A former headteacher whose son registered her business on Companies House without her knowledge is now the creator of an award-winning Scottish craft gin.

Collymoon Craft Gin’s Gealach Úr Scottish Dry Gin recently won the Bronze Medal Award for Scotland in the London Dry Gin category at the World Gin Awards in January. The gin, which has a unique blend of Scottish botanicals, boasts citrus notes with a hint of spice and floral flavours.

Colymoon Craft Gin is the brainchild of former headteacher, Nicola Finney, who had a long-held dream of launching her own gin and spirits brand. In 2021, Nicola left her career in education and returned to Scotland after 30 years living in Staffordshire, on a mission to turn her vision into a reality.

Her son, Cameron, motivated Nicola to take first official step on her business journey by registering the business on Companies House without her knowledge.

Buoyed by the support of her family and friends, Nicola spent the next 18 months learning about foraging and botanicals, flavour profiles and the distillation process so she could get off to the best possible start.

A family affair, Nicola also involved the rest of her children in her business journey, with her eldest son Ben designing the business’ logo, and her youngest son Kieran, a mixologist, creating perfect serves and cocktail recipes, including a negroni and a dry martini.

Looking for advice on how to get her business off to the best start possible, Nicola accessed a suite of Business Gateway’s start-up support services, including one-to-one support from a dedicated business adviser, as well as advice on her business plan, funding, premises and marketing.

Through Business Gateway, Nicola was put in touch with a digital expert who carried out an audit of her website, ensuring it was as user-friendly as possible. Nicola also learned about methods to optimise her search performance to market her product to her target audience.

As well as selling online, Collymoon Craft Gin is now stocked in a range of hotels and B&Bs, including The Inn at Aberfoyle and the Black Bull in Gartmore. Nicola is now developing flavours for her next batch of gin products, which will include a navy strength edition, as well a fig, orange and vanilla gin.

Nicola Finney, founder and owner, Collymoon Craft Gin, said: “I’ve always liked gin, and always had a hankering for setting up my own business, but was a bit apprehensive about jumping in at the deep end. I still can’t believe that my first product is award-winning.

“Business Gateway has been a massive support throughout the process of setting up my business. Having my adviser on the end of the phone has given me a real confidence boost, knowing that I’m not alone in this process.”

Linda Letford, Business Gateway Stirling’s expert Food, Drink and Tourism adviser said: “Collymoon Craft Gin has seen great success since launching, which is testament to Nicola’s hard work and passion for her product. I’m very much looking forward to watching where the business goes next.”

To find out more about how Business Gateway can help your business, visit https://bgateway.com.

Without good communication skills it is impossible to create an environment to come to an effective and workable deal.  When we go in to a negotiation of course we are out to get what we want – in the best terms – but we are not alone.  The other side is also looking to engage in the process and get what they want too. So how can you manage your communication to get the best deal?  Here are 5 key things to consider:

• Communication is not just about telling the other party what you want.  It’s an opportunity to learn what they want and why.  It’s about really listening to their motives and getting a true understanding of what they want to get from the deal.  Only with understanding their side can we confidently create a proposal to come to a deal.

Too many deals are lost or sub optimal by rushing forward with proposals that don’t address the other party’s needs.

• Active Listening. We are incredibly bad listeners!  It is an undervalued skill that I try to improve with all my students.  We (and I do include myself in this) tend to hear what we want to hear, or stop listening and start formulating a response instead of focussing on what is being said.

Learn to not only hear what is being said, but also understand what is being said.

• Language is everything. Good use of language is also important in developing good communication skills.  And by that I don’t just mean using fancy language, showing off with acronyms no-one really understands or explaining every detail.  Language can be damaging if it’s used casually or without thought.   Misunderstandings can easily occur.  Be clear, concise and most important, careful.

Make sure that what you say is what you mean – and that the meaning is understood by everyone.

• Know when to shut up. There is not a week that goes by when I don’t see people talking too much, with overly complicated explanations and justifications.   Keep it concise and instead try to employ some more constructive ways to make your point.  Also, make a habit of asking questions, and letting the other side answer without interruptions – even if you disagree with them!

