BQ2 Special Report: Border Rail

2 BUSINESS QUARTER SCOTLAND: Special Feature

Connecting business

The Borders Railway is bringing jobs and investment into Edinburgh, Midlothian and the Borders

Masterplanning for success The Borders Railway has already brought economic, social and environmental benefits across Edinburgh, Midlothian and the Borders, but this is really just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the potential the railway unlocks. It is also opening up opportunities for new and growing enterprises, creating jobs, and making it easier for people to do business.

All of the partners in the Borders Railway Blueprint partnership are focussed on revitalising the communities along the line to create great places to live, work and learn in, as well as opening up worldclass destinations to visitors.

The concept of “placeshaping” is therefore at the heart of four masterplans currently being developed along the rail corridor, in Newtongrange, Stobb Hill/Lady Victoria, Galashiels and Tweedbank. Designed in partnership with local people, these plans will deliver fantastic opportunities for investors and companies looking to move into the region, as well as new homes for the growing workforce.

For example, in Midlothian, a twintracked approach to the Stobb Hill/ Lady Victoria area and Newtongrange town centre is seeing the emergence of heritage-led mixed-use schemes

Credit: Proctor & Mathews

Credit: Smith Scott Mullan

that will deliver economic, social and environmental benefits to the former mining community.

As well as new homes, this will provide modern commercial and industrial spaces that will attract businesses and generate new employment opportunities. In walking distance of the railway station, those businesses will be within 20 minutes of Edinburgh City Centre, providing great access to the city’s markets and labour force. Wrapped around the National Mining Museum, the two masterplans will also drive a boost to tourism in the town.

The Galashiels town centre masterplan similarly looks to build on the strengths of the area’s historical economy and the arrival of the Great Tapestry of Scotland, which will find its permanent home in the town from 2019. Taking a lead from the recently built Transport Interchange Building, the masterplan looks to introduce a broad mix of uses which will bring new businesses and residents into the town centre, as well as a new hotel to support the growing number of visitors to the area.

At Tweedbank, the prospect of a significant new business and residential district is emerging from the masterplanner’s work. Founded in a beautiful landscape carved by the meanderings of the River Tweed, the

development opportunity will deliver a sustainable urban extension to the existing settlement, offering a modern, high-quality business and residential environment within an hour’s train ride of Edinburgh city centre. In close proximity to Melrose and Abbotsford House, Tweedbank will offer a gateway to tourists looking to visit the environmental and historical riches of the area.

This joined up “masterplanning” approach under the Borders Railway Blueprint partnership allows for individual site-specific design and impacts to be produced in partnership with local communities, but will deliver stronger cumulative economic growth across the railway corridor as a whole.

Place planning, at both micro and macro levels, will help to unlock investment through the clear identification of development opportunities and the underpinning of market confidence through long-term vision.

PHIL DIBSDALE, Inward Investment Manager, Borders Railway Blueprint Group www.bordersrailway.co.uk

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WELCOME

SPECIAL FEATURE

CONTENTS 04. ON THE RIGHT TRACK Danny Cusick explains why the Borders Railway is much more than a transport project 08. FULL STEAM AHEAD Looking forward to the benefits that the Borders Railway will bring to the wider economy 12. INJECTING SCIENCE INTO FARMING The Roslin Innovation Centre in Midlothian is at the heart of Scotland’s life sciences industry 13. THE BANK FOR THE BORDERS Royal Bank of Scotland supports a whole range of exciting companies in the Borders 14. IN THE RIGHT GEAR Alex Feechan turned her passion for mountain biking into a clothing brand for women 15. A SPARK OF INSPIRATION An alternative to the big six energy companies is created

As a Highlander, one of the most exciting aspects of living in the Central Belt has been discovering more about the south of Scotland. Even though they lie on Edinburgh’s doorstep, I’ll admit that Midlothian and the Borders have been a bit of mystery to me in the past.

That’s why it’s been so interesting to learn more about these areas by working with Borders Railway to produce this BQ special report.

The railway has been about so much more than simply transporting commuters up to Edinburgh or allowing tourists to access the beautiful landscapes and historic sites further south.

Even before the first tracks were laid, the railway has been about stimulating the economy of the central Borders and the surrounding area. Transport links are key when it comes to growing a business – entrepreneurs will immediately hit the buffers if they can’t deliver their products or their services to their customers.

