Stagecoach marks National Apprentice Week with highest ever number of apprentices

The Management Team of Thurso Youth Club were delighted to thank the various funders and tradespeople who all contributed to the project at an event in Thurso Youth Club on Sunday 30^th January.

In partnership with the Rotary Club of Thurso the Youth Club took on the £60k refurbishment which included replacing the roof and outside walls, installing insulation then completely refitting the inside as a modern commercial standard kitchen.

Funding came from The Highland Council Coastal Communities Fund; Adapt & Thrive; Rotary Club of Thurso; m2pcs. Donations from Ashley Ann and Lee Mackay Joinery Contractors Ltd.

The kitchen is currently used by the Youth Club to produce hot snacks and meals at the very successful weekly Friday Youth Café for High School pupils and by Thurso Community Development Trust for their Community Hot Meal service.

The kitchen is a resource  that, along with the building, is available for use by the community.

In 2020 the Youth Club building was the central  point of the Community Response led by Thurso Community Development Trust, providing over 100 hot meals 5 times a week and receiving and distributing hundreds of books, jigsaws, crafts and toys to the community.

Since facing the threat of closure in 2018 the Youth Club has managed to source alternative funding to provide services for children and young people.

Although having  to close during lockdown as soon as was allowed the clubs reopened under the relevant guidelines and continued to provide a vital service for children and young people.

There is currently a staff of 7 paid leaders, running 7 clubs per week for children from P1 up to High School age.

As well as providing a safe place for children and young people to have fun and  enjoy the various activities on offer,  the Youth Club is also offering Youth Achievement Awards which encourage young people to learn new skills, gain confidence, help their local community and gain an accredited award.

Dunnet Bay Distillers has won a DigitalBoost Grant, funded with the support of the Scottish Government, to contribute to the launch of a new, low carbon website which will halve the environmental impact of the site.

Martin Murray is co-founder and co-owner of Dunnet Bay Distillers, a company he set up with his wife Claire Murray less than a decade ago. They make multi-award-winning Rock Rose Gin and Holy Grass Vodka at their impressive, eco-friendly distillery in Caithness, on the north coast of Scotland.

Martin Murray said: “We are currently assessing all aspects of the business to try and make it as sustainable as possible.  Last year we appointed a dedicated Environment Manager to help us improve still further.  Within that remit, we are scrutinising the digital aspects of our company.   We spotted that, even though our website was performing well in terms of sales, it was generating between 2 and 6g of carbon per page load, per user.  Last year alone, we estimate the website would have created around 3 tonnes of carbon.  We are determined to improve that. We are so grateful for the DigitalBoost Grant which enables us to make that improvement.”

During the Covid pandemic, with the hospitality trade closed, web-site sales became even more important to the company. In 2021 the company had its best year ever, and much of this was attributable to continuing web sales. Martin Murray added: “Whilst we want to continue to see an increase in the number of customers visiting our website, we are keen to mitigate the environmental impact.  It’s our intention to use the existing successful designs, but to alter the behind-the-scenes operations to use fewer resources and optimise operations.”

The carbon impact of the site will be halved. There is not only an environmental benefit. The site will load more quickly on all devices significantly improving  performance to give a better user experience for customers and staff.

This is just one of the factors the company has reviewed to improve its environmental impact.  Others include: sustainable, fully recyclable packaging used for refill pouches; local sourcing and foraging of many botanicals; reuse and recycling of botanicals and other materials; minimising plastic usage and switching to other materials where possible; water protection; solar energy; and good citizenship, supporting local charities; and organising beach clean-ups.

The grant covers half the total cost of the website redevelopment which will be handled by Naomi Spirit at ‘From This Day’ – www.fromthisday.digital – the company’s existing web-master. Naomi said: “From This Day has always been an ethical company with good green credentials but until recently, even we hadn’t considered the effects of our digital lives.  With the internet generating more CO₂ than the whole of the United Kingdom, this is an important area to tackle.  Unfortunately, most of the green solutions for digital CO₂ involved offsetting which is not a scalable solution; it’s important to also tackle this issue at the source.  We have been changing the way we develop websites over the last two years to ensure they are as low carbon as possible and were delighted when Dunnet Bay Distillers decided to incorporate this into their plans. It was great to see the positive view that DigitalBoost is having towards efforts for all business to transition to a zero-carbon model. We look forward to providing a beautiful and yet low carbon version of the Dunnet Bay Distillers’ website later this year.”

www.dunnetbaydistillers.co.uk

https://www.fromthisday.digital/low-carbon-websites/

The DigitalBoost Development Grant Fund is accepting applications from Scottish businesses. This fund is being processed on a first come, first served basis.

