Kelso Abbey Community Orchard Stone – Kelso Heritage Society (completed)
A bespoke piece of public art – a hand-carved stone sculpture – will be installed in the new Kelso Abbey Community Orchard. Kelso Community Orchard was established in 2019 and this new carved stone will highlight the heritage of the area to the local community and visitors. An information board will tell the story of the Abbey orchard, and workshops with local schools/the community will stimulate interest in stone carving.
Grant Awarded: £5,763
Total Project Cost: £11,963
Foulden Community Path Creation
The Missing Link – Foulden, Mordington and Lamberton Community Council (completed)
This important project will create a new footpath enabling residents and visitors to move safely around the Foulden village area. Offering superb views of the Cheviot, the footpath will also provide excellent views of the locality’s Flemish-designed buildings. Around 40% of local residents will be able to travel on foot, rather than by car, to various village amenities thereby reducing vehicle use within the project area.
Grant Awarded: £3,191
Total Project Cost: £6,382
Tweed Salmon Smolt Tracking
Tweed Salmon Smolt Tracking – Tweed Foundation (completed)
Over the next 2 years, this project will investigate the survival of Atlantic salmon smolts in the River Tweed. Atlantic salmon are a vitally important species in the Tweed catchment, receiving special conservation status as well as forming the backbone of a fishery estimated to be worth over £20 million to the area. A fuller understanding of how smolts survive their journey downriver to the sea will help improvement management of this iconic species.
Grant Awarded: £40,000
Total Project Cost: £106,318
Upper Yarrow Landscape Initiative
Upper Yarrow Landscape Initiative – Tweed Forum (completed)
This project will restore just over 1 km of straightened upland watercourse on the Little Yarrow and create 1.3 km of new meandering channel on 12 ha of floodplain. A 12 ha mosaic of woodland and wetland habitat will also be created over parts of the River Tweed SSSI and two other woodland SSSI sites. The Little Yarrow is a tributary of the River Tweed, flowing from the surrounding hills into Loch of the Lowes and the newly created habitat will support a range of locally and nationally important species.
Grant Awarded: £10,000
Total Project Cost: £162,160
Black Grouse Survey
Scottish Borders Black Grouse Survey 2021/22– The Southern Uplands Partnership (completed)
Black grouse is a priority species for conservation in the UK due to its declining numbers. In the Scottish Borders, the Southern Uplands Partnership is surveying black grouse in order to protect key habitat from disturbance, development or afforestation. As well as recording black grouse numbers, the occurrence of other upland bird species will also be captured, thus providing important data on the state of our remaining open upland habitats.
Grant Awarded: £9,500
Total Project Cost: £20,000
Salmon Fishing Museum
River Tweed Salmon Fishing Museum, Kelso – River Tweed Salmon Fishing Museum (completed)
This new museum, situated within historic Kelso Town Hall, will celebrate the sport of angling and explore its importance within the eastern Scottish Borders. Displays will focus on the natural heritage of the river Tweed and the 250-year-old history of the sport of salmon fishing in the area, featuring several important private collections.
Grant Awarded: £35,700
Total Project Cost: £71,400
Yetholm Show Storage
Yetholm Show Secure Storage – Yetholm Border Shepherds’ Show (completed)
This project will safeguard the Yetholm Border Sheperds’ Show’s valuable equipment and allow for the creation of an historical archive. The event, founded in 1862, is a key date in the life of Yetholm and surrounding areas.
Grant Awarded: £1,500
Total Project Cost: £4,450
The Port House, Jedburgh
Saving Jedburgh’s Heritage: The Port House – Jedburgh Community Trust (completed)
Restoration of the A-listed Port House in Jedburgh will secure this important building for future generations and provide a community space for the people of the town and surrounding villages. Completed in 1900, the Port House was one of the first buildings in the UK to use steel and the new material “plate glass” in an innovative style.
Grant Awarded: £18,075
Total Project Cost: £36,150
Admiral Ramsay Visitor Centre
Admiral Ramsay Visitor Centre, nr Coldstream – Admiral Ramsay Museum (completed)
This project will create a Visitor Centre to mark the life and achievements of Admiral Bertram Ramsay, in the grounds of his former home, Bughtrig House. Ramsay was the naval planner of both Dunkirk and D-Day and is barely recognised today. The Centre will also become a focus for supporting veterans and provide a space for community outreach.