Too much information at once can be off putting.  How do you feel when you are trying to listen to someone for more than 5 minutes at a time?  Break it down into manageable chunks, make it interesting and help them remember and understand by summarising at the end.

• Sharing is caring. Sometimes the opposite of number 4 is also true, where a party is too coy about sharing information.  Some people purposefully hold back important information – as they don’t want to give the other side an advantage!  I’m not advocating to share corporate secrets or profit margins, but if you want to create a deal that actually addresses your interests, it helps if the other party know what you are looking for.

Ever been given a proposal and think it doesn’t give you what you want?  Ask yourself, do they KNOW what I want – did I even tell them?

Good communication skills can help with all of the above.  Get in touch if you want to talk about how to improve the communication skills of your team before their next negotiation. Email florence@negotiate.co.uk or visit our website www.negotiate.co.uk, to start the conversation.

New jewel in award-winning tourist attraction’s crown!

Edinburgh Bus Tours launched its brand-new Regal Tour on Sunday 24 March.
Joining the existing live guide-led Edinburgh Tour, and CitySightseeing Edinburgh Tour (recently named the top CitySightseeing operator in the world!), the Regal Tour brings to life the city’s royal connections, taking in key attractions such as the Palace of Holyroodhouse, The Royal Yacht Britannia, and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

The tour also takes in the bustling communities of Leith and Newhaven, where visitors can hop off to explore the independent shops, bars and restaurants lining Leith Shore and Newhaven Harbour.
With a multilingual audio commentary highlighting all the key sights as you work your way around the city, the Regal Tour is a great way to see landmarks and attractions while exploring further afield beyond the city centre boundaries.

Sarah Boyd, Managing Director of Edinburgh Bus Tours, said: “We’re delighted to welcome visitors on board our new Regal Tour, which adds another dimension to our already fantastic five- star tour portfolio. We hope visitors to the city will take advantage of our ‘hop-on-hop-off’ tours and take the opportunity to explore our stunning capital city from the top deck. All of our tickets include excellent added value offers from key partners across the capital.

“The launch of the Regal Tour marks an exciting moment in our long history in the city of Edinburgh and we look forward to welcoming visitors on board.

“With Edinburgh Bus Tours, visitors can be confident of quality, reliability and value for money”.
Neil Christison, Regional Director at VisitScotland, said: “It’s great to see Edinburgh Bus Tours investing in the visitor experience in the city and expanding their exceptional tour offering. Edinburgh is steeped in the history of Scotland’s monarchs, and recent events have shown there remains a keen fascination from visitors to our royal connections. Bus tours are a fantastic way to get around Edinburgh and help encourage visitors to explore beyond the city centre and into the bustling communities of Leith and Newhaven.”

Edinburgh Bus Tours’ visitors can enjoy exclusive discounts and offers to other city attractions, such as Lind and Lime Gin Distillery, Johnnie Walker Princes Street, and the Real Mary King’s Close. Customers can also buy tickets for the following attractions directly from its ticket sellers and drivers:
• Edinburgh Castle
• Edinburgh Zoo
• Edinburgh Dungeon
• Dynamic Earth

Visit https://edinburghtour.com/ to learn more or download Edinburgh Bus Tour app to get started: https://edinburghtour.com/ebt-app/

Tech consultancy AND Digital is expanding its data teams in Scotland after winning a string of contracts from Google, Nationwide Building Society, and British Airways-owner IAG.

Initially, between 10 and 15 of the 100 roles being created throughout the UK will be based at the company’s offices – or “clubs” – in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

The firm will be training around 75 existing staff – or “ANDis” as they’re affectionately known – to increase its existing data capabilities, as well as hiring a further 25 senior members of staff to help lead the new data business unit.

AND Digital aims to treble the turnover from its data work in 2024.

Tim Hatton, the newly appointed head of data at AND Digital, said: “Scotland is a major focus for our new data business unit, and so we’ll be creating up to 15 data roles in two of our clubs north of the border.

“The expansion of our data team will be driven by demand from our new and existing clients, and so we may end up with even more staff working on data projects in Scotland.

