Tag: Newbridge

SAS Paramedic Becomes First Female State Trumpeter

A paramedic in the Scottish Ambulance Service’s Special Operation Response Team (SORT) has become the first female trumpeter of His Majesty’s State Trumpeters of Scotland.

A paramedic in the Scottish Ambulance Service’s Special Operation Response Team (SORT) has become the first female trumpeter of His Majesty’s State Trumpeters of Scotland.

Gerry Goodall, who works out of SORT’s Newbridge base, joined the Service 14 years ago after serving in the army for nine years.

In March she was invited to attend an interview by the country’s Lead State Trumpeter, Stewart Malcolm.

Successful at the interview, her first assignment was the General Assembly for the Church of Scotland in Edinburgh, attended by Prince Edward, on Saturday (18 May).

Alongside three other State Trumpeters, she welcomed and farewelled the Duke of Edinburgh. She was also recognised at the first female State Trumpeter for Scotland and received an official decree.

The mum of two girls said: “It was an honour and a privilege to be asked. I was really happy and felt quite a sense of achievement as well.

“Having my career as a paramedic, I almost left that world so it’s quite nice to be back involved again in ceremonial events. The kids and family are also chuffed. They are proud, my work colleagues are really proud, and everyone is really supportive.”

Having played the trumpet since she was seven, she went on to study at the Royal Military School of Music before she served in the army as a musician.

After leaving the army, she joined the Service, starting out in patient transport in Galashiels, before she completed her technician course working out of Dalkeith. She joined SORT two years ago, now working out of ECHO team.

SAS Chief Executive Michael Dickson said: “This is an amazing achievement from Gerry and on behalf of everyone at the Scottish Ambulance Service we congratulate her on becoming the first female State Trumpeter for Scotland.”

Brown-Forman and YLEM Energy welcome Alex Cole-Hamilton

MSP visits spirits bond to mark new solar array going live

Member of the Scottish Parliament and Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, Alex Cole-Hamilton, has visited the global spirits and wine manufacturer Brown-Forman’s Newbridge Bond in his Edinburgh Western constituency as a new solar array goes live this year.

In the first project between YLEM Energy and Brown-Forman, the producer of brands such as Jack Daniel’s and Benriach, a 620kW solar array was developed to deliver 502,117 KWp of clean energy each year at the Newbridge Bond, Edinburgh. This is a part of Brown-Forman’s objective to source 100 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.

On 29th January, Mr Cole Hamilton visited the site to meet some of the team members and to hear from YLEM Energy and Brown-Forman on the benefits of onsite energy generation for energy-intensive businesses, such as bottling and storage facilities.

Mr Cole Hamilton said: “I am delighted to see businesses taking initiative in advancing sustainability agendas and working towards tackling climate change directly by reducing their emissions.

“The boost for skilled employment and increased investment in the area has my full support and I look forward to hearing the progress that this partnership will bring.”

The 630kWp solar system is also part of YLEM Energy’s Xchange product that was launched in April 2023 and will allow Brown-Forman to export excess renewable energy generated at the Newbridge Bond to the National Grid and reduce its onsite energy costs. Brown-Forman are also exploring the potential to work with YLEM Energy to identify energy efficiency measures onsite to make its operations as sustainable as possible.

Kieran McGuire, European Environment Health and Safety Manager at Brown-Forman said: “It is encouraging to have Mr Cole Hamilton visit our site in Newbridge as the solar array enters use to generate renewable electricity.

“At Brown-Forman, we are committed to our goal of sourcing 100 percent of electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and this solar installation is a great step towards meeting that goal.”

Sophie Lamb, Head of Solar at YLEM Energy said: “I was delighted to have the opportunity to relay first hand to Mr Cole Hamilton the benefits of onsite renewable energy generation, with the Newbridge Bond being a great example.

“I’m looking forward to being able to report back on the carbon reductions that our installation at Newbridge Bond will achieve.”

To find out more about YLEM Energy visit www.YLEMEnergy.com.  

