23/09/2021 – The NEN – North Edinburgh News

Edinburgh hosts Barbados investment event

A touch of the Caribbean came to Edinburgh on Tuesday evening as it hosted a diplomatic and business event at Norton House Hotel, bringing together Scottish business leaders.

The event showcased investment opportunities on the Caribbean Island of Barbados and signals another return to normalcy as Scotland emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The reception was hosted by Invest Barbados, the economic development agency of the government of Barbados and Business Friends of Barbados (Scotland).

Speakers included the Barbados High Commissioner to the UK, Milton Innis; CEO of Invest Barbados, Kaye-Anne Brathwaite and Chairman of Business Friends of Barbados, Ian Gittens.

Famed as a popular tourism destination, attendees heard how Barbados offers a warm and welcoming investment climate. The island boasts ambitions to become a “digitally enabled nation” and is well on track to achieving the goal of 100 per cent renewable energy generation by 2030, delivering a carbon-net-neutral target. The opportunity is ideal for those looking for more information and greater links with Scotland.

Attendees heard how investment opportunities for exploration include niche manufacturing, global banking, information, and computer technology (ICT), global education, food and drink, wealth management, insurance, renewable energy, and medical tourism among others.

The investment event comes hot on the heels of the recent announcement of Scotland’s only direct route to the Caribbean, with Virgin Atlantic launching a connection from Edinburgh to Bridgetown, Barbados, set to launch on 5^th December.

It also comes as a precursor to a trade mission to the island from Scotland, which will take place from 22-27 November 2021, the first in-person mission to Barbados since the start of Covid in early 2020.

Of additional interest is an innovative and highly successful ‘Welcome Stamp’ (introduced at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic), which enables individuals to stay and work remotely on the island without changing their tax residency.

It also has the lowest structure of income tax rates and some of the most competitive personal income taxes. Additionally, Barbados is a gateway to investment in the wider Caribbean and Latin America.

The island has historic links with Scotland, with strong Scottish immigration as well as having its own Scotland District on the east coast of the island, named due to its physical similarities with Scotland, located appropriately within the Saint Andrew Parish.

Barbados also hosts an annual Celtic Festival which takes place each spring (Covid permitting); this includes pipers, dancers, choirs, a haggis night, and a rugby tournament. The island also boasts its own tartan – the first Caribbean tartan to be registered in Scotland.

Barbados’ educational system is also renowned globally, with a literacy rate of 99.7 per cent, one of the highest in the world, delivering a highly talented workforce.

CEO of Invest Barbados, Kaye-Anne Brathwaite (above) , said: “We were delighted to host this event. Scotland has long and well-established links with Barbados and will become even more connected with the commencement of direct flights from Edinburgh in December.

“Barbados remains an incredibly desirable place to do business and is a stable political and economic jurisdiction. Our welcoming investment climate compliments the enviable quality of life that we offer.

“Our novel Welcome Stamp has also proven globally popular, enabling individuals to stay and work remotely on the island without changing their tax residency.

“Barbados is a long-established hub for global business and you’re invited to grow your business here.”

New all day dining restaurant and bar Luckenbooths to debut in the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town

The Bon Vivant Group is expanding its collection of Edinburgh eateries with a new 140 cover family friendly restaurant, Luckenbooths.

Luckenbooths will open in the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town, offering a refreshing twist on much loved classic dishes with the same high-quality, exceptional dining experience locals have come to love from the award-winning hospitality company.

Taking its name from the locked booths which used to exist on the ground floor of the magnificent tenement buildings that formerly stood at the north of the historical Royal Mile, Luckenbooths will bring a much needed contemporary, family friendly offering to the city centre.

Located at 329 High Street, Luckenbooths is set to welcome back a familiar face with former chef from The Bon Vivant, Emma Clark-Szabo (above) returning as Head Chef.

Working closely with some of the finest suppliers in Edinburgh, Clark-Szabo has created mouth-watering dishes inspired by their fresh and flavoursome produce, with honey straight from the hives of Edinburgh Honey CO in Leith, bespoke batch whisky from Woven Whisky, and freshly caught lobster from Belhaven Lobster.

With the new menu designed to celebrate the best of Scotland’s local larder, guests can start the day with a hearty stack of Scotch pancakes complete with oat crumble and Edinburgh Honey Co. rose honey, or fresh and delicious beetroot glazed Scottish smoked salmon royale, with dill crème fraîche and rye toast.

