Edinburgh letting agency Clan Gordon is celebrating winning the 2020/2021 Best Estate Agent Guide Gold Award at the EA Masters
The Best Estate Agent Guide Gold award was presented on 3 November at the EA Masters, Estate Agency of the Year event, at Evolution Live in London and confirms Clan Gordon’s position as one of the top agencies in the UK.
The EA Masters celebrates the best estate agents and letting agents and the leading property industry suppliers and is regarded as the equivalent of an Oscar for a film, a Michelin Star for a restaurant or a gold medal at the Olympics.
Each year EA Masters assess the UK’s 25,000 estate and letting agency branches and highlight the top performers in the Best Estate Agent Guide. Only 5% of agencies across the UK are recognised with the prestigious gold award.
Susie McOwan, EA Masters, told Clan Gordon: “You’ve clearly worked extremely hard during this most testing period and have come through as one of the very best agencies in the country, congratulations, now it’s time to celebrate all your effort.”
Jonathan Gordon, Managing Director of Edinburgh letting agent Clan Gordon, said: “The team at Clan Gordon is delighted that our agency has been recognised with the prestigious EA Masters Gold award.
“It is the only award that is judged using real data from Rightmove about how good our property marketing is, how our agency performs with letting properties and tests our customer service though mystery shopping.
“To receive this industry recognition of our letting service after having to adjust to the huge challenges we all faced during the pandemic, is a most welcome reward for the team’s hard work and dedication.
“As restrictions lift and we see confidence in the property market returning to the capital Clan Gordon is proud it’s services have been underscored with gold and we look forward to working with both existing and new clients and landlords across Edinburgh in the future.”
Clan Gordon has also been shortlisted for the allAgents awards which will be announced next week and hopes to add this prize to its growing trophy cabinet.
To discover more about the complete letting service that Clan Gordon offers visit:
Enterprise Rent-A-Car Announces Nearly 2000 New Graduate Jobs Across the UK
Management fast-track opportunities available at 450 locations across the UK
Open to all graduates from every university, regardless of subject studied and degree attained
Long-term career prospect with Enterprise’s ‘promote from within’ policy
Enterprise Rent-A-Car, the world’s largest car rental company, is offering a boost to the job prospects of university graduates by announcing today that a bumper roster of almost 2000 new graduate positions will be made available over the course of the next year.
The new positions are for the company’s prestigious and award-winning Management Training Programme. Graduates can choose to start their training at any of Enterprise’s 450 branches across the country and with the opportunity to be promoted quickly, reaching branch manager level within only two or three years.
Enterprise’s newly appointed Head of European Operations, Khaled Shahbo, is an example of this, beginning his career at Enterprise on the Training Programme.
The Enterprise programme offers bespoke on-the-job training and many opportunities for early advancement from one of the UK’s award-winning graduate employers.
Enterprise Graduate Jobs Across the UK
Location
Number of graduate jobs
Southeast
501
Southwest
256
Midlands
280
Northeast
250
Northwest
250
Scotland
239
Northern Ireland
20
Wales
70
Enterprise Rent-A-Car is an inclusive employer and committed to a diverse and equitable workforce.
The company places a strong emphasis on attracting a diverse graduate talent pool, actively recruiting from more than 100 universities while also creating a transparent recruitment and progression process where everyone has the best opportunity to succeed.
High performing graduates can progress to assistant manager within just eight to 12 months of joining. At this point employees become responsible for contributing to the successful running of the branch. It becomes a business that they run entrepreneurially and receive pay based on branch performance on top of their base salary.
Enterprise is at the forefront of helping to develop new integrated transport options by playing a leading role in innovative projects such as the UK’s largest Mobility as a Service programme in Scotland and a ground-breaking mobility credit scheme in Coventry.
Nadia Javaid, Area Manager was promoted five times within a few years before arriving in her current role. She said: “When I joined Enterprise in 2012 I had a very ‘traditional’ career path initially starting the Management Training Programme in Glasgow.
