Cabinet Secretary Mairi Gougeon praises teen for inspiring others as winner announced during Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight (4-19 September)
Sophie Mackenzie, a 19-year-old hotel supervisor from West Lothian has won NFU Mutual’s Inspirational Young Person Award.
The award, which is in its fifth year, was launched by the commercial insurer in partnership with industry leadership organisation Scotland Food and Drink, seeking to uncover inspirational examples of talented 16 to 26-year-olds who own, work or study in the food and drink sector.
With a prize of £500, the award aims to highlight not only the enormous contribution that young people make to Scotland’s food and drink businesses, but also the importance of the sector to the wider economy.
First-place winner Sophie took on the role of general assistant at The Watchman Hotel in Gullane, East Lothian on its opening in 2021, aged only just 18. It was Sophie’s first ever job and her outstanding dedication to service, standards and excellent feedback from patrons, led to her promotion to hotel supervisor in March 2022.
Sophie, who is studying for a HNC in Event Management, was nominated by hotel manager Neil King. He said: “Sophie is the perfect example of what hospitality can do for a young individual. She is a leading light for our industry and our hotel. Our business would not be the same without her.”
Alongside Sophie, runner-up for the award was Joanne Kerr, 21, of the Coo Shed in Ayr, who wins £300. The Coo Shed is a farm-themed coffee shop and milk vending machines, set on a dairy farm on the outskirts of the popular seaside town. Joanne was praised for her fantastic work ethic and her friendly ‘can-do’ attitude.
Sophie Mackenzie, this year’s first place winner said: “I’m extremely thankful to my manager Neil for nominating me and feel really proud of myself for achieving this accolade – and in my first job!
“I get a real buzz working at The Watchman and seeing the delight our customers get from enjoying our food and facilities. I will be putting the money towards a car which will be a huge help for me with getting to college and work.”
Mark McBrearty, NFU Mutual Regional Manager: “Selecting a winner and runner up from the high quality of entries this year was very difficult, but I am delighted to be congratulating Sophie and Joanne, both worthy winners and wonderful ambassadors for our world-famous food and drink industry.
“I know that this will inspire other young people to explore the exciting opportunities available in one of Scotland’s most successful sectors.
“The award also coincides with Food & Drink Fortnight during which we celebrate Scottish produce and encourage people to discover what is available right on their own doorstep.”
Iain Baxter, Chief Executive at Scotland Food & Drink, added: “Scotland has a proud reputation nationally and internationally for its food, drink and hospitality. Supporting the future of our sector by recognising up and coming talent is crucial to its long-term success.”
Actions of Sam Eljamel and NHS Tayside to be examined
Health Secretary Michael Matheson has announced a Public Inquiry will take place into the conduct of former neurosurgeon Sam Eljamel.
Mr Matheson said that in light of the last week’s Due Diligence Review, published by NHS Tayside, he has now concluded a Public Inquiry is needed to get the answers to the questions patients have about the surgeon, who worked in Tayside between 1995 and 2013.
Individual former patients who have ongoing concerns will also be able to request an independent clinical review of their care and treatment by Mr Eljamel.
Mr Matheson said: “Many former patients still live with the consequences of being treated by Mr Eljamel and still have many unanswered questions.
“The report presented last week to the board of NHS Tayside outlines a number of failings that I believe can only be examined thoroughly by a public inquiry. It also brings forward significant information not previously known to the Scottish Government. Given the length of time since the first concerns were raised about Mr Eljamel, this raises real concerns.
“It is now clear that the Board’s governance obligations were not consistently met in respect of how reviews of concerns about Mr Eljamel were actioned.
“I consider that this now means that commissioning a full public inquiry under the terms of the Inquiries Act 2005, with the powers to compel witnesses, is the only route to determine what happened, what contributed to the failures described by NHS Tayside and what can be done to prevent this happening again.
“A full public inquiry will not necessarily answer the individual clinical questions of each former patient about their own particular circumstances. For that reason I do still consider that an individual clinical review of patients’ individual cases, where that is what individual patients want, remains necessary.
“This will allow a person-centred, trauma-informed review of each patient’s own clinical case, addressing their individual needs and circumstances and attempting to offer answers in a bespoke and personalised way that an inquiry may not.”
