Business Matters Winter 24 by RenfrewshireChamber

President’s welcome

Dear Members,

Welcome to the winter edition of Business Matters magazine. As the year draws to a close it is an opportunity to reﬂect on your Chamber’s progress over the last 12 months, and what a year it has been!

Over 50 new members have joined, and I welcome you all to the Chamber family, you help the strength and vitality of our thriving community.

Renfrewshire is a place of international trade, importing and exporting products and services around the world. In the last year, our talented international trade team have processed over 15,000 export documents, the second highest of any region in Scotland.

Thanks to the generosity of Provost Cameron, we celebrated our 60th Diamond Anniversary in style with the honour of a civic reception at the newly refurbished Paisley Town Hall in June. 200 members enjoyed a fantastic evening reﬂecting on not only the Chamber’s history but looking forward with clear focus on the opportunities in our region.

We celebrated 20 years of the ROCCOs in November and each year the Awards have grown in stature – here’s to the next 20 years!

Renfrewshire truly is a fantastic place to do business, and nothing demonstrates that more strongly than our impressive Rocco Finalists.

Your Chamber is delivering £1/4 million of business support projects for our members and wider business community. The work is funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Invest in Renfrewshire’s Challenge Fund. We hope this funding can continue into next year and beyond, it is making a real difference.

With the support of the Renfrewshire Business Support

Partnership your Chamber is helping companies trade internationally for the ﬁrst time or reaching new markets with their products and services.

Our Business Mentoring programme is supporting over 50 non-member companies and individuals to overcome challenges to growth.

Your Chamber is supporting 25 companies in adopting the latest Artiﬁcial Intelligence technology to improve productivity and efﬁciency.

We also support other projects within the partnership: for example, The National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) are delivering the PRODIGY Manufacturing programme. A series of free upskilling workshops for SMEs in Cobotics & 3D Printing.

While this level of funding is welcome business continue to face the challenge of rising costs.

The recent budget has placed a substantial extra burden on employer’s shoulders, and we need government to ensure it does not stiﬂe growth, innovation and investment.

Much now rests on the Government’s next steps, with the future beneﬁts outlined by the Chancellor by no means guaranteed.

The success of the new Industrial and Trade strategies is critical alongside the effectiveness of public investment in infrastructure to reinvigorate our regional supply chains.

To build business conﬁdence, it’s crucial that we now see decisive and inclusive action at speed to unlock the investment the economy sorely needs.

Looking forward to 2025 we will see the transformed Museum re-open which will re-invigorate Paisley Town centre & beyond. The new Renfrew Bridge, the ﬁrst opening road bridge over the River Clyde is on schedule to open shortly improving access and connectivity for our region.

In summary – your Chamber is ﬂourishing and in excellent health with a vision in place to support you, our members, as we Connect and Grow together for the beneﬁt of Renfrewshire.

Finally, as my two-year term as your President draws to a close the Chamber has made I believe signiﬁcant progress and investment in our future. We will continue to support our members as we work together for the beneﬁt of Renfrewshire and our business community. Thank you to the Board, Chamber Team, and membership for the support you have given me in that time. May I wish my successor Ronald Leitch, COO of AGS Airports every success as he takes over the role in 2025.

All that remains for me to say is to wish you all a safe and happy festive period and a prosperous 2025.

Derek J. McNab, President Renfrewshire Chamber

A warm welcome from our Chief Executive

Welcome to the Winter edition of our every popular Business Matters Magazine.

Rocco 2024 took place on Friday 15th November with a capacity crowd attending at the Normandy Hotel. 17 award winners were announced following the appraisal of 33 judges on our panels. The Awards were fully sponsored with the Renfrewshire Business Support Partnership as main sponsor for the ﬁrst time. Our fantastic 20th edition ROCCO trophies were designed and made in Renfrewshire by member JGB Steelcraft in Hillington. The event has enjoyed signiﬁcant coverage in the press and on social media highlighting Renfrewshire as a great place to do business. The event raised £9000 for the Chamber Charity fund.

Thank you to our retiring President Derek J McNab for all his support and commitment in the last two years. On a personal level I have hugely valued his energy, enthusiasm

and wisdom as we celebrated a landmark 60th year for the Chamber.

