The Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS) has received a Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) Sharing Heritage grant, which will allow over 130 years of agricultural history, contained in the Society’s archives, to be digitised and published online.
Entitled ‘A digital history of RHASS – an educational resource for Curriculum for Excellence’, the £10,000 grant will see part of the Society’s extensive records and books published on the Society’s website, www.archive.rhass.org.uk
The information, held in a purpose built library within Ingliston House at the Royal Highland Centre, Edinburgh will be available on the RHASS website from noon on Monday 20th April.
The resource will include information on Scotland’s historic geographical plans, roads and bridges infrastructure, land holding data, genealogy and agricultural information, as well as archived correspondence from some leading industry influencers and politicians
The Society was founded in 1784 to promote the regeneration of rural Scotland, as well as the preservation of its poetry, language and music.
Commenting on the award, RHASS Chief Executive, Stephen Hutt, said: “We are thrilled to have received this funding from HLF, which enables us to open up the library archives to school pupils, students, researchers and members of the public. This new online archive within our website will showcase some of the unique material that the library holds and provide an insight into the agricultural community life and enterprise dating back 130 years.”
Edinburgh Airport enjoyed a 6.8% increase in passenger numbers in March with over 790,000 people travelling through the airport last month.
A total of 791,975 people flew in and out of Scotland’s busiest airport in March. Both domestic and international passenger numbers also saw a strong increase.
Domestic passenger numbers rose by 8.7% in March with 432,935 people travelling throughout the UK.
Driving this growth was Ryanair’s new Stansted service which now flies up to four times per day, as does the new Flybe service to London City and BA Cityflyer’s increased frequency to London City, now flying up to 12 times per day.
International traffic also increased by 4.7% on March 2014 with a total of 359,040 passengers travelling.
Helping to drive this growth was the increased services to Dublin, Barcelona and Rome with Ryanair, the new twice-weekly service to Madeira with easyJet, as well as their increased services to Lisbon and Reykjavik.
Gordon Dewar, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Airport, said: “March was a strong month for us and we saw a significant increase in the number of passengers travelling through our airport.
“Our biggest growth was in domestic traffic which increased by 8.7% with more services to London airports with Ryanair, Flybe and BA Cityflyer.
“The final home match of the RBS 6Nations also helped boost passenger numbers with over 31,000 Irish rugby fans travelling through the terminal.
“We’re now officially in the summer schedule and have already welcomed several new airlines and routes, including new services to the Faroe Islands with Atlantic Airways, Malaga with Norwegian, Copenhagen with SAS and Madrid with Iberia Express. We’re sure these will be popular choices for our passengers over the coming months.”
Local artist, David Grigor, is holding an exhibition of contemporary Edinburgh landscapes with 10% of every sale going to support the Royal Blind School.
The exhibition, titled ‘Visions of Edinburgh’ runs from March to September in Henderson’s of Edinburgh on Hanover Street. It is open from 8.00am until 10.00pm, Monday to Saturday, and is free to attend.
As well producing his own art work David Grigor is also the Art Instructor for Scottish War Blinded at the Linburn Centre in West Lothian. A sister charity to Royal Blind, it provides free support and assistance to veterans of the armed forces who have a visual impairment.
David Grigor commented: “I am delighted to be able to support the Royal Blind School by donating a percentage of sales of art works sold. The exhibition comprises recent oil paintings, pen and ink drawings, and oil pastel work of Edinburgh landscapes and attempts to capture the Vision of Edinburgh in colour and perspective.”
Davina Shiell, Marketing Manager for Royal Blind, said: “David’s exhibition will introduce Royal Blind to a different audience which is ideal for raising awareness of the charity. It is very generous of David to donate 10% of every sale to the Royal Blind School, based in Morningside, which is one of five services our charity operates.
“As Scotland’s largest visual impairment organisation Royal Blind provides care, education and employment for blind and partially sighted children and adults across Scotland and the rest of the UK. All the donations we receive go to helping continue the work we do and we are very grateful to David for his thoughtful support.”
The Scottish Business Voice Campaign, led by the Scottish Chambers of Commerce Network, will present a series of Business Asks to inform the role politicians can play to build on Scotland’s key industry sectors.
Today, Scottish Chambers of Commerce puts forward the Business Asks to Invest in Scotland’s Talent.