The case studies in this special report illustrate the vibrancy of the business communities in Midlothian and the Borders, from the cuttingedge life sciences work being undertaken at the Roslin innovation centre through to the delicious beers being created by Tempest in Tweedbank. Entrepreneurs like Alex Feechan at Findra, Chris Gauld at Spark and Markus Stitz at Bikepacking Scotland have all discovered how innovative and exciting these areas can be, while big players like Royal Bank of Scotland are continuing to support both business creation and business growth.

What’s also come across in putting together this report has been the support that’s available from the public sector. All the key players – whether it’s the three local councils or the national agencies like Scottish Enterprise and VisitScotland – all appear to be pulling in the same direction to make sure that Edinburgh, Midlothian and the Borders all reap the economic rewards of the new line. Whether it’s helping existing companies to grow, encouraging entrepreneurs to launch businesses or enticing other firms into the area, it’s certainly an exciting time to be focusing on the opportunities that lie ahead for businesses in the Borders Railway corridor thanks to the new “More Connected” campaign.

Peter Ranscombe, editor In association

Business Quarter is part of BE Group, the UK’s market leading business improvement specialists. www.be-group.co.uk

BQ, Spectrum 6, Spectrum Business Park, Seaham, SR7 7TT. www.bqlive.co.uk. As a dedicated supporter of entrepreneurship, BQ is making a real and tangible contribution to local, regional and national economic growth across the UK. We are unique in what we aim to achieve as a media brand, a brand that has established a loyal audience of high growth SMEs and leading business influencers. They wholeheartedly believe in BQ’s focus on people – those individuals that are challenging the traditional ways of doing things. They are our entrepreneurs. BQ reaches entrepreneurs and senior business executives across Scotland, the North East and Cumbria, the North West, Yorkshire, the Midlands, Wales, London and the South, in-print, online and through branded events. All contents copyright © 2017 BQ. All rights reserved. While every effort is made to ensure accuracy, no responsibility can be accepted for inaccuracies, howsoever caused. No liability can be accepted for illustrations, photographs, artwork or advertising materials while in transmission or with the publisher or their agents. All content in this BQ2 should be regarded as advertorial.

All information is correct at time of going to print, September 2017.

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On the right track Danny Cusick, sector portfolio director for food and drink, tourism and textiles at Scottish Enterprise and chair of the Borders Railway Blueprint Leadership Group, explains why the Borders Railway is much more than a transport project – it’s an economic development opportunity for revitalising the entire region.

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efore he took up his current role, Danny Cusick openly admits that he didn’t know the Borders very well. Now, Scottish Enterprise’s sector portfolio director for food and drink, tourism and textiles has fallen in love with the region.

“I’m from the southside of Glasgow and I knew the Highlands and other parts of Scotland very well, but I’d never really spent any time in the Borders,” Cusick explains. “I’d spent six years working in North America, based in Boston.

“In America, people won’t bat an eyelid at driving for three or four hours or 200 miles to visit a national park – but in Scotland we’re really pretty parochial,” he laughs. “We’re not so good when it comes to travelling around our own country.”

The Borders Railway has changed all that for Cusick. “After I was fortunate enough to travel on the maiden train service through

the Borders, I started to realise that this is a beautiful part of the country that people just don’t know about,” he says.

“Since then, I’ve spent several weekends travelling right through the corridor. Going down there as a destination has really opened my eyes to this wonderful part of Scotland.”

Cusick isn’t the only one to have discovered the Borders since the railway line opened in September 2015. Figures compiled by Peter Brett Associates for Transport Scotland found that 23% of tourists said they wouldn’t have visited the area if it hadn’t been for the track.

The same survey, which was published back in June, revealed that 50% of train users who had moved house and more than 80% of those who had changed jobs stated that the railway had been a factor in their decision. Cusick is heartened by the findings.

“It’s very positive that people have been making decisions based on the fact that the

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“

“This was an investment that was going to create significant economic development opportunities for the whole area.”

railway is here, whether that’s people choosing to buy a house or move job,” he says. “They’ve looked at the railway as a key factor in making those decisions – it’s being seen as a key asset.

