On Friday 29th August the RSABI Great Glen Challenge 2014 came to an end. Geoghegans Chartered Accountants came in a very respective 6th place out of the 22 teams competing.
The event involved team members running, kayaking, walking and cycling. Team ‘Geoghegans’ involved our keen members of staff; Blair Paterson kayaked, Laura Forrester ran, Allan Smith walked and Alan Shek cycled. Despite our cyclist encountering a puncture and our kayak being grounded, Laura successfully finished third place in the running. Overall the team raised over £1,000 for RSABI which has helped them reach their total fundraising target of £36,000. We would like to thank everyone who donated and hopefully see you all again next year!
L-R Allan Smith, Alan Shek, Laura Forrester, Blair Paterson
Saturday 29th November 7.00pm
In the elegant settings of the Edinburgh City Chambers When You Wish Upon a Star invite you to a traditional Scottish Supper of Haggis, Neeps and Tatties with traditional Scottish Dancing. Music from the Caleerie Dance Band, a professional caller and a welcome drink, all to raise money for Magical Wishes for children with life threatening illnesses in Scotland.
This is a rare opportunity to visit the historic chambers and this event would suit a company or groups of friends looking for a great evening of traditional Scottish entertainment celebrating St Andrews weekend.
Tickets are £20 with a group discount available.
For Tickets call Stephanie at The Scotland Office on 01357 529950 / 07889539512 or e-mail scotland@whenyouwish.org.uk
All proceeds from this event will stay in Scotland for Wishes for Scottish Children.
Do you have an employee whose native language is other than English and who wishes to improve his or her English Skills?
The Edinburgh Trams service has been running for 100 days and 1.5 million passengers have been welcomed on board to date. Patronage figures and revenue levels are in line with predictions and importantly with the business model which was developed before operations began.
The service experienced an extremely busy launch period with around 130,000 passengers in the first week followed by regular weekly average patronage in excess of 90,000. Major events including the One Direction Concert, two Champions League games and one of Edinburgh’s busiest ever festival seasons have boosted numbers and given Edinburgh Trams the opportunity to address emerging issues and develop and improve the service along the way.
Ian Craig Chief Executive of Transport for Edinburgh said:
“I’m very pleased with progress so far and with 100 days of the tram service under our belts, coupled with record breaking patronage on Lothian Buses, we’re well placed to thrive as a modern integrated transport operator. What we’re seeing suggests a genuine increase in use of public transport across the piece which is a priority for us but also a shared aspiration for many in the city.”
Transport Convener and Chair of Transport for Edinburgh Lesley Hinds said:
“We can count these 100 days as a very encouraging start and the fact that we’ve carried 1.5 million passengers speaks volumes about how quickly people in the city have embraced their new tram service.
“These are still the early days of a new operation and there’s always going to be scope to refine things to make sure passengers get the best possible service. We’ve got a great team in place to hone and develop the tram operation and to ensure that we deliver a fully integrated public transport system for the Capital.”
Tom Norris Edinburgh Trams Director and General Manager said:
“The last 100 days have been a success for everyone at Edinburgh Trams, from our drivers and ticketing assistants to the team behind the scenes at Gogar Depot. We’ve had major events, a busy Edinburgh Festival season as well as challenges and disruptions that are part of being a transport operator. I hope passengers feel they can count on us to get them to their destination and we continue to listen to feedback from our customers which we’re using to improve our service further.
“We’re off to a really promising start and I’d like to thank all our staff for their efforts and our new passengers for getting on board with us.”
Despite some high profile events and service interruptions, 98.7% of trams have completed full route journeys since the start of operations. Scottish National Entitlement Card use is currently within the Council’s £500,000 budget for the financial year, equating to around 10% of journeys.
The first 100 days of trams covered the period from Saturday 31 May to Sunday 7 September.
As you may be aware The Open, golf’s original Major, returns to the “Home of Golf” for the 144th edition of the Championship in 2015. St Andrews, Scotland, will host one of largest sporting events in the world and you have the chance to experience the very best in sporting hospitality by choosing from a number of exclusive official hospitality packages.
Sam Imlay will be your contact for any information you may require about The Open Championship at St Andrews. He will be planning several trips to Edinburgh in the coming months so please get in touch as he would be delighted to speak with anyone regarding The Open Hospitality.
