BORDERERS are being encouraged to celebrate WWF’s Earth Hour and switch off their lights for one hour to show they care about the planet.

 Earth Hour takes place at 8.30pm on Saturday, March 19 and is designed to not just have an impact through an hour of energy saving, but to help put a spotlight on the issues facing the planet.

 Scottish Borders Council is supporting Earth Hour, and encouraging members of the public to sign up at wwf.org.uk/earthhour.

 The local authority has also asked staff to switch off lights in their offices from 11am to 12noon on Friday, March 18 - where it is safe to do so - to further support the environmental initiative.

 Councillor Ron Smith, SBC’s Executive Member for Planning and Environment, said: “We are proud to support WWF’s Earth Hour once again and are excited to be involved with such an inspiring, symbolic event.

 “It reminds everyone that they can make a difference to help protect our planet. Each one of us has a part to play.”

 Over the last decade, Earth Hour’s display of darkness has become a global phenomenon, with hundreds of millions of individuals coming together each year.

 In 2015, a record-breaking 172 countries and some of world’s most famous buildings including Big Ben, Hong Kong’s skyline and the Sydney Harbour Bridge joined the global celebration. In the UK alone, over 10 million people took part, along with over 4,800 schools, 200 landmarks and thousands of businesses and organisations.