What do you get when you merge five-a-side football and business? You get Business Fives.
The five-a-side event for footie-loving firms, which runs through January and February with events throughout the country in Glasgow, Dundee, Aberdeen and the home of the tournament, Edinburgh.
The tournament, which encourages firms across Scotland to enter a five-a-side team in both a winter and summer event, is entering its fourth season.
Entries are now being taken for the forthcoming winter season and so far more than 300 companies have taken part in the events which offer a mix teambuilding and networking whilst raising money for charity.
The Edinburgh Professional Services event on 1st February is supported by the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce who have been actively involved in the football and golf events throughout the year.
It’s even has some famous ex-players and sporting celebrities taking part as ambassadors including ex-Hearts star Gary MacKay and Hibs legend Pat Stanton, BBC Pundit, Tam McManus along with TV presenter David Tanner.
Tournament founder and Business Fives managing director John McClarey – who also organised a highly-successful inaugural Business Fours golf tournament – says it’s a great opportunity for professionals to make new connections and for businesses to bond with colleagues outside of the office, get fit and raise money for charity.
This winter Business Fives is continuing to allow companies to play for their chosen charity over with the winning company taking its company commitment to donate 10 per cent of everything to their cause this winter.
Previously it elected a sole charity partner, but now firms who take part can elect their own chosen charity with the destination of the final donation being decided by the overall champions.
John said: “By allowing companies to play for their chosen charity we have made a much bigger overall impact to charity.
“The summer season saw us almost double our original target of £10,000 and raise £19,600 which was a brilliant achievement from everyone involved.”
The tournament is now open for entries and to register a team go to businessfives.co.uk/winter-2018
Business Fives Dates for your Diary
Edinburgh Events
Construction, Housing & Property Heat Tuesday 23rd January – World of Football, Corn Exchange, Edinburgh
Professional Services Heat Thursday 1st February – World of Football, Corn Exchange, Edinburgh
Food, Drink & Hospitality Heat Thursday 8th February – World of Football, Corn Exchange, Edinburgh
The latest ultrafast broadband, known as Gfast, is now available to tens of thousands of people in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
The cities are among the first UK locations to pilot Gfast technology, offering download speeds up to 330Mbps – about seven times the UK average.[1] People using Gfast can download a two hour HD film in just 90 seconds, a 45 minute HD TV show in 16 seconds and a nine hour audio book in three seconds.
Openreach, the business responsible for Britain’s largest phone and broadband network, has so far made the technology available to more than 390,000 homes and businesses ahead of a nationwide rollout, which will see ultrafast broadband reaching 12 million UK premises by 2020.
Locations in Glasgow set to benefit include parts of the following wards: Bishopbriggs, Calton, Cambuslang, Giffnock, Thornliebank, Langside, Linn, Netherlee, Stamperland, Williamwood, Newlands, Auldburn, Rutherglen, Shettleston and the Southside. In Edinburgh, parts of the following wards will benefit: City Centre, Corstorphine, Murrayfield, Forth, Fountainbridge, Craiglockhart, Inverleith, Leith Walk, Morningside, Sighthill, Gorgie, Newington and Almond.
Andrew Hepburn, Openreach’s infrastructure delivery director in Scotland, said: “It’s great news that Glasgow and Edinburgh are playing a leading role in the development of this exciting new technology. Gfast will help transform the broadband picture in the UK by ushering in a new era where ultrafast speeds are widely available.
“The amount people are doing online and at the same time, from streaming high definition movies, TV, gaming and online shopping to using mobile devices over wireless broadband, is growing every year and this pace shows no sign of slowing. We need to stay ahead in order to meet the evolving needs of our customers. Gfast will allow us to do that by building on the investment we have made in fibre to date. It will transform the UK broadband landscape from superfast to ultrafast, and it will reach the largest number of people in the quickest possible time.”
Gfast technology allows ultrafast speeds, which previously required fibre optic cables to be run all the way to a property (Fibre to the Premises – FTTP), to be transmitted over existing copper lines and fibre broadband cabinets.