“I had five promotions within my first few years eventually being promoted to area manager. I am now responsible for seven branches across Glasgow and the West of Scotland, none of this could have been possible without joining the Graduate Management Training Programme.”
Ashley Hever, Enterprise Rent-A-Car’s Talent Acquisition Director, said:“We are delighted to be able to offer a bumper roster of almost 2000 graduates the opportunity to start their career with Enterprise Rent-A-Car.
“With 1,600 roles currently available and plans to add a further 400 later this year, more than ever we are looking for talented and motivated individuals who want to progress quickly, are open to new opportunities, and who enjoy teamwork and looking after customers. As we promote from within for most roles, people can rise to the top.”
Those wishing to apply or find out more about a potential career with Enterprise Rent-A-Car can head to Enterprise’s careers website:
Streetwork, a service provided by Simon Community Scotland, has received £2,000 from Amazon Development Centre Scotland.
Streetwork has been offering care and guidance to those who are experiencing homeless or at risk of homelessness in Edinburgh for 25 years.
The charity provides expert advice and compassionate support, working to connect people to the services they need. The mission of the charity is to enable a life off the streets, showing dignity and respect to everyone.
The charity works with City of Edinburgh Council, so staff have direct links to accommodation that is available immediately. The charity also offers a 24-hour freephone line that provides information for anyone who needs it.
Amazon has made several donations to this charity in the past.
Commenting on the donation, Graeme Smith, Managing Director at Amazon Development Centre Scotland, said: “Streetwork at Simon Community Scotland provides a vital service for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness in Edinburgh.
“We have supported the charity since 2017 and we’re pleased to give the staff and volunteers another boost with this donation to help them to continue the fantastic work that they do in our community.”
Murray Easton from Simon Community Scotland added: “We’ve enjoyed a great partnership with the team at Development Centre Scotland over the last few years and I can’t thank them enough for everything they’ve done.
“We are progressing with some very exciting projects in Edinburgh and this support will make a real difference to the lives of people experiencing homelessness.”
Edinburgh Central MSP Angus Robertson said: “Streetwork and the work the Simon Community Scotland do is vital for helping tackle homelessness and connected issues in Scotland.
“I am pleased to see this donation from Amazon which will help provide crucial advice and care of those experiencing homelessness.”
Amazon Development Centre Scotland has been based in Edinburgh since 2004 and is responsible for devising and growing innovations that bring new levels of choice and convenience to hundreds of millions of customers around the world.
It houses teams of leading engineers, scientists, designers and product managers who work on everything from interactive user interface design to large-scale distributed systems and machine learning.
Community donations are one of a number of ways in which Amazon is supporting communities across the UK during COVID-19.
Throughout the pandemic Amazon has provided disadvantaged students with online STEM courses and supported virtual classrooms with no-cost resources from AWS and Amazon Future Engineer. The company has also teamed up with charity partner Magic Breakfast to deliver more than four million healthy breakfasts to children at risk of hunger in disadvantaged areas around the UK.
For more information on how Amazon is supporting the UK during COVID-19, click:
NHS Lothian have announced that Sammy McKee has won the Helpforce Champion Volunteer of the Year Award.
The Helpforce Champions Awards are a national awards designed to celebrate the invaluable contributions made by volunteers across the UK during the past turbulent year, fundamentally defined by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Head of Volunteering, Jane Greenacre, explains this is not just recognition of one person’s contribution but of all of the volunteers, past and present: “The contribution Sammy has made over the last 18+ months is incredible, and we are so pleased it has been recognised in these national awards.
“However, in the eyes of the Voluntary Services Team, all of the volunteers are winners. The roles that Sammy has taken on as Ward Helper, Vaccine Clinic Welcome Guide and at the Meaningful Activity Centre are really representative of support provided by 500+ volunteers so everyone can share in this success.”