To find out more about Brown-Forman’s sustainability strategy and goals visit:

 www.brown-forman.com/environmental-sustainability.

New £1.5m Scottish Ambulance Service training facility opens at Newbridge

A new £1.5 million Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) special operations training and logistics facility was opened in Newbridge, Edinburgh yesterday (June 12).

Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care Michael Matheson  visited the base to see the expansion and learn about what type of training will be carried out at the facility, which is the first of its kind in the UK.

He spoke with Scottish Ambulance Service Chief Executive Pauline Howie, SAS Chair Tom Steele, incoming CEO Michael Dickson and General Manager of the National Risk and Resilience Department (NRRD) John Burnham, along with other staff from NRRD.

As part of SAS’s Civil Contingencies Response Programme, the training facility – which is an expansion to the ambulance service’s existing NRRD east base – will be used as a centralised training location and a dedicated equipment logistics hub.

The facility will be used for a range of training exercises, including how to respond to major incidents, and also Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) incidents.

It also includes a 360, fully interactive, immersive training suite which can be used to simulate a range of incidents in different environments including emergency departments, night clubs, industrial sites.

The suite enables not only the practice of clinical skills but subjects staff to a variety of stimuli including lighting and sound effects which may impact on performance.

SAS Chief Executive Pauline Howie said: “We are delighted to open this new training facility today and I’d like to thank all the staff involved. It has been an incredible effort and our NRRD department is a vital part of the Scottish Ambulance Service.

“This training facility will be invaluable for our staff who respond to both large and challenging incidents.  This can include treating and conveying patents from challenging inaccessible and confined location including water, chemical accidents and incidents involving a large number of people.

“This facility will help us prepare to respond to these large-scale and complex incidents safely and provide the best care to our patients.”

Health Secretary Michael Matheson said: “This facility will be a valuable asset in allowing staff to train in a realistic but safe environment.

“Giving them the chance to experience different scenarios which could be out of the usual confines of their daily routine is so important as it will give them the confidence, resilience and knowledge of how to respond.

“Our ambulance staff run to help those in times of need and it is right that we give them the tools to allow them to do that and this training facility will do that.”

SP Energy Networks to upgrade network infrastructure in Newbridge this weekend

Engineers from SP Energy Networks will be working through the night this weekend to install new electricity poles across the M8 to ensure a safe and resilient electricity supply for customers in the Newbridge area.

The vital poles going across the M8 near Newbridge will replace the ones currently in position that are beginning to degrade in places. The works will take place overnight this Saturday (12 June) from 10pm until 7am on Sunday (13 June) just near Birdsmill.

While the works are undertaken, the stretch of the M8 between Junction 2 and 3 will be closed in both eastbound and westbound directions. A signposted diversion will be in place via the A89 and A899.

Ross Galbraith, District Manager for Central and Fife at SP Energy Networks, said: “Overhead power lines and poles are vital to our network and by replacing them we can ensure a continued safe and reliable supply of electricity to thousands of customers across Newbridge.

“We’ll be working through the night this weekend to keep disruption to a minimum but we would like to apologise in advance for any inconvenience our repair works cause and thank motorway users for their patience as we carry out the necessary replacement work.

“We will be working as safely and quickly as possible to carry out the repairs and traffic management measures will be in place to ensure journeys are impacted as little as possible.”

To keep up to date with the latest information, please follow @SPEnergyNetwork on Twitter.

Police appeal following Newbridge crash

Police are appealing for witnesses following a one-vehicle crash which took place in the Newbridge area on Saturday (6 March).

The incident involved a white Suzuki car and happened on Cliftonhall Road around 8.10pm. The 40-year-old driver was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

Sergeant Jill Kirkpatrick, from Police Scotland’s Road Policing Unit, said: “We’re appealing for anyone who may have been in the area and saw the crash, or who came upon the scene afterwards, to come forward.

“If you have any information, please contact police on 101, quoting incident 3608 of 6 March.”