Glasgow-based ecoConnect may be keeping quiet on what we think should happen on 18 September but we are creating a lot of noise about renewables and the low carbon sector – now we want you to help us turn up the volume.
As a community, energy is a key issue – our usage is going up and how we meet demand and create security is a constant challenge.
The answers to how we meet our future energy needs and create economic growth without compromising sustainability can’t be left in the hands of the politicians whose debating skills might be up for question (if we can even watch them that is) – the issues around wind turbines, district heating, energy efficiency and how to best use our resources belong in the hands of the people who work in the industry and those who live with the consequences. That’s us.
So yes this is a plug – ecoConnect organises a monthly programme of expert-led debates into all aspects of the renewables sector (all details on the website at www.ecoconnect.org.uk) but it’s also a plea…
Decisions on how we govern ourselves are important – decisions on how we manage our future energy needs are crucial. Get in the room, join the discussion and tell the experts what you want – debate isn’t just confined to the people at the top.
Even Better…Chamber members get a 20% discount against the admission charge on any of our Edinburgh/Glasgow forums. Just use the discount code ecco5324 below to register for any or all of the events below:
21 August Scottish Onshore Wind: Is the Success Story Sustainable?
9 September District Heating: The Power Behind Scotland’s Low Carbon Future?
23 October CHP &The Technolgies Powering Energy Efficiency
11 November Business & the Circular Economy with Zero Waste Scotland
Events begin with an expert panel and audience discussion and finish with a networking reception; all sessions run fromfrom 5-8pm.
For more information contact Lakvinder.dhillon@ecoconnect.org.uk
The Royal Yacht Britannia announced today that it has acquired the iconic heritage vessel MV Windsor Castle.
In a near £1 million investment, this classically designed ship is to be converted into a 25 bedroom luxury ‘boatique’ hotel. She will be berthed permanently, adjacent to Britannia in Edinburgh’s historic port of Leith.
Launched in August 1963, she was the last ship built by the Blythswood Shipbuilding Company, Glasgow, and was previously the Northern Lighthouse Board’s (NLB) tender Fingal. She was Leith registered but spent most of her NLB service working out of Oban for 30 years, followed by her last 6 years, based in Stromness, Orkney.
At 239 feet long, she is nearly two-thirds of the size of Britannia. The vessel was sold by the NLB in 2000 to Tamahine Shipping and has been maintained to the highest standards ever since, at her berth on the River Fal in Cornwall.
The ship is scheduled to arrive in Leith during the week of 25 August, 2014, and undergo an 18 month conversion, scheduled to open in Spring 2016. Developing a floating hotel represents natural organic growth for Britannia, having the requisite management skills in-house, and servicing demand from both day visitors and evening event guests for quality accommodation, adjacent to the Royal Yacht. Officially Scotland’s best visitor attraction, for each of the last nine years, and the UK’s No.1 attraction (TripAdvisor 2014), Britannia is already renowned for delivering the highest quality of customer experience; and this hotel will fit neatly within the overall brand.
Britannia’s Chief Executive Bob Downie said, ‘After many years of searching for the right ship, we are delighted that we have been able to acquire this iconic vessel and look forward to opening Scotland’s first boatique hotel. As a youngster growing up in Oban I have very fond memories of seeing the Fingal and I am delighted that the long-term future of another much loved classic vessel has been
secured.’
More international passengers sees Capital’s airport enjoy busiest July ever
Edinburgh Airport has broken records yet again after seeing more than 1.1 million passengers travel through its terminal in July.
Following its record-breaking summer last year, Scotland’s busiest airport has eclipsed its previous July passenger total, making it the first airport in Scottish history to reach this milestone.
A total of 1,104,264 people passed through the airport last month – an increase of 1.8% on the same period in 2013. International passenger numbers saw an increase of 4.0% on the previous year with 661,220 passengers. Domestic passenger saw a slight decrease of 1.3% with 443,044 people.
These figures represent another step in Edinburgh Airport’s journey to continue growing by providing Scottish passengers with the very best choice of destinations.
