Branch News

SCOTTISH BORDERS GREENS – MANIFESTO FOR A BETTER BORDERS

BORDERS GREENS NEWS

A decision was taken to close our account on X (formerly Twitter).

We have new social media presence on BlueSky and Mastadon.

GREEN NEWS NEWSLETTERS

CLICK Scottish Borders Greens newsletters to view most recent and historical branch newsletters.

BRANCH MEETING

We meet via Zoom and in person. Members check your email inbox.

NEXT BRANCH MEETING – Wednesday 11th February 7pm online via Zoom. All members welcome.

UPCOMING EVENTS

We’re campaigning every weekend between now and May’s Scottish Parliament election, trying to have face-to-face conversations with as many voters as possible.

Members and supporters can help out by joining local activists knocking doors and hearing what matters most to the people in our region or help us deliver our Holyrood campaign cards. There are other ways you can help with the campaign if you cannot join us on campaign sessions such as donating to the campaign crowdfunder, displaying a poster in your window or helping on a stall. Contact us if you would like to learn more about how you can help make a difference. Email – borders@scottishgreens.org.uk

Recent polling shows the Scottish Green Party are on track to win two seats in South Scotland. What’s better than one Green MSP? Two Greens fighting for fairer, greener communities across our region. Help us make it so.

Campaign Sessions, National Action Days & Spring Conference.

NATIONAL ACTION DAY Saturday 31st January – there will be multiple campaign events throughout Scottish Borders. If you can’t make an event but wish to do something for it you can deliver some Holyrood cards in your local area, maybe get a bunch of you together, do please get in touch. Email – borders@scottishgreens.org.uk

GALASHIELS – Saturday 31st January meet at the Stirling Street Car Park at 10.30am (across the road from the Interchange)

CLOVENFORDS – Saturday 31st January 11am-4pm, 2 sessions, morning & afternoon, meet outside the (sadly closed) pub at 11am or 2pm.

Other locations for National Action Day awaiting TBC.

DROP-IN SESSION – Tuesday 3rd February 8-9pm online – with our co-leaders Gillian Mackay & Ross Greer (Members will have received registration link via email)

INNERLETHEN – Saturday 7th February 11am-4pm, 2 sessions, morning & afternoon, meet at No. 1 Peebles Road (cafe) from 10.30am or 2pm (join us at 1pm for lunch)

CARDRONA – Saturday 14th February 11am-4pm, 2 sessions, morning & afternoon, meet outside the village hall at 11am or 2pm.

PEEBLES – Saturday 21st February 11am-4pm, 2 sessions, morning & afternoon, meet at Kingsmeadows Car Park at 11am or 2pm.

Scottish Greens Spring Conference 2026 on Saturday 21st February in the Technology & Innovation Centre, University of Strathclyde in Glasgow.

This is a hybrid event you can register to attend – In-person or online

NATIONAL ACTION DAY – Sunday 22nd February there will be multiple campaign events throughout Scottish Borders. If you can’t make an event but wish to do something for it you can deliver some Holyrood cards in your local area, maybe get a bunch of you together, do please get in touch. Email – borders@scottishgreens.org.uk

Locations for National Action Day awaiting TBC.

INNERLEITHEN – Saturday 28th February 11am-4pm, 2 sessions, morning & afternoon, meet at No. 1 Peebles Road (cafe) from 10.30am or 2pm (join us at 1pm for lunch)

There are various events in the pipeline, Borders Greens are currently in the process of organising these, on a range of local, national and global issues and interests. Details will be emailed to our members. Some of our events are open to the public so keep and eye out for posts on the branch social media Facebook, Instagram, BlueSky and Mastadon & via the diary at the foot of this website pages.

If you have an idea for a talk, an event or if you have a local campaign you think we could support you with please do not hesitate to get in touch – borders@scottishgreens.org.uk

Nae Nukes or Nuclear Convoys

Our ‘Nae Nukes or Nuclear Convoys’ campaign, an update will follow shortly.

