New Tartan Launched for Return to the Ridings

A new Tartan has been created to celebrate Return to the Ridings, a major Homecoming Scotland 2009 event taking place in the Scottish Borders.

The tartan not only represents the history, heritage and colours of the Scottish Borders Common Ridings & Festivals but, using Scottish Borders textile expertise, the tartan also incorporates Retroreflective® reflective yarn for night-time safety.

The Return to the Ridings tartan, a project managed by the Scottish Borders Council Homecoming Scotland team, was designed at Heriot-Watt University and woven by Robert Noble of Peebles.

The tartan, which has been submitted to the Scottish Tartans World Register, was created as part of Return to the Ridings, a celebration that brings eleven of the Scottish Borders Common Ridings & Festivals together for Homecoming Scotland 2009. The inclusion of the tartan in the Scottish Tartans World Register will create a lasting legacy for Homecoming Scotland in the Scottish Borders.

During the Homecoming year of 2009, the towns of Hawick, West Linton, Selkirk, Peebles, Melrose, Galashiels, Jedburgh, Duns, Kelso, Lauder and Coldstream join together to celebrate their historic Common Ridings and Festivals. These 11 towns in the Scottish Borders focus their ride-outs around the use of the horses.

The tartan was designed by Emma Arthur-Daniels a Heriot-Watt University textiles masters student. Emma created a design which blends the traditional values of the Border Common Ridings with modern yarns. Each of the eleven towns participating in Return to the Ridings is represented in the tartan with the inclusion of their colours in the tartan over-checks. The main ground of the tartan is green, to symbolising the Borders countryside and land which the Common Ridings were designed to protect.

Emma incorporated a modern, reflective yarn into the traditional tartan design. Retroreflective® yarn, which is designed to increase night-time safety, has minute glass beads and reflects light back to the source. For equestrian events such as the Common Ridings taking place in the evening could reflect light such as car headlights to indicate a rider and horse are ahead.

Emma, who is originally from London, joined the master’s course at Heriot-Watt University as it is one of the few educational establishments that offers such advanced levels of expertise.

Robert Noble, a textile manufacturer based in Peebles, specialises in working with modern technical fabrics, for example fire retardant textiles for us in airplane interiors. Using Robert Noble’s expertise the Retroreflective® yarn was twisted with wool and woven into the tartan. Bruce Anderson, the Selkirk Weavers Standard Bearer for 2009, was part of the team that produced the Tartan. The Scottish Borders is one of the few places that has such technical expertise and companies who can successfully combined this specialist yarn with a brand new tartan.

The tartan has been used to create garments for the Peebles Beltane Festival Cornet Gareth Harrison (29) and his Lass Laura Robson (25). Principles are selected to represent their local town during the Common Ridings.

To celebrate the launch of the new Return to the Ridings tartan, Leony Mayhew, Heriot-Watt University Fashion Technician, designed a floor length tailored coat for Laura, the Cornet’s Lass and with the help of Sandra Darling (fashion technician) and Jane Robertson (department superintendent) made both the coat and a waistcoat for the cornet Gareth.

If you would like to comment on or register an interest in the Tartan a discussion board has been set up on the Return to the Ridings Facebook Page, available through www.returntotheridings.co.uk.

Emma Arthur-Daniels a Heriot-Watt University textiles masters student, said:
“This was a very exciting project to be involved in and a real opportunity to develop my work in the use of textiles. Heriot-Watt has such a fine reputation in the textiles industry and it was a challenge to represent that reputation in such an important design. However I think the final product holds true to the values of the Scottish Borders Common Ridings & Festivals, while incorporating the new concept of weaving modern yarns into this type of fabric.”

Alistair McDade, Robert Noble, said:
“The Scottish Borders has a wealth of textiles knowledge and this type of project pushes those boundaries yet again. As far as I know the use of a reflective yarn in tartan is a new concept but it is these new ideas which help keep the Scottish Borders at the forefront of the textiles industry.”

Kate Pearson, Homecoming Scotland Coordinator, said:
“Return to the Ridings is a major Homecoming Scotland 2009 event which aims to attract visitors back to the Scottish Borders Common Ridings & Festivals. Projects such as the creation of the Return to the Ridings tartan will leave a lasting Homecoming legacy in the area and beyond.”

Andrew Johnstone, Chair of the Common Ridings and Festivals Association, said:
“The creation of a Return to the Ridings tartan helps put the Scottish Borders Common Ridings & Festivals on the international map as we aim to attract as many people to the events in this Homecoming year. The tartan itself has been designed to represent each of the Ridings and it something we can all be proud of now and in the future.”

