Extra funds approved for Great Tapestry's home in Galashiels

The visitor centre is due to open in Galashiels later this year

Extra funding has been approved for special display cases at the permanent home of the Great Tapestry of Scotland being built in the Borders.

The £6.8m visitor centre is currently under construction in Galashiels and is due to open later this year.

A report to Scottish Borders Council recommended support for an extra £316,000 towards the cases.

It said they were "arguably the single most important element" of the project to house the 143m-long (450ft) artwork.

The display cases are needed to show the work in its most "advantageous setting"

The business case for the project was agreed more than four years ago.

Demolition work was carried out at an old pound shop in the town to make way for the centre.

Construction began last year and has been "significantly impacted" by the Covid pandemic but the building is on course to open later this year.

It is hoped it can attract more than 50,000 visitors a year and create 16 jobs.

It is hoped the tapestry can attract thousands of visitors every year once it goes on display

However, the cost of the display cases cannot be contained within the original budget estimate and has now been agreed from the local authority's emergency and unplanned schemes fund.

A report warned that failure to show the artwork in its most "advantageous setting" could harm the overall visitor experience.

The council's executive member for economic regeneration and finance Mark Rowley said he had been a sceptic about the scheme but was now convinced of its value.

"This building - opening later this year - is exactly what is needed now," he said.

Councillors unanimously agreed to approve the funding sought.

Demolition work paved the way for the centre which is part of wider regeneration plans

An announcement of an opening date for the facility will be made "as soon as practical".

Centre director Sandy Maxwell-Forbes said it could help in "shining a positive global spotlight on the south of Scotland".

"As a new national treasure, with its own stunning new purpose-built national gallery, it is vital now that the Great Tapestry of Scotland is adequately displayed and preserved for generations to come," she said.

"We have carefully selected cabinets that will minimise the remedial work required to the tapestry in future years, while continuing to display the tapestry's compelling visual storytelling of our history, heritage and culture at its finest."