The Scottish Borders is a distinct region with a proud heritage that is experiencing change blowing through its economy, bringing a new sense of optimism and significant ambitions for the future.
Once famed for its textile mills in waterside towns and villages - and its proliferation of rugby stars - the region was often bypassed for those en route between Scotland and England, but it is now ready to promote its own benefits as a place to live and work.
David Robertson, executive director for finance and regulatory at Scottish Borders Council, says: “The Borders rail line was opened in 2015 and that re-established connections between the area and Edinburgh for the first time in decades - which has been the catalyst for a bit of a renaissance.
“We have a fabulous region - it is 40 miles from Edinburgh and 80 miles from Newcastle, and that railway project has galvanised an awful lot of activity.
“We now have a new economic partnership, South of Scotland Enterprise is a new enterprise agency and we’ve signed up for two City Region Deals – the South East of Scotland City Deal and the Borderlands Initiative.
“We think that, linked to the work we’re doing with [IT company] CGI, really offers huge potential for this area.”
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Andy Drane, a partner with law firm Davidson Chalmers Stewart, agrees there is new mood in the area.
“I have been here for 21 years and my sense would be that Borderers themselves are gaining in confidence in who they are and what they have to bring to the table - they are not just about knitwear, agriculture and rugby.
“Where I am in St Boswells is only 40 miles from the centre of Edinburgh.
“You take your compass and draw a circle 40 miles round the centre of Edinburgh and you’ll be into Fife, West Lothian, in stockbroker belt in East Lothian – only to the south is it as undeveloped as this, so people are waking up to what it has to offer.”
Drane says the improving travel links and the business base was key for the move into the area by Davidson Chalmers Stewart.
“We set up an office in Gala in 2015 when the railway opened and that was on the back of me having been here and realising there were local businesses who either weren’t getting the advice they needed or having to go to Edinburgh or Glasgow to buy that.”
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A key development in the drive to economic growth in the area was the launch of its own dedicated economic agency, South of Scotland Enterprise.
Robertson says: “We would absolutely recognise the south of Scotland has huge challenges around an over-reliance on casual industries, low wages, quite a lot of hidden rural poverty, an ageing population and a lot of out-migration – similar issues that faced the Highlands for many years.
“We were able to make the case strongly to Scottish ministers that the types of challenges facing the South of Scotland are absolutely the kind that need investment in a dedicated enterprise agency.”
“The council works very closely with the enterprise agency and the local Chamber of Commerce, they sit on our executive committee, which regularly has a focus on development issues, so we’re keen to work collaboratively with the local Chamber of Commerce and, indeed, other agencies to try to jointly solve the challenges we have in the region.”
The area does suffer from remoteness from major cities and the dispersed nature of the population, with about 115,000 people in the Borders Council area spread over a geographical area that is the fourth-largest in Scotland.
Robertson says: “Inward investment is always a challenge in any area, but I think rural areas do face specific challenges.
“In the Borders, obviously what we’ve been trying to do is improve connectivity to the Central Belt.
“We’ve worked very hard with our IT provider around improving the quality of IT provision and we’ve worked hard in the contract with CGI to try to attract high-quality jobs to the Borders.”
The joint ambition the council and the company have expressed is nothing less than making the area the UK’s first “smart rural region”.
Craig O’Sullivan, who heads up CGI’s Borders operation, explains the background to its work with Scottish Borders Council: “The contract begun in 2016 and the council had taken on a bit of an ambitious transformation.
“Initially it was 13 years and then, back last year, we extended that to 20 years.
“It very much is a partnership in terms of us being embedded into the council and being seen as its IT department really, and almost not only becoming part of the Borders Council but part of the Borders fabric.
“I think you’ve seen in the Borders we’ve tapped into a potential market of untapped talent as well.”
But O’Sullivan says the ambitious plans for the area are not without their challenges. “Geography alone is one of the challenges, but we’ve got some good partners in Commsworld, in terms of internet infrastructure and provision, who are absolutely onboard with making the Borders realise their target of being the first digitally connected rural community.