As we head into 2025 may I encourage you to consider joining one of our unique support programmes. The Chamber is delivering projects on several key areas including Artificial Intelligence and International Trade. You can learn more about the support available on pages 28 & 29 and how you could benefit from improvements in productivity & efficiency.

We return in January with our ﬁrst networking event of the year, “Pitch & Roll” on Thurs 16th January following by our Burns lunch on Thursday 23rd January at Ingliston Country Club. Always a popular event with a Burns speaker and entertainment, you will ﬁnd full details on the Chamber website.

To all our members, from myself and all the team at the Chamber have an enjoyable Christmas and best wishes for a prosperous 2025.

Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce

Bute Court, St Andrews Drive, Glasgow Airport, PA3 2SW t: 0141 847 5450 / f: 0141 847 5499 e: info@renfrewshirechamber.com / w: www.renfrewshirechamber.com Next issue of Business Matters is Spring 2025 Deadline for editorial and adverts is Friday 7th March 2025 Themes are B2B / 3rd sector / property & construction / town centres Advertising & Editorial: Contact Jill Carrino t: 07702 909474 / e: jcarrino@renfrewshirechamber.com

Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce would like to acknowledge the support of our Premier Partners:

New innovative tool to enhance passenger support GLASGOW AIRPORT LAUNCHES NEW AI-POWERED DIGITAL ASSISTANT

Glasgow Airport has ofﬁcially launched a state-of-the-art digital assistant, powered by Hello Lamp Post, to improve the travel experience for passengers this festive period.

This new AI-driven technology, now live across the airport, is designed to provide real-time information and enhance navigation throughout the terminal 24 hours a day, optimising the experience for travellers.

The digital assistant was initially introduced as part of an accessibility trial earlier this year in partnership with Connected Places Catapult.

The trial showed:

• 50% reduction in queries being received by customer service staff

• 12,300+ more passengers supported per year

• 86% satisfaction rate with service

Following the success of the trial, Glasgow Airport collaborated closely in partnership with Hello Lamp Post to reﬁne and expand the tool’s capabilities, intending to build on the positive outcomes and making it available to all passengers.

Accessible via location-speciﬁc QR codes, the digital assistant serves as a personal concierge, offering up-to-date ﬂight information, navigation assistance, and tailored passenger support. By streamlining airport services, this tool aims to make travel easier and creates an inclusive experience for all accessibility needs.

Glasgow Airport is renowned for its commitment to serving passengers with disabilities and reduced mobility (PRM). Last year alone, the airport welcomed over 110,000 PRM passengers, earning the highest “Very Good” rating from the Civil Aviation Authority’s Annual Accessibility Report.

This digital assistant is a key part of the airport’s ongoing efforts to enhance accessibility and ensure all passengers have a seamless experience.

Jamie Loudon, Group Head of Operational Solutions at Glasgow Airport said: “We takegreatprideinprovidingexcellent servicetothetensofthousandsofspecial assistancepassengerswhotravelthrough ourterminalseachyear.

“WorkingwithConnectedPlacesCatapult

onatrialearlierthisyearprovedinvaluable inhelpingusrolloutthiscutting-edge technologyacrosstheairportforall passengers.

“Technologicaladvancements, particularlyinartiﬁcialintelligence,are transforminghowwedelivervitalservices. ThisAI-poweredassistantwillfurther enhancethecustomerexperience,ensuring smootherandmorepersonalisedjourneys forallwhopassthroughGlasgowAirport.”

Tiernan Mines, Co-Founder and CEO of Hello Lamp Post said: “We’rereallypleased that the success of our initial trial has now ledtothefullrolloutofourplatformat GlasgowAirport,andishelpingtoimprove theairportexperienceforthousandsof passengers.

“Wehavereducedrepetitivepassenger queriesgoingtoairportstaff,freeing uptheirtime,allowingthemtonotonly supportmorepassengerseachyear, butalsofocusonmoreurgent queries. Formingthispartnershiphasunlocked

opportunitiestobuildatrulyinclusive, passenger-focusedsolutionthatchampions thevaluesofGlasgowAirportandHello LampPost.”

Connected Places Catapult’s Ecosystem Director for Air Mobility & Airports, Andrew Chadwick said: “It is tremendous to seeHelloLampPostlaunchitsAI-enabled digitalassistant.