Grant Awarded: £18,140
Total Project Cost: £60,640
Schools Countryside Day
Schools Countryside Day – Border Union Agricultural Society (completed)
The Fund will be contributing to this annual event, held at the Border Union Showground, where around 50 organisations offer various activities to educate P5 children throughout the Scottish Borders about the countryside, rural issues and the environment they live in. Over 1200 children attend, with the help of nearly 100 volunteers.
Grant Awarded: £28,500
Total Project Cost: £82,949
River Tweed: The Pride of Kelso
River Tweed: The Pride of Kelso – Kelso High School (completed)
This community learning project will recognise and celebrate the River Tweed as the largest and most important Salmon rod fishery in Europe (south of the Arctic Circle) through a carefully curated programme of activities. The programme will include fly fishing workshops, the creation of a community artwork, the creation of an intergenerational fishing club and many more. Both young and older people will participate, helping to reinvigorate community groups.
Grant Awarded: £8,684
Total Project Cost: £17,584
Selkirk Energy Advice Centre/Community Hub
Energy Advice Centre/Community Hub – Selkirk Regeneration Company (completed)
Selkirk will benefit from the conversion of a derelict town centre shop into an energy advice centre and community hub. As well as safeguarding the built heritage of Selkirk’s Conservation Area, the transformation of the derelict building will also provide an important multi-use space for community groups, whilst providing advice and support to householders and small businesses to achieve measurable reductions in energy use and carbon footprint. Active travel will also be promoted, with associated health benefits.
Grant Awarded: £15,000
Total Project Cost: £76,690
Golden Eagle Centre
Golden Eagle Centre – Philiphaugh Trust Estate (completed)
A new Golden Eagle Information Centre, with video and live camera footage provided by the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project, will be created at Philiphaugh. This project will provide a unique experience for local communities and visitors to view live footage of golden eagles and learn about them first-hand from local volunteers/guides and the bespoke visitor interpretation.
Grant Awarded: £30,000
Total Project Cost: £255,762
Yetholm Heritage Centre
Yetholm Heritage Centre – Yetholm History Society (completed)
The Society will transform an existing village building into a Heritage Centre with secure lockable storage for the Yetholm archives and improved facilities for those using the Hall. These improvements will include fixed audio-visual equipment for talks/exhibitions and provision of disabled access. Visitor interpretation panels describing the history of the village and surrounding area will also be created.
Grant Awarded: £14,340
Total Project Cost: £28,680
Gala Fairydean Rovers Football Stand
Reactive Maintenance and Repair of Gala Fairydean Rovers Football Stand – Gala Fairydean Rovers FC (completed)
Gala Fairydean Rovers have secured Fallago funding to protect and preserve their late Modernist, A-listed football stand. The stand was designed by Architect Peter Womersley (1923–93), one of the most renowned and talented post-war architects who worked in Scotland. This unique structure will be protected for the enjoyment of future generations and provide users, community groups and interest groups with a safe environment in which to spectate.
Grant Awarded: £40,000
Total Project Cost: £406,420
Burnfoot Community Garden
Burnfoot Community Garden – Burnfoot Community Futures (completed)
This project will develop a fully accessible garden within the Burnfoot Community Hub site. The garden will serve as a social space and an outdoor classroom, as well as a focus for environmentally-conscious community gardening.
Grant Awarded: £19,930
Total Project Cost: £65,780
Ancrum Mantle Walls
Ancrum Mantle Walls Project – Ancrum & District Heritage Society (completed)
The Ancrum Mantle Walls site is of national importance. It contains the buried remains of a substantial medieval stone building (suspected to be a Bishop’s palace) from the 12th and 13th centuries. The project will undertake a community archaeological dig to investigate and record the site, with an extensive programme of community engagement to follow.
Grant Awarded: £10,538
Total Project Cost: £60,938
Union Chain Bridge
Restoration of the Union Chain Bridge – Friends of the Union Chain Bridge (completed)
The Union Chain Bridge, running across the River Tweed and linking England and Scotland, is the world’s oldest vehicular suspension bridge. This project will ensure the Bridge stays open to vehicular traffic with an extensive restoration programme totalling several millions. The project will also promote and increase awareness of this iconic engineering masterpiece, both nationally and internationally. It will focus on bringing communities together on both sides of the crossing and promote tourism by maintaining links with other locations in the Borders.
Grant Awarded: £50,000
Total Project Cost: £7.408 million
Whiteadder: The Historic Heart of the Lammermuirs
Whiteadder: The Historic Heart of the Lammermuirs – Scottish Borders Council (completed)
This project will help mitigate the impact of windfarm development in the Lammermuirs and reinstate a heritage routeway from the Merse to the Lothians for modern purposes. Community art projects focusing on the natural heritage of the area will be featured in project outputs such as a website, leaflets and on-site interpretation. Archaeological excavations will also form a major component of the project and community engagement will be a key focus throughout.
Grant Awarded: £24,566
Total Project Cost: £334,850
Will H Ogilvie Commemoration
The Will H Ogilvie Anniversary Commemoration – Ex-Kelsae Laddies Club (completed)
This commemoration project marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of the Border Poet, Will H Ogilvie. Ogilvie was born in 1869 at Holefield, near Kelso, and a small area of ground overlooking Holefield farmhouse has been selected to feature a memorial stone and information boards. The stone was unveiled by the Kelsae Laddie during the Yetholm Rideout and the project also encouraged the use of the poet’s work in local schools.
Grant Awarded: £5000
Total Project Cost: £12,650
Waterloo Monument
Waterloo Monument (Penielheugh) Repair Works – Executory of the late 12th Marquis of Lothian (completed)
Access to the monument has been safeguarded for future generations thanks to the Fund. Built by local people to commemorate the bravery of the Duke of Wellington and his men at the Battle of Waterloo, it attracts locals and international visitors alike. People come to enjoy the amazing views from atop the structure as well as the adjacent walking trail. The monument is also a focal point for educational and fundraising activities.
Grant Awarded: £12,500
Total Project Cost: £55,560
Hume Castle
Contextualising Hume: The Archaeology and Heritage of Hume Castle and its Surrounding Landscape – Hume Castle Preservation Trust (completed)
This project will work with the local community to investigate, interpret and protect the archaeology and heritage of Hume Castle and its surrounding landscape.
Grant Awarded: £32,890
Total Project Cost: £84,230
Stobo Village Hall
Stobo Village Hall: Upgrading of Kitchen/WC Facilities and Provision of Disabled Access – Stobo Village Hall Committee (completed)
Stobo Village Hall provides the only local venue for social
activities in the Stobo/Dawyck/Lyne area. Completion of these improvements has allowed the Hall to expand its activities and secure its future for the local community.
Grant Awarded: £20,000
Total Project Cost: £54,144
Thirlestane Castle – Toys and Muniments
Relocating the Muniments and Toy Collection at Thirlestane Castle – Thirlestane Castle Trust (completed)
The Trust are looking to improve the accessibility, display and interpretation of the Muniments and Toy Collection as part of ongoing work to provide an updated visitor experience. The unique collection of Edwardian, Victorian and Georgian toys, games and children’s clothes will be given pride of place in a fully accessible newly restored space, whilst the Muniments collection will be rehoused in a more accessible section of the castle.
Grant Awarded: £15,000
Total Project Cost: £78,291
Queen’s House Garden
A Therapeutic Garden of Interest – Queen’s House (Kelso) Ltd (completed)
Queen’s House provides vital care and support for older people and people with dementia. The therapeutic garden of interest provides a creative outdoor space for residents, visitors and wildlife. Involving local schools in the project, Queen’s House ensures that the garden serves multiple needs such as relaxation, horticultural therapy and healthy living.
Grant Awarded: £20,000
Total Project Cost: £61,707
Gifford Community Woodland
Making Gifford Community Woodland Accessible to All – Gifford Community Land Company (completed)
This project created safe, all-ability access to the Gifford Community Woodland, with particular focus on both use by local outdoor groups (e.g., green classroom, orienteering clubs, and Scouting/Girlguiding groups) and providing volunteering opportunities. A community orchard was also created.
Grant Awarded: £21,000
Total Project Cost: £42,400
Kelso Wheelers
Angraflats Off-Road Cycle Trail – Kelso Wheelers Cycling Club (completed)
With Fund support, Kelso Wheelers Cycling Club have created 2.5 km of off-road cycle trails on the outskirts of Kelso. Providing an off-road venue for the Eastern Borders, the trails also offer a first-class training facility for Kelso Wheelers Youth Club, encouraging more kids to get out on their bikes.
Grant Awarded: £29,115
Total Project Cost: £58,230
Leader Water Footpath and Interpretation
Celebrating the Heritage of the Leader Water – Earlston Paths Group (completed)
The Earlston Paths Group is a long-standing community group with a strong commitment to building trails around Earlston. With support from the Fund they have improved the circular footpath along the Leader Water and provided interpretation about the natural, built and cultural heritage found along the route.
