A Glasgow man has won a five-star holiday to Dubai after entering a ScotRail competition earlier this year as part of its launch of the Smartcard Benefits scheme.

University of Strathclyde employee, Aidan Johnston (38) from Giffnock, was among the thousands of ScotRail Smartcard holders who entered the prize draw.

He will be jetting off with a friend from Glasgow to Dubai, where they’ll spend seven nights in a five-star hotel this June, courtesy of the ScotRail Alliance.

Aidan, a ScotRail Smartcard season ticket holder, said: “I’ve never been to Dubai but can see why so many people love the place – it seems to have everything. I’m really looking forward to soaking up the sun and just relaxing for seven days.

“I hate using paper tickets for anything and don’t like queuing so a Smartcard is perfect for me. It’s really easy to use and every month I just log in online to renew my Season Ticket.”

Cathy Craig, the ScotRail Alliance’s commercial director, said: “We launched the Smartcard Benefits scheme and this prize draw as we wanted to reward our most loyal customers, our season ticket holders, and raise awareness of the advantages of using a ScotRail Smartcard.

“Thanks to Barrhead Travel, who are a key partner in our Smartcard Benefits scheme, we’re able to send one lucky winner on the holiday of a lifetime.

“We hope Aidan has a tremendous time on this wonderful holiday and enjoys every minute of it.”

Smart ticketing technology is available across the ScotRail Alliance’s network with every route enabled for Single, Return and Season Tickets. Other products coming soon include the popular Flexipass.

Tickets for other travel providers – such as Glasgow Subway – can also be uploaded onto Smartcards, with bus companies and ferry operators scheduled to start providing integrated travel options soon.

With the support of leading brand partners, Smartcard holders who have registered through their MyScotRail account, can claim rewards from discounts on coffee and travel, to car hire and clothing.

Pictured above: ScotRail Alliance commercial director Cathy Craig and competition winner Aidan Johnston (both centre) in Glasgow Queen Street station, with ScotRail Alliance representatives.

Edinburgh-based charity the Sick Kids Friends Foundation has announced it is rebranding under the new name Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity (ECHC).

Although the charity – a much-loved Edinburgh institution – is to change its name, its mission to continue to raise money to buy vital equipment and services remains as important as ever.

Roslyn Neely, CEO of the ECHC, said: “Through the amazing support and fundraising of many, many people, we’ve supported the work of the Edinburgh Children’s Hospital for 25 years. But with the hospital changing to a new name, we felt this would be a positive opportunity to also update our own name.

“Aside from our name, nothing will change in terms of the work that we do. We continue to be a grant giving organisation which exists to transform the experiences of children and young people in hospital so that they can be a child first and a patient second.

“The clinical work of the hospital is world class and often ground-breaking. However, we rely completely on the public for all our donations and we still need support to help us provide the magical extras to benefit the hundreds of thousands of babies, children and young people who will be patients over future decades.”

For more information on Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity, please visit: www.echccharity.org

Widely-experienced valuation professional Roy Hudghton has returned in a full-time role to DM Hall, one of Scotland’s leading firms of Chartered Surveyors, as the firm’s rapid growth continues apace.

The former head of the RICS Valuation Professional Group in Scotland has been appointed as Director in the highly-regarded commercial team as the firm’s East Coast-based operation undergoes a period of unprecedented expansion.

As Head of the four-strong Edinburgh Commercial Valuation team, Roy will work closely with Michael Court, Partner and Head of East Commercial and recently-appointed Ross Wilson, Head of Agency (East of Scotland).

Roy, who qualified in 1982 and specialises in trade-related valuations, particularly in the leisure sector and the licensed trade, was a partner in DM Hall until 2008, when he left to establish his own successful consultancy business.

He re-established links with the firm in 2013 and in 2015 was appointed as head of the Valuation team in a consultant capacity.

He said: “Since the appointment of Michael Court, the firm has been going from strength to strength in the East of Scotland and I am delighted to once again be able to devote all my energies to its continuing success.

“The team has met and exceeded all its targets since 2015 and new and very ambitious targets have been set in terms of client development and margin enhancement.

