The Peeblean: Monday 23 June 2025
Beltane Festival, Live Borders consultation row, Oktoberfest coming to Inners, new lead for the Town Team, Grandison's Yard, Kerfield Farm, Tour O The Borders, High School final fling, Active Travel.
Welcome to Issue 24 of The Peeblean.
We hope you had a brilliant Beltane. The Beltane Photographers (Pete, Kevin, Brian, Colette, Gabriela and Stephen) have again captured hundreds of moments from the week’s activities. If you haven’t already, have a scroll through…
A combination of Beltane-busy-ness and some (unrelated, honest!) unwellness over the weekend delayed things at The Peeblean newsdesk, so we’re in your inboxes on Monday instead.
Our final update for June (next weekend) will cover the period up to 12 July. If you have any events running in July please send us details using the form below. Our July posterboard is now published but needs more things added!
Submission Form: Use the Get in Touch form on our homepage to send in news, events and messages.
TOWN CHAT
Peebles Community Council has called for Live Borders funding to be restored back to sustainable levels to end the threats to sporting and cultural services. SBC says the number of responses to the consultation on the future of venues has already exceeded 1,000, but Peebles CC says the consultation is not fit for purpose and is based on funding assumptions that should be challenged. The CC is particularly concerned by the socio-economic impact and has highlighted the obligations on the council regarding facilities and oversight.
Meanwhile, SBC has announced details of the public engagement and consultation events that are planned as part of the consultation. Pop-up events and ‘invite-only focus groups’ are also being organised.
The Peebles public event will be on Tuesday 12 August in the Burgh Hall from 14:00 - 19:00.
On Monday 18 August there will be public events in West Linton (Graham Institute 10:00 - 14:00) and Innerleithen (Memorial Hall, 15:00 - 20:00).
Youth engagement events will take place in Peebles on Monday 12 August (14:00 - 16:00) and in West Linton on Wednesday 13 August (14:00 - 16:00).
Fiona Dalgleish is taking over from Peter Maudsley as chair of the Town Team, the body set up to deliver the Peebles Town Action Plan and Place Plan which were formally registered with SBC earlier this year. Fiona will be well known to many as the general manager of Peeblesshire Foodbank and as a director of events company Hillside Outside.
Grandison’s Yard, tucked away off the Eastgate, is a fascinating piece of the town’s hidden history. Purpose-built in the 1890s for the Grandison plasterwork company it houses an archive of patterns and samples of the ornamental work the company was renowned for. Since the liquidation of the business in 2018, the future of the yard has been uncertain. We are happy to report that the yard and its contents have been bought by a Fife-based couple - Ffion and Stephen Bench . Ffion and Stephen plan to relocate their existing company Chalk Plaster to Peebles, restoring the yard as functioning plasterers’ workshop. View their plans for the site here or on the SBC planning portal.
Kerfield Farm, which sits between the A72 and the Tweed on the eastern outskirts of Peebles, has been placed on the market.
The organisers of Tour O The Borders have established the Touro Trust to direct up to £2,000 of funding to a community project each year. Alex Chisholm, Peeblesshire News
The route and timing information for this year’s Tour on Sunday 7 September has also now been circulated.
A new bike trail celebrating adventurous women of the Tweed Valley has been unveiled by the FNY Collective. The new trail was funded by Destination Tweed. Alex Chisholm, Peeblesshire News
EVENTS THIS WEEK - see our poster board for details
Shakespeare at Traquair fundraiser for the Eastgate Theatre on Tuesday 24 June at 19:30. Tickets £10 from the box office.
Eddleston Community Council meets on Tuesday 24 June at 19:30 in the village hall. Cycle path safety will be discussed, along with wind farm benefits and the future of the primary school (currently mothballed).
Peebles Cycling Club ladies social ride (9 miles) on Tuesday 24 June, leaving Kingsmeadows car park at 18:30.
Also on Tuesday 24 June, there’s a community meeting in Innerleithen to discuss a car parking plan at the Vale of Leithen football ground, Memorial Hall 19:00
SBC schools break up for the summer holidays on Wednesday 25 June. The staff return on Monday 18 August and pupils on Wednesday 20 August.
Coffee Club is at Innerleithen, Traquair and Walkerburn Church on Weds 25 June from 10:00 - 12:00.
Red Button Arts are running a crafting class for senior citizens at Firholm Day Centre on Wednesday 25 June from 10:30 - 12.
The Friends of Lyne Kirk AGM is on Thurs 26 June at 7pm in Manor Hall.
On Friday, InChorus present their summer concert
COMMUNITY NOTICEBOARD
Palestine Solidarity: The next meeting of the Borders Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign is on Thursday 3 July in St Joseph’s Neighbourhood Centre at 19:00. Elisa Smith will be sharing her experiences of a recent visit to the West Bank.
Community music school Nomad Beat is offering a 5-week Recording Skills programme in the summer holidays for young people aged 12-18. Running on Saturdays from 19 July - 16 August the cost is £100 for the course.
The team and residents at Dovecot Court are hosting a Family & Community Afternoon on Saturday 12 July from 14:00 - 16:00.
Kailzie Gardens is opening as part of Scotland’s Gardens Scheme on Sunday 20 July with 60% of proceeds going to Tweed Togs
BOOKING NOW
Artist Liza Green is leading an artist book making workshop at Peebles Library, Museum and Gallery on 5 July.
Peebles High School Parent Council is hoping to organise a ‘Final Fling’ event - pencilled in for Friday 12 September - as a last get-together in the current school building. They are encouraging former pupils to get friend groups together and come along for a ceilidh + retro disco. Contact details on their FB page.
St Ronan’s Silver Band have announced an Oktoberfest event on Saturday 27 September in the Memorial hall. Tickets are just £10 + booking fee.
JOB VACANCIES
New roles at Glentress Bike Hire, Traquair Arms Hotel (events co-ordinator), Tontine Hotel and Peebles High School (education worker).
If you secure a role that you saw advertised here please let us know!
NEWS ROUND-UP
Scottish Borders Council has issued a draft Active Travel Strategy for consultation. It is open for feedback until 31 August 2025. There are plans for in-person events as well (details tbc). The consultation can be accessed here.
As a settlement of over 5,000, Peebles will be one of the towns audited to identify improvements. Local place plans will present proposals for development and use of land.
Clovenfords to Walkerburn is highlighted as a priority ‘next steps’ route
The Peebles to Eddleston multi-use path features as a case-study on p29
It’s a full meeting of Scottish Borders Council this Thursday. Councillors will discuss the timeline for the next Local Development Plan, the Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategy (Year 1 Progress Report) and the Local Child Poverty annual report. They’ll also be asked to approve £84k match funding to Melrose Football Club towards its project to upgrade changing facilities. Cllr Viv Thomson (Tweeddale West) has lodged a motion encouraging all councillors to sign the Civility Pledge.
Thanks for reading!
The Peeblean