“This opens up a whole new corridor of opportunities – in both directions. At one end, you have Edinburgh, which is one of the most successful financial services locations in Europe and is arguably Europe’s centre for data and analytics, and now has the significant Edinburgh & South-East Scotland City Regional Deal.

“So, Edinburgh already has a thriving economy, but the railway has opened up a lot of opportunities for other parts of the corridor in Midlothian and the Borders also.

“This highlights the core purpose of the railway – it’s not just about commuters travelling to and from one destination to another but also about generating real economic opportunities for the entire region. We’re seeing it coming through in

tourist numbers but also in the number of companies that are opening and growing along the corridor.”

Cusick points to the high-calibre workforce available in the region. While around 29% of Scottish working adults have a degree-level qualification, the figure rises to more than 40% along the railway corridor.

“There’s a rich seam of people and talent that represents a huge opportunity for businesses that either want to grow their presence along the corridor or move their operations there” he enthuses. “The creation of the Borders Railway Blueprint Leadership Group – involving all of the key stakeholders – recognised the absolute importance of developing a genuine partnership approach in delivering the economic development opportunities that lie ahead for the region.

“The leadership group was established a year before the line opened in recognition that, at the end of the day, the significant capital expenditure on the railway wasn’t

just going to a be a transport project – this was an investment that was going to create significant economic development opportunities for the whole area and indeed for the whole of Scotland.

“The leadership group involves senior figures from all the key stakeholders – including the Scottish Government, Transport Scotland, Scottish Borders Council, Midlothian Council, City of Edinburgh Council, ScotRail, VisitScotland and Scottish Enterprise – all committed to working together to realise the potential the project presented. The partnership model that has been put in place with key stakeholders has been vitally important in driving forward the Blueprint objectives with everyone working to a shared plan and an agreed mandate.”

Data released last September revealed that the Borders Railway had already carried its one millionth passenger within its first year of operator.

The report estimated that the opening of the railway has saved 40,000 car journeys a year. A further 22,000 bus journeys are also thought to have shifted from the roads to the rails.

The survey found that “commuting” was the most-common reason for taking the train. Leisure usage and education trips were also high on passengers’ agendas, with Borders College reporting a 74% rise in applications from students from outside the area when it issued figures in December 2016.

The Borders Railway hasn’t just been turning heads in the south of Scotland either. Local authorities further afield are studying the partnership model to see if it can benefit other parts of our nation too.

“Effective regional partnerships are becoming increasingly important in delivering economic growth for Scotland,” says Cusick. “There are some very strong lessons to be learned from the way that the Borders Railway partnership has been able to work. It’s a great example of what can be achieved when everyone works together in delivering a shared vision.”

Back in the Borders, Transport Scotland is consulting on whether to extend the line to Carlisle, as part of a wider look at travelling options that also takes in the A1, A7 and A68 roads. The consultation began in April and is expected to end in November. n

Brewing up a storm Annika and Gavin Meiklejohn are toasting the growth of Tempest Brewing Co after moving their beer business from Kelso to Tweedbank.

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cotland is enjoying a beer renaissance.

There are now more than 100 craft breweries dotted throughout the country, making everything from traditional pints of heavy and lager through to majorly-hopped American pale ales and Belgian-influenced wheat beers.

At the heart of the beer revival in the Borders is Tempest Brewing Co, which was set up in 2010 by husband-and-wife team Gavin and Annika Meiklejohn and which moved from Kelso to a bigger 30-hectolitre brewery in Tweedbank in February 2015.

Since then the company has gone on to win a series of prizes, including being crowned “Brewery of the Year” in 2016 at both the British Institute of Innkeeping Scotland Awards and the Scottish Beer Awards.

Its beers have continued to win accolades too, including four gold medals and a silver at the 2016 Scottish Beer Awards, and a slew of others at the Barcelona Beer Challenge and The Beer Awards.

Tempest’s journey began when Gavin and Annika moved to the Borders from New Zealand in 2007 to start a brewery, having learned the ropes abroad and travelled to Sydney in Australia to study. Instead, fate led them to open and run The Cobbles Inn at Kelso.

After three years – during which they transformed the outlet into an awardwinning gastropub – Gavin wanted to turn his focus back to his passion for good beer.

