River Tweed trail secures funding support

Plans for a "world-class long-distance route" following the path of the River Tweed have secured financial support.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded a £299,000 development grant for the trail which would run from Moffat to Berwick-upon-Tweed.

The Destination Tweed project will cost an estimated £20m with support sought from a range of sources.

Tweed Forum director Luke Comins said the latest funding would let them take plans to the "next stage".

The project is part of the wider Borderlands Growth Deal for southern Scotland and northern England.

It aims to make the trail "a jewel in the region's tourism crown".

Mr Comins said it could be "hugely important" for the area in terms of economic opportunities and education, culture, environmental protection and conservation.

He said they aimed to deliver "one of the region's most significant cultural and environmental projects".