News

Dogs and owners who love a good day out together should make a point of heading to Traquair this weekend for the third annual Dogs Day Out – a joyous celebration of all things doggie!

Held on Sunday 15 July (11-5pm), the event offers a host of activities for dogs and their owners throughout the day. One of the highlights is the not-very-serious Companion Dog Show with categories that include owner who looks most like their dog, fastest sausage eater and best rescue dog. Meanwhile, the Daphne Memorial Cup will be awarded to Best in Show in honour of Traquair’s much-loved Cavalier King Charles spaniel.

On the main avenue, visitors can learn all about sheep dogs with expert demos, while this year also sees a first ever gun dog display, with tips on training four-legged friends how to retrieve (and drop, all being well).

Elsewhere, the Bow Wow Mini Circus will delight with some wonderful tricks, Dryburgh Dog Agility will be on hand to guide pooches through a special agility course, while the old walled garden will be stocked full of stalls selling a wide range of dog accessories.

And for visitors who need a little more exercise, there’s a chance to go for a wander in the woods with captivating storyteller, Mary Kenny, who will be telling a few Shaggy Dog stories, or even take part in a Doggy Treasure Hunt in Traquair’s famous Maze.

Further info

Dogs Day Out, Sunday 15 July (11-5pm). The event is supported by Burns Natural Dog Food, with goodie bags provided for all dogs. Admission: £9.00 Adults £4.50 Concessions & Dogs Go Free (entry to house included – on site dog creche provided!). For more information, visit https://www.traquair.co.uk/event/dogs-day-traquair

Having made its name with a range of high-end clothing for women, Tweed Valley-based adventure clothing brand FINDRA has announced the launch of its debut menswear capsule collection.

Much loved by discerning outdoor enthusiasts across the country, FINDRA was launched in December 2014 as an activewear/lifestyle brand for women, with pieces specifically designed to fit and flatter the female form. Made from New Zealand merino wool and designed in Scotland, the collection was created to encourage wearers to look good, feel good and perform to the best of their ability.

The message clearly resonated, and not just with female customers, with FINDRA bombarded with messages and requests from the male relatives and friends of the company’s original female customer base asking for items, too. The result, ‘Design by Demand’, is a capsule menswear collection comprising the essentials that any outdoor enthusiast needs – all made to the same level of quality and design that FINDRA has become known for.

In a range of colours and fits, specifically designed for male wearers, each piece has been crafted to ensure both comfort and style. These include tops, jerseys and shorts, alongside the existing unisex range of hats and neck warmers, in a sophisticated colour palette. The range is perfect for a huge variety of outdoor adventures, from climbing to cycling, running to hillwalking.

“It was a surprise to receive so many requests for menswear after the launch of our womenswear range,” explained FINDRA founder Alex Feechan. “FINDRA had always been designed with the needs of women in mind, so we were intrigued to hear that many men felt that the same problems with the wider sportswear offering applied to menswear too, with shapeless, unstylish garments available that could only be worn whilst exercising.

“Just like women, men don’t always want statement branding, they want classic looks and styles that says something about who they are,” she added. “We want our customers to feel as comfortable in FINDRA having coffee with their friends at the weekend, as they do when they’re running or riding their bikes.”

Further info

When next in the Tweed Valley, visit the FINDRA store on Innerleithen High Street, or find out more here, https://findraclothing.com

ENDS

A pioneering local mountain biking figure has been appointed to lead an ambitious tourism-based Business Improvement District (BID) project that aims to turn the Tweed Valley into a truly world-class destination for cycling and outdoor activities.

A former professional downhill rider, coach and joint owner of the much-loved Hub in The Forest café, which operated at Glentress for a decade, Emma Guy is well-known in local mountain biking circles and beyond.

“We had an incredibly strong list of candidates for the position, each with a good range of skills, but we felt that Emma was the ideal person to enthuse and inspire tourism businesses to explore the benefits of the BID,” explained Catherine Maxwell Stuart, Chair of the BID steering committee.

