The Borders first crematorium will begin operations by the end of this year.  The crematorium will be located next to Wairds cemetery just outside Melrose and in the shadow of the Eildon Hills.  A picture perfect postcard location.

The good news does not end there.  Work has started work on a second crematorium at Houndwood Church in Berwickshire.

The facility at Wairds will be run by Westerleigh, the UK’s second largest crematorium operator, and costs approximately £2.6 million.  The building will contain an 84 seat chapel with standing room for 100 outside.   The expected annual number of cremations is 500.  It is estimated that this will rise to 900 within 10 years of operation.

Why might you ask is this such good news.  The answer is a simple one.  Until now if you live in the Borders and you wanted to be cremated your family, friends and colleagues had to travel to either Edinburgh or Newcastle.  A journey that was often long and stressful and in the winter might not even be possible.  I suspect that this is an issue that affects many other communities in Scotland.

I am originally from Galashiels and still split my time between the Borders and Edinburgh.   The main road to Edinburgh is the A7.  A road that is best described as bendy with few overtaking opportunities, congested during the main commuting times and in the winter hazardous.  So little has changed that my great grandparents, if still alive, would have little trouble recognising this road today.

It is often the case that after a church service in Galashiels the body is taken to Mortonhall crematorium in Edinburgh.  Those attending the crematorium would then have to head back to Galashiels.  As is likely to be case the family will have invited everyone to a venue in Galashiels for a cup of tea, sometimes something a little stronger, and a bite to eat.  This is also a chance to pay your respects to the family.  That often meant a round trip of 80 miles and having to take a full day off work.  The opening of these crematoria will, for large numbers of people, mean not having to make journeys such as this.

As we know a time of bereavement is a difficult enough time without having added a stressful journey.  That is why this is such good news for the Borders and why I would like to note my thanks to all those who made this happen.

This article was published in the latest edition of Age Scotland’s quarterly magazine, Advantage.

Firstly, news that an an operator of three Lothian care homes is to take over 11 homes currently run by Southern Cross, which is being wound down due to financial difficulties.  Robert Kilgour, who built up Four Seasons Health Care before selling it, now runs three homes.  The owners of 11 Southern Cross homes, nine in Aberdeenshire, one in Edinburgh and one in Fife are forming a partnership with Mr Kilgour.  The handover is expected to take place within the next two months.

The full report from the BBC can be found here.

The second story concerns a care home in Hawick whose future may be in doubt.

A spokesman for the local Health Board said: “a study of NHS Borders’ services was being undertaken – the Health Board has a much higher proportion of beds than other regions of Scotland.”

One explanation for this, and one reason why this should continue, is the age demographics in places like the Borders.  Stories like this also show how much uncertainty surrounds the care home industry in Scotland just now.

The full story from the Southern Reporter can be found here.

Plans to use a £420,000 bequest to convert a substandard care home into a healthy living centre, complete with spa and gym, for pensioners in the Galashiels area have been ditched following a three-month public consultation.

The report from the Southern Reporter can be found here.