THREE Borders parks have been nominated as ‘Centenary Fields’ to mark the 100-year anniversary of the end of world war one.

Centenary Fields is a partnership programme led by Fields in Trust and the Royal British Legion to commemorate world war one through protecting green spaces.

The sites chosen for Centenary Field status must include a war memorial and be used for sports and recreation, and those accepted into the programme will receive special protective status and a commemorative plaque.

Councillors sitting on Scottish Borders Council’s executive committee have voted to nominate three sites that fit the bill: Wilton Lodge Park in Hawick; Lower Green in West Linton and Duns Park.

Rob Dickson, the council’s executive director, told the committee: “This is essentially to commemorate the centenary of the end of the first world war. The council has been approached, in an entirely voluntary capacity, to nominate parks that it has as being one of the centenary fields.

“We feel the parks we have nominated, for all the self-evident reasons, are appropriate because of their location in their communities or because of existing war memorials or interests in those areas.

“There was quite an extensive bit of dialogue with various stakeholders and community groups and neighbourhoods have come up with this proposition.”

Council officers also confirmed that during the appraisal process, no sites in Eildon or Cheviot were identified as meeting the relevant Centenary Fields criteria.

Once the nominations are accepted, Scottish Borders Council will be required to install a commemorative plaque supplied by Centenary Fields and arrange an unveiling ceremony at each location.

The site name will not change and there are no funds associated with Centenary Field status.

Mid Berwickshire councillor Mark Rowley, who also acts as the authority’s business and economic development member, welcomed the proposals: “I think what’s quite good is not just the commemoration aspect, but also that it links in with keeping those open and recreational spaces.

“Obviously that ties into the forthcoming invest in equipment and facilities in some of these places.

“Certainly from a Berwickshire point of view, it’s great to see something happening in that direction.”

Wilton Lodge Park features two war memorials. One is the 1921 cenotaph by James B Dunn and the accompanying bronze statue, entitled ‘Spirit of Youth Triumphing over Evil’ by Alexander Leslie, which together commemorates those who died in both world war one and world war two.

The second, the Boer war memorial, was erected in remembrance of the men of Hawick and District who fell in the Boer war of 1899-1902.

West Linton’s Lower Green park features a 1920s memorial by Peter McGregor Chalmers and two bronze plaques which commemorate both world wars.

Duns Park is a Victorian park situated in the south of the town. The park is accessed off Station Road by imposing gates and is home to two wartime commemorative structures: Duns war memorial, an obelisk commemorating those from Duns who fell in both world wars; and the Polish war memorial, a tribute to the Polish soldiers who were stationed in Duns during the second world war.