“Thisdevelopmentfollowsatrialofthe technologyatGlasgowAirportaspartof theConnectedAirportLivingLabproject, whereinnovativenewsystemswerefunded bytheCatapulttoaddresschallengesfacing theairportsector.”

Clydebank Campus 0141 951 7555

Greenock Campus 01475 553 044

Paisley Campus 0141 581 2121

College Takes Student Learning to New Heights with Launch of Mock Cabin Crew Training Facility

t 0300 600 6060

w www.westcollegescotland.ac.uk

West College Scotland, Paisley campus celebrated the ofﬁcial opening of its state-of-theart Mock Cabin Crew Training Facility on Monday 16 December, marking a signiﬁcant milestone in enhancing vocational education for Travel and Tourism students.

Thanks to substantial investment, the College now boasts a fully equipped aircraft cabin, complete with authentic seats, a tannoy system, a crew galley area, and service trollies. This cutting-edge facility offers students a unique, hands-on learning environment, preparing them for successful careers in the aviation and hospitality industries.

The event welcomed guests from across the sector, including Ronald Leitch, Chief Operating Ofﬁcer of AGS Airports, representatives from Loganair, Cameron House, and the College’s management team. Guests were checked in and issued boarding passes by Travel and Tourism students before being escorted to a “departure lounge,” where the morning’s formal proceedings began.

Key speakers included Jim McAllister, Head of Languages, Business and Leisure Industries at the college, who highlighted

the transformative impact the facility will have on student outcomes:

"Thisinvestmentsigniﬁcantlyenhances thelearningexperienceforourstudents, helpingthemdeveloppracticalskillsand conﬁdenceinasimulatedyetrealistic environment.Itensurestheyarejob-ready fortheaviationandhospitalityindustries, armedwiththecapabilitiesemployersare lookingfor.”

Lecturer Kirsty Caig provided an overview of how the facility is already beneﬁting students: "Formanyofour learners,thisistheirﬁrsttimeexperiencing an aircraft environment. While it’s invaluableforcabincrewtraining,it alsohelpsstudentsbuildawiderangeof transferableskills,includingcustomer care,teamwork,sales,safety,andproblem-

solving.Thesearequalitieshighlysought afterinavarietyofrolesacrossthetravel industry,notjustaviation.”

Following the presentations, selected guests experienced a mock travel session, complete with a formal welcome, safety instructions, and in-ﬂight refreshments. The experience concluded with a surprise emergency evacuation, showcasing the depth of training students receive.

Ronald Leitch, Chief Operating Ofﬁcer of AGS Airports, spoke passionately about the importance of facilities like this in education:

"Itwasfantastictoseethisfacility,which representsasigniﬁcantinvestmentbythe Collegeandwillhelpbridgeacriticalskills gap.GlasgowAirportiswell-positionedfor growthwithintheaviationsector,andwe needskilledpeopletoﬁllthewiderangeof rolesthisindustryoffers.

Withaviationrolesavailablerightnow, spaceslikethisareessentialfordeveloping thesubtle,practicalskillsthatcanonlybe learned in simulated environments.

ThisinvestmentreinforcestheCollege’s commitmenttoprovidingindustry-aligned education and underscores its dedication toproducingtheskilledworkforcerequired tosupportthegrowthoftheaviationand hospitalitysectors.”

Experience Luxury Meetings and Events at Mar Hall

Located just 20 minutes from Glasgow City Centre and 10 minutes from Glasgow International Airport, Mar Hall is undergoing a multimillion-pound investment to further enhance its reputation as one of Scotland’s premier event destinations. As a gateway to both the central belt and the Highlands, our resort combines convenience with luxury, making it an ideal choice for corporate meetings, conferences, and special events.

Mar Hall offers a variety of event spaces, including elegant meeting rooms within the hotel for smaller meetings, Morton House hosting up to 150 guests, and the expansive Garden Pavilion, capable of hosting up to 350 guests. Whether you’re planning a corporate event, private celebration, or conference, our facilities are designed to accommodate your needs in a luxurious setting. Delegates can take advantage of our ﬁrst-class spa and leisure facilities, which include a swimming pool, saunas, steam rooms, and treatment rooms, perfect for relaxation after a day of business. Our

18-hole championship golf course offers a great opportunity for networking while enjoying a round in breathtaking surroundings. For overnight stays, Mar Hall offers beautifully appointed bedrooms and suites, ensuring a restful experience for all guests. Dining is a highlight, with our restaurants serving the ﬁnest local produce, expertly crafted into seasonal menus that reﬂect Scotland’s rich culinary heritage. Team-building activities at Mar Hall are second to none, with options ranging from 4x4 off-road driving, falconry, and clay pigeon shooting to distillery and whisky tours, bike hire, and even helicopter trips. These activities provide exciting opportunities to strengthen bonds and create unforgettable experiences for your team.

