A TEAM of Clydesdale horses are shod and ready to pull a hay meadow mower at Merlindale Nature Festival.

The cutting of the meadow, by traditional methods, will form the centrepiece of the event, at Drumelzier, on Saturday, September 10 from 2pm to 6pm.

Also beside the meadow there will be a scything workshop and demonstration.

At Upper Tweed Community Council’s August meeting, vice chair Rosalind Birchall, recommended the afternoon festival to members and the public.

She passed round a number of different publicity posters, designed by children in the village.

Mrs Birchall added that the festival is a first and hopes it will became an annual event.

Representatives of The Tweeddale Red Squirrel Network, of which Merlindale is a part, will speak about the project and conduct guided walks through the woods where a family of red squirrels have their drey.

There will be a bio blitz including a stand with bird ringing, bats, moths and butterflies, an apiarist with bees and an open hive, mosses and lichens, earthworms and invertebrates and green wood turning.

Tweed Forum Ltd’s Destination Tweed team will run a stand and explain the projected 113-mile source-to-sea trail along the river sharing its nature, history and stories.

They will also share plans for habitat restoration throughout the River Tweed catchment.

Destination Tweed also hopes to achieve health, wellbeing and economic development ambitions during the five-year span of its project.

Other stands will be run by Scottish Badgers, The Tweed Foundation, Southern Uplands Partnership, Dawyck Botanic Gardens and Borders Forest Trust.

Food Punks will be on site with refreshments.

There is parking at Drumelzier Village Hall, postcode ML12 6JD and co-ordinates = 55.594282, -3.373495 and signs will take visitors to the festival.