Scottish Business calls for:
Childcare:
• An extension in the provision of childcare by 2016 to help parents continue in and return to employment:
o Guaranteed funded and flexible childcare provision of at least 30 hours a week, 52 weeks of the year, tailored to parents’ needs.
o Guaranteed provision of pre and after school clubs to ensure that wrap-around care is available for every child.
Language Skills:
• International languages of business must be mandatory in the education curriculum from Primary 1 onwards, otherwise there will remain major barriers to developing internationalisation in Scotland and keeping ahead of our competitors.
• Opportunities for overseas study must become mandatory for university degrees by 2020.
• Major new retraining opportunities for existing language teachers to match Scotland’s international growth agenda.
Modern Apprenticeships:
• Implementation of a Modern Apprenticeship incentive package, as recommended by the Commission for Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce to reduce the cost of employing apprentices for smaller and micro businesses, with an emphasis placed on skills shortages and economic need, delivered by 2016.
University:
• A major review in identifying degree courses which could be reduced from four to three years being implemented by 2017
• Mandatory inclusion of work placements and overseas study being phased in as part of the accreditation process by 2020.
International Students:
• For the UK Government to adopt a more flexible attitude to post-study work visas by 2016 in order that we can take full advantage of the interest in Scotland’s world class universities shown by talented, high potential individuals from across the world, building up their business interest and connections in Scotland.
Careers Information/Advice:
• To reform the Careers Services by 2017, driven by an effective working alliance between business and Skills Development Scotland, ensuring skills shortages in STEM subjects are clearly understood and eliminated by 2020.
• A Stronger focus on the newly created Invest in Youth Panels to enable them to eliminate skills shortages by 2020 across all business critical areas.
Work Experience:
• The compulsory inclusion of an in-industry or business work experience programme starting from S1, which forms part of a student’s curriculum, and is recognised with an accreditation that has been created in collaboration with both business and education, by 2018.
Workplace Training:
• Businesses which invest in upskilling and retraining staff should be rewarded with tax breaks to either Business Rates or Employer’s National Insurance Contributions.
Liz Cameron OBE, Director and Chief Executive of Scottish Chambers of Commerce said:
“Any business is only as good as its people. That is why it is absolutely essential that our Governments put education and skills first and ensure that our businesses have access to the best possible pool of talent. That means getting things right from pre-school all the way through to university and beyond, recognising the need for parity of esteem for vocational training and taking full advantage of Scotland’s ability to attract talent from across the globe.
“Getting the skills mix right underpins our whole economy and starts at an early age. Cementing languages of international business into the curriculum from Primary 1 right through to the end of secondary education and into further and higher education will help to create an outward looking culture that will support our international trade ambitions – an employee attribute valued highly by Scottish business. Providing effective links between secondary schools and businesses will deliver the information that young people need to make informed career choices and delivering parity of esteem between vocational and academic education will help businesses to access the right talent when they need it, eliminating skills shortages across all business critical areas. We should not be in the position we are right now, with a distinct lack of digital and exporting skills – two key areas which, unless we identify urgent solutions, are already creating barriers to economic growth.
“We must also have a seamless progression from childcare to education that helps to minimise the time that parents need to spend outside of the workforce. Scotland has led the way in helping to make childcare more affordable for parents but it is not yet either universal or flexible enough to make the decision to continue in or return to work, within an ever changing business environment, an easy one.
“Last year, a Commission led by Sir Ian Wood made a raft of practical and sensible recommendations to improve the links between business and education in Scotland. Chambers of Commerce are leading the way in putting these ideas into practice and we need to stick to the principles of the report. If the private sector truly take ownership and leadership of this process, then we have a once in a lifetime opportunity to inform young people about tomorrow’s jobs in a consistent manner and skills shortages could be eliminated in just a few years.
“We must also develop and enhance the skills of those already in the workforce. This will require investment by business and government can play its part by providing tax breaks, either through Business Rates or Employers’ National Insurance, to firms which can demonstrate that they are investing in building up the skill sets of employees.
“Whilst we must have a focus on our domestic skills, we must not forget the positive role that overseas talent can have in our economy. We believe that the reintroduction of a generous Post Study Work visa in Scotland could help to take further advantage of the international attraction of our several world class universities to ensure that more of tomorrow’s global business leaders gain experience and connections in Scotland.”
Gillespie Macandrew has announced major changes to its leadership team, with Murray Shaw becoming Chairman and Chris West taking over as Chief Executive from Ian Turnbull, who will step down from his role as Managing Partner at the end of April.