If you’re running a business in Scotland and want to do more with digital, for example to; improve cyber security, build online booking systems, develop apps or invest in software, which can help to increase productivity and safeguard jobs, then this fund may be applicable to you.

See below for more details about the fund and how you can apply.

What is the DigitalBoost Development Grant?

This fund is open to Scottish businesses to help them do more with digital and is funded by The Scottish Government in conjunction with Business Gateway and its DigitalBoost programme.

• Businesses who are VAT registered can apply for grants of up to £20K. For VAT registered businesses all VAT costs are excluded from the grant sum awarded.
• Businesses who are not VAT registered can apply for grants of up to £5K.

Grant recipients will be able to retrospectively reclaim a maximum of 50% of the eligible cost of their project as detailed in the grant award email.

Who is it for?

The grant is open to all businesses across Scotland who are looking to enhance their service or organisation using digital technology, platforms and innovation. All sectors can apply.

Am I eligible?

• Your business must be registered and operating in Scotland.
• Charities, social enterprises and third sector organisations can also apply.
  • Your business must be trading a minimum of 6 months.
  • Applicants must be over the age of 18.
  • Applicants must be a UK resident with the right to work in the UK.
  • Businesses must meet the European* definition of an SME in relation to employees, balance sheet and turnover.
  • Available to all industry sectors.

*European Definition The category of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is made up of enterprises which employ fewer than 250 persons and which have an annual turnover not exceeding 50 million euro, and/or an annual balance sheet total not exceeding 43 million euro.

Next steps and more information

For more information on eligibility criteria, FAQs and to start your application, visit www.digitalboostdevelopmentgrant.co.uk

By Adam Hardie, business development partner and head of food and drink at Johnston Carmichael

While world leaders congregated in Glasgow to thrash out climate talks and debate the future of our planet, it was a piece of art out with the SEC campus which held the most poignant message for me: food waste is a bigger contributor to climate change than plastic.

Just one kilogram of food waste produces the same amount of deadly carbon emissions as sending 25,000 500ml plastic bottles to landfill, according to Zero Waste Scotland.

To illustrate the problem, celebrity photographer, Rankin, created a stunning photography trail across Glasgow city centre which featured alluring but alarming, images created from everyday food destined for landfill.

The images and the statistics speak for themselves. While the environmental impact of food packaging has long been debated it seems obvious that the issue around food waste is now more pressing.

So how do we address it? How do we avoid unnecessary waste and reduce emissions?

Perhaps part of the solution is food prices increases, for those who can afford to pay.  A reset on food pricing and shopping, with meal planning consumer information to help us better prepare for weekly shops, reducing the chance of excess ingredients and or cooked food being thrown in the bin.

The modest carrot is a fine example of how food price and food waste are connected. A one kilogram (1Kg) bag of carrots in the supermarket costs around 40p. Many consumers regularly will only use just a few then leave the remainder to degrade in their fridge before they are eventually thrown away – contributing to the climate change crisis Rankin sought to demonstrate.

Would an increase in the price of the product encourage consumers to reconsider their choices in the supermarket, even opting for an individual item over buying a bulk bag that’s going to go to waste? Not only would the swap reduce food waste, it would also cut down the number of single use plastic bags used to contain multibuy items.

We’ve already seen consumer patterns change through COVID. Self-reported food waste levels in the UK fell by 34 percent during the first lockdown of 2020- the sharpest decline on record. The research carried out by Zero Waste Scotland, the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and the University of Leeds suggested more considerate shopping and creative cooking contributed to the initial fall.

We’ve also seen local production and local shopping trends accelerating, with Scottish wholesale business and Spar Scotland operator CJ Lang recently citing the latter as a contributing factor to its 9.4 percent rise in annual sales. So, there is a willingness from consumers to be more responsible with their choices, but we need to ensure they are guided and supported to do so.

In terms of who’s responsible for taking these measures forward, it needs to be an industry wide approach. It certainly can’t all be down to the food producers, many of whom are already under crippling pressure to make ends meet. Famers in particular are finding it more difficult than ever at the moment following Brexit, in particular the changing landscape of subsidies, and the soaring costs of fertiliser.

Many food producers are already going to extraordinary lengths to ensure their practices are sustainable. Graham’s The Family Dairy has lodged plans for a low carbon heat project to generate and distribute bioenergy for onsite heat and power – a first for Scotland’s dairy industry.

We’re also seeing huge advancements in agricultural technology with vertical farming enabling crops to be nurtured indoors in vertical irrigation systems, meaning farms can be built close to the consumers, helping to reduce food miles for consumers. Agricultural innovator and Johnston Carmichael client, Intelligent Growth Solutions, spent much of COP26 demonstrating this technology in its 5.4 metre vertical farm on the north bank of the River Clyde.

Food producers can’t be held wholly responsible: multiple retailers need to address the issue around cost and enable the changes required of consumer habits while the government helps implement these measures and ensure those who can’t afford food price increases are supported.

We can’t pretend it costs 40p for a farmer to get those carrots to the supermarket any longer. Agreeably it’s a sensitive issue and one which needs to be treated delicately to ensure we don’t raise levels of food poverty, but we need to seriously consider Rankin’s message and act now to ensure we protect our food industry, our supply chain, and ultimately our planet.

A social enterprise and charity in the Scottish Highlands has launched a new service to refurbish unused and unwanted laptops – converting them into affordable, high-quality Chromebooks.

ILM Highland will sell the refurbished Chromebooks starting at £70 from its Alness store, providing affordable computing equipment to consumers in the north of Scotland – with plans to introduce online sales in the new year.

Two new jobs will be created to support the project, which is expected to renovate at least 800 unused laptops over the course of 15 months.

Martin Macleod, CEO of ILM Highland, said: “We’re delighted to be launching this new laptop refurbishment project at a time when every effort should be made to reuse and repair electronics, in order to reduce pollution and carbon emissions.

“Every year, 23.9kg of waste electronics and equipment are generated by every person in the UK. On top of this, each UK household is hoarding an average of 20 unused small electrical devices. There is a huge need to reuse this electronic equipment – ensuring it doesn’t end up in landfill. However, it’s estimated that only around 2.5-10% of electronics are currently reused.

“We’re firm believers in the circular economy – that electronic items can have a much longer life beyond their initial use, with simple refurbishment and repairs. That’s why we’re delighted to be providing these refurbished Chromebooks, to ensure that laptops from across the Highlands do not end up in landfill.

“We welcome any donations of old laptops that may be suitable for conversion. Ideally, laptops should come with any cables and batteries to ensure they are suitable for upcycling.”

Laptops collected through ILM Highland’s public and corporate electrical recycling services will be used for the project – with the company also offering free uplift of old laptops to any businesses in the Highlands. ILM Highland will install new storage lockers at four of its most popular recycling collection sites in the coming months, in order to ensure items are donated in a saleable condition.

The scheme stems from research carried out by the University of Strathclyde’s ‘Recycle Design for Sustainability’ project, in conjunction with ILM Highland. It has been supported by Zero Waste Scotland’s Resource Efficient Circular Economy Accelerator Programme, funded by the Scottish Government and European Regional Development Fund.

Jayne Stirling, Business Investment Consultant at Zero Waste Scotland, said: “We are really looking forward to working on this exciting project with ILM Highland. Choosing refurbished laptops instead of buying new is another way we can all reduce the amount of materials that we use up when we buy things like tech. Extending the lifespan of electronic devices will reduce our carbon footprint, which is essential to ending Scotland’s contribution to the climate crisis. This project cements Scotland’s reputation as a climate leader and showcases how a circular economy works in action.”

The refurbishment project builds on ILM Highland’s commitment to reducing electrical waste heading for landfill – and its aim to reuse and refurbish electricals wherever possible, to extend their lifespan and protect the environment.

Proceeds from the sale of Chromebooks will go towards expanding the scheme, as well as providing vital funding for the enterprise’s charitable services – providing home improvement support to vulnerable people in the Highlands, allowing them to live at home for longer.

ILM Highland is a social enterprise, supporting vulnerable people in the Scottish Highlands to live at home – giving them greater independence and freedom. It achieves this through its Handyperson and Care & Repair services, providing assistance with small and large home repairs and improvements.

ILM Highland’s charitable services are supported by income generated from its professional and fully certified service for businesses to dispose of their waste electronic and electrical equipment; a domestic small and large electrical recycling service; and its shop in Alness and online, which sells a wide selection of new and refurbished electrical appliances, refurbished Chromebooks, and spare parts for appliance repairs.

To find out more about ILM Highland, and its new refurbished Chromebook project, please visit www.ilmhighland.co.uk or follow ILM Highland on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

A HIGHLAND-based business has made history by becoming Scotland’s first employee-owned full-service accountancy firm.

All shares of Reid & Fraser Chartered Accountants have now been placed into an employee ownership trust [EOT] marking a significant milestone within the sector which has recently seen several Scottish firms bought over by international counterparts.

Established in 1915, the accountancy firm has been a cornerstone of the Highland landscape with offices in both Thurso and Wick, and the move to employee ownership will allow the practice to continue its focus on delivering excellent services to its pool of local clients.

With guidance from employee ownership specialists, Lindsays Solicitors and Ownership Associates, Reid & Fraser has been able to navigate the transition to the succession model -under the sector regulator ICAS – which will see all 17 of the business’s employees own a stake in the company through the EOT.

Stuart Walker, Director at Reid & Fraser Chartered Accountants, believes the move towards employee ownership secures the future of the firm.

Stuart said: “We have loyal employees who have developed relationships with our clients, so adopting employee ownership felt like the obvious route to take. It was an easy decision.

“This move will hopefully give both our senior and our junior accountants, and perhaps those looking to make the move to Reid & Fraser, a clear path of progression to director level and a sense of stability that may not be present at other firms.”

Having spent 25 years at the company, Stuart has seen other firms within the region being bought over and relocated, leaving local professionals with little options, and thus felt it was important to maintain the accountancy firm’s independence.

Stuart added: “To think of selling or merging the practice didn’t sit right with me because there would always be that uncertainty surrounding the future for our staff and clients should there be a merger or relocation. However, with employee ownership it shifts the control and emphasis of the business to those which matter most, the staff.”

Director Stuart looked towards the professional accountancy body ICAS for advice on a succession plan as the 50-year-old began to plan his future exit strategy. Through discussion with ICAS Stuart found employee ownership to be the most viable succession route. Long serving employees Steven MacGregor and Linda Cameron will join Stuart in an enhanced management team.

Jeremy Clarke, Assistant Director, Practice at ICAS said: “Stuart contacted me in early February about his options and it was clear from the outset that employee ownership was the right route to go down.”

Stuart then called on the help of experienced advisers to ensure that this historical transition would go smoothly.

Douglas Roberts, a Partner at Lindsays has advised on many employee ownership transactions. He said: “Reid & Fraser is a trailblazer, setting the path for other firms of accountants to follow. They are possibly the first full service firm of chartered accountants in the UK to move to employee ownership so we are sure that others in the sector will be watching with interest to see the benefits it brings, which are many.

“By opting for a sale to an EOT, Stuart has secured the practice in its local community, employment is protected and the firm’s loyal clients will see no interruption to service.

”As Reid & Fraser is a chartered accountancy practice, we had to seek approval from ICAS for the proposed structure, although that did not cause any delays. Overall it was a smooth transaction that has delivered positive outcomes for the sellers, the staff and the clients of Reid & Fraser. It was a privilege to provide advice in this memorable deal.”

Carole Leslie of Ownership Associates provided expert advice on the structure and on the engagement with employees. Carole has supported the transition of more than 70 companies to employee ownership.

Carole said: “This is a landmark moment for employee ownership in Scotland. Stuart Walker has demonstrated great vision in transferring Reid & Fraser to his employees. We are seeing unprecedented interest in the model at the moment, precisely because business owners like Stuart want what’s best for the employees and customers, as well as define their own exit route.”

Reid & Fraser offer services in accounts, taxation and business advisory and support services to a wide range of businesses and individuals.

The employee ownership trust was introduced in the Finance Act 2014 to encourage companies to consider a sale to employees as a feasible succession solution.

Ownership Associates works exclusively within the employee-owned sector, supporting companies on their move to employee ownership and working with established employee owned businesses enabling them to maximise the ownership advantage.

For more information on Reid & Fraser Chartered Accountants, please visit: https://www.rfca.co.uk/

For more information on Ownership Associates, please visit: https://ownershipassociates.co.uk/..

For more information on Lindsays Solicitors, please visit: https://www.lindsays.co.uk/

Energy crisis placing “enormous” pressure on Scottish businesses

Dr Liz Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce (SCC) has warned that Scottish businesses are being placed under “enormous” pressure by the rising cost of energy. Ahead of the UK Government Autumn Budget, Dr Cameron has written to the UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak MP, calling for the introduction of a Small and Medium Enterprise Energy Price Cap to protect Scottish businesses from the increasing price of gas and electricity ahead of the winter months.

One Scottish hotel group, The Caithness Collection, which operates across the north Highlands have reported a potential rise of £53,170 per year in electricity costs as they move to a new contract, the equivalent to a 70% increase on their current yearly bill.

An SME Energy Price Cap could include firms transferred to new providers to strengthen the ‘reasonable costs of supply’ limit at present, and firms locked into enforceable multi-year contracts.

