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By John Lamont MP

Scotland's NHS has been under severe strain for some time.

Despite the best efforts of overworked nurses and doctors, the NHS has gone from one crisis to another.

I have launched Volunteer of the Year awards for 2024 to celebrate “unsung heroes” across the Borders.

The annual competition aims to give credit to “dedicated and selfless local people.”

The 2024 awards have opened for entries and will close on 24 May.

I am pleased we have been able to secure a new free-to-use cash point in Duns and I want to thank the team at the local Post Office for introducing it.

I recently visited the store and praised the business owner, Naeem Younus, for helping local people access cash services.

Over 2,500 people have signed up to my campaign to save the community hospitals in Duns, Hawick, Kelso and Peebles.

I have started a campaign to stop community hospital closures across the Scottish Borders.

NHS Borders have said they may soon suggest closing the 92 community hospital beds in Kelso, Duns, Hawick and Peebles.

The SNP have been accused of leaving 20,000 visitors to the Borders "in the dark" after Visit Scotland announced they would close the Jedburgh tourist information office.

There was a "worrying drop" in the percentage of Borders patients starting cancer treatment within the target time in the last quarter, new statistics from Public Health Scotland show.

I joined in the fun at Eyemouth's Easter Bike Bash over the weekend.

The event by Sea the Change, a charity dedicated to encouraging environmentally-friendly outdoor community projects, took place on Friday and Saturday.

By John Lamont MP

This week, the Hate Crime Act will officially come into force for people in the Borders and across Scotland.

I am deeply concerned about the impact this new law will have on freedom of expression.

SNP agency Visit Scotland announced on Wednesday they would close all 25 visitor information centres across Scotland, including the Jedburgh location.

This is bad news for Jedburgh and deeply unhelpful to efforts to increase tourism, especially repeat visitors, to the Borders.