July’s international traffic was driven by Scots flying off on their annual summer holidays to traditional sunshine destinations like Portugal, Spain and Majorca. A handful of Thomson charter services to Cancun and Florida also increased the international passenger flow.
Edinburgh’s successful summer began with the launch of a host of new long and short-haul routes to Crete, Zurich, Chicago, Doha and Philadelphia, plus the recent announcement that Etihad Airways will be launching from Edinburgh in June next year.
Edinburgh Airport first surpassed the one million passenger mark last summer where it welcomed over two million passengers between July and August.
Gordon Dewar, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Airport, said: “Breaking the 1.1 million passenger mark in July was another milestone for us and I’m delighted to be celebrating this with our teams across the airport who work hard to give passengers a great experience. To put it into context, the 1,104,264 airline tickets we processed in July could stretch almost twice the height of our air traffic control tower.
“The next few weeks and months will be hugely exciting for us as we welcome passengers from all over the world to Scotland for our famous festivals and the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles. We’re also nearing completion of our brand new terminal extension which should be operational from October, offering our passengers a more efficient and enjoyable airport experience.”
July saw almost 10,800 aircraft movements at Edinburgh Airport which, when added together, carried enough passengers to fill 220 Sir Chris Hoy Velodromes and 4400 Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
The moving annual total for the year ending 31 July 2014 was 10,052,058.
More information from:
Stuart Young, Communications Officer
07730 148022 or stuart_young@edinburghairport.com
About Edinburgh Airport:
Edinburgh Airport is Scotland’s busiest airport. More than 40 airlines serve 100-plus destinations and 9.78 million passengers passed through the airport in 2013 – the busiest year ever for a Scottish airport.
July 2014 was the airport’s busiest month ever with over 1.1 million passengers travelling through its terminal.
It is the 5th largest in the UK, in terms of passenger numbers, and employs over 5000 people, contributing hundreds of millions of pounds to Scotland’s economy.
Edinburgh Airport was named best in Britain, and top three in Europe, for passenger satisfaction, at the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Awards for 2012 and ‘Best European Airport (5-10m passengers)’ at the ACI EUROPE Best Airport Awards for 2012. It has also won Scottish Airport of the Year at the Scottish Transport Awards in 2013 and 2014.
edinburghairport.com
Edinburgh Airport Million Passenger Infographic
Scottish Continuity Resilient Scotland is back by popular demand: Mark your calendar now to join us on Wednesday 19th November 2014 for Resilient Scotland Conference 2014.
Over 130 resilience professionals from across Scotland made Resilient Scotland 2013 a huge success and our expectations are even higher for an excellent event this time around, once again at the Hilton Grosvenor Hotel in Edinburgh.
The 2014 annual conference will include high quality topical, inspirational and challenging speakers. The afternoon will feature the G2G3 Phoenix Simulation – a highly interactive business simulation bringing to life the increasing threats posed to organisations today – highlighting why now, more than ever, Business Continuity Management is paramount within any organisation. G2G3 is the leading provider of communication tools, gaming solutions and simulations that propel enterprise IT and business alignment.
Resilient Scotland Conference 2014 will afford you the opportunity of hearing about current and relevant industry practices; exposure to new technology and networking with like-minded peers, whilst showing an excellent ROI to your organisations.
Scottish Continuity members receive a free delegate place. Non Scottish Continuity members will be charge a nominal £100 delegate fee, or you can join Scottish Continuity to receive the membership benefits.
Further information about the conference, who and why you should attend see the attached Conference Booking Flyer. Visit www.scottishcontinuity.co.uk for regular updates.
For information regarding how to exhibit, advertise or sponsor the event please contact Joyce Borthwick at Crescent Events – joyce.borthwick@crescentevents.co.uk or telephone 0131 554 8998.
To register on line please click here.
This briefing provides an easy-to-use commentary on the key economic indicators for UK businesses. The report also provides a comparison between the economic data compiled by external organisations such as the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the BCC’s own Quarterly Economic Survey and economic forecast.
