THE Deputy First Minister was in the Borders this week to mark the start of works on Jedburgh's new Intergenerational Community Campus.

John Swinney joined pupils from Jedburgh Grammar, Howdenburn and Parkside primary schools and Scottish Borders Councillors for the ground breaking ceremony for the innovative new facility on land at Hartrigge Park on Monday.

The Intergenerational Community Campus will replace all three schools, with provision for nursery, primary and secondary school children alongside further education.

Community facilities will include a multi-use games area, 2G hockey pitch, 3G sports pitch, 100m running track, external changing pavilion and rural skills area.

The funding for the new campus was confirmed by Mr Swinney in August 2017, as one of four projects to share £28m from the latest phase of the Scottish Government’s £1.8 billion ‘Schools for the Future’ programme.

The project is being taken forward by SBC, its development partner Hub South East Scotland and appointed main contractor BAM, while enabling works are currently being carried out by Jedburgh-based contractor RJT Excavations Ltd, providing local benefits.

The main construction will begin in the autumn, with the project on programme to open to learners by March 2020.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “I would like to thank Scottish Borders Council for inviting me to help mark the start of the process which will result in a fantastic new intergenerational campus that the whole community can be proud of.

“Learning and teaching in such an innovative and inspirational setting can make a real difference to education outcomes.

“That is why the Scottish Government is committed to improving Scotland’s school estate, and through our £1.8 billion Schools for the Future building programme, we are providing almost £18 million towards this project.”

Councillor Shona Haslam (Cons), SBC’s Leader, said: “This is another hugely significant day for Jedburgh.

“While it is hard to imagine at the moment, in two years on this site we will have a brand facility which will benefit generations of people in the town.

“Extensive consultations in the community showed the vast majority were right behind the plans for a new intergenerational campus, which will provide for 2 to 102 year olds, with further education opportunities and community facilities for the whole town.

“During construction, a number of community benefits will be delivered to support the local economy, with a local firm already involved in the project.”