Grant Awarded: £8,494
Total Project Cost: £17,000
Schools Countryside Day
Schools Countryside Day – Border Union Agricultural Society (completed)
The Fund contributed to this annual event, held at the Border Union Showground, where around 50 organisations offer various activities to educate P5 children throughout the Scottish Borders about the countryside, rural issues and the environment they live in. Over 1200 children attend, with the help of nearly 100 volunteers.
Grant Awarded: £30,480
Total Project Cost: £71,860
Widows and Bairns Bronze
Widows and Bairns Bronze – Eyemouth & District Fishermen’s Association (completed)
This 5 metre long bronze sculpture, commemorating the 1881 Eyemouth fishing disaster, is placed prominently on the seafront at Eyemouth. The sculpture depicts the 78 widows and 182 children looking out to sea for fishing boats that never returned (image ©Benjamin Tindall).
Grant Awarded: £53,142
Total Project Cost: £112,084
The Golden Swarm
Citizen Science and the Golden Swarm – Kelso High School (completed)
Citizen Science and the Golden Swarm was a community learning project, with a strong focus on natural heritage in relation to bees and beekeeping in the Scottish Borders. The project had two main themes. The Golden Swarm celebrated the beekeeping taking place at Floors Castle, and its partnership with Kelso High School Beekeeping Club, through community-based art activities and the production of a collective artwork. The Citizen Science programme educated and trained young people and adults in a variety of STEM topics and empowered them to carry out their own citizen science project (image © Scottish Borders Council).
Grant Awarded: £6,290
Total Project Cost: £14,050
Monteath Douglas Mausoleum
Restoration of the Monteath Douglas Mausoleum – Friends of the Monteath Mausoleum (completed)
This important, B-listed, grand Victorian monument will be restored and preserved with support from Fallago Environment Fund. New pathways will also improve access for the general public. A magnificent, but largely forgotten monument, it was constructed for General Sir Thomas Monteath Douglas (1788-1868), an army officer in the Bengal Infantry.
Grant Awarded: £59,444
Total Project Cost: £118,887
Westruther Community Improvements
TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More) – Westruther Parent Council (completed)
TEAM have purchased a portable sound and lighting system to be used by the local school and community in the school hall, village hall or local church. As well as this, TEAM have provided a library service at the school Breakfast Club, with support from the Fund allowing them to stock the new library.
Grant Awarded: £1,656
Total Project Cost: £3,312
Borders Heritage Festival
Borders Heritage Festival 2017 – Live Borders (completed)
Borders Heritage Festival 2017 celebrated the heritage of the Scottish Borders at over 80 participating sites including walks, talks, theatre exhibitions, and archaeology. New and innovative events such as the “Lighting the Borders”, “Where Teviot Rins” and “Sounding out the Past” helped showcase Scotland’s Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology (image © Sam Cornwell).
Grant Awarded: £15,000
Total Project Cost: £125,400
Woodland Restoration
Woodland Restoration in the Border Hills – Borders Forest Trust (completed)
In the upper Talla and Gameshope valleys, a community woodland restoration has planted 20,000 trees to restore native montane woodland. Community outreach was a key element of this project, with several planting days and educational visits throughout.
Grant Awarded: £10,900
Total Project Cost: £28,100
Paxton House Waterwheel
Paxton House Waterwheel and Beam Pump Restoration – The Paxton Trust (completed)
At Paxton House, restoration of a water wheel and beam pump has created a working display of an 18th century domestic water supply system – probably the earliest pumped system delivering clean spring water to a house in Scotland. Only fragments of the original system were discovered at Paxton, but a very similar wheel and pump were found lying derelict at nearby Blackadder Mount. That led to a plan from heritage engineering consultant Jim Mitchell to recommission the Blackadder machinery on the Paxton site as a working heritage feature.
Grant Awarded: £13,000
Total Project Cost: £95,000
Stobs Military Camp
Stobs Military Camp Project – Archaeology Scotland (completed)
At Stobs Camp, Hawick, a community project to understand, value and protect this significant historical Military Camp site is underway. The camp was in operation from 1903 for over 60 years and encompassed both World Wars. Stobs Camp Project aims to encourage both local people and the global online community to better understand Stobs Camp and the part it played in the First World War; to value, share and commemorate Stobs and the people who lived there; and to protect Stobs Camp for future generations.