For further information about our official packages including the on-course Champions Club or The Road Hole Restaurant please visit TheOpen.com/Hospitality or view our online brochure http://view.digitalissue.co.uk/00000082/00008128/00089516/
Sam Imlay
Sales Executive,
The Open Championship Hospitality Programme
Tel: +44 (0)20 7695 1814
Mob: +44 (0)7746 919451
Email: SamImlay@TheOpen.com
As you may have already heard, Saturday 20th September is the date for this year’s Strictly Come Prancing – Edinburgh, in aid of Aberlour; our vital work in Edinburgh is a cause we are grateful to have such varied corporate support in developing. This is the third year that we’ve held our sell-out event in Edinburgh and it’s shaping up to be the best Strictly Come Prancing ever with the addition of a Mad Hatter’s theme at our new venue The Sheraton, and our fantastic title sponsor CompanyNet.
We would be delighted if you and your business would like to attend this year’s event, and as such we are offering a special 20% discount to Chamber members. Discounted tickets are just £56 per person, and the evening comprises a champagne reception, followed by three course dinner, coffees and sweet treats before we kick off the dance show with a difference! We are welcoming participants from CompanyNet, Sainsbury’s Bank, Eteaket, WeDO Scotland, Aberlour, Standard Life and The Sheraton amongst others. We will once again be receiving further support at the event from our corporate partner, Microsoft Scotland. Couples will be performing in front of our panel of judges and competing for your votes to win!
This is an excellent corporate hospitality opportunity and we firmly believe in the great power of networking. Join us with your current and/or prospective clients and allow us to do all the hard work for you. After the winners are crowned, we’ll be opening the dance floor with a live band and there will be the opportunity for plenty of relaxed networking until the bar closes at 1am. It’s always a fantastic night and it would be our pleasure to welcome you along to celebrate with us. This unique event is guaranteed to be a great talking point and we are delighted to be able to offer a great discount to our fellow Chamber members.
For further details head to www.aberlour.org.uk/prancing or email nicola.gandy@aberlour.org.uk
Legal firm Gillespie Macandrew has recruited three specialists to join its expanding Private Client team.
Agnes Mallon has been appointed as Legal Director and brings a wide range of legal expertise. Agnes will focus on trusts and tax planning for individuals and use specialist skills to advise on contentious and complex executry matters. Agnes will continue to develop relationships with financial intermediaries.
Lianne Lodge joins as an Associate, specialising in advising elderly clients and their families. A member of Solicitors for the Elderly, she will continue to focus on this area of law having co-authored a book on the subject, “The Elderly Client – A Practical Guide”. There are relatively few Scottish lawyers who are members of the UK organisation Solicitors for the Elderly, but the recruitment of Lianne means that Gillespie MacAndrew now has three; she joins partner Elspeth Paget and Associate Donald Winskill.
Brendan Kelly has been appointed as a Tax Manager. As a specialist in compliance, Brendan has built a career which encompassed several years with HM Revenue & Customs, before moving to the private sector. Brendan is particularly experienced in advising on issues relating to Trusts and is a member of the Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners (STEP). He acts as a mentor for students preparing for the STEP diploma, especially the tax module. Brendan will be focussing on expanding the firm’s tax compliance services for individuals and is working on new products to help make clients’ lives easier in relation to dealing with tax issues.
Elspeth Paget, Head of Private Client at Gillespie Macandrew, comments:
“These important additions to our team build on our expansion plans for the private client and tax sectors. We are investing in developing our services with a client led proposition to ensure that we respond to our clients’ needs in a manner that works for them.
Agnes, Lianne and Brendan will all play an integral part in developing this improved service and expanding the services of the firm.”
From left to right – Elspeth Paget – Head of Private Client at Gillespie Macandrew (2nd left) welcoming Brendan Kelly, Agnes Mallon (2nd right) & Lianne Lodge (right)
Heating (and cooling) makes up around 50% of Scotland’s overall energy demand. District heating systems present significant opportunities for organisations to enhance their business sustainability by reducing their heating costs and generating income under the RHI. The systems also present valuable opportunities for landlords to deliver affordable warmth to tenants in off-gas grid areas, helping to alleviate local fuel poverty.
However, there are numerous challenges to developing district heating including: high capital costs, revenue uncertainty and phasing issues. According to a recent paper from WWF, however, the single largest barrier to renewable heat uptake is the lack of an economic case. The RHI is expected to provide sufficient incentive to stimulate the renewable heating market but it may not be accessible to all consumers and doesn’t address the issue of capital costs.
