Fibre 1 Ltd – VoIP Telephony Integration with Microsoft Teams

Fibre 1 are pleased to announce that they can provide a VoIP telephony solution that can fully integrate with Microsoft Teams, allowing you to instantly have remote working enabled for your users.

As restrictions continue to be lifted across the country, Fibre 1 are on hand to ensure you are best equipped to adjust to what your new normal will be.  For some this may be returning to the office as before but for others you may be looking to continue to offer more flexibility in remote working.

During the last few months more and more information has been shared electronically via email, instant messaging and video chat.  Moving forward these means of communication could replace the more traditional ones we have always used.  Microsoft Teams is a great tool to enhance easy remote working.

Teams Integration will allow your users to make and receive calls wherever they are with the added collaboration benefits of: File Sharing, Screen Sharing, Video Calling and Instant Chat.  No extra software or hardware is required to get you up and running on teams and includes your existing bundled minutes.  All that is required is an additional licence to enable Teams integration which compliments your VoIP phones to provide users a physical desk phone whilst in the office and Teams for calls when out of office.

Give Fibre 1 a call for more information on how the integration of Teams could help you and your employees.

As things progress and our tourism members are busy preparing to open and welcome people once more we thought we’d celebrate them all as members of the week and give a brief update on their status so here goes…

• Above & Beyond Tours – Tailor made walking tours – get in touch direct to discuss booking or to purchase a gift voucher.
• Castletown Hotel – no date set for reopening at present. They’re busy refurbishing the bar area ahead of reopening!
• Caithness Business Serviced Apartments. Closed for bookings with entry dates from now until August.
• The Holborn Hotel has been very busy preparing a new outdoor seating area to serve customers food & drinks. You can book your table now and can even purchase a blanket if the sunshine disappears before you’re finished your meal!
• Mackays Hotel have been super busy throughout lockdown donating meals to the members of the Royal British Legion Wick, Canisbay and Latheron Branch and offering take away options for their popular dishes. They hope to open the restaurant very soon.
• The Norseman Hotel can’t wait to welcome customers back to from Wednesday 15^th July with some tasty new items on their menu! Their website is accepting room bookings too.
• Northcoast watersports are excited to be back in the water offering lessons. They’ve also recently become qualified to offer sessions in Stand Up Paddleboarding!
• Northern Sands Hotel have created an outdoor space where they can serve meals and drinks and are accepting room bookings via their website.
• Pentland Lodge have certified that they’re Good To Go and look forward to welcoming guests again shortly. Although they’ve been closed to external guests, they’ve offered Key workers a place to stay throughout the pandemic. They’ve set out their preparations for the safe return of guests in a word document on their facebook page.
• The Royal Marine Hotel Brora are also Good To Go certified and are opening on Wednesday 22^nd July with some incredible special offers.
• The Seaview Hotel are able to offer a sit in or takeaway meal service and can serve drinks in their outdoor beer garden area.
• NorthLink Ferries has opened bookings for all passengers to allow travel to Orkney & Shetland.
• The Brown Trout Hotel can offer a takeaway service.
• The Highland Haven welcomed their first guests on 11^th July. All guests receive exclusive use of the Highland Haven as standard. This will be reviewed in 2021. They’ve also registered with the Good to Go scheme.
• The Lighthouse Keepers Cottage is not accepting bookings just yet but will be reopening in 2021. Since lockdown, they’ve welcomed NHS Key Workers to the cottage instead of the usual holiday makers.
• The Pentland Hotel are gearing up to welcome guests back from Wednesday 15^th July and like their sister hotel, they’ve got some new treats on the menu!
• The Castle & Gardens of Mey & The Granary Lodge will remain closed for the remainder of July.
• Thurso Bay Holidays are open once more and accepting bookings.
• Timespan remains closed for the time being but has been offering lots of digital activity via their facebook page and website
• Together Travel are accepting bookings for their John O’Groats apartments and have some additional safety precautions in place which you can read on their website.
• The Ulbster Arms hotel are offering an outdoor area where they can serve food and drinks. They’re also taking a small number of reservations too.
• Venture North hope to support tourism businesses as best they can and have a special offer of 6 months free membership available, read more on their website.
• VisitScotland marketing campaigns are available to view here.
• The Wick Society & Strathnaver Museum have decided to remain closed for this season and will open again in 2021. There are many ways to celebrate our history and learn from these museums on their facebook pages and websites.