PAST EVENTS

We have had a sucessful series of events over the past few years, inbetween election campaigns keeping us busy, including talks by Tweed Forum, The South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project, The Citizens’ Climate Lobby; and on the subjects of National Parks and Regenerative Farming and Renewable Energy and our annual Vegan Burns Supper Lunch held in Tweedbank.

Thank you to all who organise, volunteer and particularily to those who present informative talks.

2025

On Saturday 24th January we held our Vegan Burns Lunch at Tweedbank Community Centre. Despite the aftermath of storm Eowyn preventing some folk from attending there was a good turnout. The haggis was piped in by Cllr Neil MackKinnon.We were served up tasty haggis, neeps & tatties and Cranachan cheesecake with a large selection of savoury finger foods. We recited The Bard’s ‘Tam o’ Shanter’, followed by a ‘How well do you know the Borders?’ quiz and a wee raffle of course.

2024

On Saturday 27th January held in Tweedbank Community Centre our South Scotland Green Gathering was attended by 3 of our Green MSPs, Patrick.Harvie, Ariane Burgess and Maggie Chapman; 5 election candidates, guest speaker Matt Griffin and over 40 members and friends representing all five branches in South Scotland.

Our candidates for Westminster and the forthcoming Jedburgh & District by-election introduced themselves, followed by Westminster election experience shared from Patrick Harvie & Cameron Eadie.

Maggie Chapman gave a passionate talk on Green Yes & was joined by our Green councillor Neil MacKinnon on why Scottish independence is crucial. Neil also kindly piped in the haggis for our vegan Burns lunch.

Ariane Burgess discussed Green opportunities to make a difference through action in Holyrood & by rural communities ourselves.

Finally we were treated to a truly inspiring talk by Matt Griffin of Neidpath Farms on ‘Rewilding the Soil’ through regenerative agriculture.

Further social & chat was appreciated to end our day at Tempest Brewery Taproom.

Many thanks to all who attended, to our wonderful MSPs, guest speakers, those who brought tasty vegan food to share & generally mucked in to make this South Scotland Green Gathering such a successful enjoyable day.

Here are just a few photos from the Green Gathering

2023

A recent public event in March in Duns was when John Seed of Woodend Farming Partnership shared the highs & lows on their journey towards ‘Restoring Rural Resilience with Regenerative Farming and Renewable Energy’

View Woodend Farm Case Study ‘Farming for a Better Climate – Woodend Farming Partnership Restoring Rural Resilience’ HERE

Watch Scotland’s Farm Advisory Service Podcast by John & Louise Seed S2 Ep56: Natural Capital – Arable HERE

Learn more via Woodend Farming Partnership website HERE

2022

Saturday 22nd January the branch held our first Walk and Talk meet-up.

It was a really good turnout and lovely weather for our Walk and Talk event at The Policies and Gala Hill to launch the Borders Greens local election campaign. Members and supporters old and new joined our leisurely amble to share opinions on local green issues and eat cake (thank you Cat and Shelagh); but most importantly to chat to our two target-to-win candidates Neil and Dominic. All socially distanced and in small groups we stopped at the trigpoint on Gala Hill to see some of the damage done by storm Arwen and then ‘masked up’ for a photo shoot. It was wonderful to see everyone in person after two years without any face-to-face events.

Scottish Borders Greens have continued to be active during the Covid-19 pandemic, mainly through our Facebook page, where we have been keeping you up to date with some of the work of our wonderful Scottish Greens MSPs.

As you would expect there have been no major programme of local events, we hope 2022 will bring better things and we can pick up from where we left off.

It was great to have Scottish Green Party co-leader Lorna Slater in the Borders on Thursday 30th January, delivering an excellent and thought-provoking talk on Antarctica and climate change at Stow Primary School, itself an inspiring centre for environmental education and activism.

We had a bumper audience (60) of local folk and no shortage of questions and debate – many thanks to Lorna, to Green Stow and of course Stow Primary School for hosting, and to everyone who came out on a cold windy January night!