Debating the issues will be our expert panel, including:
Rebecca Carr, Senior Heat Policy Manager, Scottish Government
Kathryn Dapré,Energy & Climate Change Manager – Health Facilities Scotland, NHS National Services
Alan Wilson, Head of Generation & Renewable Engineering, Iberdrola
Dave Pearson, Director, Star Renewable Energy
Moderated by: Allan Crooks, Technical Specialist – Energy, Resource Efficient Scotland
Topics to be discussed include:
- What incentives can be put in place to enable district heating to become a viable addition to urban and private development across Scotland?
- What lessons can be generalised, eg. Commonwealth Athletes Village, for increasing district heating programmes across Scotland?
- The Scottish Government is prioritising District Heating as a means to tackle Scotland’s heat problem however, how effectively is the funding trickling down to communities, small business and housing associations?
- How will Scotland’s newer technologies such as biomass and geothermal energy be integrated into the development of district heating?
- Should the focus be on CHP to tackle the issue of heat and power at the same time?
- What is the role of ESCOs and Councils regarding the development of district heating systems across Scotland? One lesson from Denmark is that District Heating should not be seen as a utility, how will ownership and management be relayed to consumers?
Followed by a drinks and networking reception hosted by Anderson Strathern LLP
WHEN
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
WHERE
Anderson Strathern LLP
1 Rutland Court, Edinburgh EH3 8EY
FORUM FEE
£25 + VAT for non-members
Read more about this forum, view Delegates attending
and Speaker biographies
With the UK Government’s proposed pensions reforms due to allow individuals aged 55 and above to take all their pension pot as a cash lump sum from April 2015, Edinburgh lettings agency Click-let is predicting a rise in the number of Edinburgh residents considering investment in rental property and becoming a landlord for the first time.
Click-let’s Operations Director Ross MacDonald said: “People are soon going to have more freedom to choose what they want to do with their money in retirement in order to maximise their return. One of the options open to them will be to use some or all of their pension pot to invest in property to let. This could well provide a better return than many other forms of investment, such as shares. The recent resurgence in house price growth may provide additional incentive.
We would advise prospective later-life landlords to seek professional advice as early as possible when considering how to invest any funds they take out of their pension pot. They should explore what will be the most tax efficient way for them to invest in a rental property, so that they are not burdened with large tax bills in retirement. It is unlikely to be to buy property outright with the cash lump sum from their pension pot. For those with larger pension pots, it may be more beneficial to invest in several properties rather than one to maximise their return. So, for example, instead of investing £250,000 in one property that nets them £900 per month rental income, it may be better to invest £125,000 each in two properties that both yield £575 per month.
As well as the potential rewards, people should think about how to minimise the possible risks as well as the hassle that may be involved. For example, if the property lies empty for any period of time and regular rental income is halted, the impact could be disastrous for someone in retirement if appropriate insurance has not been arranged. A joint venture with a newly-retired friend or a younger family member might be a good way to spread the risk.”
To help anyone considering becoming a landlord for the first time Click-let is hosting a free information event on 9 September. With property, financial and insurance experts on hand, the event is designed to give budding landlords the opportunity to ask questions, help them decide if property investment is right for them and find out how to get started. The event will take place at 6pm on 9 September at Click-let’s offices, 123 Leith Walk, Edinburgh, EH6 8NP. To reserve a place, please call 0131 555 1704 or email ross.macdonald@click-let.com.
Team strengthened to meet demand
Edinburgh property investment and lettings specialist Cullen Property has made three new appointments following significant growth in the number of properties being managed. The last nine months has seen an increase of £1m+ in the overall rental income of its managed portfolio.
Steve Coyle, Cullen Property’s Operations Director, said: “We have strengthened our team as we have increased the number of properties we manage on behalf of clients. We’re seeing more landlords looking to regulated companies like ours, which offer a professional property investment and management service which can take care of all aspects of their properties – from sourcing, buying and refurbishing, through to marketing, letting and full management thereafter.
“We are delighted to welcome three new members of staff. They have hit the ground running and are already proving an asset to our team.”
Sally Easton has joined the Property Managers team, John Martin is their new Support Administrator, and Mark Hall has begun a Property Administrator Modern Apprenticeship with the company.
Sally completed her ARLA qualification in 2011 and brings with her seven years of Edinburgh property management experience.
John recently graduated from Edinburgh Napier University with a MSc in Property Management and Investment having previously studied Financial Services and Economics. Prior to joining Cullen Property, John was employed in an administration role for a sports surfacing company and managed numerous projects both in the UK and overseas.
Left to right are John Martin, Mark Hall and Sally Easton
