Prominent Borders firm gives rugby support

One of the Scottish Borders’ most prominent rural businesses is to lends its support to a sporting institution in a new partnership announced for this season.

Charlesfield Farms, based at Saint Boswells, has become the main sponsor of Melrose Rugby for season 2018-2019.
The tie-up between Charlesfield and Melrose cements a long relationship between the two organisations and comes as Charlesfield prepares to celebrate its centenary year in 1919.

Charlesfield is owned and operated by Trevor Jackson – Scottish Land & Estates’ South East chairman – who is the fourth generation of his family to have farmed at Saint Boswells.

The estate is involved in crop farming, renewable energy, biomass and property development and was a highly commended finalist at the Scottish Rural Awards 2018 as well as last year becoming the very proud recipient of the first SLE Helping it Happen Iver Salvesen Award.

Rugby is also in the family blood with Trevor holding the position of president at Melrose between 2015 and 2017, having played for Melrose at all levels in the club since childhood. Charlesfield Project Director Lorna Hall was sports dietitian for Melrose and was also club secretary.

With Trevor embarking on a project, Jackson Distillers Ltd, to create a new grain distillery in the heart of the Scottish Borders , supporting the many new malt whisky and gin distilleries that have sprung up around Scotland – he said it was the ideal time to combine his passion for rugby and his rural businesses.

Trevor said: ‘We are very excited at the possibilities of working with Melrose Rugby to promote their 1883 Legacy Project, which aims to modernise the Greenyards ground for the 21st Century and enable more matches to take place there and even greater use by the community.

‘In doing so, we can promote our own new Jackson Distillers project with the help of the club. There is a growing market for Scottish whisky and gin – and an increased interest in Rugby Sevens from fans across the globe. Melrose was the birthplace of Sevens and we want two of Scotland’s finest exports to grow their worldwide presence even further.

‘This is a partnership which demonstrates how rural businesses and community interests can support each other to achieve even greater success.’

As well as chairing SLE’s south east region, Mr Jackson is a member of Borders Machinery Ring, National Farmers Union, Royal Highland Agricultural Society, Borders Union Agricultural Society as well as a past Chairman of St Boswells Young Farmers.