Stagecoach Highlands has welcomed the first of their new-look vehicles to Inverness.

In January Stagecoach unveiled a brand new look for its buses, shaped by the needs of customers it proudly serves across the UK, every day.

The new look is part of a wider commitment from Stagecoach to simplify, modernise and enhance its customer experience, whilst reaffirming the customer-first approach that runs through everything it does – from its drivers and buses, to its customer service and technology solutions.

The new look is being rolled out across the fleet of 200 buses and coaches in the Highlands over a three-year period, with customers seeing the first buses on the road in the Highlands this week.

Stagecoach’s instantly recognisable ‘roundel’ icon, a familiar sight on the British road for two decades, has been rejuvenated, modernised and simplified and will be universally adopted across everything that the bus operator offers, representing the three different types of journey. These include:

• Local buses – these are everyday community buses with strong local connections that take people to work, education, hospitals, leisure activities with friends and family and life’s important moments.
• Longer distance – buses with added comfort and value for customers that need to take a bus beyond the place they live.
• Specialist – these are specialist services built for purpose – for drivers who need to park their car outside of town and use park and ride services, university students who need a lift to class and tourists who want to go sightseeing around the country

Three buses in the new ‘longer distance’ paintwork joined the Highlands fleet in early March and will initially be operating on the X99 route between Inverness and Caithness.

The previous coaches that have operated on the route for almost 2 years remain in the Caithness fleet.

David Beaton, managing director at Stagecoach Highlands said: “The last few months have been an extremely challenging time within the business. We are pleased to have been in a position to be able to increase bus services in the Highlands from Monday 29^th June as well as get these coaches out on the road. In line with social distancing implemented on board our buses and coaches, we have made a series of changes to the routes our vehicles operate on to provide the highest capacity where there is the highest demand. We hope as lockdown continues to ease we will start to welcome more customers on board all of our services across the Highlands once again.”

Trudy Morris, Chief Executive of Caithness Chamber of Commerce said: “As we begin to move out of lockdown, bus services will play a key role in connecting our communities and providing us with links to opportunities and services in Inverness and beyond.

“We are delighted to see Stagecoach investing in their fleet in the area, and we very much welcome the introduction of these new vehicles to key routes in the North Highlands.  This is a clear demonstration of Stagecoach’s ongoing commitment to the region.”

Passenger journeys have fallen by over 80% on service X99 since lockdown began on 23 March.

The capacity on board an X99 coach is now 14 customers (full capacity is 59 plus one wheelchair user) and customers are reminded that they can book their seat in advance at citylink.co.uk. If unable to book in advance, customers can also check how busy the bus is using the Stagecoach mobile app using the new busy bus indicator. More information is available at stagecoachbus.com.

The local bus operator is also reminding customers to follow the latest government advice regarding mandatory face coverings on public transport as well as the restrictions on travel distance, to protect others against coronavirus.

More information on staying safe travelling by bus is available here – https://www.stagecoachbus.com/promos-and-offers/national/travelling-safely-in-scotland

Scotland’s arts links with Japan are being supported by over £100,000 from a partnership between British Council Scotland and Creative Scotland. Following an open call for proposals, which drew 24 responses from individuals and organisations working across the Scottish arts sector, North Lands Creative was selected to receive a share of the funding. The successful bid covers several art forms including glass, film and cross-disciplinary practices.

UK in Japan is a major bilateral campaign that started in September 2019 at the same time as the Rugby World Cup. It will be extended into 2021 with the culmination of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games. The British Council will lead on cultural activities in Japan, bringing in work from
across the UK in collaboration with a range of partners. At the same time the Japanese government will lead on reciprocal activity in the UK.

Highly motivated by the encouragement of the whole glass community, North Lands Creative team has decided to rebound in the face of the adversity caused by COVID-19 and the postponement of our event at the Toyama Glass Art Museum in Japan and launch the inaugural edition of the Glass, Meet the Future festival online.

“The British Council/ Creative Scotland Partnership is delighted to see the Glass, Meet the Future Festival come to life, as part of North Lands Creative project with Japanese partners Toyama Institute of Glass. In a time when creative sectors across the world are enduring enormous challenges and are reimagining their work within a very different world, this digital festival spotlighting glass artists’ intersection, does exactly that. The initiative also demonstrates that the strength and vitality of Scotland’s creative links with their Japanese counterparts remains very much alive, giving us much hope for what’s to come when we come out of the current pandemic context.”

