The new 100% electric Nissan Ariya named Best Mid-Sized Company Car…
…“the newcomer goes straight to the top of the class” …
… and takes overall Auto Express Car of the Year title
“It mixes style and substance seamlessly, and is an advanced EV right for the modern era”
Spacious, lounge-like and modern, with a clear attachment to its Japanese DNA, Ariya offers a refined, comfortable, zero-emissions drive
The new Nissan Ariya has been named a double winner at this year’s Auto Express Awards, securing both the ‘Best Mid-Sized Company Car’ trophy and the coveted overall ‘Car of the Year’ title.
Now available for customers to order, with a fully electric range of up to 329 miles, the Ariya features Japanese-inspired design, a luxurious and spacious cabin and advanced technologies.
Andrew Humberstone, managing director at Nissan GB, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to receive this recognition for our incredible new 100% electric crossover and would like to thank the judges for this fantastic award.
“The Ariya perfectly encapsulates the design, tech and performance of our next generation EVs and will continue Nissan’s pioneering journey in electrification and support our route to carbon neutrality.”
Auto Express’ judges were keen to highlight the Ariya’s all-round talents and praised the car’s compelling blend of head-turning looks, premium appeal and composed driving dynamics, plus a range of well over 300 miles.
For business users too, it was judged that “the newcomer goes straight to the top of the class”.
Steve Fowler, Editor-in-Chief of Auto Express, added: “The Ariya is the most premium-feeling Nissan we’ve seen yet, but it backs this up with impressive technology, punchy performance and clever storage.
“It mixes style and substance seamlessly, and is an advanced EV right for the modern era, as many motorists seriously consider – with many making the switch – to all-electric motoring. It’s our Car of the Year 2022.”
Drawing on Nissan’s leadership in electrification and segment-defining crossover capabilities, the Nissan Ariya seamlessly delivers advanced driving capabilities and a premium EV experience.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has announced the appointment of Nicole Paterson as its next Chief Executive.
Nicole, who joins the agency in October, is an award-winning local government Chief Officer, with nearly thirty-years’ experience across five local authorities, consultancy, and environmental non-executive roles; leading operational, regulatory and strategic environmental services.
With more than twenty-five-years’ experience in local government specifically, Ms. Paterson joins from North Lanarkshire Council, Scotland’s fourth largest local authority, where her role as Head of Environmental Assets saw her drive a strategic vision of community focused, inclusive growth and prosperity. She led systemic change on climate change adaption, biodiversity, flood risk management, transport policy, planning and green spaces.
Nicole previously spent over a decade at Stirling Council leading strategic environmental and infrastructure programmes and has worked across West Lothian, East Dunbartonshire and Argyll & Bute Councils.
She is a Board Member of Climate Ready Clyde, working with industry and government, and Chair of the Glasgow City Region Transport Portfolio leading strategic transport visioning. A Chartered civil engineer and University of Strathclyde graduate, Nicole is a member of 7 Lochs Wetland Park and previously the Inner Forth Landscape Initiative.
The appointment followed an open recruitment process which attracted a broad and diverse range of applications from across Scotland, the UK and Europe.
Announcing the appointment, Bob Downes, SEPA Chair, said: “As Scotland’s environmental watchdog, SEPA plays a key role in Scottish public life, protecting, adapting, and supporting our transition to a net zero economy.
“We’ve got a great team of multi-skilled professionals dedicated to our rich and diverse environment. They deserve the very best leadership and I’m delighted that in Nicole, we’ve found an optimistic, energetic leader who’s as passionate about Scotland’s environment, our statutory purpose and delivering modern, effective and essential public services as we are.
“But more than that, we’ve found in Nicole an open, supportive and motivational leader committed to collaboration, outcomes, excellence and building an agency reflective of the country we serve.
Commenting on her appointment, Nicole said: ““Scotland’s stunning environment, its lochs and its land, are world-renowned, and being trusted to protect them for future generations, while supporting our nation to adapt to a changing climate, is a privilege.
“Protecting our environment, inclusion, wellbeing and supporting sustainable growth are not only key to my personal and professional beliefs, they’re at the heart of SEPA’s statutory purpose. They’re fundamental to SEPA’s One Planet Prosperity strategy and the work that its people deliver each and every day in communities the length and breadth of our country.
“Across my career, from working with the Board of Climate Ready Clyde to Argyll and Bute Council, I’ve been constantly inspired by SEPA’s role in improving Scotland’s environment, its commitment to collaboration and the professionalism and commitment of its people.
“Over the coming months I look forward to visiting, meeting with and listening to people, partners and stakeholders across the country as together we deliver for Scotland’s environment.”
