A warm welcome - for all but the chickens

EVEN before The Scotsman stall had been assembled in front of the Burgh Hall in Peebles, passers-by stopped to welcome us to the town. The natives, known as "gutterbluids", possess a strong sense of their own identity and history - but also a marked willingness to welcome strangers, or "stooriefits", into their midst.

Sociable, lively and conservative with a small c, Peebles is known as "the coffee morning capital of the world", with tens of thousands of pounds raised for charity every year.

One of the first people to approach us was Lady Fiona Campbell, a direct descendent of one of the signatories of the Act of Union and a strong defender of the 1707 treaty.

She is such a staunch unionist that she even held a drinks party at her home in Stobo to mark the 300th anniversary.

"I am very, very pro-Union, because I am a realist," she says. "We would be bonkers if we thought we could go ahead by ourselves - we need the umbrella of England.

"The Union has served us very well for the last 300 years. Why change something that has worked so well, not just financially but culturally as well?"

Like many, she is concerned about the pace of change in the Borders, and particularly about a large-scale free-range chicken farm planned near her home.

She said: "We face having the Stobo valley, one of the most beautiful landscapes in Europe, contaminated because of someone's insane desire to become one of the Continent's biggest egg-producers. 'Peebles for Pleasure' will become 'Peebles for Poultry'."

Opinions about independence seem more or less evenly split, and the natives of Peebles are not shy to share their views.

Isobel Taylor, a retired nurse, is as strident in her support for independence as Lady Fiona is for the Union - and even offers to fetch an ancient school history book to prove how Scotland's story was rewritten to suit those from the south. "I agree with independence," she said. "We don't get a fair crack of the whip. When we got devolution, the Conservatives said, 'That's the genie out of the bottle' - that's what started me thinking.

"The Scottish people have enough brains of our own," she said. "We are a brilliant race and we should give it a try.

"I'm not a Brownite, but he is knocked because he is Scottish. If we were really a union, there should be an English prime minister, a Scottish one, an Irish one. Why should it be any problem that someone is Scottish?"

While many people extolled the virtues of Peebles as a place to live, many were concerned about the town's rapid development.

Chrystall Din, a retired textiles clerk, said: "The traffic is very heavy in Peebles. There is such a lot of development and a lot more to come.

"This was a small country town, but it becoming like a suburb of Edinburgh it is so busy."

Eddie Smith, 57, a theatre caretaker, felt change was happening too fast. "The council is going ahead with another 200 houses, but the town will not be able to handle it or the traffic," he said.

Some believed local services might not be able to cope with the increase in population. Retired nurse Tricia Davis, 59, said: "Peebles is a wonderful place, but the town has grown really quickly and health services are being stretched to the limit."

Nonetheless, those who are new to the town say it has welcomed them with open arms.

David and Maria Geen moved here four and a half years ago, from England. Maria, who is from Newcastle, said: "It's a beautiful place. There's a real sense of community and it's a fantastic place to bring up children, It's very safe."

Donna Vandenberghen, 36, a legal secretary who is writing a screen biopic of Mickey Finn from the band T Rex, says: "Occasionally, I find having a strong English accent can be a disadvantage, but when people find out you have got a Scottish sense of humour, that evaporates."

George Cuthill, a retired teacher who moved to the town from Biggar ten years ago, has an interesting reason for liking the area. "It's a great place," he said. "It is a very tolerant place - you can do what you like and no-one really bothers you. You can wear a cowboy hat and nobody gets uptight about it."

'I LOVE IT HERE - PEOPLE TALK'

"It's good Scotland having its own identity but still being part of the UK. We do not need to be separate."

Nicola Jo Cully, 26, actor, Edinburgh

"We have gone so far down the road, we should take a step further - smaller countries in Europe seem to do quite well."

Billy Riddoch, 56, actor, Biggar

"I feel both Scottish and British. I definitely wouldn't want independence."

Don Cameron, 58, retired social worker, Peebles

"I'm very much in favour of independence, as long as it doesn't cost another £400 million. What we have is a farce."

Andrew Stewart, Peebles

"There's a lot of development going ahead in the town and an influx of people, but the affordable housing being built is for older people."

Gregg Parker, 43, painter and decorator, Peebles

"We are expanding rapidly, but new developments are not always in keeping with tradition and the best architectural standards."

Peter Norris, 78, chairman of Peebles Civic Society

"When you stand on Peebles High Street you know exactly where you are, and there are an awful lot of places you can't do that."

Iain Simpson, 56, businessman, West Linton

"I love it here - Peebles has community spirit; people talk to each other."

Nicola Lamont, 17, pupil, Peebles High School

"Peebles is a nice town, with good shops and facilities and half-decent pubs. It's a great area to bring up children, but the buses break down."

Gary Smith, 40, builder, Peebles