“Sammy, like all of our volunteers, embodies NHS Lothian’s values of care and compassion, dignity and respect, quality, team work, and openness, honestly and responsibility.”
If you would like to volunteer, know more about NHS Lothian volunteer roles or if you work for NHS Lothian and want to know what support can be offered contact:
Sammy joined the volunteer team at NHS Lothian in March 2020, as he was keen to support his local community and the NHS during the pandemic.
Since then Sammy has given over 750 hours of his time volunteering twice a week (often three times a week) in a variety of roles and he has done all of this alongside family and other commitments and with continual professionalism and good humour.
From his first contact to date Sammy has embodied NHS Lothian’s values of care and compassion, dignity and respect, quality, team work, and openness, honestly and responsibility. Sammy has demonstrated his care and compassion for others as a volunteer in a care of the elderly ward where he supports patients (many of whom have complex needs) where he has volunteered since March 2020.
He has consistently treated the patients with dementia using the meaningful activity centre at St John’s Hospital with dignity and respect spending time getting to know patients, their likes and interests and planning activities to do with them one-to-one or in small groups.
Sammy has demonstrated his commitment to quality by actively participating in the Voluntary Services Team’s optional training programme giving up yet even more of his time to learn and develop his skills.
There is not a single person (staff or volunteer) who has worked alongside Sammy who would not agree that he is a team player. Sammy offering to change his usual volunteering site to support another volunteer who was lacking on confidence and his willingness to take on extra shifts to cover for colleagues unable to attend at the vaccination clinics are just two examples.
In addition Sammy is open to new ideas, honest about his experience and takes responsibly for the commitment he has made to those he supports. Sammy has two main roles with NHS Lothian as a Ward Helper in a Medicine of the Elderly ward In Findlay House and as an Activities Volunteer in the Meaningful Activity Centre at St John’s Hospital. Alongside these roles, he has also volunteered as a Vaccination Clinic Guide for 5 months.
In each of these roles, his volunteering was designed to achieve different things. The Ward Helper role aims to support positive health outcomes for patients by supporting day-to-day tasks and providing stimulation and to free staff time to allow them to focus on specialist tasks.
Many of the patients in this particular area have complex needs which can result in challenging behaviour or low mood. The support provided by the Ward Helpers enables patients to maintain their abilities and physical health, to improve mood and to support patients in the most difficult of circumstance to have the best possible experience. This support also helps families of patients by allowing them to take breaks from visiting safe in the knowledge that their loved one will not be alone.
The Meaningful Activity Centre was developed to provide a therapeutic environment for patients within the hospital. Patients with cognitive impairment can frequently become distressed in the hospital environment as not all their needs can be met on a ward through a medical model.
At the Meaningful Activity Centre, the volunteers aim to meet unmet needs that are related to boredom and lack of activity. However, it is not just playing some games to relieve boredom. By engaging in meaningful conversation and using excellent listening skills, the volunteers have been able to find ways to understand what is causing the distress of the person and to take steps to reduce distress.
As a Ward Helper Sammy completes many practical tasks including helping with meal distribution and the tea trolley (key to tackling issues with dehydration common in hospital settings) and the mealtime tidy up after eating, he will support patients to eat by providing company, encouragement and also practical assistance having been trained to safely feed patients who need assistance.
Outside mealtimes Sammy will help with practical takes such as answering the door to welcome visitors, top and up supplies like hand gel, masks. However, the key to Sammy’s Ward Helper role is the building of relationships with patients so that he can support them in a person centred way through small therapeutic interventions such as taking a patient in a wheelchair to spend time in the garden, taking short walks in the ward to maintain mobility, reminiscence and conversation to maintain mental stimulation and support good mood, sitting with a nonverbal patient listening to music to calm and relax them.
