THE proud claim of Newtown St Boswells to be the “Heart of the Borders” is enshrined in 27 new street name signs which are being erected throughout the village.

Each bears a crest with that motto which has been specially designed by local artist Douglas Robb.

The new-look signs are a joint initiative between Newtown and Eildon Community Council and Scottish Borders Council.

“We requested the new signs because many were absent and others had reached the end of their useful life,” said community council chair Daryl du Bois.

“It’s a small but tangible reflection of our effort to make Newtown an even better place to work and live and we are grateful to Douglas, who does so much to support our work, for letting us use his crest which has now been adopted as our community’s unofficial logo.”

Mrs du Bois said she hoped the new signs would raise the profile of her council and help it attract new members.

Her appeal for fresh faces follows the recent election to SBC of previous chairperson Elaine Thornton-Nicol (SNP Selkirkshire) and the death in April of community councillor Frances Mayes.

“The upshot is we need to co-opt three new members to bring our number up to the full complement of 10,” said Mrs du Bois who has taken over the chair from Mrs Thornton-Nicol.

“We’d love to hear from any resident willing to give up some time to help improve the quality of life in our two villages.

“We’re involved in many projects which are making a difference and we want to keep that momentum going and raise our profile with new blood and fresh ideas.

“The new street signs augment the wonderful work of our Newtown in Bloom group and the villagers who give so generously to support our community projects,

“We work in partnership with SBC and other parties and, over the past three years, we’ve been awarded £15,500 in small scheme grants from SBC.”

Another success has been the formation of a Dog Friendly Newtown group, led by community councillor Veronica Lenartowicz, which has reduced dog fouling by encouraging responsible pet ownership.

Grant funding has also enabled the extensive refurbishment of the Newtown Community Wing – the former primary school in Sprouston Road – which is now used by a wide range of local groups and includes a sports hall and kitchen facilities.

Regular meetings of the community council take place in that venue on the last Tuesday of the month with the next set for July 25 at 7pm.

“Anyone interested in serving on the community council is most welcome to come along,” said Mrs du Bois.