“We have established much better relationships with banks, lenders and pension funds and we are now in a position where we can promote the commercial department’s undoubted expertise much more rewardingly.”

Michael Court said: “Roy has been a tremendous asset to the team in recent years and we are very pleased now to be able to call on his services on a full-time basis. His contribution as a director will be invaluable.”

Alan Gordon, Principal Commercial Partner of DM Hall based in the Glasgow office, said: “Roy Hudghton has a long and illustrious track record in professional valuation and, of course, was a valued partner in the firm for many years.

“I am sure everyone in the firm will join me in welcoming him back to a full-time role. His expertise, integrity and dedication to the profession is unrivalled and the East team will benefit hugely from his experience.”

DM Hall’s East commercial department, based in Corstorphine Road, has a staff of more than 30, covering Edinburgh, Dundee, Falkirk, Kirkcaldy and Dunfermline and including the Property Management Division in Livingston.

For further information, contact DM Hall Chartered Surveyors, 17 Corstorphine Road, Edinburgh EH12 6DD. T: 0131 477 6000. E: edinburghresidential@dmhall.co.uk. W: www.dmhall.co.uk. T: http://twitter.com/dmhallLLP.

For further information about DM Hall’s Scotland-wide network of offices, please contact Neil McKenzie, Marketing Manager, DM Hall, Unit 3, Cadzow Park, 82 Muir Street, Hamilton, ML3 6BJ. T: 01698 284939. M: 07786 362517. E: neil.mckenzie@dmhall.co.uk. W: www.dmhall.co.uk.

At Scott-Moncrieff we are passionate about SMEs. When it comes to companies of this size, their opportunities, the issues they face, and the overall business landscape, we know our stuff and we want to share it with you.

At our upcoming seminars in Glasgow and Edinburgh, we’ll cover the importance of embracing technology, looking at the need to adopt ‘Making Tax Digital’ and detailing the benefits of Cloud accounting. We’ll also discuss succession planning and will explain how Scott-Moncrieff can help you take your business to the next level.

You can see the full details, including the agenda, here.

If you’d like to attend, please email the following information to sm.events@scott-moncrieff.com:

Name:
Company:
Job title:
Seminar (please delete as appropriate): Edinburgh / Glasgow

Note that spaces are limited and will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis.

I’ve been lucky enough to do some travelling in recent weeks and it’s interesting to compare our culture with others – the warm welcome and hospitality of the East, their work ethic and culture of enterprise, their generosity of spirit and friendship. Maybe the sunshine makes everyone happy – it worked for me, or was it the brief relief from the politics of home. No talk of Brexit, General Elections and Indyref#2. Bliss.

My admiration for the Eastern culture made me reflect on emerging economies and how Scotland is at risk of falling behind as the pace of change and technological advancement continues to accelerate. The pace of change is now the fastest it’s ever been, but it will never be this slow again. We cannot ignore the new era of algorithms, social media and robotics that run our lives, manage our homes and allow us to browse, compare, order and pay for goods and services at the tap of a screen.

How does Scotland compare at this level? Do we have the culture to adapt and compete? We talk about being world class – but what does that mean? What takes a business from emerging, to mature, to world class? And how do we create businesses that are global market leaders?

For Scotland to flourish we need a strong and stable economy across a diverse range of sectors. We need wealth and job creators who reach out to the rest of the world to trade our products and services.

Scotland has real strength in its education system. The innovative research and development in FInTech, robotics and AI regularly lead to spin-out companies from our universities. We are world leaders in the Oil and Gas service sector, in Financial Services and we have abundant natural resources in fish, agriculture, aquaculture and talent. And of course we have whisky – 80% of food and drink exports come from the golden nectar that is Scotch whisky – the best in the world.

So, there’s no shortage of products, ideas and enterprise. But the challenge we are faced with is – how do we harness this and create global businesses that surpass the start-up years and accelerate to scale and market leadership? We need to lead, educate and support entrepreneurship, recycle the knowledge and experience from our successful business leaders. We need high speed digital connectivity and we need to encourage the ambition for international trade whilst ensuring businesses have access to international markets to support them in competing on the world stage. And we need a skilled workforce to help build these businesses – a workforce that is diverse, ambitious and resilient.