As a Vaccination Clinic Guide Sammy welcomes people to the clinics, guides them through the process giving explanations about what would happen next, how long things might take, giving directions, reassuring the nervous/making conversation with those who had been isolated often for months previously and supervising the post vaccination observation bay. Sammy’s cheerful manner and easy confidence help ensure that everyone feels valued and supported as they attend the clinic.
At the Meaningful Activity Centre Sammy supports patients one to one or in small groups through a range of person centred activities. There may be games or bingo to enjoy, looking at books and newspaper articles from yesteryear, listening to music or even karaoke to some old favourites, afternoon teas and the occasional dinner dance.
Whatever the activity Sammy is there leading the way and encouraging everyone to get involved, working at the understanding, confidence and enthusiasm level of the patient so that they feel comfortable and have a good time. contribution is invaluable.
While many of the patents Sammy supports are not able to articulate their gratitude verbally, it is obvious from the changes in their demeanour (not just while interacting with Sammy but following) that their time with Sammy has helped them to feel calmer, more settled and more at ease in the hospital.
Almost 100,000 people in Scotland have reported that they’re suffering with long Covid but it has taken until today (Tuesday 9 November) for the Scottish Parliament to debate this important issue.
I led this debate in Parliament yesterday because no matter how much campaigners and MSPs raise the issue, the SNP Health Secretary is just not listening.
It is shameful that it has taken an opposition party debate for the plight of long Covid sufferers to be heard in Parliament.
The SNP/Green Government’s action plan on long Covid is totally unfit for the scale of this challenge. Many Scots would be better off moving to England where there are well-established clinics and a care pathway.
We need to do much more to help long Covid sufferers. That is why I am calling on the SNP/Green Government to:
Have specialist long Covid clinics in every health board
Train more long Covid community nurses to offer in-home support
Give everyone who needs it access to physiotherapy and rehab treatment
Make sure long Covid sufferers are not penalised financially because they are absent from work for longer periods
You can join me in calling for action from the Scottish Government by signing up to my plan for long Covid here:
– Morrisons aims to be the first supermarket to develop a seaweed supplement for beef cattle using seaweed sourced by UK fishermen –
– Early findings indicate that UK seaweed reduces methane emissions and is preferable to imported red seaweed tested in other studies –
– Morrisons is funding a PhD project at Queen’s University Belfast as part of the three-year trial –
Morrisons is working with Queen’s University Belfast on a three-year trial looking at the use of seaweed from the UK in helping to reduce methane production in cattle.
The innovative research programme is being led by Professor Sharon Huws and Dr Katerina Theodoridou of the Institute for Global Food Security (IGFS) at the university and is testing indigenous seaweed from the Irish and UK coastlines.
The aim is to evaluate the nutritional value of seaweed and assess its potential to reduce methane emissions, improve animal health, and enhance meat and milk quality.
The research is yet to be published, but early signs are promising and indicate that seaweed from the North and Irish Seas is not only effective in reducing methane, but potentially preferable to the imported red seaweed tested in other studies which contains the ozone-destructive compound bromoform.
Scientific research earlier this year found that cows belched out 82 per cent less methane after putting a small amount of red seaweed in their feed. Indigenous UK sourced seaweed contains active compounds called phlorotannins which are safe and often found in red wine and red berries. Phlorotannins are also anti-bacterial and improve immunity and so have additional health benefits for cows.
Working with its beef farmers, Morrisons will take the learnings out of the lab and put them to practice in the fields. It plans to work with UK fishermen who already supply its stores, to source seaweed which would then be converted into a supplement.
Morrisons is funding and supporting the programme and a PhD research project at IGFS. A significant part of this is providing access for a PhD student to manage trials in methane reduction on commercial partner farms.
Cows produce methane via microbes in their stomachs as they digest fibrous food in a process similar to fermentation. Methane is a major greenhouse gas.
It does not last as long as carbon dioxide in the atmosphere but is more than 30 times as effective in trapping heat.
