'If there had been a big storm, the whole thing might have fallen down'

Emergency repairs have been carried out to a towering 31-foot statue of William Wallace in the Scottish Borders.

It follows concerns over the condition of the Scottish freedom fighter's iconic claymore.

The landmark, which overlooks the River Tweed near Bemersyde, was sculpted from sandstone more than 50 years before his monument near Stirling.

However, the passage of time had taken its toll, due to what's being described as "significant weathering".

Chair of The William Wallace Trust, musician/producer and film director, Jesse Rae told Greatest Hits Radio: "When Alex Douglas from Roxburghe Estates went up there, we found out if there had been a big storm, the whole thing might have fallen down - the whole claymore."

Specialist stonemasons were commissioned to carry out the restoration work after the statue's owners were awarded a £3,210 grant from the Fallago Environment Fund - which distributes proceeds from the Fallago Rig windfarm in the Lammermuir Hills; while Roxburghe Estates provided scaffolding in-kind.

Jesse Rae - who wrote the 1982 Odyssey hit Inside Out - also donated £1,000 to the project, which cost almost £7,000, to add to local donations.

And he hopes further improvements could follow.

"We get worldwide reaction to the Wallace statue," the musician acknowledged. "But, to be honest, he is still the Borders best kept secret.

"So support him, and we can get the new seating and rest area done and the new car park."

Erected in 1814, by the 11th Earl of Buchan, the statue - which depicts Wallace in medieval Scottish armour, gripping his claymore in one hand, and bearing a shield in the other - is a lasting tribute to Scotland’s legendary freedom fighter.

Gareth Baird, who chairs the Fallago Fund, said: “The statue of William Wallace has stood proudly overlooking the rolling Borders countryside for over two centuries and is a much-loved landmark. We are delighted that funds generated by the Fallago Rig windfarm have helped safeguard such an important part of our region’s heritage.”

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