“Our dedicated data staff will be supported by other ANDis from our team with a wide set of skills, from front- and back-end developers through to software engineers and product analysts.

“Our data projects draw on expertise from across our business, rather than treating data on its own in an exotic silo.”

Mr Hatton, who joined AND Digital in 2016 and moved into his new role in January, added: “Ten years ago, AND Digital disrupted the market for building digital products by introducing our agile way of working – and we’re now doing the same with data.

“We use iterative steps, so that our clients can start using the core part of a project straightaway to help their customers, while we then add on extra features.

“We’re also helping to change the culture that surrounds our clients’ use of data – training is one part of the process, yet it also goes deeper than that.

“We help our clients to develop openness and transparency around their data, making sure the data is accessible to the people who need to use it, and giving those people trust in the security of the data, so that they can use it to experiment with new ways of helping their customers.”

AND Digital has created an operational data platform for British Airways-owner International Airlines Group, which helps the company to react more quickly to changes to schedules – such as crew shortages or aircraft maintenance – by making real-time adjustments to help passengers to reach their destinations.

Google Digital Garage – which provides digital skills training to small businesses and organisations throughout the UK – brought in AND Digital to develop a series of training modules on topics including “Decision Making with Data” and “Telling Stories with Data Visualisation”.

Muckle Media, the creative communications agency, is celebrating success after being recognised as one of the UK’s Best Workplaces™ 2024 by Great Place To Work, ranking 41st out of 100 in the award’s small business category.

A prestigious accolade, with Great Place To Work being the global authority on workplace culture, the agency received the award at the Best Workplaces Awards at London’s Grosvenor House, hosted by comedian Katherine Ryan.

Recognised for their commitment to work culture and the organisation’s values, the award factored in the implementation of a four-day work week in September 2023, alongside flexible working practices and the agency’s B-corp status.

Nathalie Agnew, Founder and Managing Director of Muckle Media, said: “Through our Bright Careers.Realised. programme we are committed to helping our team thrive in their careers while also ensuring a healthy work-life balance. We’ve done this in part through our flexible working policy, and our introduction of a four-day week and we are delighted to now be officially recognised as one of the UK’s best workplaces.”

This recognition follows Muckle Media’s recent double win at the Edinburgh Chamber Annual Business Awards for ‘Employer of the Year’ and ‘Mid-sized Business of the Year’, alongside ‘Agency Employer Brand of the Year 2023’ at the Marketing Society Scotland’s annual awards.

Muckle Media holds offices in four of Scotland’s major cities: Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness.

To find out more visit www.mucklemedia.co.uk

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Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland has launched a new strategy to help more people live their lives to the full and get the support they need.

Phase two of the No Life Half Lived strategy sets out the charity’s aim to support 175,000 people over the next five years through its community healthcare support services and a community recovery model.

It aims help people to live with, and understand, their condition, improve their overall health, get back to work, hobbies, and interests and ensure they need fewer NHS services.

That support is vital for people like Craig Anderson who has been living with the symptoms of Long Covid since February 2021.

After contracting Covid-19 twice he has been dealing with fatigue, breathing difficulties and depression.

The storeman, from Edinburgh, is part of Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland’s Long Covid Support Group.

He said: “The best day of the week for me now is a Tuesday. I see my counsellor at 12, then I have the Zoom meeting with the support group at 2.

“It has made all the difference to me being part of this group – it’s amazing to be able to talk to people who understand exactly what you’re going through because they’re going through it, too.

“I feel I have been very lucky in how supportive my GP has been and the help I’ve got from the NHS. And I know from the group that not everyone has had that experience.

“That needs to change. There shouldn’t be any kind of postcode lottery on help for people with Long Covid or you having to rely on a doctor who takes you seriously. Everyone deserves the very best care and understanding.”

Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland’s One in Five research report, which helped shape the second phase of the No Life Half Lived strategy revealed a mental health and rehabilitation crisis facing the 1 in 5 Scots that live with chest, heart and stroke conditions and Long Covid.

A survey of more than 1,850 people represented by Scotland’s largest health charity showed less than half (45%) had received rehabilitation from the NHS.

