Peace be with you: Spartans Community Football Academy recruits new sponsor

Local recruitment company supports community initiative 

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Peace Recruitment is delighted to announce it has teamed up with The Spartans Community Football Academy to help give more young people in Edinburgh an opportunity to learn through the power of sport.

The Spartans Community Football Academy, based at Ainslie Park in Pilton, is literally a stones-throw away from Peace Recruitment’s head offices in Ferry Road the charity which uses sport to provide young people with learning and development opportunities.

Spartans’ vision is to redefine what’s possible for a football club in terms of community engagement and participation, by delivering a positive social impact through the power of people and sport. It also aims to improve health, increase employment opportunities and reduce crime in the area.

Peace, which has agreed to become a sponsor, aims to work alongside the charity assisting the youngsters it helps with career decisions, work experience and ultimately finding jobs. 

“We were really keen to put something back into our local community, and were looking for an opportunity that really makes a difference to people’s lives in the area – and Spartans really stood out to us,” explained Chris Peace, Managing Director of Peace Recruitment.

“I am a local boy who grew up in this part of Edinburgh, so have witnessed first-hand the Spartans evolution. Spartans is unique and is so much more than a football club, it plays a huge part in the local community working alongside schools and different organisations encouraging more people to not only take part in sport but to learn, make better decisions and in many cases turn their lives around. It invests in their physical and emotional wellbeing, as well as helping out with their home life, giving youngsters a chance they may not otherwise have had.

“I could not be prouder to sponsor them and will hopefully become more involved in the years to come. I would like to use Peace Recruitment’s expertise to help teach the youngsters at Spartans about careers and what options they have available to them, and then through this hopefully place them in jobs where they can flourish.”

Spartans’ Craig Graham said: “Everyone at Spartans is delighted to have Peace Recruitment on board.  They are a great example of a flourishing local business and we’re delighted Chris is so passionate about helping us at Spartans.  We are about to open our brand new dedicated Youth Work Centre with some exciting, fresh programmes and we’ll use the investment from Peace to support these.  We are very grateful for their support and look forward to a long lasting relationship”. 

Spartans has senior teams competing in both the Lowland Football League and the East of Scotland League. Spartans also has a Saturday amateur side, several women’s teams, including Spartans W.F.C., who play in the Scottish Women’s Premier League and a thriving youth section with 600 youngsters attending regularly. 

Peace Recruitment has transformed itself from a ‘one-man-band’ into a multi-million pound company in just over six years. It now aims to be the company of choice in Scotland for the construction, property and engineering sectors within the next five years.

Peace recently became the first recruitment company in the UK to join the Institute of Customer Service. It has also just announced that it will be taking part in the Building My Skills programme which has just been newly launched in Scotland.

For more information about Peace Recruitment visit www.peacerecruitment.co.uk.  

First Minister’s St Andrew’s Day message

“We are a nation which has welcomed and will continue to welcome many people from across the world over the years” – First Minister Nicola Sturgeon

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Ms Sturgeon said: “St Andrew, who is renowned as the “fisher of men’, is a perfect embodiment of the warm welcome and kindness which we extend to all who come to Scotland.

“St Andrew spoke up for the less privileged. He was responsible for drawing attention to the existence of the loaves and fishes which eventually fed the 5,000. He championed the minority and saw that they were included.

“At this time, when the world is touched by terror and people are fleeing their homeland in search of peace, Scotland can draw from its patron saint and continues to be a place of safe haven.

“We are a nation which has welcomed and will continue to welcome many people from across the world over the years. From China to Poland, from Syria to India, people have brought their cultures and traditions to this country. Our communities have benefited and so has the richness of our lives, making Scotland the thriving country it is today.

“Let’s use today, our national day, to reinforce that warm welcome.”

 

Devastation: charities fear impact of slashed Lottery funding

‘A significant cut to lottery funding, coupled with increased demand from people affected by welfare cuts and unemployment would represent a perfect storm for many Scottish charities’ – SallyAnn Kelly, Aberlour Trust. Continue reading Devastation: charities fear impact of slashed Lottery funding

Scotland stands in solidarity

“I urge people not to let these terrorists win by dividing us and driving a wedge between the multi-cultural society Scotland is home to.” – First Minister Nicola Sturgeon

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First Minister Nicola Sturgeon observed yesterday’s minute silence at the Glasgow Central Mosque as Scotland fell silent to remember those who died in the Paris terrorist attacks.  Continue reading Scotland stands in solidarity

Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership meets tonight

Blackhall Library 6.30pmINP1611

Do you want to hear how things are going in North? Come hear what you told us in the Edinburgh People’s Survey, how the North team and other INP Partners are performing and what’s been happening towards key priorities in the Local Community Plan 2014-2017. Come to Blackhall Library tonight at 6.30pm!

Papers for Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership meeting on Monday.

 

Growing confidence in housing market

Homes selling more quickly as confidence grows

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The property market in east central Scotland is growing in confidence, with an increased number of homes being sold and more properties achieving their Home Report valuation, according to the latest analysis by ESPC.

The number of new homes brought to market between the months of August and October 2015 increased by 1.6% annually, reversing the trend of year-on-year decreases seen since the House Price Report in May.

This follows a surge at the start of the year, then a dip over the summer in the number of homes being brought to market following the introduction of Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT).

‘Offers over’ is becoming the most popular as a way to market property, with 72% of properties brought to market with this pricing strategy, compared with 55% for the same period in 2014. Properties sold as ‘offers over’ are achieving an average of 6.2% over the asking price, up from 5.4% last year.

Maria Botha-Lopez, business analyst for ESPC, said: “This month’s House Price Report is continuing to demonstrate steady growth in the housing market in east central Scotland.

“As we have seen in previous reports, conditions are favourable for sellers with more homes being sold, which are taking less time to sell and are increasingly achieving their Home Report valuation.” 

Average prices across east central Scotland are also continuing to remain steady, with a 1.5% increase between August and October 2015 compared with the same period last year.  However, as with previous reports, there has been fluctuations in different areas of the region.

This time last year, the areas and property types that were showing the largest year-on-year increases in selling prices were three bedroom houses in Liberton and Gilmerton and properties in West Fife and Kinross. 

Now, three bedroom homes in South Queensferry and Dalmeny are showing a 3.3% growth, while the average selling price of three bedroom homes in Liberton and Gilmerton has increased 1%.

Two bedroom flats in Portobello and Joppa are once again among the areas and property types showing the largest year-on-year increases in selling prices, as are one bedroom flats in Dalry, Gorgie, Slateford and Chesser, which are becoming popular areas for first time buyers.

podcast discussing the report in detail:  

https://youtu.be/I0RTOXlywXg

Key points 

  • There has been a healthy 15.2% increase in the number of homes sold in east central Scotland between August and October 2015, compared with the same period last year
  • Average selling prices have increased by 1.5%, compared with the same three month period last year.
  • 58.9% of sales are now achieving their Home Report valuation.
  • Sellers are achieving an average of 0.4% over their Home Report valuation.
  • It’s taking less time to sell a property, with the median selling time now 33 days, seven days less than this time last year.