With a small brewing kit in an old dairy in Kelso in 2010, Tempest Brewing Co was founded, before moving to Tweedbank in 2015.

Annika explains that being just a sixminute walk from Tweedbank station means the brewery can easily facilitate regular brewery-based events, and has helped to attract staff from the Central Belt, who may not have considered working for the company previously due to its location.

The business has grown to employ 14 fulltime members of staff and one part-time

worker. Annika highlights the company’s proximity not only to Edinburgh but also to Newcastle.

“There are good transport links – including the road network as well as the railway,” she explains. “We have pretty good produce on our doorstep, including the best pale malt grown in the UK.” She adds: “The impact of the Borders Railway has been great for our business. It was actually one of the deciding factors for us moving into Tweedbank from Kelso.

“It’s enabled us to hold meetings with suppliers and other business partners either here at the brewery or up in the city. And it’s increased footfall at our brewery’s shop – we’re seeing that week by week – both from locals and from visitors who are coming to the Borders on the train.

“The last on-site beer festival we held had 1,000 people and 70% of the people who came used the railway to get down here. We are now looking to expand again into a purpose-built brewery, with a shop and taproom.” n To find out more about business opportunities along the Borders Railway corridor please contact Stuart Kinross on 01835 826505 or email stuart.kinross@scotborders.gov.uk

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Full steam

ahead

Galashiels lad Riddell Graham, one of the directors at VisitScotland, is looking forward to the further benefits that the Borders Railway will bring not only for tourism but for the wider economy.

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s director of partnerships at VisitScotland, Riddell Graham takes great pride in the tourism agency’s collaborations.

Yet there’s one project that’s been especially close to his heart.

Graham’s first job in the industry came in 1978 as an assistant tourist officer with Borders Council, after which he rose through the ranks to become chief executive of the Scottish Borders Tourist Board between 1996 and 2005. It’s therefore unsurprising that he feels a distinct sense of satisfaction when the Borders Railway opened in September 2015.

“I grew up in Galashiels and I used to take the trains on the old Waverley line up to Edinburgh to watch the rugby internationals at Murrayfield,” Graham remembers. “I used to pack my sandwiches and then walk down the road to the train station.

“The line used to link Edinburgh to Carlisle, so my family would use it for journeys in each direction, both going up to Edinburgh and going down to Carlisle and

beyond. So, it was a big blow when the line was closed.

“I think it had a wider effect on the psychology of the Borders too. It made a lot of us feel like we were cut off from the rest of Scotland.

“When the new line opened, I was lucky enough to have a seat on one of the trains that was running a preview trip for 90 journalists. It was an emotional moment – thinking that the line had closed and reopened in my lifetime and that I’d helped to campaign for it gave me a real sense of pride.

“VisitScotland was involved from the very beginning, even before any tracks had been laid. Our organisation was consulted and highlighted the benefits, not just the obvious ones for tourism in the region but for the wider Borders.”

Those benefits for tourism businesses are already beginning to be felt. The Scottish Tourism Economic Assessment Monitor (STEAM) showed that, during the six months

after the railway opened, the number of visitor days in hotels and bed and breakfasts (B&Bs) in the Borders rose by 27% year-onyear, with a 20% increase in the amount visitors spent on food and drink and a 17% rise in spending on accommodation combining to push overall visitor spending up by 16%.

Midlothian has reaped the benefits too, with a 12% rise in the number of visitor days in hotels and B&Bs over the same period and an overall increase in visitors’ spending of 7%. The number of people employed by the tourism industry also rose by 4% in Midlothian and 8% in the Borders.

“Obviously, we’re still waiting on figures for the 2017 tourism season, but anecdotal evidence looks very promising,” says Graham. “Historic Environment Scotland has told me that visitor numbers to Melrose Abbey are up by nearly 30% and Abbotsford House has seen an increase too – that won’t all be about the railway but I think the railway will have had a significant impact.

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“Research carried out among passengers on the trains during the off-reason has found that nearly 40% were travelling for a day-trip or an overnight stay, while about 65% of tourists said that the rail line was a factor in their decision making. That’s very encouraging.

“It’s a small start, but there are a number of small businesses that have sprung up already and there are lots of opportunities.