The research also found people who have accessed Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland’s services rated their health and wellbeing higher than those who hadn’t.

Jane-Claire Judson, Chief Executive, Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland said: “The fact that so many Scots are being denied access to vital rehabilitation services is extremely distressing.

“People are leaving hospital or receiving a diagnosis and they are scared and feel alone. They need to trust they will get the help they are entitled to so they can begin their recovery journey and get back to the life they love.

“CHSS is there to support people to stay healthy and well at home for as long as possible.

“We are committed to dramatically increasing the number of people we deliver services to over the next five years to 175,000, reducing the pressure on the NHS. But when people miss out on the first step on their recovery journey – NHS rehab – that makes our job so much harder.

“We’re doing our bit, it’s only in working together that we can achieve this.  We are calling on the NHS and Scottish Government to keep their promises to those living with long-term conditions and make essential services easily and immediately available.

“Together we can ensure people with chest, heart, stroke and Long-Covid conditions can live full, happy lives. Together we can ensure there is No Life Half Lived in Scotland.”

If you’re living with the effects of chest, heart and stroke conditions or Long Covid and are looking for advice and information, please contact Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland’s Advice Line on 0808 801 0899. You can also text NURSE to 66777 or email adviceline@chss.org.uk.  

For more details on Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, and what you can do to support the charity, please contact Stephanie Wilks by emailing stephanie.wilks@chss.org.uk or by calling 0131 220 9592.

Edinburgh Leisure’s flagship climbing arena at Ratho has benefitted from a major funding investment from sportscotland’s Sport Facilities Fund.

The Edinburgh International Climbing Arena has received £100,000 towards bouldering redevelopment which will improve opportunities to progress at all levels of the sport.

The redevelopment will ensure that Ratho becomes the only climbing centre in the UK with Olympic standard facilities for all three climbing disciplines (lead climbing, speed climbing and bouldering).

This investment has been made possible thanks to National Lottery players, who raise £30 million each week for good causes across the UK.

Welcoming the investment, Emma Ogilvie-Hall, Head of Operations at Edinburgh Leisure said:

“We’re delighted and very grateful to receive the sportscotland funding that means we can replace our outdated bouldering facilities at the Edinburgh International Climbing Arena (EICA).

“With indoor bouldering now the most widely practised form of climbing it will ensure that the EICA can continue as a world class venue for all three climbing disciplines – lead, speed, and bouldering – while continuing to provide climbers of all ages and abilities with access to opportunities to participate in and progress through the sport.

“It will also mean that Scotland is able to host bouldering competitions and national training camps and allow the EICA to keep our national and international profile as a world-class climbing facility.”

The EICA:Ratho is among 18 projects across Scotland to share a total of £1,506,263 from sportscotland to develop existing facilities or create a new home for sport and physical activity.

Chief Executive of sportscotland, Forbes Dunlop, said:

“The aim of the Sports Facilities Fund is to support sustainable and inclusive projects with their ambitions of using sport and physical activity to enhance the lives of their local communities. This investment would not be possible without National Lottery players who continue to raise vital funding for sport across Scotland.

“The physical and mental health benefits of sport are well documented, but equally important is the ability to create a space where everyone is welcome to participate at their own level.

“Projects like this one at the EICA not only create opportunities for people to take part in sport and physical activity but can also provide a place for communities to come together.

The Sports Facilities Fund prioritises projects that widen access to participation or allow people to progress further within their chosen sport locally by removing barriers, particularly in rural areas or areas of deprivation, and for under-represented groups.

In addition to the investment, projects can benefit from the expertise within sportscotland’s facilities team to maximise the impact that their plans will have, ensuring they meet the needs of their local communities now and in the future.

One of Scotland’s largest arts charities has called for the abolition of VAT on the maintenance of historic and cultural buildings, warning urgent financial intervention is needed to safeguard the nation’s crisis-hit creative sector and meet Net Zero targets.

Wasps, which supports 1000 artists in 21 properties, said many organisations were struggling to keep afloat in a ‘’perfect storm” of rising costs, reduced income and defunding.

