Council backs Tapestry centre despite £500,000 losses

Borders council leader Euan Jardine has said he is "100% behind" a major visitor attraction - despite it losing about £500,000 since opening in 2021.

Figures released under Freedom of Information have shown that the Great Tapestry of Scotland centre is attracting fewer than half of the forecast visitor numbers.

The Galashiels attraction is also costing Scottish Borders Council (SBC) about £220,000 each year to underwrite the financial losses - about £10 for every paying customer.

Authority leader Mr Jardine said: "We have work to do, but we are determined to make it a success."

The £6.8m tapestry centre was funded from public money on the strength of a 2016 business case which predicted more than 50,000 paying visitors would arrive each year.

The figures from Jura Consultants also predicted total losses of £185,000 across the first five years, which SBC agreed to underwrite.

While the 160 hand-stitched panels have proved to be a draw since the centre opened in August 2021, the numbers have been disappointing.

During its first two full years of being open there were 22,303 paying customers in 2022/23 and 22,115 during 2023/24.

Over the same two financial years SBC has underwritten losses of about £440,000 - with deficits from the previous eight months undisclosed.

A spokesperson for the authority said: "In both years, around £220,000 of support was directed to the Great Tapestry of Scotland’s operational deficit, arising from increased energy costs and lower than targeted visitor numbers linked to the post-Covid operating environment."

Although a wider Scottish Borders review of cultural services is ongoing, the leader of the local authority has given the Galashiels visitor centre his backing.

Mr Jardine said: "The numbers may be disappointing but that doesn't mean the future won't be fantastic - and I'm 100% behind it.

"The tapestry centre is a focal point for visitors coming to the Scottish Borders.

"We have Abbotsford and Trimontium both close by which makes for a triangle of international class attractions within a short distance of each other."

He said the centre's visitor book showed people were coming from around the world.

"I challenge anyone who is criticising the centre to go into this magnificent building and have a look at the tapestry panels," he added.