This month’s headlines:
• UK economy grew by 0.8% in Q2 2014, driven by a strengthening services sector
• UK GDP back at pre-crisis level and UK set to be the fastest-growing G7 economy in 2014
• Weak pay growth and poor public finances remain risks to the UK’s economic outlook
Commenting on today’s decision by the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee to keep interest rates on hold at 0.5%, Liz Cameron, Chief Executive of Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said:
“Signs of a healthier economy, both in Scotland and across the UK, are more evident and consistent than they have been for some time and businesses are looking forward with optimism towards the year ahead. However if we are to cement economic growth then the welcome strong trend in consumer demand must be matched consistently by evidence of increasing business investment. We have begun to see some signs of this but until there is a solid trend of investment and whilst both inflation and wage increases remain subdued, then we would urge caution on the Bank of England when it comes to increasing interest rates.
“As the economy improves, so must interest rates return to normalised levels but there is no need just yet to steer us onto this path.”
Tete a Tete Foto, the Scottish-French photographic partnership founded by Ewan Barry and Audrey Pinard has opened a new studio and gallery space in Edinburgh’s Blackfriars Street.
“We’ll continue to create images for individuals and businesses that require original photography to support their brand, including portraits and editorial photography for websites, annual reports, and press release. Commissioning photography instead of buying stock photographs really makes a business stand out. At the same time as illustrating promotional literature, clients can build a visual history or photo library of their business as it grows.”
While photography will still take place for the most part on location, the premises will provide a showcase for prints, and a series of exhibitions are planned for the year ahead beginning with this years Edinburgh Fringe. A collection of original images from Edinburgh and Paris will be shown during August at 52 Blackfriars Street – Fringe Venue 348 – and admission is free.
For a long time, those looking to understand the future trajectory of the world’s economy and capital markets have been well-served by looking at data coming out of its largest economy.
While the US consumer’s grip on the global economy is slipping, US indicators, such as the ISM and retail sales, are still proving a much more important story for the world’s economy and capital markets than either Europe’s existential crisis or China’s ongoing economic slowdown.
With this in mind, recent data has been particularly important. The US ISM manufacturing survey, the longest-running and most-trusted of cyclical lead indicators is, again, telling us that brighter times lie ahead for the US and, therefore, the world economy. The outlook for private sector demand in the US also remains encouraging. Real disposable income grew close to 4% in the first half of the year, while the employment backdrop continues to improve as evidenced by July numbers.
The Federal Reserve is still suggesting that interest rates are unlikely to rise until at least the second half of 2015, although it could easily be hustled into an earlier rate rise if the economic data continue to point in one direction. It is this scenario that we still think has the most potential to upset capital markets in the short term.
Investors will worry that the US economy – for so long a patient in need of monetary A&E – will struggle to digest tighter monetary policy. Such fears could prompt profit taking and swings in risk appetite.
We do not see interest rate rises as meaningfully altering the trajectory of the economic recovery just yet, since we think both the UK and the US have long been capable of digesting tighter monetary policy. However, we do expect a little returning strife in capital markets as investors grapple with the implications of an end to emergency level monetary policy.
While we think equities should bounce back from any weakness relatively rapidly as growth continues, the likely weakness in much of the fixed income space could be more permanent.
As a result we are advising diversification, both at the asset class and sub-asset class level, as an investor’s best defence against the unknowns of the future. Within this diversified portfolio, we are still urging clients to position themselves for further upside in equity markets and a potentially torrid time for much of the bond complex in the months and years ahead.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13: Spartan Race training camps staged
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21: Spartan Sprint, cross-country obstacle race
Spartan ‘warriors’ are set to invade one of Scotland’s most historic castles as a special training session gets underway later this month (August).
Winton House, in pencaitland, East Lothian, well known for its hospitality and events, is the venue for a Spartan Race training camp to be held on the grounds on wednesday, August 13.
Its purpose is to prepare racers for one of the toughest sporting events staged annually in Scotland, the Spartan Sprint, on Sunday, September 21, a challenging 5km cross-country obstacle course race.
Spartan races are designed to bring out the “inner warrior” in racers. Huge crowds will watch competitors of all age groups, from beginners to hardcore warriors and endurance athletes, grapple with fearsome, military-style obstacles that test their physical stamina and mental toughness. Obstacles are kept top secret on purpose to surprise racers, but they may tackle 15-foot rope climbs, slippery 7-foot ramp scaling, spear target-throwing, carrying sandbags up steep hills and barbed-wire mud crawls. Would-be Spartans may also have to scale 25-foot-high cargo nets, leap through fire and endure plunging into sub-zero ice-pits.