There’s a tourist bus in place to take people to some of the local attractions and Rabbie’s – which is now a major operator throughout the UK – has set up tours linked to the railway.

“Switched-on entrepreneurial businesses have also made the most of the steam train experiences that were run last summer and this summer, by organising coaches to take visitors to their properties. Anecdotally, those businesses that are within striking distance have done well.”

Graham also highlights the wider benefits that have been brought to the area. He points to plans to create a home for the Tapestry of Scotland in Galashiels, a £6.7m project funded by Scottish Borders Council and the Scottish Government.

The tapestry consists of 160 panels and measures 143 metres in length, making it the longest example of its kind in the world. “That would never have come to the Borders if it hadn’t been for the railway,” Graham adds.

“There’s a psychological benefit as well as an economic benefit. There’s enhanced confidence.

“That feeling of being cut off from the rest of Scotland has been removed and people feel more connected than they did before – in both ways, bringing people from Edinburgh into the Borders and Midlothian and allowing people to access Edinburgh too.

“There will always be naysayers – I hear them because I now live near Kelso. They say: ‘The railway’s done nothing for me’. But I ask them: ‘When was the last time that anybody invested £300m in the Borders and Midlothian?’

“What we need to do is rejoice in that and do something about benefiting from it. That investment could have been made anywhere in Scotland but they decided it was worth bringing it to the central Borders.

“There are now exciting discussions about extending the railway down to Hawick and that would bring even more benefits. I’ve been hugely encouraged by the people who have actually got off their backsides and recognised it’s an opportunity and done something about it, whether that’s laying on coaches or putting together a package to attract visitors or simply working in partnership.”

Graham is also delighted with the way in which the partnership behind the Borders Railway has worked. The Borders Railway Leadership Group has brought together chief executives and other senior managers from City of Edinburgh, Midlothian and Scottish Borders councils, Scottish Enterprise, the Scottish Government, Transport Scotland, VisitScotland and

Scotrail-operator Abellio.

“The phrase ‘Working in partnership’ has become a bit hackneyed, but I’m really impressed with what’s actually happened here,” Graham asserts. “Bringing together people who have decision-making power – like chief executives and economic development directors – has worked really well.

“They’ve been able to take decisions instead of having to go back to the ranch to consult with people higher up the food chain. I’m encouraging VisitScotland’s partners in other arenas to consider using this model too.

“For example, the Victoria & Albert (V&A) Museum that’s being built in Dundee is a major regeneration project with large amounts of public money being spent on the city and in particular the waterfront area. All the public-sector agencies – and our partners in the private sector – need to work together in partnership to make sure that all of Dundee and the surrounding areas can benefit from the V&A coming to Scotland.”

As for the Borders Railway, Graham is already making good use of its services.

“Although I don’t use it to commute every day, I do use it when I have meetings in Aberdeen or Glasgow or Inverness,” he explains.

“It’s really easy for me to get connecting trains from Edinburgh Waverley. I might not be a regular user, but I’ve certainly changed my travel plans for longer journeys now that the service is up-and-running.” n

Photography: James Glossop/VisitScotland

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From train to trail T Cycling entrepreneur Markus Stitz is a prime example of how tourism innovation is riding high in the Borders Railway corridor.

he Borders Railway is the gateway to beautiful countryside and world-class outdoor leisure activities, creating a fertile environment for business investment, startups and expanding companies in the tourism and leisure sector. Markus Stitz is a great example of a two-wheeled entrepreneur who is taking full advantage of the new rail connection, developing a local “bikepacking” route, called the “Reiver Raid”, in partnership with local tourism businesses.

With the mountain biking and cycling industry now estimated to be worth £360m a year to the Scottish economy, generating around 1.4 million visits to trail centres and wilderness, Stitz says there has never been a better time to saddle up and start a new business idea in the Borders Railway area.

Working with the Midlothian & Borders Tourism Action Group (MBTAG) and Teyl de Bordes from Whitmuir Farm, Stitz – an experienced adventurer, marketer and founder of Bikepacking Scotland – aims to make the region more attractive for cyclists by using the natural landscape to develop cycling routes that appeal to both casual riders and more serious two-wheeled adventurers. The Reiver Raid route is formed by a number of shorter loop rides that can either be ridden individually or combined into a more challenging 175km, two-day “bikepacking” route.