Joining these two highly experienced individuals on the new five-person board will be John McArthur (Head of Tax), Robert Scott-Dempster (Head of Land and Rural Business) and Mike Blair, a partner based in the firm’s Perth office, also in Land and Rural Business.
These significant changes in the firm’s strategic leadership follows on from recent announcements about the opening of Gillespie Macandrew’s new office in Glasgow and strong 2014/15 financial results.
Murray Shaw, an accredited specialist in planning and construction, joined the firm in 2014. He had previously been a partner with Biggart Baillie for 27 years, latterly having been Senior Partner and Chairman.
Breaking with the tradition of many Scottish law firms, Chris West will be the firm’s first Chief Executive. West, a non-lawyer, joined the firm as Chief Operating Officer in 2013 having held a number of senior financial and general management posts in a variety of sectors including legal practices, the NHS and other commercial businesses.
Gillespie Macandrew recently announced its intention to focus on significant growth and development of the business and the Board and Chief Executive have been appointed to drive the strategy required to achieve this.
Murray Shaw comments:
“I have long felt that Gillespie Macandrew is a firm which punches way above its weight and I am very excited to play a central role in its continuing growth. I am very much looking forward to working with my colleagues on the new board and, in particular, with Chris West. He brings a sharply tuned commercial perspective into play and our ambition to grow is underlined by his appointment. I also want to pay tribute to Ian Turnbull, our long-serving Managing Partner. Ian has overseen several major acquisitions and mergers in the business, and has managed the firm carefully through the recent recession and the successful growth and disposal of the investment arm in 2011.”
Ian Turnbull says:
“I am stepping down at a time when the firm is thriving and I am looking forward to working with the new board in a client-facing role to support the firm going forward.”
The firm recently advised its staff of the intention to lead its growth and development from within and is seeking to bring a number of staff forward into senior and partner roles over the next two to three years, as well as making a small number of key strategic appointments from outside of the firm. It currently has offices in Edinburgh, Perth and Glasgow.
Commenting on the release of official data which shows that the Scottish economy grew by 0.6% in the final quarter of 2014 and by 2.7% during the calendar year as a whole, Liz Cameron, Director and Chief Executive of Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said:
“This is further evidence that 2014 was a good year for Scottish business. As we have found in our own research, a sharp pick up in construction activity towards the end of the year contributed significantly to continued solid growth levels. Prior to the beginning of 2014, the Scottish economy was only expected to grow by 1.8%, so to have returned annual growth last year of 2.7% is the result of significant successes within Scotland’s business community.
“That said, we all know that 2014 was an exceptional year on many levels. The challenge this year will be to sustain these growth levels and to secure the foundations to produce even higher levels of growth in future. Good businesses are never at rest and are always innovating. With the right support from government, we are eager to make Scotland an even more prosperous and successful economy.”
Lloyds Banking Group has announced it will help 1,000 start-ups to push through the £1m turnover barrier by their third birthday as part of its 2015 SME Charter, contributing £1bn to the UK economy.
The new Charter focuses on growth, digital technology and sustainability as its key commitments for supporting for enterprise.
Nurturing 1,000 growth businesses of tomorrow
To achieve a £1m turnover in three years, 1,000 start-up businesses will be offered a wide range of support, including mentoring, sector expertise and business introductions to foster them into the innovators and business champions of the future. These start-ups will come from a range of sectors and regions across the UK.
Graham Blair, Area Director for SME Banking Scotland at Bank of Scotland, said: “Growth of the Scottish economy depends on successful new small businesses investing, employing and innovating to become the medium-sized enterprises of the future. But to do that, they need confidence in the commitment of their bank. Our SME Charter clearly sets out the pledges we are making to our customers and the support they can expect.
“In pledging to help 1,000 companies across the UK mature into £1m established businesses in three years, they will contribute over £1bn to the UK economy. They will be the larger SMEs of the future.”
Further digital services and innovation
As part of its focus on digital, Lloyds Banking Group will be launching a new online banking channel so that SME customers can find everything in one place for their banking needs as well as making further improvements to the Mobile Business Banking App.
This will allow businesses to access their banking support at home, work or while on the go so that they can be more efficient, freeing up time for them to concentrate on the running of their business.
Building a sustainable business for the future
To help businesses better understand the benefits of engaging in more environmentally responsible practices, Lloyds Banking Group has also launched an online planning tool to help 10,000 SMEs become more sustainable by 2020 and beyond.