Further details of the Public Inquiry and the process for arranging individual clinical care reviews will be announced in due course.
£381 million funding scheme to deliver thousands of public charge points across the country opens for applications.
Chancellor opens UK’s largest electric vehicle charging site in Birmingham in major boost to Britain’s electric charging infrastructure.
EV drivers in the West Midlands set to benefit from the 180 charge point hub, becoming the largest electric vehicle charging site in the UK.
A new electric vehicle charging hub – big enough to charge 180 cars simultaneously – has been opened by the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt in Birmingham yesterday (Thursday 7 September). It marks a significant boost for Britain’s electric car charging network, becoming the largest electric vehicle charging site in the UK.
The Gigahub™, located at the city’s NEC Campus, is the largest-ever private investment in a UK electric vehicle project to date. The project has been developed by a three-way collaboration between the NEC, EV Network and bp pulse, and is now operated by bp pulse. It is funded by a record £8 million from its investment partner, Zood Infrastructure Limited. The site will provide 30 super-fast, 300kw DC charging bays and a further 150, 7KW a/c charging bays – one of the largest amounts of super-fast chargers in one location in the UK.
The site is strategically positioned to become a major transport hub for the future – located in the heart of the UK motorway network, including the M42, M46 and A45 and the new HS2 interchange station.
The site supports the Government’s electric vehicle infrastructure strategy and commitment to decarbonising transport, backed with more than £2 billion to support the transition to zero emission vehicles including accelerating the rollout of chargepoint infrastructure.
As part of that, Government and industry have so far supported the installation of over 45,500 publicly available electric vehicle charging devices, including more than 8,600 rapid devices. The public charging network is growing quickly – public charging devices have more than tripled in four years from 10,300 devices in January 2019 to over 45,500 in August 2023.
The number of public chargepoints rose by 38% over the last year, and as a recent report from the National Infrastructure Commission points out, if charge point deployment grows at around 30% per year the 300,000 expectation will be met.
Today the Chancellor has also announced that several local authorities across England can apply for the first round of the Government’s £343 million Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Capital Fund, with the West Midlands Combined Authority among the authorities eligible to apply this year.
The LEVI fund will ensure the transition to electric vehicles takes place in every part of the country by supporting tens of thousands of local chargepoints, especially for those without access to off-street parking.
Local authorities will receive LEVI funding in two groups, with the first able to apply for their allocated funding from today, to be distributed this financial year. The second group can apply for their funding next financial year.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, said:“This is the biggest private investment in electric charging in the UK and is a huge vote of confidence in Britain’s role as a leader in green industries.
“The ground-breaking site will be a major transport hub for the future and marks a significant step in our rollout of electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the country”.
Decarbonisation Minister Jesse Norman said:“Electric vehicles will play a crucial role in helping the UK to decarbonise transport and reach net zero.
“Today’s measures will deliver tens of thousands of chargepoints across the country, boosting the economy and creating skilled jobs.”
Paul Thandi CBE, DL Chairman of NEC Group, said: “We are proud to contribute to the UK Government’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy. Working in collaboration with EVN and bp pulse, the opening of our EV charging hub provides NEC Campus customers, commuters, and those working for local regional or national businesses, a reliable and convenient way to recharge and support a lower carbon travel future.
“This strategic collaboration and initiative strengthen our destination offer, demonstrate our commitment to reducing the impact our business practices and our Masterplan credentials have on the environment, and ultimately supports a reduction in carbon emissions.”
Akira Kirton, vice president of bp pulse UK, said: “The transition to electric vehicles is evolving at pace which is why bp pulse is focussed on accelerating the development of the UK’s EV infrastructure, delivering the right charging speeds, in the right locations and investing up to £1 billion to do so.
“This new, nationally significant bp pulse Gigahub™ at the heart of the UK’s road network, is another great example of our strategy in action.
“We plan to roll out hundreds of hubs this decade in places EV drivers needs them – urban areas, on trunk roads and motorways and at destinations such as restaurants, retail parks and hotels.”
Alexander Walsh, Senior Managing Director at Blackstone, said: “The opening of the UK’s largest EV charging hub at the NEC is a significant step forward as more drivers across the UK move to electric vehicles, with sites like this playing an important role in supporting the UK’s energy transition.