Take advantage of our exclusive corporate rate, starting from £135 per room, per night for double or twin occupancy, including a full Scottish breakfast. For more information or to book your next event, contact us at 9999. Mar Hall Spa and Golf Resort, Bishopton PA7 5 NW

Unforget

Mar Hall is the perfect rendezvous for corporate meetings and events

Just 20 minutes from Glasgow City Centre and 10 minutes from Glasgow Airport, Mar Hall overlooks the River Clyde and the Old Kilpatrick Hills With meeting rooms in Mar Hall, Morton House, and our Garden Pavilion, we can host up to 250 delegates across 70 luxurious bedrooms

Our expansive grounds provide the perfect setting for team-building activities, from falconry to Highland games After a successful day, delegates can relax with a scenic stroll, challenge themselves on our championship golf course, or indulge in the rejuvenating facilities at our newly refurbished spa

Exclusive Offer

Enjoy our exclusive rates starting from just £135 per room, per night for double or twin occupancy, including a full Scottish breakfast

QUOTE: BMM

FOR RESERVATIONS AND ENQUIRIES, CONTACT US 0141 812 9999 | events@marhall com | marhall com

Offer available until 31st March 2025, for groups of 10 or more (excluding Christmas and New Year), subject to availability

Driving Innovation and Community Impact

At the University of the West of Scotland, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) continue to make waves, collecting multiple award nominations and celebrating signiﬁcant milestones over the past few months. The UWS KTP Centre has welcomed new partnerships with local companies, including Kooltech and J.G.B. Steelcraft based in Hillington, and our commitment to place is evidenced by the number of year-end KTP submissions and healthy pipeline of prospects with Renfrewshire businesses for Q1, 2025.

With four nominations at the KTP Awards across three KTP partners (KubeNet, ACS Clothing, and Farmtrack Consulting) and a nomination with FIDO Tech and UWS at the Times Higher Education (THE) Awards, we are delighted to see our company partners excel both during and beyond their KTP projects.

Lochlie Construction, who successfully completed their management KTP (mKTP) project with UWS in 2023, exempliﬁes this ongoing success. Not only were they a sponsor for the ROCCO Award for Environmental Sustainability, but they also took home the ROCCO Award for Journey to Net Zero, sponsored by Ren Zero. Meanwhile,

J.G.B. Steelcraft once again crafted this year’s ROCCO Awards - a testament to their continued creativity and excellence.

Booth Welsh, a current KTP partner based in Irvine, is serving as a sponsor for the Engaging Talent CeeD Award 2025. Additionally, Peter Equi, another KTP partner, is playing a key role as an

event sponsor. It’s fantastic to see these companies actively shaping and enriching the Renfrewshire business community. Interested in how a KTP could transform your business? Reach out to us at ktp@ uws.ac.uk and follow our journey on LinkedIn (UWS KTP Centre) and Twitter/X (@UWSKTP).

RENFREWSHIRE BUSINESSES ARE TACKLING SKILLS CHALLENGES WITH FULLY FUNDED SHORT COURSES

After the withdrawal of the Flexible Workforce Development Fund and the Upskilling Fund, employers across Scotland have been struggling to ﬁnd budget to pay for staff training, worsening skills gaps across the country.

The UWS Centre for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) conducted an Employer Skills Survey in 2024 and over 60% of respondents noted that accessing funding was a barrier to offering training opportunities to staff. Over 40% reported that they had ‘low or no budget’ for staff development initiatives.

Committed to making professional development opportunities accessible to all, the UWS Centre for Continuing Professional Development introduced Skills Scholarships, allowing employers to provide training and development opportunities to staff at no cost.

Since launching in September 2024, over 75 % of CPD learners at UWS have beneