A BORDERS school has celebrated their 'tree-mendous' work after being honoured at Scotland's annual 'tree Oscars'.

St Mary's School in Melrose were named winners of the Crown Estate Scotland Schools Trophy at the 2018 Scotland's Finest Woods Awards at the Royal Highland Show in Ingleston last week.

The awards programme honours the contributions made by woodland to people, the environment and the economy, with the winners presented with trophies and cash prizes.

Also among the winners, Peter Gascoigne from Gascoigne Farm in Broughton collected the Lilburn Trophy in the Farm Woodland Award.

Winners from across Scotland – from Galloway in the south-west to Braemar in the north-east – all received their awards from Fergus Ewing MSP, Scotland’s cabinet secretary for rural economy and connectivity.

Angela Douglas, executive director of Scotland’s Finest Woods, said: “This has been an outstanding year, with a very high quality and wide variety of entries. The addition of the Farm Woodland Award has been a tremendous success, with a superb set of entries reflected in a winner, plus a highly commended and a commended entry.

“Also, the Scottish Government made 2018 the Year of Young People and we are delighted to be honouring three schools from Melrose, Motherwell and Fife, whose pupils might become the forestry leaders of the future.”

The Farm Woodland Award judges were thoroughly impressed by the winner, Peter Gascoigne of Gascoigne Farm Ltd in Peeblesshire.

He has planted 126 hectares on his hill farm, combining “soft wood trees for commercial use and hard woods to be retained for future generations.”

He has also built a farm house, steadings and ponds on the 385 hectare farm since buying it in 2002.

In his entry, Mr Gascoigne said: “Our main farming enterprise is breeding quality lambs, and this can only be achieved in my opinion by creating warmth and shelter by planting trees given the altitude of the farm.”

The judges said: “Mr Gascoigne’s efforts are an inspiration to other farmers considering planting woodlands on their farms. The owner is conscious of landscape design, with biodiversity, wildlife and conservation all factored [into] the woodland mix.”

They said Mr Gascoigne had “demonstrated the direct benefit of the woodland to the agricultural business with productive conifer woodland starting to yield returns and more productive better quality lambs being produced on the farm.”

Angela added: “We were only able to introduce the Farm Woodland Award thanks to the generous support of the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland and Scottish Woodlands Ltd.

“Indeed, the awards can only continue to thrive thanks to support from many organisations in the forestry sector across the tree nursery, children’s learning, forest management, NGO and sawmilling sectors.”

In addition to trophies and prize money, all winners receive a specially- commissioned cherry wood commemorative plaque engraved with their winning details to keep, and a certificate.