The festival launches on the 3rd July and runs for two weeks showcasing a cross section of international diverse and engaging series of short films curated and directed by 26 female artists using glass as the predominant feature. ‘The Soul of a Statute’, a film on the work of Martin Janecký by filmmaker Thomas Hogben featuring their collaborative time at North Lands Creative in 2019 will also premiere during the festival run with a focus on the emergence of glass art film.

“We have spent a great deal of time considering curating programmes that reflect the diverse interests of our audiences,” said Karen Phillips, Director of North Lands Creative.

This project emphasizes identity, community, and the variety in the cross disciplinary approach emerging from the field of international contemporary glass in the last few years.

‘The British Council Scotland – UK in Japan 2019-20 campaign has had a vital and valuable impact on North Lands Creative and our relationship with Japan. While we have postponed our exchange trip and festival at the Toyama Glass Art Museum until 2021, the film residency and dig-ital programme has enhanced and accelerated the project immensely.

Adding a new strand with our online festival has made the experience far more powerful. The relationship with Toyama Institute of Glass Art has given North Lands Creative a starting point for conversations with the wider Japanese glass community and audiences and has inspired far deeper and more fruitful conversations.’

Participating in the project, Martin Janecký, considered being one of the best glass sculptors working today. Among his most recognized strengths is an ability to master the glass moulding technology of so-called blowing and sculpting “inside the bubble”, a technique used to create startling original works.

“First of all I am very thankful for this opportunity. I like the international aspect of the project because my aim has always been to promote glass craftsmanship and glass art worldwide. Working with Thomas was great. He is very talented and our cooperation continues. During the residency at North Lands Creative I made two art pieces. A portrait of a man with a hand underlying his head in a gesture of being immersed in deep thoughts and a portrait of an old man. It’s essential for me not only to embody my ideas into glass but moreover express some emotions through my work so that it communicates with the audience.”

Thomas Hogben, filmmaker was delighted to be afforded the unique glass/ film residency at the Alastair Pilkington Studio in Caithness. “Having the opportunity to collaborate with North Lands Creative, and one of the worlds leading glass artists, as part of the residency is a fantastic chance to capture something truly unique in one of the most inspiring landscapes Scotland has to offer. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the studio in the North of Scotland and working with Martin Janecký. I look forward to sharing the final results with an international audience in Japan next year.”

Jin Hongo, Head Professor, Toyama Institute of Glass Art “We are very pleased to collaborate with North Lands Creative on the special project, Glass, Meet the Future. Glass is not only a traditional craft material steeped in rich history, but is also a continually evolving, cuttingedge medium for contemporary artistic expression. In recent years, applications of glass as an expressive medium have diversified concurrently with the development of technologies and new materials. Collaborations with other fields of research and cross-platform applications within the art are expected. Glass, Meet the Future recognizes this trajectory and signals the coming era of diverse new creations and creators”

The British Council Scotland and Creative Scotland partnership is a longstanding agreement between the organizations to develop international relationships in order to ensure Scotland’s creativity is recognized internationally.

The GMTF Festival launches from Friday July 3rd and continues until July 17th. All the screenings are free by visiting northlandscreative.co.uk website.

Considering the world situation, the fact that we received so many open call submissions, we are very proud to be screening many powerful and never-before-seen films with glass artists and filmmakers from around the world.

The Festival is dedicated to presenting a selection of new films pivoting around the medium of glass and to highlight the global glass community during this unprecedented time. The films include narratives, documentaries, experimental, and hybrid genres – telling stories about how art is made,

To support the economic recovery in the Highlands, the Council has today (Monday 22 June) launched a guide for shops and businesses to assist them with their plans to safely welcome back customers.

Following the overarching guidance provided by the Scottish Government, the Supporting Economic Recovery in Highland – A Guide for Businesses – contains lots of information, advice and support for shops, leisure facilities and other businesses likely to experience an upsurge in visitor numbers as lockdown restrictions are eased.

Individual shops and business owners and operators will be responsible for controlling and managing access to their premises in accordance with the most up to date government guidance on physical distancing.

The Highland Business Guide outlines the steps that businesses and the Council are likely to have to make to ensure the safe re-opening of premises and sites and to act upon legislation, and regulations to protect public health, restrict social gatherings and to maintain physical distancing.

