I had the pleasure of joining around 1,200 school children from 60 schools across the Scottish Borders recently as they sampled first-hand the experience of running a farm, producing food, and working in the rural economy.

It was great to see the excitement and enthusiasm of the pupils as the Border Union Agricultural Society and their volunteers brought the curriculum to life.

Bringing the countryside to the heart of the curriculum for a day was a fantastic success. It showed young people just how much fun they can have farming, producing food and helping the climate.

Duns-based business ScotlandShop were recently announced as one of the first ever winners in the inaugural ‘Made in the UK, Sold to the World’ awards.

This is a brilliant victory for ScotlandShop in a prestigious UK-wide competition.

ScotlandShop has done outstanding work to grow their business and build a global reputation for high-quality tartan clothing, fabrics and home accessories.

They were not the only Borders business celebrating success recently. I also got to welcome Billy, Robbie and Jamie from the Buccleuch Arms to the UK Parliament this month.

They were crowned Scotland’s best rural pub in the Countryside Alliance awards. Congratulations!

I also recently recognised some of the best volunteers across the Borders.

The dedication, hard work and commitment from volunteers is incredible. Their efforts keep many local services running and they provide amazing levels of support to make other people’s lives a little better.

Read more about the winners of my competition here: https://www.johnlamont.org/news/winners-borders-volunteer-awards-announced

Taking in the sights at the famous Siccar Point and with local artist Anne at the Art at Ancrum exhibition.

I met with local campaigners to discuss next steps for extending the Borders Railway and visited Inspire Learning's new centre of excellence at Tweedbank.