I was born here, I grew up here, 10 years ago my husband and I moved 150 miles to set up our business here. The town has a heart bigger than I've known elsewhere and I will do everything I can to keep that heart beating strong. I joined Energise Galashiels Trust as a volunteer around 8 years ago with a shared vision to make Galashiels a better place to live and work.  We have come a long way in that time and learnt so much in a constantly changing financial landscape.   Unfortunately volunteers alone cannot sustain changes and we have been fortunate enough to benefit from public funding over the last 4 years which has allowed us to deliver many projects around the town. This funding stops in March 2024 and then what happens? Our town centre will regress, recruitment will suffer, but most importantly the community we have chosen to set our businesses up in will lose its confidence. I'm supporting BID for Galashiels for the fear of what we will lose and to protect what we have built. We've only just begun...

Witnessing Galashiels flourish, winning awards and achieving growth, has been a source of pride. Now, as funding winds down, there's a real risk of losing this progress. My dedication, both personally and through Mitchell Glass, is driven by the desire to see our town continue thriving. The successful BID is a crucial step in sustaining and enhancing Galashiels' prosperity.

McDonald’s Galashiels is proud to be part of the Gala business community. We’re a thriving business; employing over 100 staff to give customers a quality fast-food dining option. I have experience of Business Improvement Districts in other Scottish towns and have seen first-hand the benefits and improvements they can bring, not just to individual businesses, but to the BID area as a whole. I see that BID for Galashiels gives the town a unique opportunity to take control and capitalise on the Borders Railway, the Great Tapestry of Scotland and Gala’s beautiful setting in the Scottish Borders; building a better future for the town. For these reasons, I am fully supportive of BID for Galashiels.

Born and raised in Galashiels and having a business in the town, I truly believe that investing the BID is the best way forward to ensure all the great work that has taken place over the last four years continues.

My family have operated the four-screen independent Pavilion Cinema in Galashiels for over 30 years. I've seen Galashiels flourish in the 90s and struggle in the 2010s and flourish once again in recent years thanks mostly to the hard work Energise Galashiels has done to improve the town. It's vital this work continues and the best and fairest way to fund this is through a Business Improvement District. A BID gives a voice to the business owners in the BID zone and allows them to shape the development of the town for the future benefit of everyone.

Having been involved in retail in Galashiels for over 20 years, I have seen many up’s and down’s within the town centre. The development of the Tapestry visitor attraction along with the recent work overseen by Energise Galashiels has created a much improved town centre. In my opinion, the only way to continue this work is by the creation of a Business Improvement District within the town.

As a business owner and resident in Galashiels the BID enables us to continue the great work previously carried out and further develop the town for businesses, residents and visitors. Having moved here 11 years ago and now raising my young children in the town, it is crucial that the BID is successful so the town and businesses can maximise their collective potential.

Macari's has been serving the people of Galashiels for 100 years. You could say we're a bit of an institution! I'm Gala born and bred. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to travel extensively overseas after finishing my education, but I was always going to come home to Gala. I'm proud of our town and of the place Macari's holds in it. It follows that I want to see the best for Galashiels and I am convinced that the Business Improvement District is the way to build a better future for the town.

I am a proud lifelong Gala resident. My wife and I love the opportunities that our beautiful Borders town with it's very strong sense of community gives us as a family. I am also founder and director at Angus Architecture Ltd. We recently moved into our own premises on the High Street, and it's been at times a tough journey to grow the business to where we are, but definitely worth it. I've got an understanding of Gala from two perspectives; as a member of the community and as a business owner. We all want to see Gala be the best in can be, and I am convinced that BID For Galashiels is the best route to that.

Born and raised in Galashiels in the 1980/90s I have fond memories of the local community, independent stores and the welcoming nature of the townspeople. It was a super place to grow up, with the seasonal weather, green spaces and fun activities. My 2000s were spent travelling the world, building a career and taking up citizenship in Australia where I spent over ten years. When our first child was born, my hubby and I decided to come back and raise our kids in the Scottish Borders. And so we came HOME to Galashiels. We are happy to live in Galashiels where we support our local community by shopping small, exploring our rolling countryside and green spaces, attending our community markets and festivals and taking part in local sporting clubs. We strive to give our children a creative, considered and outdoorsy life. I've built up my own business where I empower local women to feel confident, I brand build small businesses from the ground up, co-found The Heartland Market and work with Heriot-Watt University in engaging the Students in the local community. I'm a connector. And a supporter of good. That's why I back the BID. Let's continue to see Galashiels shine.

Tesco were key members of the BID for Galashiels project in 2018 with a place on the Steering Group. As a company, Tesco, is the largest BID levy contributor across all existing operating Business Improvement Districts in the UK. We understand that a well prepared, inclusive & cost effective Business Improvement District can and does help regenerate and enhance local retail environments and the community more broadly.

Marks and Spencer were part of the Healthy High Street initiative in the mid 2000s and key Steering Group members for BID For Galashiels 2018. Things in Gala have moved on a lot since those early days of Healthy High Street, and there is still a way to go before Galashiels is the best version of itself. I believe that the Business Improvement District is the best, in fact, only vehicle to ensure Gala's growth.

CSY know that great architecture improves lives. We are proud that many of our projects make a positive difference to communities through innovation, sustainability and collaboration. I believe that the BID gives the same opportunity for Galashiels; to make a positive difference through collaboration and innovative thinking. This is why we are in support of BID for Galashiels

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