It’s enabling Openreach to make ultrafast speeds available more quickly to a much larger number of homes and businesses than if it focused on FTTP alone.
Gfast technology is expected to exceed a million premises by the end of the fiscal year.
So far, Openreach has made ultrafast broadband available to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses across the country – using Gfast and Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) services, which are both capable of delivering ultrafast speeds. More than 770,000 customers already have access to these ultrafast technologies.
The rollout of Gfast in Scotland’s largest two cities, builds on the existing deployment of fibre technology across both cities, where more than 98% per cent of homes and businesses already have access to high-speed broadband.
Andrew Hepburn added: “Pilot schemes, such as the ones in Glasgow and Edinburgh, are important for us to fully test the new network in a number of different situations before it reaches millions of homes and businesses across the UK. The areas we’ve chosen are carefully selected based on a variety of factors, including engineering considerations and the need to test the technology for a range of communities.
“We’d encourage anybody in one of the pilot areas to take part. You can check if you’re eligible with the Openreach fibre checker by entering your postcode or telephone number.”
Anybody wanting more information or wishing to check if they can get Gfast should visit www.openreach.co.uk/ultrafast
[1] https://www.ofcom.org.uk/research-and-data/multi-sector-research/infrastructure-research/connected-nations-2017
Customers travelling between Edinburgh and Glasgow via Falkirk High will benefit from more seats from Sunday as electric trains run on that route for the first-time.
Following Network Rail’s electrification of the line, ScotRail will introduce Class 380 electric trains from its existing fleet from Sunday (10 December). The introduction of the electric trains comes as the ScotRail Alliance prepares to welcome brand-new Hitachi Class 385 trains next year.
Managing director Alex Hynes described it as “another key stage” in the ScotRail Alliance’s plan to build the best railway Scotland has ever had.
The seven-carriage Class 380 electric trains to enter service on Sunday will provide customers with more seats, and some journeys will be faster between Scotland’s two largest cities.
Electric trains are better for the environment – producing 85 per cent fewer harmful CO2 emissions per seat than the diesel trains the Class 380s will replace.
The ScotRail Alliance’s new timetable also starts on Sunday and customers are being asked to take a minute to check their own journeys before travelling.
A dedicated webpage has been set up at scotrail.co.uk/newtimetable with further information on the changes.
Timetables can also be downloaded from the ScotRail website, and hard copies of the new timetable are available from all staffed stations.
ScotRail Alliance managing director Alex Hynes said:
“As we prepare for the arrival of our brand new Hitachi trains next year – which will deliver faster journeys, more seats, and better services – we will start running electric trains from our existing fleet between Edinburgh and Glasgow via Falkirk High.
“The running of these electric trains from our existing fleet is an important milestone ahead of the arrival of the brand-new Hitachi trains. It’s another key stage in our plan to build the best railway Scotland has ever had.
“Being able to run some services with seven carriages will mean more seats for our customers, and we will also deliver some faster journey times.”
Humza Yousaf, Minister for Transport and the Islands, said:
“The introduction of electric services is a key milestone in the Edinburgh – Glasgow Improvement Programme and yet another sign that our £5bn investment to 2019 is helping build the best railway Scotland has ever had. It also paves the way for the arrival of our new fleet of class 385s, to be phased in over the coming months, offering passengers faster, greener and longer trains.
“I’d like to offer my personal thanks to all the many people who have worked on this significant electrification project as their efforts come to fruition.”
A unique investment portfolio of shop and restaurant properties in Glasgow and Paisley held by SRA Ventures, a company owned by serial entrepreneur, Shaf Rasul, has been brought to market by DM Hall, one of Scotland’s largest independent firms of chartered surveyors.
The properties, all of which are currently well tenanted on medium to long term leases, are available for acquisition either as an entire portfolio or in individual lots.