“Blackstone has been invested in the NEC since 2018, and this development demonstrates the positive impact private investment can have in driving innovation and creating green jobs, and we’re proud to be backing the industries of the future in the West Midlands and beyond that are helping build a more sustainable future.”
Reza Shaybani, CEO, and co-founder of the EV Network, said: “The launch of one of Europe’s largest ultra-fast Gigahub™ is a massive game changer for EVN and a huge step forward for UK electric vehicle fast charging.
“The EVN team responding to the public demand for more – charging and we are responding with hundreds of millions of pounds of new investment and the very latest technology.
“EVN has already built dozens of sites across the UK, but the successful completion of this new project launches us onto a much more ambitious growth path, as the leading business in our sector with a range of exciting new partners.
“The NEC was a perfect location that is not only geographically key, but of national significance, to support the EV charging landscape. EVN secured 6.5MVA grid connection, to support the entire infrastructure. The strategic placement and impressive scale of this charging hub within the UK’s transport infrastructure offers reassuring support to drivers journeying between cities.
“Our long-term relationship with both the NEC Group and bp pulse ensures this is not just an investment for the site’s visitors but a transformative step towards bolstering the entire EV charging infrastructure of the UK.
“At EVN we are excited to invest £100M in EV Infrastructure projects this year, and we aim to invest a further £300M equity by 2025.”
Alongside this, UK Research and Innovation has announced that Innovate UK has awarded £5.8m of funding to 12 projects through the Driving the Electric Revolution Challenge Fund. Winning projects include work on best practice in automation and robotics to produce EV chargers, and the scale-up of the assembly manufacturing processes for a rare earth-free permanent magnet generator – allowing us to produce electric machines without using rare earth elements.
Whilst he was in the region, the Chancellor also convened a roundtable with green industries SMEs based in and around the West-Midlands, including leading green electric vehicle, energy and manufacturing companies as part of his ongoing engagement with his five key growth sectors: life sciences, advanced manufacturing, green industries, digital and technology and creative industries.
Scots severely underestimate the scale and seriousness of heart and circulatory diseases, according to a new survey by the British Heart Foundation.
While it’s estimated around half of people in this country will get a heart or circulatory condition during our lifetime, more than a quarter (27 per cent) of those surveyed in Scotland thought the likelihood of them developing a heart condition was just 1 in 10, while over a fifth (22 per cent) thought the chance was just 1 in 50.
Only three per cent of respondents knew the correct answer – which is 1 in 2.
When people were asked if they thought they would be directly affected, Gen Z (33 per cent) are most likely to think they will ever be affected by heart and circulatory diseases, whereas baby boomers are the least likely (22 per cent).
Despite heart and circulatory conditions affecting men and women almost equally, only 27 per cent of women thought they could be at risk compared to 33 per cent of men.
These perceptions stand in stark contrast to the fact that there are currently 700,000 people living with a heart or circulatory disease in Scotland.
Worryingly, the survey also found confusion among members of the public about the seriousness of a heart attack and cardiac arrest. While both are life-threatening emergencies that require immediate medical treatment, only 79 per cent of Scots would call 999 for an ambulance if they thought a person was having a heart attack, while only 60 per cent of people considered a cardiac arrest a medical emergency.
The BHF released the figures to coincide with the launch of a new campaign that aims to shine a spotlight on hidden heart conditions. The charity says that these conditions can often go undiagnosed for too long and that they often aren’t discovered until something goes wrong, or it becomes too late.
For mum-of-two, Hannah Kirkpatrick, from Dalbeattie, the impact heart conditions can have on the family, is something she knows all too well.
Her son Evan, now 10, was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, an inherited heart condition which causes the heart muscle to thicken, when he was just 11 months old. But it wasn’t until August last year that he underwent surgery – a septal myectomy – which has helped improve his life.
Hannah said: “He was only diagnosed with his heart condition by accident. When he was born, he had a bit of a flat head and, while it seemed to be getting better after a couple of months, his health visitor referred him to have a check over by his paediatrician.
“At the appointment they spent a long time listening to his heart and I could just tell something was wrong. Why else would they be listening for so long? He was referred to Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary for a scan where they detected a heart murmur. It was a huge shock.”
