A festival celebrating the life and works of an 18th century "unsung hero" of Scottish poetry is to be held at a pub in the Borders.

Taking place on October 15 and 16, the festival will see academics, politicians and poetry fans come together to launch a new cultural heritage centre dedicated to the life and works of Allan Ramsay.

The inaugural Allan Ramsay Festival is being held at the Allan Ramsay Hotel in Carlops on what would be the poet's birthday.

The venue secured a £3,720 grant from the Scottish Government earlier this year to establish the centre, which will give information about the poet as well as information on walks around the area mentioned in the Ramsay collection.

Professor Gerard Carruthers, co-director of the Centre for Robert Burns Studies at the University of Glasgow, said: "Without a doubt, Allan Ramsay is an unsung hero of Scottish poetry.

"He doesn't get sufficient praise or recognition for what he achieved during his lifetime, but the impact he had on others around him at the time was monumental, and that is what this festival is all about.

"It is fair to say without Ramsay there would be no Robert Burns.

"He was the first 18th century Scots poet and the father of Scots poetry, whose creativity heavily influenced art, music and theatre at that time. Allan Ramsay's genius really cannot be understated."

Ramsay - who was born in 1684 in South Lanarkshire and died in 1758 in Edinburgh - is understood to have been a regular visitor to the Scottish Borders, which became an inspiration for some of his work.

On the opening day of the festival, local MSP Christine Grahame will unveil a Historic Environment Scotland plaque at the hotel commemorating Ramsay as a founder of romanticism and modern Scottish poetry.