“So far we’ve started laying the foundations, accelerated the implementation of fibre connection, increasing the [broadband] speeds not just for schools but making that available to the community.”
Into this established partnership and programme came the pandemic, which greatly accelerated the need for doing things digitally but also, perhaps, helped in the uptake of these services with the wider population.
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O’Sullivan says: “What Covid has done is show people just how important digital technology is in our lives, particularly at times of crisis.
“Maybe people who had previously shied away from the use of digital technology have become a little more proficient and a little more au fait with that type of technology and the benefits it can bring.”
The strength of the partnership proved a major boon when facing one of the biggest challenges in the wake of pandemic: education.
It has meant less disruption to Borders children’s education than many other places and it gives the area an advantage on educating the digital workforce of the future.
“The Inspired Learning project was a great success,” O’Sullivan says. “That was a world first for that area – using iPads and digitising school, not just the pupils but the teachers as well.
“We have an ambition to become part of the fabric of the Borders - we’re opening an office in Tweedbank towards the end of this year - we all see that as an opportunity to bring jobs to the Borders.
“We have nine graduates joining us in that office and that’s part of what we are hoping to tap into: that talent pool in the Borders.”
In addition to the area creating jobs today and a workforce of tomorrow, it is also speaking with a louder voice about the benefits of the area.
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The Borders Distillery in Hawick has been producing throughout the pandemic. It has meant finding new ways to work within the protocols agreed with government and getting used to the absence of visitors.
As we go to press, the distillery is hoping to open and gradually restore the visitor centre to full capacity.
In May, a milestone was reached when the first casks filled turned three years old – the first Single Malt Scotch Whisky produced in the Scottish Borders since 1837.
Managing director John Fordyce says: “The team at the distillery has done a brilliant job adapting to the new circumstances created by the pandemic, but also the challenges posed by Brexit and US tariffs.
“At the same time, we have completed a number of new projects designed to improve productivity and to enable us to implement the Scotch Whisky Industry’s environment strategy.
“Looking forward, we will be focused on rebuilding our markets and on welcoming visitors back.”
Drane cites Famously Hawick as an example of the new sense of confidence. The group is a collaboration of four knitwear mills and the distillery who are marketing their high-end markets and the town and area as a place to come and visit.
“To me that’s a really good example of a group of businesses saying ‘actually, we’ve got something to be proud about here’.
“Inviting tour operators to bring their high-end Japanese and Chinese tourists to come to a town like Hawick…why would you do that? Well, actually, you get the very best cashmere that there is there.”
Meanwhile, Jackson Distillers is planning to build the first grain distillery in the Scottish Borders.
Proposals have been submitted for the St Boswells Distillery, located at Charlesfield Industrial Estate.
The plan is to produce 20 million litres of pure alcohol per year, meeting growing demand for grain whisky for Scotch whisky blending and a grain neutral spirit for gin and vodka.
Jackson Distillers is working with Noble & Company to secure the £46m investment to enable construction.
Trevor Jackson, founder and chief executive of Jackson Distillers, said the project will create 20 permanent jobs and 200 jobs through the construction stage.
Jackson Distillers is working with Michael Laird Architects, principal contractor Frilli, Colorado Group and environmental consultants Mabbett to deliver the project. The planning application was being determined by Scottish Borders Council as Insider went to press.
Robertson highlights other attractions of the area, particularly in events.
“We are increasingly seeing ourselves as a world-class biking destination,” he says. “There is huge investment going on in Tweeddale on the back of the Borderlands initiative with a dedicated Borderlands centre.
“The quality of the natural environment of the Borders is something we are increasingly keen to promote.
“We see there are great economic opportunities from people coming to visit the region - that is part of the thinking in terms of the investment the council has been doing in things like the Jim Clark Museum in Duns and the Great Tapestry of Scotland visitor centre in Galashiels.
“The council is very keen to capitalise on all those opportunities to fundamentally improve the quality of life and wellbeing of its citizens.
“It’s an interesting time to be involved in the Borders - I don’t think we’ve ever had such unparalleled opportunities.”
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