Appointed on an initial 18-month contract, Emma took up her post as Project Coordinator for the Tweed Valley Tourism BID in early April. She will now begin the detailed process of speaking with businesses of all shapes and sizes to see how they envisage the area developing as a tourism destination in the years ahead. This feedback will help shape the creation of a comprehensive business plan for the BID.

Once the business plan is finalised, the BID proposal will be put to a vote for all the local businesses who may wish to become part of the project, with a ballot scheduled for autumn 2019. If approved, the scheme will enable Scottish Borders Council to collect a compulsory levy from all the businesses involved, with the funds invested in delivering the agreed plan.

“I’m really excited to be given this opportunity,” commented Emma. “As all those who know me are aware, I’m deeply passionate about the Tweed Valley and its potential to become a genuinely world-class activity destination. Cycling and mountain biking are certainly the catalysts that will bring more visitors here in the future.

“I strongly believe that a tourism BID is the best way to take what’s already on offer in the Tweed Valley to the next level – for the benefit of tourism businesses and visitors alike. I can’t wait to get started.”

With the project very much in its infancy, Emma will be assisted by the Tourism BID steering committee, which consists of local tourism businesses and many of the area’s large hotels. Additional support will come from a variety of people with experience of working on BID projects elsewhere, plus representatives of Scottish Borders Council.

The project follows on from successful work carried out by the Tweed Valley Tourist Consortium over the past decade, and will initially also be supported by them.

“This crucial first phase of the project is very much about listening to tourism businesses to understand where we are today and what their ambitions are for the future development of the Tweed Valley as a tourism destination,” added Emma. “Only once we’ve spoken with as many businesses as possible will we begin to formulate our business plan.”

Tweed Valley-based tourism businesses are invited to attend the official launch of the Tweed Valley Tourism BID at the Eastgate Theatre, Peebles at 11am on 25 April. The launch will include a short presentation by Graeme Ambrose, Chief Executive of Visit Inverness Loch Ness, which became the first tourism BID in Scotland four years ago. The launch will be followed by the AGM of the Tweed Valley Tourist Consortium.

An exciting initiative to develop a tourism-based Business Improvement District (BID) project for the Tweed Valley has taken a step forward following the Tweed Valley Tourist Consortium’s (TVTC) successful application for initial seed-corn funding.

This grant, provided by the Scottish Government, supports local partners in taking forward development proposals to establish BIDs – a coming together of businesses to work towards improvements that help grow a local community and economy.

Scottish Borders Council has also indicated that it will provide match funding for this development phase of the project.

“This initial funding means that we can now really get started on the project,” commented Catherine Maxwell Stuart from Traquair House, and Chair of the Tweed Valley Tourism BID. “When we applied for funding in the summer, we saw excellent support from local tourism businesses, all of whom recognise this as a means of securing a consistent level of funding to resource a targeted and effective tourism business plan for the Tweed Valley.”

The Tweed Valley has seen a significant growth in tourism over the past 15 years, with the rise of mountain biking and leisure cycling in particular playing a critical role in bringing more visitors to the region.

Neil Dalgleish, Vice Chair of the Tweed Valley BID, added: “It’s an exciting prospect – we have an opportunity to do something bold, innovative and unique here, which could dramatically transform the tourism offer and industry in the Tweed Valley. This project could help take the Tweed Valley to a totally new level of visibility and success.”

If approved, a BID will enable the local authority to collect a compulsory levy which the businesses within the proposed BID area must vote in favour of before the BID can be established. The income raised from the levy can then be matched against other public sector funds to allow for additional investment.

The Tweed Valley Tourism BID Steering Group have been busy planning the development phase, including bringing on board a project manager who will begin work early in 2018. The project manager will work closely with all tourism businesses in the Tweed Valley to develop a fully-fledged business plan, and then generate support for that plan ahead of a final vote on the proposed Tourism BID in 2019.

Catherine added: “The Tweed Valley has a strong brand, but in order to sustain and grow tourism here we need further investment in marketing the area, as well as improving transport links and tourism infrastructure. We have some world class assets to work with, and standing still is not an option. There’s huge potential if we combine our ideas and resources and work together for mutual success.”