UK agriculture currently accounts for 10 per cent of all UK greenhouse gas emissions. Within this, beef farming is the most carbon intensive – generating 45 per cent of carbon emissions for only five per cent of products sold. Nearly half of this is down to methane produced by cattle.
Professor Sharon Huws, Professor of Animal Science and Microbiology of IGFS and who is leading the research programme at Queen’s University Belfast, said: “We are excited to publish our lab research in due course. This is showing that, of several UK seaweeds tested in the lab, at least one is indicating a reduction in methane production.
“The next step will be to trial the effective seaweeds as nutritional supplements for cows and this will be managed by a Morrisons-funded PhD student. This is a truly innovative partnership between a retailer and researchers.
“The involvement of Morrisons means that effective methane reduction can be rolled out to Morrisons farmers’ herds of beef cows, and the seaweed needed can be sourced through its relationships with fisheries.”
Sophie Throup, Head of Agriculture at Morrisons, said: “As British farming’s biggest customer, we’re very mindful of our role in supporting and inspiring the farmers we work with to help them achieve goals in sustainable farming.
“With our own livestock experts and direct relationships with farmers we’re able to make changes quickly.
“By supporting this PhD studentship and wider research we are trialling this natural approach to reducing the environmental emissions caused by burps and flatulence from cows – as well as improving the quality of beef products.”
Morrisons has already embarked on a programme to be completely supplied by net zero carbon British farms by 2030, five years ahead of the market. Over the next nine years, Morrisons is working with its 3,000 farmers and growers to produce affordable net zero carbon meat, poultry, fruit and vegetables.
As part of the programme, Morrisons will also work with universities, farming and countryside organisations and carbon experts.
In 2020 Morrisons set a business target to be net zero by 2040 and set an ambition to be net zero within its UK agriculture supply chain from the farmers who supply Morrisons directly by 2030.
IGFS at Queen’s University is at the forefront of international research into reducing GHG emissions from food systems, including providing science to help UK farmers move towards a zero-carbon model, in line with the UK’s overall ambition of carbon neutrality by 2050.
As Cop26 continues to debate methane – with the US And EU having pledged to reduce agricultural methane outputs from ruminant livestock by upwards of 30% by 2030 – scientists at the Institute for Global Food Security (IGFS) at Queen’s University Belfast are to feed seaweed to farm animals in a bid to slash methane by at least 30%.
Seaweed has long been hailed a ‘superfood’ for humans but adding it to animal feed to reduce methane gas released into the atmosphere by ruminants’ burping and flatulence is a relatively new idea. Early laboratory research at IGFS has shown promising results using native Irish and UK seaweeds.
Previous research in Australia and the USA generated headline results – up to 80% reductions in methane emissions from cattle given supplements from a red seaweed variety. These red seaweeds grow abundantly in warmer climates; however, they also contain high levels of bromoform – known to be damaging to the ozone layer. Seaweed indigenous to the UK and Ireland tends to be brown or green and does not contain bromoform.
UK and Irish seaweeds are also rich in active compounds called phlorotannins, found in red wine and berries, which are anti-bacterial and improve immunity so could have additional health benefits for animals.
Now the IGFS science is moving into the field, with trials on UK farms about to begin, using seaweed sourced from the Irish and North Seas as a feed supplement for cattle.
One 3-year project is in partnership with the UK supermarket Morrisons and its network of British beef farmers who will facilitate farm trials. The project also includes the Agrifood and Biosciences Institute (AFBI), in Northern Ireland, as a partner.
A second project sees IGFS and AFBI join a €2million, international project – led by Irish agency An Teagasc – to monitor the effects of seaweed in the diet of pasture-based livestock. Seaweed will be added to grass-based silage on farm trials involving dairy cows in NI from early 2022.
As well as assessing methane emissions of the beef and dairy cattle, these projects will assess the nutritional value of a variety of homegrown seaweeds, their effects on animal productivity and meat quality.
IGFS lead Sharon Huws, Professor of Animal Science and Microbiology within the School of Biological Sciences, said she expected the combined research to evidence a reduction in GHG emissions of at least 30%.