Whilst the current domestic price cap(s) came about following a prolonged CMA investigation, SCC have asked the UK government to look carefully at this option as quickly as possible.

Commenting, Dr Liz Cameron, Chief Executive of SCC said:

“In the past few weeks, the UK has reached a crisis point over gas and electricity prices, and businesses are feeling the consequences.

“Many businesses in Scotland are still operating in survival mode and continue to recover from the dual challenges of the UK’s departure from the UK and the impact of the global coronavirus pandemic. It’s impossible for firms to keep pace with these exorbitant rises in energy prices and these cost pressures are putting many businesses under enormous pressure and resulting in these rising costs pressures increasingly being passed onto the consumer.

“The UK Government need to support business recovery over the winter months and SCC believe there is now a clear case to create an SME Energy Price Cap, including for microbusinesses, to protect smaller firms from some of these price increases which they would otherwise face.”

Commenting, Trudy Morris, Chief Executive of Caithness Chamber of Commerce said:

“The Scottish and UK economy remains in a fragile position and there are mounting challenges for businesses across sectors being created by inflationary pressures, labour market shortages and supply chains, an SME Energy Price Cap would take away one of these pressures and place business recovery on a firmer footing.

“Hospitality and tourism are key sectors for areas like Caithness and it’s vital that government, at all levels, use all the economic levers at their disposal to ensure businesses are able to recover during the winter months and not have a return to growth derailed by rising energy prices.”

Commenting, Andrew Mackay, Owner of the Caithness Collection hotel group said:

“The hospitality sector was one of the hardest hit throughout the pandemic and recovery is already proving challenging, with difficulties finding and retaining staff, increased wage demands, other supply chain issues and tax increases.

“Rising energy costs are creating huge burdens and challenge for the business and it’s vital that Scotland’s businesses are afforded some buffer to guard against energy prices that are hitting them hard.”

Fast-growing Moray-based digital telecoms company Fibre 1 has recently been shortlisted for Reseller of the Year at the Comms Business Awards, for the second year running. In contrast to last year’s virtual ceremony, the Team are getting their glad rags on for the first face-to face event on the 21^st of September – and it’s a big one! The team are ecstatic to be recognised for their continuous hard work through tried and testing times and look forward to more success in the future.

“We are proud to have developed relationships with a number of industry leaders allowing us to provide a product portfolio of data, voice and hosting services to businesses across the UK, either directly or indirectly, through our rapidly growing channel.  Our product portfolio includes but is not limited to, fibre connectivity, hosted telephony, FTTC, FTTP, leased lines, VPLS networks.  The strong professional relationships we have developed with suppliers ensures we can provide services to customers at the best possible price.

We work with businesses of all sizes and only offer services that we are in no doubt that we can successfully deliver.  We have been able to successfully provide services to customers who have been advised previously that these were not available due to location.  We believe that no job should be impossible providing you have a strong relationship with suppliers, an excellent project management team and exceptional level of customer care.”

The firm take pride in their fantastic customer service, providing the best possible support throughout projects whilst meeting deadlines, coming in under budget and exceeding expectations.

The company believes strongly in supporting the local community. It is currently the short sponsors for both League Two side Elgin City FC and Lossiemouth FC who compete in the Highland League. Both clubs have signed affiliate deals along with Ross County FC and Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC, which will see revenues go back to each club to support their fundraising strategies and community development programmes and they are extremely pleased to add Premiership side Ross County and Championship side ICTFC to the mix. They are looking forward to re-launching  the Affiliate Partnerships now restrictions have lifted.

As previous years, the firm continued their support as the Moray School Bank’s first corporate sponsor. Fibre 1 provide connectivity at its HQ in Craigellachie and give a percentage of revenue of all contracts signed to support this invaluable charity.

After the launch of their successful Switch and Save campaign in 2020, the company continued to ensure businesses were saving money on their telecoms and connectivity with its hassle-free service. The switch and save service is a quick and effective way to highlight these savings and the best part is Fibre 1 take care of all the hard work for you. They want to ensure that companies are getting the best deal on their telecoms and connectivity.  They are now focusing on the ISDN Switch-off, with Openreach phasing out ISDN lines by 2025, Fibre 1 are encouraging businesses to make the switch to a VOIP system sooner rather than later. Talk to Fibre 1 today about how they can help explore your options and explain the advantages. They have supported many companies through their switch already, with minimum downtime and in a totally controlled, hassle free manner.

Fibre 1

Horizon Scotland, The Enterprise Park, Forres, Moray IV36 2AB
T: 0800 9890 052
E: info@fibre1.uk
https://fibre1.uk