Grant Awarded: £47,530
Total Project Cost: £280,230
Jim Clark Museum
The Jim Clark Museum – The Jim Clark Trust (completed)
Situated in Duns, the museum will be dedicated to promoting the life and legacy of double F1 Champion and Indianapolis 500 winner Jim Clark; alongside the heritage, culture and love of farming life in the Scottish Borders.
Grant Awarded: £75,000
Total Project Cost: £1,647,800
Medieval Lennel Kirk
Repair, Conservation and Interpretation of the Medieval Lennel Kirk – Coldstream’s Heritage Ltd (completed)
Restoration of this important medieval kirk, on the outskirts of Coldstream, was wholeheartedly embraced by the community of Coldstream, who set up Coldstream’s Heritage Ltd to oversee the work.
Grant Awarded: £18,000
Total Project Cost: £142,257
Westruther Community Amenities
Community Amenities for Westruther – Westruther Public Hall Trust (completed)
This project has improved amenities and benefits to Westruther residents, providing a safe outside area for young people to play sports, enhancing the village with floral displays and reflooring the village hall.
Grant Awarded: £15,318
Total Project Cost: £39,684
Yarrow and Ettrick Show
Yarrow and Ettrick Pastoral Society Annual Show – Yarrow and Ettrick Pastoral Society (completed)
With support from the Fund, the Pastoral Society were able to make improvements to the Show including enhanced access, increased capacity and upgrading of outdated equipment.
Grant Awarded: £4,203
Total Project Cost: £10,229
Kelso Town Hall 200 Celebrations
Kelso Town Hall 200 Celebrations – Friends of Kelso Museum (completed)
Celebrating the 200th anniversary of the building of Kelso Town Hall, the local community ran a programme of community and cultural events ran throughout the summer and autumn of 2016.
Grant Awarded: £4,220
Total Project Cost: £8,440
Trimontium Museum Refurbishment
Trimontium Museum Refurbishment Feasibility Study – Trimontium Trust (completed)
Looking at options for extending and refurbishing Trimontium Museum, situated in the heart of Melrose, this feasibility study suggested utilising a courtyard to the rear of the existing building to provide updated facilities.
Grant Awarded: £21,000
Total Project Cost: £42,400
Scottish Borders Countryside Initiative
Scottish Borders Countryside Initiative – RHET (completed)
This initiative provided educational experiences for primary and secondary school pupils on a real farm, in conjunction with in-school presentations.
Grant Awarded: £7,422
Total Project Cost: £14,970
Our River: Stories of the Tweed
Our River: Stories of the Tweed – Tweed Forum (ongoing)
This project will record the heritage, culture and memories surrounding the River Tweed, from source to sea, creating a documentary film which will be screened at various locations throughout the area. All profits from the screening will go to the local community, village hall or society that hosted the event. Copies of the DVD will also be given to community groups and schools. All the footage (as well as the completed DVD) will be lodged with the regional archives. The DVD will be for sale with profits going to a local charity.
Grant Awarded: £13,600
Total Project Cost: £30,600
Bowden Common
Bowden Common: Access and Habitat Conservation – Trustees of Bowden Common (completed)
Creating a circular walking route around Bowden Common, this project has also restored habitat for local wildlife.
Grant Awarded: £3,944
Total Project Cost: £10,744
Torwoodlee Tower
Conservation of Torwoodlee Tower – Torwoodlee & Buckholm Estates (completed)
This restoration project has preserved the ruin of a scheduled ancient monument) and ensured safe public access. The Tower is a key part of the Braw Lads’ Week ceremonies in Galashiels when the Principals, The Braw Lad and the Braw Lass, come as representatives of the People of Galashiels to ask for a sod and a stone.
Grant Awarded: £75,000
Total Project Cost: £154,650
Borders Tree Planting Grant
Borders Tree Planting Grant Scheme – Tweed Forum (completed)
Trees are an extremely important feature of the Borders landscape. The Grant offers financial assistance to plant individual trees or small clumps of trees, in order to retain this landscape resource for the benefit of people, communities and wildlife. The scheme encourages people to plant new trees, specifically trees and woodlands that fall below eligibility for the Scottish Rural Development Programme.