Doctors said they would closely monitor Evan’s condition and saw him every six-months for regular check-ups.
However, in March 2022 Evan started to become more breathless. His lips would also get a blue tinge after walking. Hannah, who is also mum to Caitlin, 22, and her husband, Christopher, took Evan back to his cardiologist and he was put on the waiting list for a septal myectomy – surgery which would remove some of the thickened muscle in his heart.
The self-employed domestic cleaner, 40, said: “His surgery was on August 13, 2022, in Glasgow. It was meant to take around four to five hours. It was the worst day of my life, waiting and not knowing if he was going to be OK.”
Thankfully Evan made a speedy recovery and within a few days the then nine year was back home. “He took everything in his stride and bounced back,” said Hannah. “It was a huge relief and we can look ahead to the future.”
An estimated 27,000 people in Scotland have an inherited heart condition. The charity say heart and circulatory conditions can affect almost anyone at any stage of life regardless of lifestyle choices and family history which contradicts common misconception we may have in our heads of them only affecting those who may be older with unhealthy lifestyles.
David McColgan, Head of BHF Scotland, said: “It is deeply concerning to see that so many people are unaware of the scale and seriousness of heart and circulatory diseases.
“Decades of lifesaving medical advances have perhaps lulled people into believing that we’ve beaten heart and circulatory diseases when nothing could be further from the truth.
“These potentially deadly or life-limiting conditions continue to rob families of loved ones or blight the lives of people facing a future with an incurable disease.
“With this campaign we want to shine a spotlight on heart and circulatory diseases and help people understand that everyone can be affected.
“By funding groundbreaking research, we can get a step closer to breakthroughs that that can save outsmart heart disease for good.”
This September, the BHF is shining a spotlight on hidden heart conditions and urging the whole of the UK to get involved by supporting the charity however they can. Stories, stuff, time, or money: whatever you can give, please give.
Edinburgh Leisure has announced that the swimming pool at Drumbrae Leisure Centre will reopen on Monday, 18th September.
Nicola Duffy, Manager at Drumbrae Leisure Centre said: “We’re delighted to be reopening the Drumbrae Pool after a closure for essential maintenance work over the summer and we’d like to thank our customers for their patience while the work has been undertaken.
“The investment will ensure that it’s able to be used by the community for many years to come.”
Drumbrae pool, sauna and the pool changing rooms have been closed since 26 June. Edinburgh Leisure carried out the work during the summer months as these are the times when their venues tend to quieter.
The Scottish Parliament has been provided with an update on Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC).
Shirley-Anne Somerville reiterated to MSPs that the Scottish Government continues to follow professional advice on RAAC, as it always has done and is working with local authorities and other partners to understand the extent of the issue.
Ministers have been reassured that the current guidance of the Institution of Structural Engineers and risk-based approach remains appropriate.
Social Justice Secretary @S_A_Somerville has provided reassurances on building safety during an update to @ScotParl on RAAC.@scotgov will continue to follow professional advice on the concrete and will work across the public sector on the issue.
Addressing parliament, Ms Somerville said: “The Scottish Government and the wider public sector has already done much to understand the extent of RAAC issues in Scotland, and we recognise there is more to do. Everyone with the responsibility for building safety takes this matter very seriously.
“Local authorities have a clear responsibility to ensure their schools are safe for pupils, staff and all their users. They are carrying out assessments of all their school buildings.
“We are aware that some parts of the school estate in some councils still need to complete full surveys. Ministers have been clear to authorities that these must be carried out as a matter of highest priority.
“Safety is the central consideration and there is robust guidance which is followed by every local authority to ensure these buildings are safe for the pupils, staff and the public to be in.”
COSLA President Shona Morrison said: “The first point to make is that there are many councils who own no buildings where RAAC is present.
“The safety of everyone in Scotland’s schools and all other council buildings is of paramount importance to councils. We treat the safety of everyone within our facilities extremely seriously. Scottish local authorities are aware of the RAAC issue in buildings across some of their estates and have regular inspections, put in place mitigations as appropriate and closed some buildings where this is required.
“We would stress that some councils have no RAAC affected buildings. We would reiterate that safety is the central consideration and there is robust guidance to ensure these settings are safe for the public to be in.”