She said: “The science is there. It’s simply a matter of providing the necessary data and then implementing it. Using seaweed is a natural, sustainable way of reducing emissions and has great potential to be scaled up. There is no reason why we can’t be farming seaweed – this would also protect the biodiversity of our shorelines.
“If UK farmers are to meet a zero-carbon model, we really need to start putting this kind of research into practice. I hope IGFS and AFBI research can soon provide the necessary data and reassurance for governments to take forward.”
Agriculture accounts for around 10% of all UK GHG emissions. Within this, beef farming is the most carbon-intensive, with methane, which cows produce as they digest, a major component.
At a NI level, methane accounts for almost a quarter of GHG emissions, with 80% of that from agriculture.
The above projects form part of the Queen’s-AFBI Alliance – a strategic partnership between Queen’s University and AFBI to maximise science and innovation capacity in NI to meet global challenges, such as carbon-neutral farming.
Morrisons supermarket plans to be completely supplied by net-zero-carbon British farms by 2030. Sophie Throup, Head of Agriculture at Morrisons said: “As British farming’s biggest customer, we’re very mindful of our role in supporting and inspiring the farmers we work with to help them achieve goals in sustainable farming.
“By supporting this research at Queen’s and AFBI, we are trialling this natural approach to reducing environmental emissions and improving the quality of beef products.”
The UK’s Chief Veterinary Officer has confirmed that the virus responsible for Covid-19 has been detected in a pet dog in the UK.
The infection was confirmed following tests at the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) laboratory in Weybridge on 3 November. The dog is now recovering at home.
All available evidence suggests that the dog contracted the coronavirus from its owners who had previously tested positive for Covid-19. There is no evidence to suggest that the animal was involved in the transmission of the disease to its owners or that pets or other domestic animals are able to transmit the virus to people.
The advice from UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is for people to wash their hands regularly, including before and after contact with animals.
Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss said: “Tests conducted by the Animal and Plant Health Agency have confirmed that the virus responsible for Covid-19 has been detected in a pet dog in the UK. The infected dog was undergoing treatment for another unrelated condition and is now recovering.
It is very rare for dogs to be infected and they will usually only show mild clinical signs and recover within a few days.
There is no clear evidence to suggest that pets directly transmit the virus to humans. We will continue to monitor this situation closely and will update our guidance to pet owners should the situation change.
Dr Katherine Russell, Consultant Medical Epidemiologist at UKHSA, said: “COVID-19 is predominantly spread from person to person but in some situations the virus can spread from people to animals.
“In line with general public health guidance, you should wash your hands regularly, including before and after contact with animals.”
Pet owners can access the latest government guidance on how to continue to care for their animals during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The case has been reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health in line with international commitments. There have been a very small number of confirmed cases in pets in other countries in Europe, North America and Asia.
Researchers at Queen’s University Belfast have developed a new treatment to be used in combination with radiotherapy that could significantly improve treatment outcomes for men with locally advanced prostate cancer.
The treatment can make cancerous cells up to 30% more receptive to radiotherapy while simultaneously reducing adverse side effects that limit quality of life.
Radiotherapy is extensively used to treat various localised cancers including prostate cancer, offering the best chance for curative intervention. However, approximately 30% of prostate cancer patients experience treatment failure leading to disease progression.
The research team at Queen’s have developed a new nanomedicine comprised of tiny gold particles, coated in a small peptide called RALA. If these nanoparticles are present in tumour cells when treated with radiotherapy, they increase the cell killing potential of this conventional treatment, helping to reduce the risk of disease relapse. In the absence of radiation, the gold nanoparticles are not directly toxic, meaning that risk of treatment related toxicity is low.
Various groups around the world have reported that gold nanoparticles, or other high-atomic number elements, hold the potential to sensitise tumour cells to radiation treatment, but one key challenge has been delivering these particles in sufficient levels to the right regions within the tumour cells.
