A CEREMONY has been held to officially mark the opening of a multi-million pound business centre in the Borders.

Included at the Hawick site are drop-in workspaces, meeting rooms and a digital lab providing users with advanced facilities such as a podcast recording studio, live streaming and virtual reality headsets.

The Scottish Government provided £2.6million for the build of the centre, along with £530,000 from Scottish Borders Council (SBC).

The UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund contributed £123,000 and South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE) £175,000 to help furnish and fit out the building.

The ceremony on Friday was carried out by Scottish Government minister for employment and investment Tom Arthur.

He said: “This new development will provide space for start-ups and developing businesses to collaborate and expand, bringing jobs to Hawick.

“To drive growth across the Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway, we are funding South of Scotland Enterprise with £27.3 million over the financial year.”

Between opening on April 19 and the end of June, the hub welcomed 240 visitors, according to SBC.

SOSE is currently delivering a 12-month business accelerator programme from the centre to develop entrepreneurs and provide the support they need to grow.

Jedburgh councillor Scott Hamilton, SBC’s executive member for community and business development, added: “Since opening to the public in April, the Hawick Business Centre has already helped dozens of businesses and entrepreneurs, providing a hub that offers the essential facilities needed for them to function, expand and scale-up.

“Through our partnership with South of Scotland Enterprise and their business accelerator programme we can help nurture the next generation of Borders businesses and inject growth into the local economy.”

Russel Griggs OBE, chair of SOSE, said usage figures at the hub were “really positive”.

“We look forward to continuing to work with partners to build on this success and welcome businesses, enterprises and the wider community to this excellent facility over the remainder of this financial year,” he added.