Borderlink and Jim Clark Trust joint winners of EBDA Award

From left, Doug Niven (Jim Clark Trust); Berwick county councillor Catherine Seymour, Deputy Civic Head; Coun Mark Rowley, Scottish Borders Council; Coun Mike Greener, Mayor of Berwick-upon-Tweed; Coun Watson McAteer, Convener, Scottish Borders Council; Captain James Evans, EBDA chairman; Sam Calvert (Borderlink Broadband).

Two very different Duns-based organisations – Borderlink Broadband and the Jim Clark Trust and Motorsport Museum – shared the 44th annual award, reflecting its objective to celebrate excellence in social, economic and environmental fields in north Northumberland and the Eastern Borders.

Presenting the Borderlink citation, Scottish Borders councillor Mark Rowley referred to the success of the company in establishing itself as a leading supplier of wireless broadband to remote rural locations across the whole of the award area and its more recent expansion into gigabit fibre broadband services in urban areas, VOIP phones and CCTV security systems.

It also has bases in Berwick and Edinburgh, and a workforce rapidly approaching 200.

Captain James Evans, EBDA chairman, presented the Jim Clark Trust citation. He reflected that 54 years had passed since the legendary racing driver’s tragic death at Germany’s Hockenheim circuit.

He referred to the formation of the new trust in 2015, encouraged by Scottish Borders Council and with lottery funding, to develop and expand the existing Jim Clark room in Duns into a new motorsport museum, a town-centre bistro and a Jim Clark Trail, designed to enhance visitors’ experience of the museum through a driving tour of the Eastern Borders.

The newly-installed Mayor of Berwick-upon-Tweed, Coun Mike Greener, presented the Awards to Doug Niven, chairman of the Jim Clark Trust, and Sam Calvert of Borderlink Broadband.