Chief Executive Audrey Carlin said they recognised tenants could no longer afford to shoulder the full burden of increased energy and maintenance costs. She said a rise rent in May covers just 50% of the bill – the rest will be met through cutting costs.

Wasps has helped regenerate a series of landmark buildings, including the 150-year-old Briggait in Glasgow, Granton Station in Edinburgh and Inverness Creative Academy.

Carlin said: “Wasps was founded 47 years ago with the aim of providing affordable spaces where artistic talent could bloom. However, with costs rising and income decreasing, that ambition of affordability has become increasingly challenged.

“What we are calling for is a tailored financial intervention from the UK and Scottish governments to safeguard a sector that contributes £126bn to the economy, employs 2.4million and boosts wellbeing, reducing the burden on health and social care.

“Abolishing or cutting the 20% VAT rate on maintenance works on historic and cultural buildings would directly reduce costs and, in turn, have a positive impact on artists’ livelihoods. This would also recognise the importance of the upkeep and re-use of these national treasures, while contributing to job creation, graduate transition and health and wellbeing in local communities.

“Wasps has now developed a road map to Net Zero, however we cannot afford to invest in the infrastructure required to reduce our energy costs and consumption without significant grant intervention. “

Carlin said Wasps were not unique in facing financial pressures. Creative Scotland warned that one in three arts organisations faced insolvency while Dundee Contemporary Arts said they faced “previously unimaginable financial precarity”.

The Scottish Government has pressed the UK Government for change in VAT, which is not a devolved matter. They have also called for new powers over taxation, including a VAT reduction on repairs which they say will “encourage the culture and creative sectors”  .

And this month, in a letter to the DCMS, Culture Minister Kaukab Stewart said: “Energy efficiency measures and retrofit options can present challenges, however it is important that historic and traditional buildings are not seen as a barrier to achieving our targets and that the full benefits they present, particularly in terms of environmental and carbon impact, are recognised.

“A targeted VAT reduction for the repair and maintenance of traditional buildings would send a clear message in response to the climate crisis that emphasises the importance of our heritage.”

Research from the Institute of Historic Building Conservation said a reduction in VAT from 20% to 5% across the UK in buildings repairs could boost the economy by £15billion, create 95,000 jobs and lead to a reduction of 240,000 tonnes of CO2.

About Wasps:

• Wasps has been supporting the arts community for over four decades and has grown to become the UK’s largest studio provider. We currently house approximately 1000 artists and creators and 25 creative organisations, at 21 sites across Scotland.
• As Scotland’s national provider of creative spaces, Wasps has raised over £30m, invested in buildings for the benefit of the cultural sector in Scotland. Wasps owns approximately two thirds of its property portfolio, providing additional security for its tenants.
• In its development capacity, Wasps contributes a positive role to the regeneration of deprived communities across Scotland. As part of its remit, Wasps redevelops historic yet redundant buildings, converting them into ideal and much needed facilities for artists, creators, creative industries, social enterprises and charities, generating employment and improving the physical appearance of local communities.
• About Granton Station: The landmark red and yellow bricked Granton Station once served as a bustling rail hub for the army of gasworkers who powered Edwardian Scotland. After 80 dormant years, it is buzzing again as a ground-breaking cultural hub following a £4.75million restoration led by Edinburgh City Council and Wasps. The rebirth will support 40 jobs and help 100 grow their businesses, while community exhibition and event spaces create potential to attract thousands of visitors to the area.
• About The Briggait. Built in 1873, The Briggait was Glasgow’s fish market for over 100 years. It has now been restored into a vibrant new home for up to 100 visual artists and cultural organisations. The final phase of restoration will transform 1,200m2 of derelict and unused space into an exciting riverside destination for food and drink, markets, events and creative industries.

You are invited to the launch of the 5th Scottish trade and investment mission to Barbados at UWS Paisley on Thursday 28th March from 930am to 12 noon, with Invest Barbados. Come hear about the opportunities in trade and investment for Barbados and the Caribbean, Latin America market. Barbados is the best placed jurisdiction set up your Near shore, off shore offices for the LATAC region. RSVP for this event by emailing SThomas@investbarbados.org or call 07476991091, Shane Thomas.

BPO Brochure – 2023