LAST winter's extreme cold snap has taken its toll on the finances of a Borders charity.

The Abbotsford Trust, which manages Sir Walter Scott's former home and estate, has now warned that it is facing a potential financial loss for 2018.

Burst pipes and snow plough charges at the beginning of the year have added to the usual costs of maintaining the house.

The Trust have also blamed an underperformance of weddings and events at the venue for the forecasted deficit.

Despite the outlook, Giles Ingram, Chief Executive of The Abbotsford Trust, assured that a strategy is in place for 2019 to redress the situation.

Giles said: “Despite the financial forecast for 2018, Abbotsford continues to grow and develop as a successful visitor attraction in the Borders, thanks in no small part to the amazing help we get from our volunteers and supporters.

We are seeing positive trends this year which are very encouraging as we finalise our new ten year strategy and our more immediate plans for next year.

“Our challenge now is to minimise the losses for this year and implement our strategy for 2019, as we continue to engage people with Scott’s fantastic legacy, both within the local community and further afield, especially as we look forward to celebrating his 250th anniversary in 2021.”

The Trust also reported a small trading surplus of £50,000 for 2017.

The charity received donations and grants totalling £613,526 which was spent on the restoration of Scott’s woodland and riverside paths, the future restoration of Abbotsford’s Portcullis Gate and garden pavilion, and a minibus to provide a free shuttle service from Tweedbank Station.

The Trust’s trading company made a loss of £16,699, which reduced the overall surplus.

Abbotsford House saw a five percent increase in visits on 2016 and met the average growth rate of 4.8 percent for Southern Scotland, although fell short of matching the rate for Scotland as a whole, which was 9.7 percent.