It includes information on managing car parking and queuing outside premises to comply with physical distancing, licensing information on what is needed if a premises wants to serve alcohol in an outdoor area, how to apply for a permit to use an outside space that is not part of a premises, what is needed in terms of planning and the erection of temporary structures and how any structures can be safely used. Environmental Health information flags up the need for businesses to ensure that their Health and Safety Risk Assessments and Food Safety Management Systems are reviewed and updated to include physical distancing, queue control, protection of staff, supervision and public space layout and markings.

Normally planning permission is required to change the use of land where it is proposed to occupy space on a pavement, road, car park, park etc. In light of the current situation, the Guide explains that the council’s planning service will temporarily relax controls and take a reasonable and proportionate approach.

The Guide details the process for applying to sell alcohol on a temporary basis from an outside area which is not currently licensed.  It also signposts businesses to national guidance and provides helpful links to further information.

Leader of The Highland Council, Margaret Davidson welcomes the launch of the guide.  She said: “Our local businesses are all busy preparing to open their doors and have been working hard to ensure they are ready to respond to logistical and practical challenges and follow all the necessary guidance. Many of them are working closely and thoughtfully with their communities to do all they can to build confidence as we all get out and about more and also to welcome visitors.”

“Key to the success of any changes in how businesses provide their services to the public and maintaining the health and safety of everyone is the ongoing support, understanding and patience of all. I’m sure businesses will find the information in the guide very helpful and I wish them all the very best as they get ready to welcome back customers.”

Chair of the Highland Council’s Recovery Board, Cllr Alasdair Christie added: “The economic recovery here in the Highlands starts with our local retail and hospitality businesses and services so as a council we want to provide as much advice and support as possible.

“Many businesses are going to have to adapt how they operate. For example, a business wishing to use outdoor spaces as a new part of their operations will need to consider how these changes will impact upon their normal practices, as well as the additional control measures required for COVID-19.

“The guide gives clear advice on the necessary licensing and planning requirements as well as what is needed to comply with Environmental Health regulations and Food Safety management. It is a very relevant and practical way for the council to be able to provide details to assist businesses get back on their feet safely and successfully, so I encourage businesses to read it and contact us for any further advice or assistance.”

The guide is available on the Council’s website. As new guidance becomes available it will be updated.

Cavendish Nuclear provides critical support to maintaining Nuclear Material Assay (NMA) equipment across the UK’s nuclear licenced sites. This requirement hasn’t changed despite the Covid-19 pandemic and the team has adapted quickly to ensure continuity of this important service.

The NMA equipment service Cavendish Nuclear provides ensures that nuclear sites and customers can continue to operate safely and compliantly with the assurance that key radiometric systems required for their operations remain maintained, calibrated and supported, ensuring the secure management of nuclear materials.

The service covers all elements of the nuclear fuel cycle; from production of nuclear material, receipt of spent fuel, through reprocessing, product storage and waste management, in addition to supporting some critical site security and regulatory systems.

For the Cavendish Nuclear NMA team, delivering a ‘business as usual’ service is defined as being able to respond to a customer’s request within less than two hours, returning a key instrument to service within eight hours and operating seven days a week from 0615hrs to 2245hrs.

In order to ensure continued service whilst; ensuring compliance with the new social distancing requirements, minimising travel and numbers at their Sellafield base at any one time and maintaining service coverage, the team had to quickly adapt their working arrangements to meet the current circumstances.

This included the efficient implementation of the following changes:

• Reduction in shift team, which means equivalent reduction in attendance by team on-site, helping social distancing.
• ‘Released’ shift team resources still remain available on a new scheduled rota system to give reserve or escalation cover if required
• Collaboration with our main customer to allow extended use of our existing office base, providing social distancing and enhanced cleaning regime
• Established new methods for team communications including the ability to send ‘text’ messages to existing pagers / bleeps in addition to issuing single Emergency Team messages to group of supplied personal mobile numbers
• Increased use of IT to allow scheduled meetings and briefs to continue but by conference/video call options

Adrian McClelland, NMA Services Group Manager said, “The swift, proactive response from the team and their willingness to adapt, along with collaboration with our customers, has ensured we can continue to provide this critical service. We are proud of the recognition and positive feedback we’ve received from our customers for our flexible approach to this new challenge we all face.”

There has also been strong collaboration with wider Cavendish Nuclear teams, including the Radiometric Protection Instruments (RPI) and Measurement and Test Equipment (MTE) Groups, to support each other’s areas as well as supplying resources to some client work, again helping to reduce numbers on site across all of our teams.