Mr. Downes recognised and thanked Acting Chief Executive, Jo Green and Agency Management Team colleagues for their
leadership following the departure of the previous Chief Executive, delivering an annual operating plan and supporting and empowering delivery and performance. Jo Green will continue as Acting Chief Executive until Ms. Paterson assumes responsibilities in October.
“GOOD TIMES never seemed so good for elderly residents at Renaissance Care Group as homes across Scotland sang a touching version of Neil Diamond’s ‘Sweet Caroline’ to launch their Music Festival Month.
The month long initiative will encourage residents and staff to use song and dance to improve their health and wellbeing.
Residents will be getting their festive gear on and boogying on down to silent discos, live performances and some golden oldies in their homes which will be turned into the ultimate festival experience.”
Inaugural winner of Appin Entrepreneurship Award announced
Appin Entrepreneurship Awards 2022 at the new Bright Red Triangle space in Bainfiled. accomodation complex
An Edinburgh Napier student that aims to spice up the Scottish street food scene has been announced as the inaugural winner of the University’s Appin Entrepreneurship Award.
Student Kael Begbie – known as The Hoagie Man – scooped the top prize of £2,000 after coming out top in the competition held at Edinburgh Napier’s Bright Red Triangle last month.
Kael – who will this week graduate with a degree in Business Management from Edinburgh Napier – pitched his way to success, pipping three other Edinburgh Napier student finalists to the top prize as he impressed judges with his plans to launch his new food business later this month (22 July) at the popular Pitt Market in Leith.
Kael’s food outlet specialises in wraps, with his signature dish – the hoagie – putting a Scottish spin on the classic burrito by substituting the regular meat ingredient of chicken or beef with haggis.
Alongside the prize money that he will use to help support the launch of his business, Kael will also now receive 1:1 business advice and support from Bright Red Triangle – a free resource for Edinburgh Napier students, staff and alumni to develop enterprise skills and entrepreneurship opportunities.
Appin Entrepreneurship Awards 2022 at the new Bright Red Triangle space in Bainfiled. accomodation complex
Kael Begbie said: “It was a special day; I really appreciate it and I am truly grateful for the support and encouragement offered to me by Damien and Bing as well as my Edinburgh Napier colleagues and fellow contestants.
“I’m very proud to be the first winner of this competition and it’s given me a fantastic opportunity to grow my business with a generous investment. I hope to return for future competitions and see a new wave of young entrepreneurs boldly exploring new ideas and developing their businesses.
“Until then I’m excited to keep working on The Hoagieman and to see where this journey takes me next!”
In its inaugural year, the Appin Entrepreneurship Award has been led by the University’s Bright Red Triangle alongside support from its Development and Alumni Relations team. It has been established to encourage and support the development of entrepreneurial ideas and concepts within the University’s student and graduate community.
The award has been made possible thanks to the generous support of two trailblazing entrepreneurs, Damien O’Looney and Bing Li, who met whilst studying Marketing and Entrepreneurship at Edinburgh Napier.
The pair have donated the award and prize money to celebrate and recognise outstanding student and graduate entrepreneurs each year at the University.
As young entrepreneurs Damien and Bing Co-founded UK-China Trading Ltd (UKCT), a product sourcing business in 2010, but didn’t stop there.
Damien and Bing’s entrepreneurial journey has seen the pair launch a number of successful businesses, including an English school in China, a property letting agency, a holiday letting agency, a Sportswear supplier – Appin Sports – for mass sports events and custom football apparel and a business which responded to the Covid-19 pandemic to source and supply PPE to the NHS and to various outlets internationally.
On Kael’s award win, Damien O’Looney said: “We are both very much looking forward to hearing about all the new business ideas coming out of Edinburgh Napier. The Centre for Entrepreneurship was instrumental in bringing Bing and I together and gave us the knowledge and confidence we needed to try and run a business ourselves.
“It also gave us practical tools (finance, budgeting, marketing and promotion, business planning and pitching) which are needed in every business. We hope our Appin alumni award can help fledgling businesses with the cash they need to start their business.”
“I hope Kael is successful – he seems to have all the right ingredients (pun intended) to make it a success!”
Pete McLean, Business Growth Advisor at Edinburgh Napier’s Bright Red Triangle, said: “We are delighted that the Appin Award has been launched and would like to congratulate Kael on his well-deserved win.
“We are grateful to Damien and Bing for their generous support – their contribution will allow us to help more budding entrepreneurs turn their business ideas into reality, and provides a brilliant platform for showcasing the student innovation and entrepreneurial spirit present at Edinburgh Napier.
“We had a such a great calibre of entries for the inaugural year and the BRT team look forward to continue supporting Kael and his fellow pitchers on their entrepreneurial journey.”
