THEY are doing their bit to save the Union.

Two men from Hampshire are travelling more than 400 miles in a bid to save the 300-year-old link between Scotland and the rest of the UK.

James Binns and Terry Lankford are backing the Daily Echo’s campaign to save the Union.

They have travelled to Edinburgh this week in a bid to show Scots how much English people value the bond between the two countries ahead of the vote on Thursday.

More than 4.3 million Scots will vote, and this paper has firmly backed the continuation of the Union that has led to a proud history of shared achievements.

The danger of independence has also been spelled out in the run-up to the election, with dire warnings of the economic impact on both an independent Scotland and the remainder of the UK.

And it wouldn’t just be Scots affected by independence – it could also mean increased mortgage payments for people in Hampshire, and the UK picking up a huge bill to move the Trident nuclear deterrent system south.

Twenty-three-year-old masters student and district council member Mr Binns and Mr Lankford are two of the thousands of “no” campaigners trying to ensure that doesn’t happen.

Cllr Binns, from Dibden Purlieu, said: “I’m passionate about the Union because it’s the country I’ve been born into and I’m upset that I haven’t got a say over this.

“The consequences are irrevocable. We are intertwined. There are lots of people you speak to down here who have Scottish ancestry.

“It seems ridiculous that we are thinking of putting up a border when there’s no need to. We are truly better together.”

And pal Mr Lankford, a 69-year-old business owner from Hythe, said: “We feel very passionately and we’re not going to stand idly by and do nothing. We’re going to do our bit.”

 

Others in Hampshire have been having their say on the referendum:

Daily Echo:

 

Justyne Rogers, pictured above left, 22, a community carer from Hythe said: “It’s ridiculous, they’re going to shoot themselves in the foot and won’t have anything, they’ll lose a lot if they become an independent country. They can’t keep our money, it will have to become the euro and they won’t have a very good army it’s going to be a struggle. Plus we’ll have to change the Union Jack flag which I am not happy about.”
Karleen Andrews, pictured above right, 27, a health care assistant from Hythe said: “I think it will have more of an effect on them than they realise, if they become independent then the money will change and then the exchange rate will get worse for the pound so I wouldn’t want to go on holiday over there and I think they get a lot of their money from that. It would just be a shame but perhaps they have gone too far for it to be normal now anyway.”

Daily Echo:

 

Jo Mankiewicz, pictured above left, 25, a sales assistant for Enterprise from Fareham said: “They are going to lose so much and have to change so many things, I don’t think people are really taking that into account. I don’t think it will be how anyone expects it to be and when people begin to realise it’s going to be too hard to change. It’s going to cost so much money to alter all our documents and the way we run our country.”
Mike Havill, pictured above right, 22, a freelance salesman from Southampton said: “I think it’s silly, we have been the United Kingdom for such a long time and if they do this they won’t be able to come back. I think at the moment the yes campaign sounds really exciting but perhaps a lot of people don’t realise what that could actually mean for them in the long term and for our futures as well, I don’t want to have to use my passport to get there either.”