Local Health, Safety & Environmental Consultancy offer business owners FREE ‘Recovery Roadmap Consultation’ to support the health and wellbeing of staff ahead of embracing the new normal.

Sharon Wooller is the Director of Dava Dawn Consultancy which specialises in Health, Safety & Environmental projects.   With over 20 years’ experience working with businesses of all sizes and industries, Sharon is urging local businesses to be a step ahead of the curve by preparing health and safety focused ‘road maps’ to ensure staff are ready for the changes ahead, as well as being prepared for the new normal, noting that we MUST include staff to ensure maximum success!

Sharon explained, “As eager as businesses may be to open their doors again, we must be under no illusion that the whole process will be a daunting one and full of anxieties not only for business owners but their teams and customers”

Sharon believes it is vital that to be adequately prepared, health and safety protocols must get the ‘buy in’ from the most important people – the teams working day to day in the business.

Without the backing and understanding of the team, there is risk of a disjointed workforce. Through mentorship and coaching, Dava Dawn are able to work directly with businesses to ensure the whole team understand exactly why steps are put in place, and why they will be mandatory to ensure the business succeeds.

In 2019, it was recorded that there were over half a million work-related stress and anxiety cases within the work place – this is a staggering number, and with life as we know it already having changed so much – it is vital that business owners prepare and take the time to engage with their staff going forward.  Making their teams part of the recovery process will not only reduce staff anxiety but will allow them to understand the why and in turn will support the practices put in place which will ensure safety and well-being are at the forefront of the business.

Drew Hendry – Member of parliament for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, praised Dava Dawn, “As we transition to our new normal, businesses will need to consider the safety of their staff and customers, including measures such as social distancing. This is an incredibly generous offer by Sharon and her team the expertise will provide meaningful advice to business owners on how they can increase safety in their operation and I would encourage our local business community to take up this offer of help.”

“It will be the same teamwork we have seen through this crisis, that will see us through recovery and this is an inspiring example of how local businesses can support other employers to get back on their feet as we ease out of lockdown”.

Dava Dawn Consultancy covers Caithness, Sutherland, Moray, Inverness and the Central Belt offering bespoke, freelance and interim health, safety and environmental solutions to support businesses.  Dava Dawn can work with management teams or directly with core teams on the floor during the operational hours of the business– Dava Dawn has the expertise to engage and empower teams at the start to allow them to be feel part of the journey.

As part of the recovery process Dava Dawn are offering a Free Recovery Road Map Consultation to help businesses develop the building blocks to gain full engagement from their teams.  For more information on booking your FREE Recovery Road Map Consultation, you can get in touch via the website at DavaDawn.com

As part of Mental Health Awareness week, Cavendish Nuclear have been reflecting on some of the resources and support they have put in place to support their people during these extraordinary times and to reinforce their care, connect, trust culture. One example of this is the launch of a new series of short bite-size virtual learning events.

These events have been backed by Dominic Kieran, Cavendish Nuclear’s Managing Director and his leadership team, who saw them not only as a way to equip teams with the tools and techniques to navigate their way through these challenging times but to also enable colleagues to stay connected with one another and the business.

The short bite-size virtual learning events have also garnered support from the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB), which is allocating funding for every person who attends the training.

David Lewis, ECITB Senior Account Manager for Nuclear, said: “The ECITB is engaging with all our employers to develop creative solutions to support their businesses through the Covid-19 period and beyond.

“For Cavendish Nuclear to quickly recognise the human impact on their staff during these unprecedented times and to develop a solution so quickly is an example to industry. We were only too happy to provide some really meaningful grant support to help.”

A number of the Cavendish Nuclear leadership team volunteered to take part in the delivery of the sessions including Kathryn Jones, Director of Programme Management & Project Controls. Kathryn said,

“Through the discussions we are able to weave in our own reflections and experiences of dealing with change or building resilience to help one another, so I was not only teacher but pupil as I also learned some new ideas and was reminded of the value of certain tools.”

Each training session lasts up to 60 minutes and are focused heavily on reinvigorating habits and practical ways to be more effective during lockdown. Topics delivered so far have included dealing with change, stress management and building emotional resilience. Having attended all sessions, Helen Shone, Assurance Advisor said,

“Being a Mental Health First Aider equips you with a wealth of resource to help others, but sometimes when it’s you that need to use them yourself, you forget and need a gentle nudge in the right direction! It is also a great opportunity to connect and listen to others across the business – sharing one another’s experiences really does help”.