Combining the gold particles with RALA increases the efficiency of nanoparticle uptake, while also enabling the gold particles to be delivered to regions within the cells which are more sensitive to the effects of radiation damage.
The study, published in Nanobiotechnology, shows that through the new formulation, prostate cancer cells were rendered up to 30% more sensitive to the cell killing effects of the same radiotherapy used to treat patients.
Furthermore, in experiments investigating the magnitude of effect in small 3-dimentional models of prostate tumors called tumourspheres, the combination of radiation and RALA-gold nanoparticles completely suppressed tumoursphere growth.
Professor Helen McCarthy, from the School of Pharmacy at Queen’s University Belfast, explains: “The peptide enables the gold nanoparticles to be delivered more efficiently to the tumour cells. The gold then interacts with the radiotherapy, increasing the cell killing effect in a highly localised manner.”
The gold particles are up to three times more visible on standard medical imaging equipment. This means that if the nanoparticles are located within the tumour, they should help to improve the accuracy of radiotherapy delivery, reducing the risk of off-target damage to neighboring normal tissue such as the bladder or bowel.
The multi-disciplinary team have recently been awarded £376,000 from Prostate Cancer UK to evaluate the effectiveness of these implants at increasing the sensitivity of prostate cancer cells to radiotherapy.
Dr Jonathan Coulter (top), from the School of Pharmacy at Queen’s University Belfast, explains: “Our research has shown that ultra-low concentrations of the RALA-gold nanoparticles effectively sensitise prostate tumour cells to radiotherapy.
“Now we want to build on this work, to address the second major challenge, consistently delivering sufficient nanoparticles to the tumour throughout a patients’ radiotherapy. We are delighted that Prostate Cancer UK are supporting our proposal to develop a biodegradable implant designed to provide sustained release of the gold nanoparticles.”
“Following insertion into the main tumour lesion, the biodegradable implant will consistently release the nanoparticles over time. This is opposed to current approaches that involve daily injections. Following consultation with a local prostate cancer patient focus groups, we learned that a one off implant would be better tolerated by patients than regular injections to the tumour.”
AN EDINBURGH-based financial services recruitment firm has enlisted some four-legged volunteers to help reduce stress and increase activity amongst its staff while raising money for charity.
The 22 strong team at Core-Asset Consulting will be walking 100km for MacMillan Cancer Support throughout the month of November with the help of the team’s various office dogs.
Kicking off during International Stress Awareness Week at the beginning of November, the fundraising initiative will run throughout the month, encouraging staff to take short walking breaks from their desk with one of the eight canines who regularly frequent the office.
Coinciding with the recent introduction of a Friday morning canine running club, the walking challenge is hoped to boost morale, decrease stress and encourage healthy habits amongst staff.
Rachael O’Neill, Associate Director of Investment Operations and owner of one of the dogs taking part, Luca, said: “Stress can have a massive impact on mental wellbeing and one of the best ways to combat it is through exercise.
“We already have a regular running club on a Friday morning – wanted to encourage everyone to move more and take regular breaks from their desks throughout the week.
“Staff can take part as little or as often as they like and can walk for as long as they like too. Each distance will be added to an overall tally so it will be a real team effort.
“Our office is dog friendly and a lot of staff take advantage of this. We have Loki, Atlas, Pluto, Shadow, Ruby, Maggie and Cookie as well as my dog Luca. While they’re not all in at once, on any given day you’ll find at least one or more wandering about the office!
“Luca is in every day and Pluto is in most regularly. They both take part in our Friday running club and are loving the attention and the extra walks.
“Luca is very much a lockdown pup so the extra socialising has been great for her. It’s such a weight off not having the pressure of leaving her at home or finding a dog sitter too.”
In addition to the walking challenge, Rachael has been providing staff with stress balls, dedicated stress awareness podcasts and Ted Talks to help her colleagues manage their stress effectively.