Time penalties are common, punishable by a compulsory set of 30 burpees, meted out irrespective of gender. And, contrary to some people’s expectations that Spartan Race events are all just about male testosterone, in fact over 45 per cent of Spartan racers are women.
Winton House is a dramatic, Scottish Renaissance castle in an inspiring setting just outside Edinburgh. It was built by the Setons following a grant of land by David I to Phillip de Sayton in 1150. (Philip de Sayton’s grandfather fought with William the Conqueror at Hastings in 1066.) Phillip’s grandson married the sister of King Robert ‘The Bruce’ of Scotland. In the sixteenth century, Henry VIII had Winton burnt in an effort to impress Mary Queen of Scots, and Mary Seton was later her Lady-in-Waiting.
The August 13 training camp offers racers the chance to learn skills they will need on race day, including how to overcome obstacles such as mud, water, steep hills and other hurdles safely while avoiding injury.
The September 21 Spartan Race will involve 15 obstacles, spread across the grounds of Winton House. But their exact location will be kept a secret on purpose until race day.
Dan Tuffnell, Spartan Race UK’s Director and Licensee, said today: “Winton House is a stunningly beautiful location and the perfect place for our training camp this month and race event in September.
“We especially like the home-grown Scottish mud and if we get lucky, it can be quite windy. So there’s a word or warning to anyone planning to take part in a kilt.
“The race is both challenging and also huge fun and we urge anyone taking part to also join our training camp. On race day, there will be some water challenges, crossing ditches, dikes, maybe a lake crossing, plus some thorny undergrowth, tight valleys, and a surprise or two among the natural obstacles, like trees. So training camp and learning the necessary safety skills are important.”
Spartan Race is supported by its title sponsor, the global fitness brand Reebok, and Run For Charity, which helps competitors maximise the money they raise for charity.
TRAINING CAMP – WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13, 2014
Two sessions will be held, each lasting three hours. The morning session starts at 9am and runs until 12 noon. The afternoon session is from 1pm to 4pm. Beginners and more advanced racers are welcome at both sessions. The charge is £10 with free parking. To book, email customerservices@uk.spartan.com
SPARTAN RACE DAY – SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2014
The first heat gets underway at 10am. For full details, including how to book, please visit http://www.uk.spartanrace.com/event-details-11 or email customerservices@uk.spartan.com
Visit http://www.wintonhouse.co.uk/ for more information on Winton House and http://www.wintonhouse.co.uk/activities.php for the team building activities available.
Anderson Strathern LLP has appointed Murray McCall as its new Managing Partner. He will take up office on 1 September, when current Managing Partner Andy Lothian steps down after five years to return to a client-facing role.
After graduating from the University of Glasgow with a First Class Honours degree, Murray began to specialise in Employment Law early in his career. He became a partner in Anderson Strathern eight years ago and has been instrumental in establishing and expanding the firm’s Glasgow office. He has served on its strategic board and has been a senior member of the management team for the last few years. He has a fantastic track record in winning significant new work for the firm as well as managing key client relationships.
Chairman Robert Carr said:
“In Andy’s time as Managing Partner the firm has followed a sustained path of profitable growth. Revenue, net profits and PEP have all increased considerably, and our balance sheet is stronger. We have seen a number of notable hires and acquisitions, and key client wins too numerous to mention. We’re grateful to Andy for all his achievements, and delighted that Murray has been appointed as Andy’s successor. He will bring energy and dynamism to the role and will undoubtedly build on the strong foundations the firm has.”
Murray McCall said:
“I am delighted to have been chosen to take the firm forward at this exciting time in the legal market. Andy has provided us with an excellent platform from which we can continue to invest in the business and benefit all our clients by offering new and improved services. Using the considerable talents and energy of all our people, we are well placed to capitalise on the upturn in the market; aiming high and providing excellence in all that we do.”