The Scottish Government can only deliver its economic strategy if the business community is strong and grows significantly in the coming years. The public sector accounts for over 50% of the workforce and real growth in employment and the tax base can only come from the private sector. If we want to improve public services, we must pay for them.

The Scottish Chamber Network and other business organisations are working hard to ensure we embrace these opportunities and also have the support to compete and fully exploit the advantages we have in abundance. Scotland is open for business and never mind the Silk Road – we have the Tartan Highway!

For the first time, the set of maquettes that were used to launch the The Kelpies in New York will be on display in the UK at an outdoor public space. The equine art works will be effectively stabled over the winter months at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh (QMU).

The maquettes were the models for the award-winning 30 metre high horses heads known as The Kelpies. Together with Kelpies Marina, they form the dramatic gateway to the new section of canal in the Falkirk District linking the Forth and Clyde, which is centred within the innovative 350 hectare Helix Parkland operated by Falkirk Community Trust and funded by The Big Lottery Fund, Falkirk Council and Scottish Canals.

Hand crafted by Scottish sculptor, Andy Scott, the 3 metre high maquette sculptures will be positioned in University Square at Queen Margaret University’s campus next to Musselburgh on the east side of Edinburgh. The final design of The Kelpies is uniquely linked to this set of maquettes which recently toured the USA, appearing in Chicago, North Carolina and at New York’s Scotland Week.

Queen Margaret University has a special connection with The Kelpies and The Helix project. Working in partnership with the project partners, the University’s media practice lecturer, Walid Salhab, produced the stunning stop-motion film of The Kelpies which has been shared on social media all over the world and has received nearly 93k hits on the Helix website alone. He was the only filmmaker to have unlimited access to the full four month build phase of the momentous structures, and his mesmerising portrayal of The Kelpies when they reached completion helped launch The Kelpies in New York and in Scotland. His unique stop-motion/time-lapse filming technique has been used to great effect with The Kelpies film helping secure Falkirk’s place on the global tourist map and supporting the Council’s work in exceeding projected visitor numbers to Falkirk and the surrounding area.

Award winning filmmaker, Walid Salhab, often dubbed ‘Mr Kinetic’, due to the style of his unique filming technique, explained: “Filming The Kelpies over a six month period, capturing the build and then their final completion, was the most challenging project of my life. But it was a privilege to help bring Andy Scott’s creation to life in a stop-motion/time-lapse film.”

Walid continued: “I spent so much time filming them during the day and in the dead of night, trying to capture their changing qualities, I began to feel that they belonged to me. I think that people in the Falkirk area probably feel the same sense of ownership. To have them on display at Queen Margaret University is a dream come true. We couldn’t have asked for a better Christmas present!

“Once again, I get to experience the brilliance of Andy Scott’s work on a daily basis, albeit in miniature, and to share The Kelpies maquettes with the wider QMU community.”

…/Professor Petra Wend, Principal of Queen Margaret University, said: “We are extremely grateful to Falkirk Council and we feel honoured to have the maquettes of The Kelpies housed at the University. When we created our purpose built campus in 2007 we constructed a building that deliberately faced into our new community of East Lothian. We have sited the maquettes near the entrance to our academic building so that they too face towards Musselburgh. It is also the first time that we have had art work displayed in University Square.”

University Square has a daily footfall of approximately 2500 people and senior staff and QMU believe that the maquettes will encourage many more people from the surrounding area to visit the campus.

Professor Wend continued, “We now invite people from our East Lothian and Edinburgh communities, and from further afield, to visit our campus and see the maquettes. Hopefully, this will whet their appetite to see the full sized Kelpies in all their glory and to enjoy the amenities of Helix Park in Falkirk and the surrounding area.”

Falkirk Council’s spokesperson for tourism, Councillor Adrian Mahoney, said: “The Kelpies maquettes have become travelling ambassadors for Scotland and the Falkirk area and we are delighted they are being looked after by Queen Margaret University this winter, giving them pride of place as the first major sculpture to be on show in University Square.”

To celebrate the arrival of the maquettes at Queen Margaret University, the Preston Lodge Pipe Band played a set of Scottish tunes in University Square. The juvenile band, which is made up of pupils from Preston Lodge High School in Prestonpans, East Lothian, play at major university celebrations such as graduation.

