“They [Borderers] don’t think of people poorly if they speak it. “Living in the Borders has helped me reconnect with Scots.” In 2018 Thomas released his first Diary o a Wimpy Wean translation, and in September and October this year the Rodrick the Radge and Up Tae the Oxters editions were published. For Thomas, sharing Scots with young people is a passion of his. “It’s hugely important to encourage children to use Scots,” he said. “As you grow up you lose it. “And it’s discouraged in a lot of formal settings. “If I read a Scots book as a kid maybe I wouldn’t have lost it.