SCOTLAND'S First Minister and an award-winning journalist took time to honour the life of the celebrated Sunday Times war correspondent Marie Colvin at Beyond Borders last weekend.

Nicola Sturgeon and Lindsey Hilsum planted a tree at Traquair House during the Beyond Borders International Festival on Sunday.

While in Sri Lanka in 2001, Marie was hit by a grenade and lost the sight in her left eye resulting in her trademark eye patch.

She reported from the most dangerous places in the world, fractured by conflict and genocide, going in deeper and staying longer than anyone else.

And while reporting, she was killed in Syria in 2012 during a targeted attack on journalists. Her death was widely reported upon due to the extreme circumstances.

One year before her death, Marie spoke at Beyond Borders before having to leave suddenly due to the news breaking of the fall of Gadhafi in Libya.

Her memorial reads "'A Tree for Marie' In honour of Marie Colvin who died reporting the truth in Homs, Syria on 22 February 2012".

Afterwards, the First Minister was interviewed by Allan Little, which was followed by Lindsey being interviewed by Razia Iqbal.

Nicola Sturgeon spoke to the packed tent about Brexit, the current political landscape in Scotland and the United Kingdom.

And Lindsey’s biography In Extremis: The Life and Death of the War Correspondent Marie Colvin was the subject of her talk.

Lindsey is the International Editor for Channel 4 News and has covered countless conflicts over the last 20 years.

She has put herself in dangerous situations to write “the first draft of history”, including being in Belgrade during the 1999 NATO bombing, and being the only English-speaking reporter in Rwanda when the genocide began.

And she was with fellow foreign correspondent Marie Colvin in Jenin, on the occupied West Bank, as the Israelis were besieging it in 2002.

Lindsey said:“Marie is a great example of endless selfless bravery as she stayed in a UN compound to protect those inside as she knew she was in effect a human shield from the danger in the streets.”

“She is truly an emblem for adventurous women, but her story really gives an insight into her always putting the story ahead of her own wellbeing.

“The book is a cautionary tale for young people looking to pursue a career like Marie’s to take better care of themselves than she did of herself.”