The portfolio comprises a shop and restaurant in Giffnock on Glasgow’s south side, two hot food takeaways, one in the city’s Dumbarton Road, the other on Paisley Road West, a shop at 67 Causeyside Street, a sit-in café at 55 Love Street and a hot food takeaway at 107 Rowan Street, all in Paisley.
Offers in excess of £895,000 plus VAT are invited for the entire portfolio, whose annual rental income amounts to £96,180, representing an average yield of 10.74 per cent.
Michael MacLeod of DM Hall, who is overseeing the marketing process together with his colleague Anthony Zdanowicz, said: “All six of these properties are on busy thoroughfares with established tenants on good leases and providing handsome rental yields.
“As stated, the properties are available for sale as individual assets or as an entire portfolio and we anticipate significant interest from the investor market.”
For further information on DM Hall’s services, contact Michael MacLeod or Anthony Zdanowicz, of DM Hall LLP, Tel: 0141 332 8615, Email: Michael.MacLeod@dmhall.co.uk and Anthony.Zdanowicz@dmhall.co.uk
The Cancer Research UK Glasgow Christmas Carol Concert is returning to the glorious setting of Glasgow Cathedral on Thursday 7th December 2017.
This is a magical evening for colleagues, friends and families alike. All proceeds from the event will go directly towards Cancer Research UK’s life-saving research in Scotland. The Glasgow Christmas Carol Concert will feature a number of outstanding performers – Ancuta Nite-Doyle, Suzie Falconer and Arthur Johnston, Janice Forsyth, Colin McCredie, with choirs from The High School of Glasgow Senior choir and Erskine Stewart’s Melville Schools Junior choir, the whole evening will be hosted by Jackie Bird.
Tickets can be purchased here.
With the dark nights upon us and the days growing ever colder, Hallowe’en is just around the corner – and the ScotRail Alliance is marking this today with the launch of specially-branded trains.
The carriages have had their distinctive ScotRail logos altered to feature ghouls, pumpkins, bats and witches. The trains will be in service on the Edinburgh – Glasgow Queen Street via Falkirk route, and other routes across the country until the start of November.
This follows the success Pride logos on a number of ScotRail trains earlier this year to mark Pride Glasgow.
Syeda Ghufran, head of engineering projects at the ScotRail Alliance, said:
“If you’re dressing up this Hallowe’en, have a scream but stay safe.
“Please remember to store your broomsticks in the luggage racks provided, and customers are reminded to speak to a member of staff if they see any unaccompanied ghouls, ghosts or zombies.”
Defending champions, Shepherd and Wedderburn, made a valiant effort to retain their title at the Marie Curie Glasgow Brain Game. While the team may have come in 3rd, the event helped the organisation raise over £150,000.
The firm’s team of John Gallacher, Judith Stephenson, Andrew Winton and Chris Garden, together with guests from EY, BDO, T Lawrie and Partners Ltd, Mahon Land Limited, took on the competition at the Hilton Hotel on 12 October. The annual quiz was hosted this year by Hazel Irvine and Rob McLean.
Having won in 2016, the team was tasked with defending their hard won title, but fell just short this year. However, a 3rd place finish out of the 44 participants meant it was another good showing.
And while the Shepherd and Wedderburn team may not have taken home the top prize this year, partner Al Frood will be on your radio waves very soon. He was successful in a joint auction bid that will see him appear as a special guest of Radio Clyde’s Superscoreboard! Al will team up with Hugh Keevins and Derek Johnstone to discuss the current talking points in Scottish football, so stay tuned.
Well done to all the teams who came together for this great cause!
The electrification of the Edinburgh to Glasgow mainline took positive steps forward on Wednesday, as the ScotRail Alliance prepares for full testing of its new trains on the electrified route.
One of the new Class 385 electric trains – which has still to be fitted with interiors – successfully travelled between Edinburgh and Linlithgow at 02:00 hours on Wednesday 18 October.
This marks clear progress for the infrastructure as this is the first time that an electric train has travelled on any section of the route.