Dr Maggie Anderson, Lecturer in Entrepreneurship at Edinburgh Napier, said: “I’m delighted as the entrepreneurship lecturer to connect Damien and Bing – two Edinburgh Napier alumni entrepreneurs – with Kael, a current student, to fund and enable him to progress his business idea.
“The competition focussed this year on students who had studied the Starting a New Business module and it was great to have so many keen to take their ideas further- that’s what entrepreneurship is all about.
“We look forward to further completions thanks to the generous funding now in place, to enable many more students to become alumni entrepreneurs of the future.”
More details on the Appin Entrepreneurship Award and Bright Red Triangle can be found here.
This week, #OperationSoteria have been conducting enquiries which have resulted in a 14-year-old and a 15-year-old being charged with offences relating to the theft of motorcycles within the city of Edinburgh, along with a number of road traffic offences.
Further enquiries have resulted in a stolen motorcycle being recovered which was stolen from the Leith area on 29/06/22.
Anyone with information about motorcycle crime or the dangerous use of motorcycles in the city can speak to officers confidentially and anonymously on 101, or through the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
The first cohort of Ukrainian soldiers taking part in a major new UK-led military programme, which will train up to 10,000 Ukrainians over the coming months, have arrived in the UK.
The programme is part of the UK’s enduring commitment to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s unprovoked invasion, which so far amounts to more than £2.3 billion in military aid and includes more than 5,000 NLAW anti-tank weapons and M270 multiple launch rocket systems.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, who visited the training this week, said: “This ambitious new training programme is the next phase in the UK’s support to the Armed Forces of Ukraine in their fight against Russian aggression.
“Using the world-class expertise of the British Army we will help Ukraine to rebuild its forces and scale-up its resistance as they defend their country’s sovereignty and their right to choose their own future.”
Mr Wallace announced yesterday that he will NOT be a candidate in the election to become the next Prime Minister.
Around 1,050 UK service personnel are deploying to run the programme, which will take place at MOD sites across the North West, South West and South East of the UK. Each course will last several weeks and will be conducted by elements from 11 Security Force Assistance Brigade.
The training will give volunteer recruits with little to no military experience the skills to be effective in frontline combat. Based on the UK’s basic soldier training, the course covers weapons handling, battlefield first aid, fieldcraft, patrol tactics and the Law of Armed Conflict.
The Government has rapidly procured AK variant assault rifles for the training programme, meaning Ukrainian soldiers can train on the weapons they will be using on the front line. This effort was supported by the Welsh Guards, who tested more than 2,400 such rifles in 17 days to ensure they were ready for the Ukrainians to commence their training.
The UK has also gifted clothing and equipment to support Ukrainian soldiers in their training and deployment back to Ukraine. Each soldier will be issued with:
Personal protective equipment including helmets, body armour, eye protectors, ear protectors, pelvic protection, and individual first aid kits
Field uniforms and boots
Cold and wet weather clothing
Bergens, day sacks and webbing
Additional equipment required for field conditions including ponchos, sleeping bags, and entrenching tools.
The UK has a long history of supporting Ukrainian service personnel through Operation ORBITAL, which trained 22,000 Ukrainians between 2015 and 2022.
The new programme will build on this success and demonstrate the UK’s continued leadership in responding to Ukraine’s military requirements as the war evolves.
First of all, thank you to the members who attended our first ever, in-person AGM which was held in the Heart itself. We had a good turn-out of both full members and associated members as well as several apologies from those unable to attend.
Three trustees stood down after having given significant service since the time of the original steering committee and having continued with membership of the Board when the SCIO was set up in 2020. Rodney Matthews, Colin MacNeill and Alan Hartley all stepped back from the Board for personal reasons although all remain committed to helping the Heart in other ways in the future.
Two Trustees who had joined the Board since the 2021 AGM, Mike Douglas and Layla Robinson, were re-elected.
Guest speaker for the event was Mr David Knight from the Scottish Land Fund.
He gave an invigorating address about the history of the Land Fund and its investments and announced that the grant awarded to the Heart was the largest single grant for an individual site, with the exception of the large award for the Isle of Ulva which was for a whole estate as opposed to “just” a building.
Although the legal documents have not yet been signed, or the keys handed over, Mr Knight presented outgoing chair Rodney Mathews with a plaque commemorating the SLF’s investment in the Heart, which will be given pride of place once it is legally owned by the community.
The new Board
Immediately following the AGM the new Board held a short meeting, whereby Judy Crabb, who has been involved with the project since even before the creation of the first steering group, was elected as the new Chair.
Emma Hendron, who is a co-opted trustee, was elected Treasurer and Layla Robinson was elected Secretary. All three were elected unanimously.
The new Chair has been instrumental in many ways that members may not have been aware of, being involved in all aspects of the project so far. The current Board acknowledged this with her election and can think of no better person to lead the way forward as we enter this new phase.