The all-day menu presents a wide selection of dishes catering for the entire family, with Campbell’s haggis & beef shin bon bons, a Moving Mountains® vegan burger, and a crispy duck bowl with Asian ‘slaw, watermelon and toasted sesame – there is something for everyone to enjoy.

Guests can also take in the historic surroundings of Edinburgh’s old town while enjoying a dram or a glass of wine on the Luckenbooths spacious outdoor terrace. As with the other The Bon Vivant Group venues, the team have worked with The Bon Vivant’s Companion to put together a curated selection of wines, beers and spirits specially selected to complement the menu.

Luckenbooths is also set to offer a specially created children’s menu with a range of delicious small and large plates that will delight diners of all ages. The menu will include a Scottish beef burger, family favourite mac & cheese with vegetables, and for dessert a delicious chocolate brownie or mini plum mess.

Anthony Hester, Director at The Bon Vivant Group said: “Luckenbooths is a fresh, new, family friendly concept for The Bon Vivant Group where guests can gather every week to catch-up over drinks with friends, come together with family for Sunday lunch or celebrate those big life moments with those closest to us.

“We have taken all of the classic elements of casual dining fused with the high quality, excellent customer service of our other venues and created a space that is central, contemporary and most importantly, family friendly. We are really excited to introduce a new generation of local Edinburgh customers to The Bon Vivant Group and celebrate the best of Scottish hospitality for years to come.”

To book, please visit www.luckenboothsedinburgh.co.uk open from 7am until 1am.

New Dean at Edinburgh Napier driving industrial engagement to align research and education to the Industry 4.0 revolution

University aims to strengthen ties with commercial partners

An academic with a strong interest in information processing in complex systems, artificial intelligence and data science will lead two key Schools at Edinburgh Napier into the post-pandemic era.

Professor Peter Andras has joined the University’s Senior Leadership Team as Dean of the Schools of Computing, and Engineering & the Built Environment.

Earlier this year, it was agreed by the University’s Academic Board that there were clear synergies and benefits in developing a more collaborative relationship between the two Merchiston-based Schools. Michael Greenhalgh took on the role of Interim Dean of both.

Mr Greenhalgh has now joined the University on a permanent basis as the new Director of Strategy & Planning, and will lead on the annual planning processes.

Professor Andras takes the reins at the Schools of Computing and Engineering & the Built Environment, and will continue the work of developing stronger ties across the two Schools.

The University also aims to strengthen its collaborations with industrial partners, particularly in the context of cyber security, timber and sustainable and smart construction and transport policy, and will continue its strong engagement with professional societies relevant to its educational and research portfolios.

Professor Andras comes to Edinburgh from Keele University, where he headed up the School of Computing and Mathematics, and has a wealth of experience in leadership, education portfolio development and governance roles. He is an active researcher with significant results in the areas of artificial neural networks, invertebrate neuroscience and modelling of evolution of social institutions.

Prior to starting at Keele seven years ago, he had various academic roles over a 14-year period at Newcastle University, and earlier held teaching posts at universities in the Netherlands and Romania.

He is a member of a number of scientific societies, encompassing computer science, biology, artificial intelligence and neuroscience, and has been involved in setting up three start-up companies and a series of collaborations with industry.

A keen stamp collector, he also has a strong interest in politics, having served as a city councillor in Newcastle and campaigned for investment in renewable energy sources.

Professor Andras said: “The Schools of Computing, and Engineering and the Built Environment, have an excellent reputation in cyber security, timber research and sustainable construction, social informatics, transport policy research, evolutionary optimisation and renewable energy.

“We have increasingly popular programmes and very active and wide-ranging engagement with industry. These provide a fantastic foundation to grow our research strength, educational portfolio and industry engagement in areas aligned with the Industry 4.0 revolution.”

Professor Andrea Nolan, Principal & Vice Chancellor at Edinburgh Napier University, said: “We are delighted to welcome Peter to the Senior Leadership Team at Edinburgh Napier as we look forward with excitement to the new academic year and beyond.

“He brings a wealth of academic experience to what is a key role, and I know he is very much looking forward to building relationships with our staff, students and external stakeholders.”

MSP welcomes digital initiative

Gordon MacDonald SNP MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands has welcomed the recent launch of Vodafone’s charities.connected, an initiative to tackle digital exclusion and connect one million people by the end of 2022.

This initiative gives charities the opportunity to apply for free connectivity to help individuals and families they support get online or to improve its own digital capability.