Councillor Vicky Davidson, Executive Member for Economic Development, Scottish Borders Council, said:
“The Scottish Borders Common Ridings & Festivals are stunning spectacles and the creation of a new tartan that combines the history of the events with modern technology is a great example of how successful economies can collaborate – combining the research expertise at the School of Textiles & Design with the product development expertise available within companies in the textiles sector here in the Borders. We hope that this type of activity continues and could be expanded into bigger collaborative ventures between Heriot-Watt University and local businesses.”

Although there are no plans to put the tartan into full production Return to the Ridings organisers will monitor demand and, if demand is sufficient, could consider commercial production.

Return to the Ridings – Event Information
Return to the Ridings is one of the highlights of the Homecoming Scotland 2009 programme and celebrates the centuries-old Scottish Borders Common Ridings & Festivals with events from June to August 2009.

• 1-6 June: Hawick Common Riding
• 5-13 June: West Linton Whipman
• 8-13 June: Selkirk Common Riding
• 14-20 June: Peebles Beltane
• 14-20 June: Melrose Festival
• 19-28 June: Galashiels Braw Lads Gathering
• 27 June-10 July: Jed Callants Festival
• 5-11 July: Duns Summer Festival
• 13-18 July: Kelso Civic Week
• 26 July - 1 August: Lauder Common Riding
• 2-8 August: Coldstream Civic Week

The Return to the Ridings is part of the Homecoming Scotland programme, extending an invitation throughout the world to Return to the Ridings and join a series of co-ordinated ancient festivals across the Scottish Border towns.

Further details can be found at www.returntotheridings.co.uk.

Since the beginning of the 16th Century, Common Ridings & Festivals have formed an integral part of Scottish Borders tradition. Common Riding is an annual celebration that involves townsfolk in a grand ‘ride-out’ on horse-back around the town.

The events are friendly, heart-stirring and steeped in local history, including rousing music and song specific to each town. Visitors are always made welcome and will soon find themselves joining in – whether it’s linking arms as the procession moves through the town or cheering the stunning displays of horsemanship as the riders gallop back into the town.

Homecoming Scotland 2009 celebrates the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns’ birth and the Scottish Borders Homecoming Scotland Programme includes three major events.

Homecoming Scotland 2009 – Major Events in the Scottish Borders:
Return to the Ridings, a celebration of the centuries old tradition and stunning spectacle of the Border Common Ridings & Festivals; In the Footsteps of the Reivers – the Scottish Borders Walking Festival, a fascinating look at the rich and bloody history of the Border Reivers across the distinctive landscape that was their home; the Clan Scott Gathering an exciting four day programme full of history, music, colour, drama – and fun whether you're a Scott or not.

The three major events all encourage visitors Back to the Borders (www.backtotheborders.com), a new Ancestral Tourism initiative by the same name was recently launched encouraging those with Borders heritage from across the world to rediscover their roots and return to the Scottish Borders.

Notes to Editor
• For further event information log on to: www.returntotheridings.co.uk
• For information on Homecoming in the Scottish Borders log on to: www.homecomingscotland2009.com/scottishborders or www.ourscottishborders.org.uk
• Return to the Ridings is funded by Scottish Borders Council and Homecoming Scotland.
• Homecoming Scotland is a Scottish Government initiative managed by EventScotland in partnership with VisitScotland.
• For the first time, the historic Border Common Ridings & Festivals united to launch Return to the Ridings, a major initiative as part of Scotland’s first Homecoming celebrations.
• The centuries old Scottish Borders Common Ridings & Festivals have joined together to support Scotland’s first national Homecoming celebration by issuing a joint invitation to Border folk around the globe to Return to the Ridings in 2009.
• Return to the Ridings brings together the Common Ridings and Festivals of: Hawick, West Linton, Selkirk, Peebles, Melrose, Galashiels, Jedburgh, Duns, Kelso, Lauder and Coldstream
• Return to the Ridings Dates:
o 1-6 June: Hawick Common Riding
o 5-13 June: West Linton Whipman
o 8-13 June: Selkirk Common Riding
o 14-20 June: Peebles Beltane
o 14-20 June: Melrose Festival
o 19-28 June: Galashiels Braw Lads Gathering
o 27 June-10 July: Jed Callants Festival
o 5-11 July: Duns Summer Festival
o 13-18 July: Kelso Civic Week
o 26 July - 1 August: Lauder Common Riding
o 2-8 August: Coldstream Civic Week

About Homecoming Scotland 2009 (www.homecomingscotland2009.com)
• Homecoming Scotland is a Scottish Government initiative managed by EventScotland, the national events agency, in partnership with VisitScotland, the country's national tourism agency.
• Robert Burns is the inspiration for Homecoming Scotland as 2009 is the 250th anniversary of the birth of Scotland’s national poet.