IT is a permanent if moving feature of the regional landscape, contributing to one of our most important and enduring industries.
Now, the remarkable and iconic Border Collie is to feature in a new film which will have its world premiere at the Maltings Cinema in Berwick on Wednesday April 2.
Shot on location in the Scottish Borders and North Northumberland, the documentary will trace the history of a breed which is acknowledged as one of the most intelligent and hardest-working in the canine firmament.
The film will also highlight local shepherds and proud owners and turn the spotlight on the Search and Rescue Dog Association and the Border Collie Rescue service which re-homes dogs at the end of their working lives. Among the stories explored in the documentary, produced by Shadowcat Films, will be that of Old Hemp, a tricolour herding dog born in 1893 and considered the progenitor of the breed.
It was bred by Northumbrian shepherd Adam Telfer at his home in Cambo. A prolific sire, Old Hemp’s stud services were sought on both sides of the border and it is estimated that, in his lifetime, he fathered more than 200 dogs and countless bitches.
All pure Border Collies alive today are said to be able to trace an ancestral line back to Old Hemp.
The new film will boost a cross border Facebook campaign (Recognition for the Border Collie’s Heritage) which was launched in 2012. Its aim is to have a permanent memorial to Telfer and his prolific dog erected in Cambo.
Tickets (£5, £4) for the premiere, which starts at 7pm, are available online or from the Maltings box office on 01289 330 999.
The crew and several of the featured interviewees will be available to chat and answer questions after the screening.