The connectivity, in the form of SIM cards offering 20GB of data plus free calls and texts every month for six months, will work in any SIM-enabled device.

Registered charities of any size can apply by completing a simple online application form with applications closing on 1 November 2022.

Gordon MacDonald said: “The pandemic has highlighted the scale of digital exclusion and in particular its impact on the most vulnerable in society.

“Digital connectivity is increasingly essential to access work, education, healthcare and to keep in touch with family and friends.

“The Scottish Government is already providing support in tackling digital exclusion through their Connecting Scotland programme and this initiative from Vodafone contributes in those efforts to close the digital divide.

“I would encourage third sector organisations providing support to families and individuals that would benefit from this initiative to apply.”

What does a “very difficult winter” look like for low-income families?

A lower-income couple with two young children where one adult is working full-time is going to need to find an additional £31-a-week to cover the cost of living and falling benefit rates from October, according to new analysis by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

In an interviewyesterday, the Business Secretary warned “it could be a very difficult winter”. This comes amid growing concern across the political spectrum that the rising cost of living is about to put immense strain on low-income families.

If the Government proceeds with cut to Universal Credit as planned, changes to the energy price caps, and inflation means that at the same time this couple family are trying to compensate for the £20-a-week they had before the cut, they will soon need to find an additional:

£3 for energy (assuming pre-payment meter)
£8 for other living costs

= an additional £11 per week from October.

On top of this, the same family would need to find an extra £2.50 to cover the increase in National Insurance Contributions from April 2022 because of the Health and Social Care levy.

This would mean in total this family may need to find an additional £13.50 per week or £710 per year (around the entire clothing and footwear annual budget for this kind of family) as well as losing £20 a week from Universal Credit. For this family, the extra costs alone equate to around 3.5% of their weekly disposable income.

Peter Matejic, Deputy Director of Evidence & Impact at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said: “Millions of low-income families are incredibly anxious about how on earth they are supposed to make ends meet from next month.

“Ministers rightly recognise this is shaping up to be a very difficult winter, yet there is little sign of them taking the decisive steps that are necessary to avoid real hardship for low-income families.

“The growing concern about the cost of living reinforces why cutting Universal Credit makes absolutely no sense. Social security is a key defence in protecting families from precisely these sorts of economic shocks, but the Government is on course to impose the biggest ever overnight cut to the system and leave families with an inadequate lifeline.

“The Prime Minister urgently needs to keep the £20-a-week increase to Universal Credit in place. Rising child poverty, soaring demand for food banks, people worrying about keeping their homes and covering the cost of bills, flies in the face of uniting and levelling up our country.”

Bauer Media Scotland pay tribute to Tom Steele

Bauer Media Scotland has paid tribute to Tom Steele, a key member of the team which launched Radio Forth, who has passed away after a long illness.

Tom began his career in newspapers before becoming Radio Clyde’s first employee when he was appointed to the news team in October 1973. He then moved to Radio Forth as Head of News ahead of the launch of the new station in January 1975.

He progressed to become the Programme Director and oversaw the splitting of broadcast frequencies on FM and AM to create Forth 1 and Forth 2. Tom then took over as Managing Director before he retired due to ill health in 1999.

As well as his work at Radio Forth, one of Tom’s greatest achievements was at Today FM when a day trip to Dublin turned into a year’s stay as Managing Director during which time he turned around the station’s fortunes.

Tom was a leading light in the radio industry through his work to develop and evolve fresh programming and he was also well regarded for his contribution to radio industry events and committees.

Graham Bryce, Chief Operating Officer, Bauer Media Audio UK, said: “Tom was one of the driving forces behind Radio Forth as he was passionate about radio and doing the best for our listeners and the local area.

“Local radio was very new in the UK at the time and Tom was at the forefront of the industry which was recognised by the many awards and accolades he won over the years. The foundations he laid down have also ensured that Forth remains a market leading station today.

“Tom made a huge contribution to local radio in Scotland and was a key part of our team for many years and our thoughts are with his friends and family at this difficult time.”

Bellfield to sponsor Edinburgh City women’s football team

Edinburgh City FC Women’s team will be sponsored for the forthcoming season by Bellfield Taproom. Bellfield’s logo will feature on the team strips and the partners will hold a number of joint activities such as charity fundraisers and quiz nights.

Bellfield Taproom – in the city’s Abbeyhill district – is a stone’s throw from the club’s home base: the new Meadowbank Stadium.