When the final safety checks on the infrastructure along the remainder of the route are complete, full testing of the new trains will begin.
The new fleet will enter passenger service over the next few months, offering faster journeys, more seats and better services for customers travelling between Scotland’s two biggest cities.
ScotRail Alliance Programmes and Transformation Director Ian McConnell, said:
“Yesterday’s trial was a hugely important step towards completing the electrification of the line between Edinburgh and Glasgow. Having a train run on the route is one of the final phases of the electrification process. That it has gone so well tells us that we are almost ready to begin the next stage – which is to start fully testing the new trains themselves.
“We are building the best railway that Scotland has ever had. When we replace the diesel trains with the brand new, state of the art, electric fleet we will deliver enormous benefits to our customers. Cleaner, greener travel – with more seats and faster journeys will completely transform travel between our two biggest cities.”
Hitachi Rail Europe Programme Manager Andy Radford, said:
“It’s positive so see that progress is being made on Edinburgh to Glasgow electrification.
“We’re hopeful that we’ll be given permission to start full testing soon so we can guarantee the trains can run for passengers safely. We’ve now got trains at our factory in Newton Aycliffe ready to travel to Scotland as soon as they can run on new electric power line.”
Reflecting the firm’s steady growth and commitment to nurturing talent, leading UK Law firm Shepherd and Wedderburn has promoted 11 solicitors to the position of Associate across its offices in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and London.
The total number of associates and solicitors now stands at 148, with the firm wide headcount at approximately 500. With a premier client portfolio and a reputation for the highest quality service, the firm is renowned for its ability to innovate and handle unique, unprecedented projects.
Stephen Gibb, Chief Executive, Shepherd and Wedderburn said: “This is a really strong group of new associates, and reflects the strength in depth and quality of our people across the business. Our strategy has always been to provide first-class expertise combined with personal service and I know that our new associates will play a key role in delivering this. This group in particular has demonstrated a strong professional ethos and an unwavering commitment to our clients and colleagues. Their promotions are well deserved.”
The new associates are Gina Johnston, Chris Garden and Charles Boyne who specialise in Commercial Disputes & Regulation; Alison Blair in Banking & Finance; Flora Asplin in the Private Client team; and Chris Devlin, Ian Mack, Stephen Maughan, Stephanie Mill, Emma Paton and Julian Poullain in Property & Infrastructure.
Ryden is celebrating after taking home an impressive nine trophies at CoStar’s annual awards ceremony in Glasgow this week.
The firm scooped its multiple wins after topping four out of five league tables in both the Scotland Industrial and Glasgow Office categories.
Partner Neil McAllister was also singled out as Scotland Industrial Dealmaker of the Year.
Cementing the firm’s market leading position, Ryden was also recognised for its role in the Scotland Industrial Deal of the Year – where Amazon took 382,391 sq ft at J4M8 380 in West Lothian from Logicor – and Glasgow Office Deal of the Year – where Balfour Beatty let 44,023 sq ft at Maxim 7.
An analysis of CoStar’s research shows that in the past 12 months Ryden’s industrial team completed 194 disposals in Scotland, more than double the number of its closest competitor and disposed of over 1.4 million sq ft, almost 0.4 million sq ft more than the firm in second place. Turning to the Glasgow office market, Ryden transacted more space than its two closest competitors combined by disposing of c. 390,000 sq ft. The team also concluded 68 deals compared with its closest rivals 33.
Commenting on the firm’s success, industrial partner Neil McAllister said: “This is the fifth consecutive year that Ryden has taken home the most accolades for any one firm at the Scottish CoStar awards and we are proud of our market leading position.
The awards underpin the quality of our advice, as well as the energy, ability and ambition of our agency teams to deliver the best results for our clients. My thanks go to CoStar, industry peers and most importantly our clients who we look forward to continuing to work with.”
Watch industrial partner Alan Gilkison and office agency partner Ewan Cameron provide their insights on how their respective markets have performed in the past year and their outlook for 2018.