Core-Asset Consulting is Scotland’s pre-eminent recruitment and headhunting agency dedicated to financial and professional services.
Formed in 2005, it was born out of Betsy’s desire to take the best of her experience of large corporate recruiters, applying the focus on infrastructure and training to a more sector-specialised business.
Based in Edinburgh, the £14m firm employs 22 people and works across the entire financial services sector, from the smallest boutiques to the biggest global players.
Initially the firm carved its reputation in Scotland’s globally-renowned asset management sector. However, the success of its model allowed it to expand across the wider financial services market. It now boasts dedicated accounting, investment operations and finance teams and also works in Scotland’s thriving legal sector.
Children in Corstorphine have become urban designers to help create safer, more welcoming streets in their local neighbourhood.
As COP26 takes hold of Scotland, pupils from Carrick Knowe and Corstorphine Primary Schools have been sharing ideas to help people make healthy, low carbon journeys by walking, wheeling or cycling, as well as improving the environment, in their own corner of the country.
The city council is engaging with the community as part of Corstorphine Connections, a project to introduce a Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN), and are asking residents to share their views on proposals to improve the look and feel of the area.
The design proposals have been developed after receiving initial feedback from residents, including these designs for school streets by local children. Amongst their ideas are more trees, grass and flowers, spotty patterned roads and paw prints along the street to signpost safe routes.
Councillor Lesley Macinnes, Transport and Environment Convener, said: “We owe it to future generations to create a city that is healthy, sustainable and safe to move around by foot, wheel or bike. So it’s fantastic that we’ve been able to involve our youngest citizens in the development of Edinburgh’s first LTN – they’ve got some great ideas.
“We’ve seen from neighbourhoods around the world how LTNs can have a really positive impact on travel habits and quieter, more pleasant streets for residents and businesses, so I really look forward to delivering these benefits in Edinburgh.”
Councillor Karen Doran, Transport and Environment Vice Convener, added: “We really want to bring the Corstorphine community with us as we develop this LTN, and we’ve already been listening to ideas and concerns as we move through the process.
“These designs demonstrate the impact the layout of our streets can have an all members of society, young and old, so it’s been really helpful to hear what local school pupils think.”
Dan Jeffs, Senior Urban Designer at Sustrans Scotland, said: “Sustrans has been working closely with Corstorphine Primary School and Carrick Knowe Primary School to identify placemaking measures for spaces immediately outside their schools and within the wider area.
“These measures will help create safer, more enjoyable and attractive streets and spaces for children and local residents, as well as encourage and promote walking, wheeling and cycling in the area.
“People are being invited to have their say on placemaking ideas for Corstorphine, such as hanging baskets and ‘pencil bollards’ to protect children outside the school on Corstorphine High Street and new seating and colourful road surfaces to prioritise pedestrians on Saughton Road North.
“Two options for a ‘pocket park’ on Featherhall Avenue have also been put forward for feedback.”
Plans to start the Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) process to introduce an LTN on a trial basis in Corstorphine were approved by Transport and Environment Committee in August, following engagement with the community on key issues and, subsequently, concept designs.
The LTN aims to create a safer environment, providing more opportunities for residents to walk, wheel, cycle and spend time in by reducing vehicle volume and speed.
In Corstorphine, residents have previously told the council about concerns around the level and speed of traffic there, which is backed up by CEC’s own monitoring.
By implementing an LTN the council hopes to create a calmer, more relaxed environment for travel by foot, wheel or bike. It is planning to introduce the LTN on a trial basis, using an ETRO, in early spring 2022.
LTNs form part of the City Mobility Plan, Edinburgh’s ten-year transport strategy envisioning a better-connected, safer and more inclusive net zero carbon transport system. The council is also working towards the introduction of an LTN in Leith next summer.
Find out more about Corstorphine Connections online and share your views on placemaking designs on the Council’s consultation hub before 14 November.
