Heart of Hawick to get makeover as 10th birthday present

It’s going to be all change at the Heart of Hawick over the next few days, weeks and months, with a plethora of plans in place to make it more attractive for visitors and staff alike.

The new look includes repainting internally, a revamped menu in the cafe, with new signage at the front of the building and on the windows.

A change to the Kirkstile venue’s cinema listings has already been made to screen a more mainstream selection of films in a bid to ensure the venue is commercially viable as well as being a cultural venue.

That change appears to have had an immediate impact in the form of four sellout performances in the last week, included showings of the hit movies Dunkirk and Whisky Galore!

And after celebrations next month to mark the 10th anniversary of the venue’s opening, more changes will be afoot.

In December, there will be the introduction of afternoon teas, with prosecco and cakes being served, voucher offers and even gin-tasting sessions.

Helping to oversee all the changes is Sophy Delavigne, the venue’s new operations manager.

She admitted the streamlining of the menu would raise prices slightly but says it will also improve and speed up service, with all the usual favourites, including pizza, selected sandwiches and paninis being still available.

She said: “The Heart of Hawick is such an amazing venue, and we are making the changes to make the venue more viable. There’ll also be changes in the office, with hot-desking.

“I see it as just a little bit of a shake-up as I think things had got a tiny bit stale.

“I’m not knocking the people who were here before me because the venue was not badly run, but every once in a while, you need to have a rethink.”

Live Borders took over the running of Heart of Hawick from Scottish Borders Council over a year ago.