Grant Awarded: £30,500
Total Project Cost: £99,000
Talla and Gameshope Surveys
Record, Conserve, Restore: Surveying at Talla and Gameshope Valleys – Borders Forest Trust (completed)
Vegetation and biological surveys, carried out in 2014, are the first steps towards ecological restoration of the Talla & Gameshope valleys. The Talla & Gameshope valleys were acquired by Borders Forest Trust in 2013 and offer a rare opportunity to restore a large area of hills and upland valleys to their natural state (image courtesy of Colin McLean).
Grant Awarded: £9,150
Total Project Cost: £18,250
Coldingham Priory Geophysical Survey
Coldingham Priory Community Archaeology Project – Friends of Coldingham Priory (completed)
Looking for new sub-soil evidence of the early, pre-Norman monastic settlement close to Coldingham Priory, a geophysical survey of the glebe field to the east of the Priory Church was undertaken in 2014. The survey detected anomalies, particularly geomagnetic anomalies, many of which are potentially of archaeological interest.
Grant Awarded: £2,980
Total Project Cost: £5,976
Chirnside Community Centre
Chirnside Community Centre – Chirnside Development Group (completed)
A community-led refurbishment project, upgrading a prime C-listed building at the heart of the Chirnside community. Due to its listed status, the neo-gothic building’s modernisation is sympathetic to the existing structure, whilst providing a facility fit for purpose for the many community groups which use the Centre.
Grant Awarded: £35,000
Total Project Cost: £398,049
Westruther Village Hall
Westruther Village Hall Energy Efficiency Initiative – Westruther Public Hall Trustees (completed)
Solar photovoltaic panels have been installed at the village hall, reducing CO2 emissions and improving financial sustainability, as part of a wider initiative to make the hall as environmentally sustainable as possible. Other upgrades include draught-proofing, thermostatic radiator control, LED light fittings and improved glazing.
Grant Awarded: £5,763
Total Project Cost: £11,526
A Son of Kelso on the Somme
A Son of Kelso on the Somme (completed)
In this book, Dr Derek Robeson shares the personal letters, photographs and experiences of his grandfather, who survived three years in the frontline trenches of the Western Front in World War 1. Dr Robeson expands, “A primary objective of this book, was to get the family photographs and letters reproduced before they faded from view and to piece them together, in a meaningful way as a family record. The book is also an educational resource, intended for upper secondary school age children, but hopefully it will have a wider appeal to all age groups, as an interesting piece of social history.”
Grant Awarded: £3,156
Total Project Cost: £6,312
Hawick Saxhorn Band
Sounding Hawick’s Brass – Hawick Saxhorn Band (completed)
Founded in 1855, Hawick Saxhorn Band promotes the playing and appreciation of music through education and performance and the band plays a part in the annual Hawick Common Riding celebrations. The Fund contributed towards the purchase of 3 new instruments.
Grant Awarded: £3,256
Total Project Cost: £6,512
Ellem Fishing Club Museum
Rehouse and expand Ellem Fishing Club Museum – Ellem Fishing Club (completed)
The Museum received funding to relocate to a larger room within Paxton House and expand an array of exhibits, wall displays and an interactive computer system.
Grant Awarded: £3,853
Total Project Cost: £7,991
St Boswells Village Hall
Restoration of St Boswells Village Hall – St Boswells Public Hall Management Committee (completed)
Restoration of this village hall, dating back to 1896, has created a modern high-quality venue for the community of St Boswells.
Grant Awarded: £9,600
Total Project Cost: £339,377
Coldstream Football Club
Future-Proofing Football – Coldstream Football Club (completed)
Formed over 118 years ago, Coldstream Football Club is one of the oldest football clubs in Scotland. Coldstream FC is upgrading Home Park and the Fund has supported the installation of railings and a park gate, as part of a wider plan to improve safety and secure the Club’s SFA membership.
Grant Awarded: £3,730
Total Project Cost: £7,460
Schools Countryside Day
Schools Countryside Day – Border Union Agricultural Society (completed)
The Fund is contributing to this annual event, held at the Border Union Showground, where around 50 organisations offer various activities to educate P5 children throughout the Scottish Borders about the countryside, rural issues and the environment they live in. Over 1200 children attend, with the help of nearly 100 volunteers.
Grant Awarded: £30,480
Total Project Cost: £71,860
Redpath Village Hall
Restoration of Redpath Village Hall – Redpath Village Hall Association (completed)
This important historical building has now been restored, ensuring the facility continues to serve the Redpath community.
Grant Awarded: £13,800
Total Project Cost: £27,819