Official launched on the weekend on 26-27 August, the Reiver Raid has already attracted more than 1,000 views on the GPSIES website and was downloaded more than 50 times in less than three weeks. It is also currently the most-popular page on the

www.bikepackingscotland.com website.

Giles Ingram, chair of MBTAG, said: “We are delighted to be supporting Markus with this project. Innovation and new product development are intrinsic to the growth of the tourism industry in Midlothian and the Borders and the new railway provides a fantastic springboard for entrepreneurs to connect to a growing audience.”

Bikepacking Scotland was founded by Stitz, a round-the-world single-speed cyclist with the aim of providing resources for people who are interested in participating in bikepacking and adventure cycling in Scotland. Although a growing activity, bikepacking and adventure cycling are currently not promoted by governing bodies or tourism organisations in Scotland.

In only a few months since its inauguration, Bikepacking Scotland has gained a sizable following on social media and online. The Capital Trail, a route that Stitz developed in 2015, has been awarded the “best new trail” prize by Bikepacking. com, while Stitz has been rewarded twice for his efforts to promote cycling in 2015 and 2016.

A recent report commissioned by Transport Scotland and the Borders Railway Blueprint Group demonstrated that, in its first year of operation, the railway attracted workers, homeowners and tourists to the communities served by the line. House sales rates are up, hotel bed space nights are up and visitors spend is up. The Scottish Tourism Economic Assessment Monitor (STEAM) statistics released in January also demonstrated a significant improvement in key tourism performance figures for the Borders and Midlothian in the first half of 2016, compared to the first half of 2015 before the railway opened.

With MBTAG citing growth opportunities within the hospitality industry, services industry, tour operators and supply chains for both business and non-business visitors, there really has never been a better time for tourism related business to think about getting on board. n

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Injecting science

INTO FARMING The Roslin Innovation Centre in Midlothian is at the heart of Scotland’s life sciences industry and has a special focus on animal health, as chief executive John Mackenzie explains.

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arming has been at the heart of the Borders’ economy for generations. Yet it’s not just the rearing of animals that takes place in Scotland’s southern frontier – it’s also home to cutting-edge scientific research to ensure the health of our nation’s livestock.

Midlothian has the largest concentration of animal science-related expertise in Europe, with the University of Edinburgh’s Easter Bush campus housing the worldfamous Roslin Institute, the birthplace of Dolly the Sheep, and the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, along with hospitals for animals of all shapes and sizes.

The new kid on the block at Easter Bush is the Roslin Innovation Centre, a three-storey gateway building that includes 41,000sq ft of flexible laboratory and office space that companies can rent on a 12-month “easy in, easy out” or longer-term basis, along with facilities shared with other users on the campus, including a gym, a shop and a science outreach centre for visiting schools and other public engagement events.

“We’re close to the Borders railway, which offers fantastic links,” explains John Mackenzie, chief executive of the Roslin Innovation Centre. “Together with the airport and the bus service, businesses can come here knowing full-well that they have good transport links and good access to local talent for staffing and recruitment processes.

“Easter Bush is a great area to do science and work with businesses. We’re at the heart of newly-renamed Midlothian Science Zone, together with our partners at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), the Moredun Research

Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Edinburgh Technopole and the Scottish Enterprise Biocampus.”

Roslin hit the headlines in 1997 when the birth the previous year of Dolly the Sheep was announced. Dolly was the first mammal to be cloned from a cell taken from an adult animal and her carcass is now on display at the National Museum of Scotland.

Although Roslin can trace its roots back to 1919, it was Dolly that put the institute on the global map and cemented its reputation as a key centre for animal health.

“We offer fantastic infrastructure and a great innovation environment for companies to locate here and engage with science,” adds Mackenzie. “We’re midway through a 2025 masterplan for the Easter Bush Campus and already more than £140m has been invested in the campus out of about £250m ear-marked for the project.

“We’re looking to attract between six and 30 tenants over the next couple of years.

Those companies will ideally be strategically collaborating with the Roslin Institute and others on campus.

“The introduction of Borders Railway has certainly enhanced how we do business here. The railway takes people from the south and the north so they can easily access our infrastructure and the seed investment that’s going on here.

