A HAMPSHIRE maths teacher has joined the ranks of ancient Scottish clans by registering her own tartan – 400 miles south of the border.

Kate Collison was inspired to create her own design after a holiday on the tiny west coast island of Gigha, which has just 106 residents.

The 44-year-old, from Lymington, began researching whether the New Forest had its own tartan after returning from the trip in February this year.

And after finding there was not one, she set to work designing her own and getting it officially recognised by the prestigious Scottish Register of Tartans.

The register was set up by the Scottish parliament in 2008 to promote and preserve information on historic and contemporary tartans from the country.

Ms Collison said: “In the last two years I have been to Scotland several times and in February I went to Gigha, which is just a little island.

“They have their own tartan and it got me thinking while I was there whether we had our own one in the New Forest.

“When I found it didn’t I thought it would be such a lovely thing to have and so started designing my own.”

“As part of the Scottish Register’s rules, you have to have written permission to use the name of an area or a company.

“So I contacted the district council and they were so excited to be involved and for the area to have its own tartan.

“Within a week I had a letter in my hand from them confirming they were happy for me to use the New Forest name.”

The Scottish Register of Tartans has now accepted her application to register her design, after the New Forest District Council gave her full permission to use the New Forest name.

The register was started on February 5, 2009, with the first tartan added to the list being the Scottish Register’s own pattern.

There are now 11,781 tartans officially recognised on the Scottish Register.

Each colour in a tartan design has a meaning, which makers look to make identifiable with their area or clan.

Ms Collison’s New Forest tartan uses two shades of green, mid and dark, as well as a grey, purple and shade of red known as russet.

The greens in her design represent oak leaves, the grass where the famous Forest ponies graze and yew and fir trees. The grey is for silver birch and donkeys, purple represents heather and red is included for deer, ferns and autumn leaves.

The teacher is now hoping to start her own business, The New Forest Tartan Company, and intends to make clothing, soft toys and even teapots using her design.