A ‘PANDEMIC-INSPIRED’ Borders tartan goes into production this month after 10 community groups were woven into an exciting arts project.

After a public vote in December 2023, the final ‘Remembering Together: The Scottish Borders’ tartan design was chosen and will be produced by a local mill.

The tartan is part of a nationwide effort to co-create Covid-19 pandemic memorials with communities across Scotland’s 32 local authority regions.

Following the public vote, a call-out was made for community groups to apply for grant funding for creative proposals which enhance the tartan’s accessibility.

Ten groups have now been chosen to develop their ideas.

They include Dance for Parkinsons: Tartan Ceilidh at Peebles and Borders General Hospital, a ceilidh-style dance depicting how Borderers navigated the challenges and isolation of the pandemic, eventually rediscovering the joy of dancing hand in hand.

Another successful project was Tweed Swimmers: Tartan in the Tweed, a group of wild swimmers who are to recreate the Borders tartan using huge lengths of brightly coloured ribbons in the waters of the river.

Since the project began in 2022, Remembering Together: The Scottish Borders has collaborated with local communities to capture their resilient spirit which was displayed throughout the pandemic.

While projects in each region have chosen diverse methods to commemorate their experiences, the Borders is the only one to have chosen to develop a new tartan as their memorial.

It is led by acclaimed artists Katherina Radeva and Alister Lownie of Two Destination Language. The community group projects herald the start of a new direction as the tartan becomes the canvas for a range of exciting artistic projects across the region.

“We were thrilled with the quality and amount of applications we received from groups,” said Katherina. “We would like to extend our deepest thanks to everyone who applied.

“There were so many wonderful ideas put forward that captured the spirit of the tartan through art, nature and community connections.”

The announcement of the community projects underlines the commitment of the ‘Remembering Together’ initiative to grass-roots engagement and the authentic sharing of pandemic experiences within local communities.

Alister said: “It is incredibly heartening to see the Borders embrace this initiative with such enthusiasm and creativity. Each of the community projects is a unique expression of the challenges and triumphs faced together during the lockdowns.”

The new tartan will be produced in May. The design will be woven into a length of fabric with pieces distributed to festivals, village halls and community spaces across the Borders.

The ten chosen groups are:

1. Go Wild Selkirk and Vicky Inam Mohieddeen: Creative Nature (Selkirk)

2. Dance for Parkinsons: Tartan Ceilidh (Peebles and Borders General Hospital)

3. Tweed Swimmers: Tartan in the Tweed

4. Border Buddies: Memory Book

5. Greener Peebles: Growing the Tartan

6. LINKS Eyemouth / Outside the Box: LINKS Project

7. At Birkhill House: Origami Together

8. Borders Community Sewing Club: Making Memoires

9. Galashiels Scout Group: Tartan Scout Camp

10. Crafts 4 U: Memories quilt and craft exhibition