“I think the railway is bringing about even greater traction and engagement between business and academia. It’s

helping to enhance our enterprise culture and access our life sciences ecosystem.” n To find out more about business opportunities along the Borders Railway corridor please contact Andrew Ralton on 0131 2713435 or email andrew.ralton@midlothian.gov.uk

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The bank for the Borders

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f you ask someone to think of the Borders then more likely than not they’ll immediately imagine the area’s strong farming traditions, from the Reivers with their cattle through to the Cheviot sheep dotted over the rolling hillsides. Yet dig beneath the surface and there’s far more to the region’s economy than livestock and arable farms.

“We support a real mixture of businesses in the Borders,” explains Susan Fouquier, Royal Bank of Scotland’s managing director for business banking in Scotland. “It’s a strong agricultural area for us, but we also do have manufacturers and trading businesses and so we’re a keen supporter of all these areas.

“For those customers that have relationship managers, we have both geographic specialists and sectoral specialists, so we have a lot of agricultural relationship manager specialists in the Borders. It’s a really important area for us.”

Fouquier points to the wider variety of diversification taking place, with farmers considering other options to supplement their income from agriculture. While changes to the feed-in tariff and renewables obligation certificate schemes have changed the subsidy landscape, she said that

Royal Bank of Scotland not only supports agricultural clients in the Borders but also a whole range of exciting companies, as Susan Fouquier, managing director for business banking in Scotland, explains. renewable energy was still of interest to entrepreneurs, including wind turbines and anaerobic digesters.

“Agriculture is seen as a traditional type of sector, but farmers are great at taking opportunities when they’re presented to them,” she says. “We saw a big spike in interest in renewables a couple of years ago before the subsidies changed, but that’s now dropped back, especially for biomass and wind.

“But businesses are continuing to diversify.

One farm has specifically gone for growing tomatoes under glass.”

She also highlighted the importance of the tourism sector, not just with farmers opening bed and breakfasts (B&Bs) or guest houses as their latest steps towards diversification, but throughout the wider economy. “The leisure sector in Scotland is very buoyant just now,” Fouquier adds.

“That’s partly due to the weak pound, which makes it easier for tourists from overseas to come and visit us and makes a ‘staycation’ seem more reasonably-priced than in previous years compared with holidaying abroad. It’s also partly due to the perceived terror threat, with Scotland seen

as a safer place to holiday.

“Tee-pees and other types of ‘glamping’ are popular. We’re seeing a lot of those businesses springing up around the country.

“The Borders Railway has been good for bringing tourists into the Borders. It’s also great for allowing commuters to live in the Borders and spend money there, but then travel to Edinburgh and Midlothian during the day for work.

“Some of the exciting businesses we work with include: Cocoa Black, the chocolate manufacturer in Peebles; Middlemass Embroidery in Jedburgh; and Dash Blinds in Selkirk, which manufactures blinds for retailers and wholesalers. These are some of the area’s biggest manufacturers and so that connectivity is key.

“We have business growth enablers based throughout Scotland and our enabler in the Borders is Keith Crombie. He helps people to start their own businesses and helps existing businesses to grow by helping them to network and by running events.” n Find out more about Royal Bank of Scotland’s business growth enablers at www.business.rbs.co.uk/business/Boost/ contact-us.html

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he Borders are hard to beat when it comes to mountain biking. From the Glentress centre to the forest trails around Jedburgh, the area has some world-class routes to put both novices and experts to the test.

When fashion designer Alex Feechan took up mountain biking, she soon fell in love with the sport. Yet when she came to buy the right kit, she was forced to slam on the brakes.

“I started biking about six years ago with a group of friends and quickly became quite hooked,” she explains. “I decided I wanted to buy some appropriate clothing and that’s when I realised that there weren’t a lot of products available in the marketplace.”

Feechan went along to one of the innovation clinics run by economic development agency Scottish Enterprise, which helped her with market research and to set up focus groups with female bikers.

“One of my favourite statistics that emerged from the questionnaires was 95% of the 500 women surveyed said there was a need for a female-specific clothing line,” she remembers. “That validated the concept.”