The team will return to playing home matches at Meadowbank, from November this year, when the newly rebuilt stadium reopens.

Dave Armstrong, Head of Media & Communications, Edinburgh City FC Women said: “Sponsorship is crucial to our team and Bellfield is very local to our home base. Their reputation for being inclusive and ‘supporting local’ means they are a great partner for the club.

“We are ambitious and aiming to get to the top level, so we hope to make Bellfield proud of their association with the team.”

Women’s football in Scotland is growing at a rapid pace and the opportunities for brand and business awareness and promotion are increasing exponentially.

Edinburgh City FC Women’s team currently play in the SWF Championship which is one tier away from Premiership football.

The Edinburgh City Women’s squad boasts many Scotland Internationals as well as former Hibs and Celtic players.

The team has a Turkish International in Yasemin Emek and an American No.1, Kelli Hanman.

Bellfield director Marie Brown said: “We’re pleased to be sponsoring such an ambitious and talented squad and look forward to following their progress this season.

“We’re also looking forward to meeting the players and to hosting events and fundraisers at our Taproom to help them on their way.”

Five-Star Award for Port of Leith Housing Association

Port of Leith Housing Association (PoLHA) has secured an internationally recognised excellence award from the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM).

EFQM’s Recognised for Excellence status enables organisations to evaluate and demonstrate efforts to improve performance against a range of globally recognised definitions of excellence.

PoLHA achieved a Five-Star Excellence Award, following a rigorous, independent assessment process which highlighted the organisation’s main strengths and areas for improvement.

The EFQM Assessment Team identified a wide range of positive practices across customer service, strategic planning and staff engagement among PoLHA’s 107 employees.

The organisation was also praised for the flexibility and responsiveness with which it met the impact of Covid-19 while simultaneously proceeding with ambitious plans to undergo an organisational review and launch a new strategic plan.

PoLHA’s Group Chief Executive, Heather Kiteley, said: “EFQM assessment provides a robust means with which to measure our performance as we work to provide affordable homes and life-changing services and create brilliant communities in Leith and north Edinburgh.

“The Five-Star Excellence Award is testament to the hard work of our staff team, who were praised for their sense of purpose and commitment to high standards of customer service. Our ambition is to push on and meet the challenge of embedding even more good practices to drive continuous improvement across the Association and the rest of our Group.”

Janet Robertson, EFQM Director, Scotland said: “We are delighted to see Port of Leith Housing Association awarded 5-Star Recognised for Excellence.

“PoLHA demonstrated a clear purpose and commitment to delivering high standards of customer service. Their flexibility demonstrated in response to the Covid pandemic, and the dedication to their people during this time of change is a further testament to their drive for excellence. We are proud to recognise PoLHA as a leading organisation in Scotland and a valuable member of our EFQM community.

“Thanks to everyone who took part in the Recognition process, and many congratulations on the well-deserved progression from four to five stars.”

Student discounts at Fort Kinnaird

Stores and restaurants across Edinburgh are celebrating the return to university with a range of exclusive discounts and promotions for students across the city.

From Monday 20^th to Monday 27th September, students visiting Fort Kinnaird will be able to make the most of offers from brands including New Look, Schuh, ProCook and many more.

Here are all some of the great student discounts that will be on offer throughout the week:

· Boots – students can receive 10% discount all year round and can take advantage of the below offers from Monday 20^th – Sunday 26^th September including:

o Clarins – three complimentary samples to every student

o Bare Minerals – free seven-day sample of the new foundation

o Benefit – free fun size mascara when purchasing two products

o Mac – free 10-day foundation sample

· Pizza Express – 30% off food and drinks every Sunday – Thursday all year round with a valid UniDays ID

· Office – 20% off full price items (Monday 27^th September to Sunday 3^rd October)

· ProCook – 10% off (Monday 20^th – Sunday 26^th September)

· River Island – 20% off (Monday 20^th September – Thursday 3^rd October)

· Schuh – students receive 20% off (Monday 20^th – Monday 27^th September), there will also be a ‘spin-to-win’ station (while stocks last)

· The Perfume Shop – students receive 15% off (Monday 20th – Sunday 26th September)

· Trespass – 15% off (Monday 20^th – Sunday 26^th September)

· Fat Face – 20% off (Monday 20^th – Sunday 26^th September)

· Accessorize – 10% off all year round

· New Look – 10% off all year round

· Tessuti – 10% off all year round

Valid student ID will be required.

For more information please visit: https://www.fortkinnaird.com/