All trustees can be contacted directly through their Heart of Newhaven email addresses, which can be found on the website.
The new Board wish to thank all three retiring trustees for the vision and unwavering commitment they shared during their terms in office. Without their contributions the project would not be where it is today. We all owe them a great deal.
Could you fill a space on the Board?
As we move into the next phase of the project, we are looking for a new trustee with legal experience who can assist the Board with contractual, commercial and property legal issues that may arise from time to time.
Remember to check the website and social media regularly for updates, news and blogs. June saw the posting of the delightful reminiscences of 95 year old Margaret Mclean who was born, grew up and still lives in Newhaven.
You can find the blogs under BLOGS on the website.
An Edinburgh College student has won a creative competition to design a number of posters showcasing projects taking place across Granton and will now have his work on display at the site of the iconic Granton gasometer.
Seventeen-year-old George Kershaw won the creative competition to have his designs displayed at the site of the Granton gas tower, which received significant investment last year to turn the structure into an illuminating landmark which lights up the skyline in the area.
The Foundation Apprenticeship (FA) Design student was named the winner of the competition, after the city council challenged his class to come up with a series of designs to help promote projects and events that have happened in the area, such as the Hidden Doors Festival, COP 26 Climate conference, Diwali celebrations and more.
The iconic gas tower located in the Granton Waterfront area is a beacon of light on the Edinburgh skyline thanks to the partnership project between the College, the City of Edinburgh Council, and 21CC.
George said: “Whilst I expected to do well in the competition, I knew there were several other talented designers also entering so I was very happy to find out that I had won and gained such a great opportunity. I wasn’t as happy to realise that I had also given myself a lot more work than I bargained for, as the process took several months to complete!
“Edinburgh Council set our class with the challenge of designing several promotional banners for the events centred around the Granton gas tower. My design was chosen and expanded on and finalised by me and my tutor Chris Hamilton until it was ready to be printed.
“This involved many conversations between me and the Council and was also my first experience with the many challenges involved in the design process.
“I hope that I can find more great opportunities like this one to challenge myself and so that I can also come out of university with a portfolio full of amazing work, which will help me gain employment at a top design agency once I’ve finished my studies.”
Edinburgh College Assistant Principal for Creative Industries Jakki Jeffery said: “This was an excellent opportunity for the FA Creative Digital Media (Graphics) students to work on a live industry brief from our partnership with Edinburgh Council and 21CC lighting up the iconic Granton Gas Tower.
“We were really impressed with the standard of work submitted by all the students, supported by their lecturer Chris. George is a worthy winner and we wish him all the best in his future career.”
City council leader Cammy Day said: “My warmest congratulations to George on his achievement and I’m sure this will be the first of many more to come in his design career.
“This poster campaign will provide a new and dynamic angle to an already iconic Edinburgh landmark. These posters showcase a wide array of local, national and cultural events. Projects like these in conjunction with Edinburgh College represent the Council’s wider commitment to Granton Waterfront and its long-term regeneration.
“This regeneration will spearhead the capital’s response to the climate emergency alongside providing sustainable economic growth and empowering local communities”.
Parents who refuse to pay child maintenance could face curfews, as Ministers plan new powers for the Child Maintenance Service.
The change is being considered as part of fresh proposals that will get more of the money that is owed to the children of separated parents.
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) collected or arranged £1 billion in child maintenance payments last year, operating as a crucial weapon in the battle against child poverty. Child support payments help lift around 140,000 children out of poverty each year.
Curfew orders would be another method of enforcement, alongside current powers which include passport and driving license confiscation and earnings deduction orders, to tackle parents who continually refuse to pay maintenance owed.
As an alternative sanction to prison, which is costly and prevents maintenance getting to children, curfews would act as a deterrent by restricting and disrupting non-compliant parents’ lifestyles, stopping them, for example, from going out for dinner, to the pub or going on holiday.
The curfews would be monitored by an electronic tag with an electronic monitoring service applying the tag, monitoring and making sure the parent complies with the rules of the tag. If parents fail to comply, the CMS would be able refer them back to court which might then extend the curfew order or impose a prison sentence.
DWP Lords Minister Baroness Stedman-Scott said: “For children in low-income households, maintenance payments can make all the difference, lifting them out of poverty.
“We are not afraid to go after those parents who deliberately and repeatedly refuse to pay for their children.
“Curfew orders are another step towards providing the CMS with a full arsenal of powers to make sure children get the financial support they need to have the best start in life.”
This builds on a new powers introduced earlier this year to digitise all communications to parents and improvements to help the service trace the paying parent, calculate maintenance and enforce arrears more effectively.
The consultation is published here and closes on 12 August 2022.
park!