To watch Walid Salhab’s film of The Kelpies visit: http://vimeo.com/90747645

The Consumer Insight Centre at Queen Margaret University (QMU), Edinburgh, has launched the world’s first postgraduate degree for professional complaint handlers.

The new MSc Dispute Resolution is an accredited qualification for professionals in the workplace who deal with disputes between consumers and businesses and between citizens and the state.

Complaints about public services and private industry are big business.  The UK central government alone spends around £1.5 billion a year on professional dispute resolution.

The private sector also spends a significant amount on customer care and complaint handling activities.  The Financial Ombudsman Service received a whopping 2,357,374 complaints and enquiries last year.

QMU’s Consumer Insight Centre has been collaborating with colleagues from the ombudsman and complaint handling world to develop accredited qualifications for professional complaint handlers.  The University has a long standing relationship with the Ombudsman Association and the International Ombudsman Institute and regularly delivers courses to dispute resolution for professionals across the UK and beyond.

QMU is aiming to raise standards across the complaint handling industry by drawing on insights from its research and consultancy work. This includes the development of the University’s new MSc Dispute Resolution.

Chris Gill, MSc Dispute Resolution Course Leader at Queen Margaret University’s Consumer Insight Centre, said:  “There is clearly work to be done to improve standards across the complaint handling industry and the provision of professional education is only one piece in an undoubtedly complex puzzle.

“We feel that it’s now the right time to speed up effort to develop professionalism in the complaints sector. Ultimately, good complaint handling provides better public services and fair consumer markets.  It’s a crucial activity, which affects the everyday lives of consumers and citizens.

“It’s in everyone’s interest to ensure that – in years to come – a consumer can expect the same level of publicly assured professionalism when dealing with a complaint handler as they can when dealing with a lawyer, doctor or accountant. It is time to make this aspiration a reality.”

QMU will welcome its first MSc Dispute Resolution students in January 2015.  The unique course is available as a Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma or MSc according to each student’s preferred outcome.  The Postgraduate Certificate is available entirely online, while the Postgraduate Diploma and MSc are available by a mix of online and campus-based modules.

The MSc Dispute Resolution will provide students with a qualification which is relevant to the workplace and will maximise students’ potential to develop within their existing or new careers, including public health services, housing associations and banking.

QMU’s business and consumer experts have expertise in Ombudsman training, Complaint Handling, Dispute Resolution and Consumer Affairs.

Dispute resolution falls within the work of QMU’s Consumer Insight Centre and the University’s Division of Business, Enterprise and Management.  The aim of the Centre is to be a nationally and internationally recognised leader in dynamic and innovative learning, knowledge exchange and research in consumer insight.

With an established reputation for high quality accredited training for ombudsman and complaint handling organisations, the Centre has provided accredited training for over 1000 ombudsman colleagues and CPD training for 700 regulatory staff during the last three years.

As the first academic institution to be licensed and approved for the provision of the Ombudsman Association case handler training courses, QMU holds a unique position in the university sector to run effective programmes for this sector and for organisations within the jurisdiction of ombudsman and complaint handling organisations.

For more information, visit: http://www.qmu.ac.uk/be/Research/cic.htm or email Chris Gill, MSc Dispute Resolution Course Leader at Queen Margaret University E: cgill@qmu.ac.uk

Air quality is improving across Edinburgh, according to a report published this week.

Assessment of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) data from different parts of the capital shows a general improvement during 2013.

Monitoring of the pollutant, which is commonly associated with road traffic exhaust emissions, has confirmed a positive trend throughout the city’s Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs).

A report to the Transport and Environment Committee details the results of the Council’s annual Air Quality Progress Report to the Scottish Government, Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs.

The assessment focuses on the city’s five AQMAs, designated due to elevated concentrations of nitrogen dioxide in the vicinity. These are: City Centre, St John’s Road, Great Junction Street, Newbridge and Inverleith.

Amongst the areas of improvement are St John’s Road, where hourly average NO₂ levels fell to their lowest since measurement began, and the Great Junction Street AQMA, including Commercial Street and Bernard Street.