Scottish Enterprise and Business Gateway helped Feechan to make prototypes and she worked with a team of specialists at HerriotWatt University, using an innovation voucher through the Sporting Chance Initiative, which helps entrepreneurs to start sportsrelated companies. Scottish Enterprise also supported her to travel to Germany for the Eurobike trade show in Munich.

Feechan launched her business at Innerleithen in the Borders in December 2014 and also passed through the Entrepreneurial Spark business support programme.

She describes Findra as a “fashion-led, performance-driven bikewear apparel brand specifically for women”.

Previously, biking products aimed at women had been based on men’s garments and had followed a pattern of “shrink it and pink it”, she says. Her own clothing is made from high-quality Italian merino wool.

“I’ve worked in the fashion industry for 25 years and have worked as a designer for a number of international companies” Feechan explains. “When you’re starting a business for yourself, it’s natural to feel alone, but with the support from Scottish Enterprise it felt

In the

right gear Fashion designer Alex Feechan turned her passion for mountain biking into Findra, a clothing brand for women. like I had a whole team around me.”

After gaining a first-class honours degree from Herriot-Watt, Feechan received a master’s degree in fashion textiles from the Royal College of Art in London. Her career has included working on knitwear for fashion houses such as Calvin Klein, Chanel and Escada.

She secured £200,000 of funding from TRI Capital, Investing Women and the Scottish Investment Bank in September 2016, and now employs five members of staff.

Feechan opened her first Findra shop,

design studio and events hub in Innerleithen back in May. Her plans include expanding the brand throughout Europe and further afield and diversifying from cycling into other sports.

She hopes that the Borders Railway will continue to bring more tourists into the area to take part in mountain biking and other outdoor pursuits. For cyclists bringing their bikes on the train, her new site in Innerleithen is only about 13 miles from Galashiels station and about 16 miles from Tweedbank. n

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INSPIRATION Chris Gauld recognised that the big six energy firms weren’t providing the customer service the letting industry needed.

In 2007, Spark was created as an alternative.

B

eing an entrepreneur is all about spotting a gap in the market. And that’s exactly what Chris Gauld did.

While he was head of sales for real estate investment and management company Grant Property, Gauld witnessed first-hand the cost and hassle experienced by agents and tenants with the “big six” energy companies that dominate the power market.

So, he decided to do something about it.

In 2007, Spark Energy was founded as a specialist energy provider to letting agents, landlords and tenants right across the UK. He moved his business from Edinburgh to Selkirk the following year.

Now, Spark employs around 450 people, turns over some £150m a year and has become a multi-utility player through its acquisition of broadband and telecommunications provider Home Telecom. The company has become one of the largest private-sector employers in the Borders.

Gauld’s achievements were recognised last year when he was crowned as Entrepreneurial Scotland’s emerging entrepreneur of the year at its 20th annual dinner on St Andrew’s night. More than 500

people watched Spark’s chief executive carry off the title.

John Hawkins, director of people and culture at Spark, says: “We’re a complex business and we require highly-skilled people to work within this business. Many of them come from the local area and we’ve helped them to grow their skills to become energy experts.

“The Borders Railway is great for us because it gives us access to other people too. They may have specialist skills that can help us to grow.

“The railway links the Borders to the Central Belt and that’s been incredibly helpful to us. We’ve grown dramatically over the past 18 months and we expect to continue to grow on that trajectory.

“We also have an office in Edinburgh, so the railway has helped us to link both parts of our business together. The Borders has been very good to us – it’s a great place to start and grow a business because the talent pool is exceptional and the landscape is stunning.”

Mark Ferguson, the media and public relations manager at Spark, adds: “My nearest station is Eskbank, which has great parking facilities, so it’s easy to drop off the car and jump on the train.

“The Borders Railways has been great for me. It makes the Borders much more accessible and makes it much easier for me to get to work.”

Hawkins highlights how Spark also wants to play a role in the wider community. “We recognise that we have a responsibility to work with young people and vulnerable people across the Borders,” he explains.

“To that end, we’ve worked with local high schools to help develop pupils’ leadership and interview skills. We’ve worked with local charities to bring people into our offices and help them to develop the interview skills that will help them to get a job in the future, either here or elsewhere.” n

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“There’s a rich seam of people and talent that represents a huge opportunity for businesses that either want to grow their presence along the corridor or move their operations there.”

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www.bordersrailway.co.uk