The playground environments of nine Borders schools are to be improved thanks to £8,000 of funding from ScottishPower in support of the Borders Forest Trust's School Grounds for the Future project.

ScottishPower is also giving £7,000 to become a Founder of the Carrifran Wildwood Project, which aims to recreate the lost natural deciduous forests of the Southern Uplands at Carrifran valley which straddles the marches of Peeblesshire and Dumfriesshire.

The schools to benefit are : Edenside Primary School, Kelso; Drumlanrig PS, Hawick; Roberton PS, Burgh PS, and Galashiels Academy, Galashiels; West Linton PS; Earlston PS; Walkerburn PS and Philiphaugh Community School, Selkirk.

Pupils, teachers and the local community will take part in activities such as tree-planting, the creation of gardens, outside classrooms and quiet areas, for example, and most of the improvements are expected to have been completed by the summer term.

The Borders Forest Trust has already supported the development of 10 playground improvement projects through diverse sources of funding. Their recent survey of 66 Borders primary schools revealed that 60 per cent of head teachers would like the environment of their school playground improved.

John Wilson, Head of Communications of ScottishPower's Rural Care team, who are donating the funds, said: "Rural Care aims to remove trees which threaten overhead lines and at the same time to improve the environment in the areas where we are working. We are in partnership with a large number of organisations, including the Borders Forest Trust, to attain this goal and we are delighted to be investors in these two very worthwhile projects".

Sam Smith, of Borders Forest Trust, said: "It is good to see ScottishPower working positively in support of local communities. It is important that companies like ScottishPower take their environmental responsibilities seriously and we look forward to working with them today and in the future", she added.