SCOTLAND'S first-ever monument to William Wallace is to be saved.

Concern has been raised about cracks appearing in the 30-foot statue which overlooks the Tweed near St Boswells.

And fears were growing for the future of the 205-year-old iconic sculpture.

But the few remaining Trustees of the statue have arranged for emergency work to be carried out in April.

And it is hoped that a fundraising drive through the summer will lead to further preservation work to prevent any more deterioration.

Jesse Rae, who is one of the William Wallace Trustees, told us: "Emergency repairs will be made to the plinth this spring.

"I was up at the statue last summer with friends and I noticed there was damage beginning to appear.

"When I went back up a few months ago it was looking in a sad way.

"We know what needs to be done and we'll make a start with the repairs to the plinth in April."

William Wallace's role in Scotland's history was brought to a world-wide audience by the film Braveheart.

But the 13th century freedom fighter, who was proclaimed Guardian of Scotland in Selkirk, had been revered at home for centuries before the Mel Gibson movie.

In 1814 David Stuart Erskine, the 11th Earl of Buchan, commissioned the statue for a site overlooking the Tweed.

Although the likeness to Wallace is questionable, and the style of sculpture has a divisive effect on opinion, the statue has and continues to attract visitors to the Borders.

Isabel Hay from the William Wallace Society believes more should be done to protect the monument.

She said: "I am concerned about the disrepair of the statue.

"It hasn't been looked after and it's in the public interest for this tribute to William Wallace to be saved.

"We as a Society want to help preserve the Wallace monument and make sure its condition doesn't get any worse."

The Saltire Society raised £20,000 back in 1991 for the monument to be repaired and returned to its original state.

And around a decade later the locally-based William Wallace Trustees raised enough money to improve the car park and access path to the statue.

But weathering has led to fresh problems with the stonework.

Musician Jesse, who made a fundraising song for the statue in the late 80s, hopes to announce new trustees to look after the statue in the coming weeks as well as plans, which include promotions through a television station, to raise funds for a second phase of preservation works.

He added: "Many of the original Trustees are no longer with us but we have people lined up.

"The second phase of works will include the Claymore - we need to get the emergency repairs done first."