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Scottish Borders
Latest News for the Scottish Borders
Computer flock management
Adoption of new technology, including electronic ID tags (EID) and software has helped sheep farmer Fenwick Jackson manage a flock of 2,500 ewes and 950 hoggs single handed at Kersheugh, Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders, with assistance of one self-employed shepherd for 21 days at lambing.
Borders plan Flodden 2013
Celebrations of the 500th anniversary of the Battle of Flodden in 2013 are beginning to be planned. The group leading the project has organised a series of workshops to update people on the progress so far as well as giving them the opportunity to add their ideas.
More Borders broadband: let's hear it for Barra
BT's Race to Infinity has closed deciding the five areas which will be rewarded with a free superfast broadband upgrade. The current top performers are Innerleithen in the Scottish Border, Whitechurch, Hampshire, Baschurch, Shropshire, Caxton and Madingley, Cambridgeshire and Blewbury in Oxfordshire.
Some broadband for Berwickshire
Thanks to Rural Broadband Challenge Fund, launched on July 1, surfing the net should be a lot easier four Berwickshire communities that will receive £294,075 to provide households and businesses in in Cranshaws, Ellemford, Longformacus, Whitsome, Cardrona and Upper Ettrick with a reliable, high speed connection.
Hawick pupils without network
Hawick High School pupils have been forced to work without computers for eight days.Technical problems came as the school tried to implement the much vaunted Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) programme. And chairman of the school board Rory Bannerman has branded the whole situation "unacceptable".
Pathé presents: Scottish history on film
Gaberlunzie can remember when he would sit happily for an hour (warm and dry) in a the smallish news cinema where Pathé films showed a timed, repeating cycle of news stories. Hence his vast curiousity to try out the archive footage of British Pathé's relaunch on-line on its website covering events in Edinburgh and St Andrews dating as far back as to before World War One.
Combinatorial approaches to cancer and antibiotics
A Scottish 'virtual' pharmaceuticals firm EctoPharma hopes to be able to develop a pioneering treatment for pancreatic cancer after signing deals that will allow it to combine the technologies developed by using the the School of Pharmacy and by the Medical Research Council. In England, work at the John Innes Centre discloses an antibiotic that binds to a well-established target in a novel and unexpected way could be the inspiration for designing new, more potent antibacterial drugs.
Rocket Solutions looks to Brawn in business
A Newcastle IT specialist says his region's businesses should take a leaf out of Formula 1 title winning manufacturer Brawn and its star driver Jenson Button as examples of decision-making.
The paedophilic face behind the internet
Three full-time civilian staff at Lothian and Borders Police headquarters spend almost their entire working day viewing some of the most vile pornography imaginable write John Bynorth and Helen McArdle of The Herald. The force’s computer “boffins” delve into the hard drives and memory cards of computer equipment seized from suspected paedophiles. When they find images of abuse, they must grade them according to how extreme they are. They then pass them on to the police before the Crown Office makes a decision on whether to prosecute.
ProStrakan heads for breakeven
ProStrakan the Galashiels based pharmaceuticals group expects to reach monthly break even later this year, with its first reported profit in 2010, revealing a 40% rise in sales in the first half of the year. It has reported revenues of £37m in the six months to end June, with pre-tax loss falling 20% to £9.4m.
Public Contracts Scotland provide local company growth
As Public Contracts Scotland adds two new functions to its service by releasing the electronic postbox and 'Quick Quote,' the Edinburgh based office equipment group Capital Solutions claims to be one of only eight companies to benefit from being appointed as suppliers of office equipment to Scotland's public organisations, from health boards to local authorities.
Wait till he gets on computers
Five-year-old Ben Murray of Eccles and Leitholm Primary School, has won first place in the 2009 National Gallery of Scotland Art Competition for Schools. He beat 1,700 other entries in his category, which was open to children from Primary 1 to 3, by creating his very own 'Super Duper Animal'.
Reflecting new tartan for the Borders Ridings
A new Tartan has been created to celebrate Return to the Ridings, a major Homecoming Scotland 2009 event taking place in the Scottish Borders. It not only represents history, heritage and the colours of the Scottish Borders Common Ridings & Festivals but, using Scottish Borders textile expertise, the tartan incorporates Retroreflective reflective yarn for night-time safety (which probably has the reivers birling at the thought of such visible disclosure!)
Computer education option closes in several Borders schools
Borders secondary schools are taking a controversial decision to remove computer studies from their timetabled options, effectively closing their departments. The move was described as “bizarre” by the parent of a fourth-year Selkirk High pupil who was due to sit his Standard Grade in the subject this week.
Elgin and Melrose manufacturing work: insurance jobs in Glasgow
Although ATR sold its hydraulics arm to Hydrasun in January, an Elgin based hydraulics company Quality Hydrylic Systems has a full order book and is even looking to recruit in design, stainless steel fabrication, mechanical and instrumentation pipe fitting sectors. in Melrose, the EMS supplier Plexus jobs are secured thanks to two major contracts. While Glasgow reaps the plaudits for securing insurance jobs.
Borders education: an exception or becoming the Scottish norm?
Schoolchildren in the Borders are being forced to teach themselves at home or move to private schools to pass their chosen subjects because of cuts in teaching staff, according to the Borders Telegraph. And as Scottish Borders Council searches for further efficiency savings in its budget next year, sixth-year pupils Jamie Scott and Oenone Kubie claim children have to buy their own jotters and share old textbooks because schools cannot afford to pay for them. Class sizes are so large, some pupils have to be turned away.
Borders to get huge data farm and village
Cable & Wireless (through recently acquired THUS) is undertaking the network part in the construction of a high technology village in the 'borders' area between Scotland and England. The development will comprise a 3m2ft data centre and 1000 new homes, designed to work together to conform to range of sustainability goals. The news comes on the heels of Morgan Stanley bruited in October to be be building its large, off-grid computer data centre of 150Mw/hours power in Scotland, powered directly by tidal energy from the Pentland Firth.
Digital Borders is first to quit analogue
Watching television in the Borders is now only possible via a digital signal and dedicated TV monitor, following the switching off of this month of the last remaining analogue signals. The switch off process has completed with some 50,000 households being affected.
Scottish manufacturing excellence scores three awards
Best Engineering Plant award went to Gates Power Transmission, Dumfries, while Plexus, Kelso manufacturing facility was recognised in two categories, at the 2008 UK Best Factory Awards. Both companies embrace lean manufacturing techniques. The awards, organised by Cranfield School of Management are held in conjunction with Works Management Magazine, rewarding excellence within the UK manufacturing industry.
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