Lilliesleaf community project

Last year we had been invited to Lilliesleaf, south of Melrose, to build a section of wall containing a seat and Dave paid a visit to assess the site. A community group had got a grant from the Scottish Land Fund to buy a field in the middle of the village to save it from housing development. Preparation of the site, including landscaping, paths, vegetable garden and a children’s area, had already been undertaken. A couple of large piles of stone, one from an old dyke and the other from an old building, greeted us when we arrived on 8th June and soon members of the village community appeared to help move the stone where we needed it. Coffee, flapjacks and later on, freshly made soup and cakes in the village hall, kept us going. 

The length of wall was greater than we had anticipated but we (villagers and ourselves) decided not to build a seat at this stage. Dave, Richard and John D provided the building team and the first two returned the next day. As the village committee wished to clear all the unused stone from the area in front of the growing wall by the following week, John and I agreed to return on 12th and 15th to complete the copes and left hand end which tapered into the sloping pathway to the upper level of the site. We will have to return next month to complete the other end in a similar fashion. We were made so welcome that we felt as if the project was our baby too, especially as there has been universal praise for our work.

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Update from Richard, 13th July:

Dave, Stevie and I completed the end of the wall started the previous month. As before we were assisted, fed and watered by members of the village community and managed to finish early afternoon. I’m not sure if there will be any further stone structures required, such as a seat, so we’ll wait and see. As far as we can tell, the wall has met with universal praise from the residents, which is very pleasing.