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Festival Week 2009

A full list of event can be found either on the Festival Week section of this website or posters in the village shop and other notice boards around the village and on local radio at times during the week, so come along and take part or support others who do.

The events are also listed in detail in the Southern Reporter..

This year’s annual meeting of the Kelso Laddie & Jethart Callant at the Trysting Tree in Morebattle took place on Sunday 21^st June at 14:30.

There was a large turnout of both riders and spectators.  The MC for the day was the Rev Robin McHaffie and the address was given by Councillor Alec Nichol.  The 2009 Kelso Laddie is Robert Hogarth and the Jethart Callant Murray Yourston.  Also on the platform were the Provosts of Kelso and Jedburgh and partners and the Laddies mother who presented the best turned out Kelso rider to Lea Cassie.  The music for the ceremony was provided by the Jedburgh Silver Band

After the singing of Jethart's Here and Kelsae Bonnie Kelsae the Laddie and Callant jointly laid a wreath at the War Memorial followed by the playing of the Last Post and a minutes silence then Reveille and God Save The Queen.

The final part of the ceremony was the dancing of an Eightsome Reel with four Morebattle School pupils.

Refreshments were then provided in the Institute by the Community Council and the cavalcades left the village at 16:00.

Following the public consultation period, Post Office Ltd have decided to proceed with their plans to close the Post Office in Morebattle Village Store, and replace it with an outreach service. There is some ambiguity regarding the actual closure date - as soon as we know for sure, we'll post it here.

Everyone is absolutely gutted to hear the news. This evening (Tuesday) the Community Council is holding its regular monthly meeting, and no doubt this will be discussed at length.

We're not going to give up, though. Michael Moore MP is writing to the Secretary of State "challenging the basis of the consultation and demanding a re-think of these flawed proposals".

John Lamont MSP is reported as saying: "This decision is a sickening blow to communities across the Borders who have fought so hard to try and save their local post office. It shows the consultation up for the sham that it is, making a mockery of the whole process. I am particularly disappointed that Post Office Ltd has not taken on board the huge outpouring of local feeling which has been expressed against these plans."

It seems amazing that the Government can find £50 billion or so down the back of the sofa to save the banks, but a few Million to save essential services like Post Offices is beyond them.

Morebattle has been awarded First Prize in the Wee Village Class of Scotland's Floral Gateway competition. Helen Cessford and Mary Pringle are pictured showing off the awards they received on behalf of Morebattle In Bloom at the prize ceremony on Tuesday 9th September.

Congratulations to Helen, Mary and all the team, and to everyone throughout the village who leant a hand to make Morebattle Number 1!

All the latest news and information on the campaign to save the post office can now be seen in it's own "Save Our Post Office" section.

A public meeting is being held by John Lamont MSP to discuss the proposed changes to the Post Office services in Morebattle. As many of us are aware, if the Post Office is taken out of the village shop, as is planned, the shop will simply have to close, as it is not sustainable by itself.

The meeting is being held in the Institute on Tuesday 16th September from 7pm as part of the regular Kalewater Community Council meetings. Representatives from Post Office Ltd will be there to hear our concerns, so let's not waste this opportunity - come along to the meeting and make your voice heard!

Some of us will be having a meeting with Michael Moore MP the week before, as well. Being a Westminster issue, he is best placed to raise questions in Parliament to the relevant Ministers on our behalf.

It's been announced that Morebattle Post Office is to change to a "hosted" service, as The Post Office calls it. The bottom line is that the village will have a Post Office of some sort on Mondays from 9.30am to 2pm and Thursdays from 9.30am to 1pm. So, we'll be going from 45 hours a week to just 8 hours! There is no guarantee as to where it will be based.

We're now in a consultation period, which ends on 29th September. Michael Moore MP is spearheading a campaign to keep the village's Post Office, and is writing to everyone in the Morebattle area with a survey to complete - please complete it and send it back to him. He's also going to be meeting with Royal Mail - a date has yet to be fixed for that.

Community Council will be discussing the announcement at August's meeting (19th August at 7pm in The Institute), so please come along if you can.

The first event of the annual Morebattle Festival week is the sashing of the new games queen Jenifer Cessford which will take place at Morebattle Church on Sunday the 27th July.  The rest of the events will start with the football competition on Saturday the 2nd August.

Full list off events will appear on the Morebattle Festival Week page.