Kelso racecourse plans £300,000 facelift

A £300,000 facelift is planned at Kelso racecourse to help bring its facilities up to modern standards.

The project would see a new entrance and office constructed at the Scottish Borders track.

Managing director Richard Landale said the works could be completed this summer ahead of their first meeting of the new season in September.

An application has been submitted to Scottish Borders Council to allow the renovation to be carried out.

Mr Landale said the current entrance dated back to the early 19th century and was no longer fit for purpose.

'Significant investment'

"More people are coming and we haven't been able to process them through the entrance and they have been standing out in the rain," he said.

"We are putting in a new ticketing system.

"We owe it to such loyal customers - we owe it to them to improve the experience.

"It is a significant investment, it is really going to bring the whole place up to the present day."

Kelso was one of the five racecourses across Scotland which announced a "bumper year" in 2015 earlier this year.

Its average attendance at 13 fixtures over the year rose by 12.6%, the largest increase among the Scottish sites.