New research by Lloyds Bank found that for those SMEs not undertaking sustainable practices, seven in ten (71 per cent) businesses are not confident they understand the benefits it can bring.
The new online too will help enterprises understand how being more sustainable can help them be more resilient as well as showcase their commitments to their customers, investors and the wider supply chain.
Charter Commitments
A range of other commitments build on pledges from Lloyds Banking Group’s first SME Charter in 2009, ensuring that SMEs get access to the finance they need on terms that are fair and transparent; and that they get a broader range of support, including help with alternative forms of finance.
This includes working closely with the Competition and Markets Authority to improve the competitiveness of the SME banking market, ensuring better choice and outcomes for customers. The Group recently pledged up to £5 million towards an industry fund to improve digital services and comparison websites to help small businesses switch banks.
Leaders from Scotland’s conference and events sector are reaching out directly to Edinburgh’s key business influencers, encouraging them to take a more proactive role in bringing prestigious and lucrative business events to Scotland.
With business tourism events currently worth £1.9bn annually to the Scottish economy, the new Think Scotland, Think Conference (TSTC), initiative is a fresh strand of business tourism advocacy that will engage directly with commercial and private business on an unprecedented scale.
Kicking off a special ten-date tour of Scotland’s seven cities and three key rural locations, business tourism leaders will gather at the EICC on 29th April with decision-makers from local, UK and international organisations in Edinburgh to launch the initiative.
The event is supported and hosted by Marshall Dallas, CEO of EICC and Lesley Williams from Marketing Edinburgh and representing the industry group behind the initiative, Business Tourism for Scotland.
TSTC is Europe’s first ambassador project aimed exclusively at the business community. Its ambition is to arm local business leaders with the right tools, knowledge and support to become potential advocates of Scotland’s business tourism offering. The event will reinforce the positive benefits, not only for individuals and their organisations, but their sector and the Edinburgh economy.
For further information, visit http://www.thinkscotlandconference.co.uk
To celebrate 25 years of magical Wishes the Scotland Office would like to invite entries for our Golf Tournament at the outstanding venue of Archerfield Links – East Lothian.
Less than an hours drive from the Lothian’s and Fife this breath taking course is an ideal setting for a Corporate Day of golf or for supporters who would like the opportunity to play at this premier venue.
Registration for entries is now open and we are offering an early bird discounted rate of £520 (normally £600) for a Team of 4 players if you register your team before the 31st July 2015.
The format of the day will be a Shotgun Start with bacon rolls for breakfast and a late lunch with prize giving.
All proceeds from the day will be used to grant ‘Wishes’ for children in Scotland with a life threatening illnesses.
For further information please contact scotland@whenyouwish.org.uk or phone the Scotland Office on 01357 529950 or 07850 772271
Chamber member Eden Consultancy Group have been shortlisted for two national marketing awards by the British Council of Shopping Centres (BCSC). The prestigious 2015 Purple Apple awards recognise innovation and excellence in town centre and shopping centre marketing.
Eden’s submissions for Best Event Marketing and Best Marketing Team award categories were made in conjunction with Howgate Shopping Centre, part of Ellandi – one of the UK’s leading investment managers in community shopping centres.
The Eden team’s shortlisting for Best Event Marketing formed a unique partnership between Howgate, The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) and Falkirk Community Trust. Designed and produced by Eden, the free exhibition in one of Howgate’s retail units combined unique aerial photography and museum artifacts – offering members of the public the chance to participate and interact. In excess of 7,000 visitors attended during the five weeks that it was opened, attracting significant press and radio coverage in addition to social media buzz. Eden’s further award shortlisting recognises their work with Howgate during the course of 2014 including a hugely popular sports-based ‘Wee Champions’ campaign linked to the Commonwealth Games and a thought provoking commemorative display of the World War 1 Centenary.
Commenting on the shortlisting Howgate’s General Manager Suzanne Arkinson said:
“We’re delighted to have been shortlisted in partnership with Eden. The submission judging criteria is extremely demanding and considers applications from all over the UK so to have been shortlisted for two Purple Apple awards is quite an achievement. The fantastic response we’ve seen from our customers over the course of last year tells us that what we’ve been doing for them is unique. It’s great to see that our successful approach has been recognised not only by our customers but also by key players within our business peer group”.
The overall winners will be announced at the prestigious BCSC Purple Apple Marketing Awards ceremony in London on 7th May 2015.
