CANONBIE AND ROWANBURN ONE STEP CLOSER TO A NEW LANG SANDY (Jim Hume)

CANONBIE AND ROWANBURN ONE STEP CLOSER TO A NEW LANG SANDY

April 21, 2010 12:00 AM

Jim Hume, Liberal Democrat MSP for the South of Scotland, has congratulated Rowanburn Amenity Group on raising over £1200 during last weekend's auction in aid of the new Lang Sandy statue.

Residents of Canonbie and Rowanburn decided to take matters into their own hands and raise the cash needed to replace the existing and much loved statue, which has sadly deteriorated over the years.

Mr Hume, who officially opened the auction, said:

"People in the area have a great deal of fondness for Lang Sandy and the historical significance has never been lost, so it's easy to understand the strength of feeling towards this focal point of the community and the concern shown when the statue began to deteriorate. This was shown in the survey I distributed last August asking for local people's views on the future of the statue.

"I received a huge response to the survey, and every respondent said they wanted the statue saved or recreated in some way. Having the statue removed with no replacement was simply not an option and many people remarked that the place would not be the same without Lang Sandy. One resident said that, 'Lang Sandy is not just a focal point for Rowanburn, he is part of the history of the area'.

The MSP continued:

"The fighting spirit shown by Lang Sandy Armstrong and the rest of the reiving families is still evident in the residents of this area today. And at the auction on Saturday, people dug deep to raise over £1200 so the Rowanburn Amenities Group is to be congratulated on organising such a successful event."

ENDS