Changes to levels of pollution have in part been attributed to efforts by Lothian Buses to introduce cleaner buses to routes, including low emission and hybrid vehicles. With buses contributing a high proportion of NO₂ to each area, improving the emission standards of the city’s fleet will undoubtedly have a significant impact on the air quality of AQMAs.

It is also hoped that proposed amendments to traffic management at Newbridge could reduce queuing on the A8 and therefore lower NO₂ levels, and plans are now underway to secure funding for the alterations.

But while air quality is generally getting better, the report still shows areas for improvement. As a result it has been recommended that the AQMA for the City Centre is extended to cover part of the South Bridge/Nicolson Street corridor to the south and at Angle Park Terrace/Slateford Road in the west, where, in parts, NO₂ levels have exceeded national standards. The extensions will allow appropriate actions to be taken to improve air quality in these areas.

Environment Convener, Councillor Lesley Hinds, said: “Monitoring carried out allows us to see the invisible effects traffic has on our environment, but I am heartened by the general positive trend in air quality.

“Work carried out by bus and freight companies is having an undoubted impact on emissions, and I am certain that our approach to integrated transport will continue to have an effect.

“However, it is clear that there is still a lot to be done to reduce harmful emissions in Edinburgh, creating a cleaner, greener city for everyone, and we are committed to continuing this work with partners.”

The Council has undertaken a range of measures to improve air quality across the city over recent years, such as participation in ECOSTARS, a Europe-wide project recognising cleaner goods and passenger vehicles, and Plugged in Places, which has funded the purchase of electric vehicle charging points at park and ride sites and Council premises.

The Council’s own fleet now has 10 fully electric vehicles – including cars, vans and a motorcycle – and it is anticipated that more will be added in the near future.

In addition, Lothian Buses is continuing to improve its fleet’s emissions, with 46% of its vehicles at Euro 5 standard, while First Scotland and Stagecoach Fife are also investing in cleaner buses.

Thanks to air quality improvements a number of streets and areas within AQMAs now comply with NO₂ standards, including the top of Leith Walk, Easter Road, Queen Street, large parts of Great Junction Street and St John’s Road.

As a result, air quality specialist consultants will review these areas and, if appropriate, begin the process of reducing the boundaries of the current AQMAs.

Drivers heading for the West End from the south of the City and Lothian Road could soon find their journey simplified if the City of Edinburgh Council approves changes to current traffic arrangements.

A review of traffic management in the city centre has been completed following the start of tram passenger services.

Among the recommendations in a report to the Transport and Environment Committee on 26 August 2014 is a proposal to allow all traffic to travel westbound from Hope Street to Queensferry Street, rather than buses only as at present.

Traders from the West End called for this in a deputation to the committee on 18 March 2014.

They noted that with the removal of the left turn from Lothian Road into Shandwick Place to facilitate trams, it had become difficult for private vehicles, cycles and taxis in particular to access properties and businesses in the West End.

The report also asks members to give the go-ahead for further investigation into the option of introducing a right turn from Queen Street westbound into Queen Street Gardens East.

Another recommendation, which follows on from the start of the new Experimental Traffic Regulation Order in George Street, is to change the priority of Young Street from an eastbound to a westbound direction.

Residents and businesses here have expressed concerns about a perceived increased volume of traffic and in particular, more vans and heavy good vehicles, since the George Street scheme was first implemented earlier this summer.

Councillor Lesley Hinds, Transport Convener, said: “Now that trams have been running for a couple of months or so, it’s a good time to make any appropriate alterations to surrounding traffic management so that we can make it as straightforward as possible to get from A to B in the city centre.

“We know that West End traders have had concerns about access to their businesses so the proposal to open up Hope Street for all westbound traffic into Queensferry Street should make things much better.

“I was pleased to meet recently with residents and businesses in Young Street to hear how their street has been adversely affected by increased traffic since we started the ETRO in George Street. This narrow cobbled street is simply not fit for the volume and nature of traffic it’s been experiencing of late. Changing the one-way direction will help divert traffic away from Young Street and on to Queen Street, which can accommodate commercial and through-traffic far more comfortably.”