Borders leaders joined forces to tackle some of the region’s biggest challenges in Berwickshire recently.
The latest Leaders Dinner held by the Scottish Borders Chamber of Commerce (SBCC) was hosted by Michael Home, the 16th Earl of Home, at his Hirsel Estate in Coldstream. He welcomed SBCC members from across business and shared his thinking around plans for developing projects in his area, and pledged his support to efforts by the SBCC to develop local partnerships to grow the economy, tourism and local employment.
It was a huge pleasure to host a meeting for the leaders of the Scottish Borders Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber does a fantastic job of bringing the region’s business community together with leaders of public bodies and local institutions.
It is so important that there is good communication and discussion of the major issues facing the Borders amongst all these parties. Many rural communities face challenges in the current climate and Coldstream is one of those.
We discussed the difficulties local people face travelling to their jobs and the pressure this places on the workforce. There are companies locally that are hiring but those looking for jobs can’t get there.
We also spoke of how businesses and groups in the Coldstream area have done brilliantly to put plans together, and we are hopeful that some of those ideas can be implemented in the coming years.
Mr Home took over the Hirsel Estate in 2022, succeeding his father David, the 15th Earl of Home, who had in turn succeeded his father, Sir Alec Douglas-Home, who was Prime Minister in 1963.
The current Earl said it was vital that local landowners and business people found routes to connect in order to make the Borders more vibrant, and welcomed the opportunity to discuss issues across health, education, employability and transport among others.
Live Borders CEO Catriona McAllister attended her first Leaders’ Dinner, as did new NHS Borders Chair Fiona Sandford, and both commented on the potential that exists for the public sector to work more closely with business in improving facilities and health and wellbeing of the Borders population.
Ms McAllister has made a significant impact in her first year as leader of the local sport, leisure and cultural trust. Having swiftly identified savings on taking over last summer, she secured agreement from Scottish Borders Council not to close community facilities in 2025–26, with more than 30 having been earmarked for closure by an independent consultant’s report, and instead give Live Borders and local communities more time to properly assess their future and options for more community-based management.
NHS Borders are developing their ‘At Home’ health services and community-based health provision, and are also working with businesses to look at how they can support improved employee health and wellbeing.
The Leaders’ Dinners are providing great opportunities for people across the public, private and third sector to connect face-to-face and have really beneficial discussions around some of the key challenges we face in the Borders, and, more importantly, potential solutions.
In recent months, we have heard directly from – and our members have been able to ask questions directly of – Center Parcs, Borders Buses, Scottish Borders Council, South of Scotland Enterprise and, at the Hirsel, Live Borders and NHS Borders, as well as large employers such as Farne Salmon and Trout and Plexus and many small business leaders. Our hosts Michael Home, Alick Hay at Duns Castle in our last dinner and the Duke of Buccleuch at Bowhill have also been part of discussions and they are all key people in the development of the Scottish Borders economy and improving opportunities here for local people.
The enthusiasm in the rooms around uniting and developing partnerships is exactly what we want to hear and the key now is taking that forward into tangible benefits for all Borders businesses.
Live Borders is the most recent member of the SBCC and if you would like to join the Chamber and be part of events, visit the SBCC at: borderschamber.com or email: roz@borderschamber.com.
