A SERIES of short films is hoping to raise the curtain on the treasures of the Tweed Valley.

Commissioned and launched by the marketing group The Tweed Valley Consortium, the four short films feature musicians, an artist, a restaurateur and a conservationist to tell their My Tweed Valley stories.

All of the shorts, which are being launched online, are created by local filmmaker Tom Swift.

The My Tweed Valley campaign aims to paint a diverse, lively and modern picture of the area’s people, landscape and culture.

And the initial two films, featuring musicians John McCusker and Heidi Talbot, and artist Claire Blyth, have already achieved significant reach via social media.

John and Heidi describe why they have chosen to make the area their home.

In the film, the pair explore what brought them to the area and highlight the vibrant music scene that exists here in the Tweed Valley.

John, Scotland’s foremost fiddle player, explained: “This is a place where you feel like you are surrounded by people who are trying to create beautiful things artistically."

The second film, launched to coincide with the start of the Creative Peebles Festival, features celebrated local artist Claire who explains how the area has influenced her work, and how the Tweed Valley and wider Borders have become one of Scotland’s most artistically-rich destinations.

She said: “The number of artists per head of population is greater here than anywhere else in the country, so there’s an enormous amount of artwork to be seen.

"The variety is just phenomenal.”

The initial My Tweed Valley project includes two other films - one covering the area’s vibrant food and drink scene featuring Ally McGrath from Osso Restaurant, and another that sees Diane Bennett from the Tweed Valley Osprey Project talk about the area’s abundant natural riches.

Rich Rowe from Visit Tweed Valley, the online face of the tourist consortium, believes the films will entice many to the area. He said: "We hope the clips excite, surprise and ultimately inspire visitors to come and experience the area for themselves.

"And what better way to learn about an area than to hear from some of the remarkable people who live and work here.”

The are has seen growing visitor numbers over the past few years, with the Consortium working hard alongside others to build the Tweed Valley brand.

Catherine Maxwell Stuart, chair of the Tourist Consortium, added: “We have achieved a tremendous amount through working together over the past ten years and we have great hopes that our new film campaign will continue to attract more visitors to the Scottish Borders”.

With further filming scheduled in the autumn, the Tourist Consortium plans to release a second wave of films featuring celebrated local sportspeople and volunteer groups.

The films can be enjoyed by following the links at www.visittweedvalley.co.uk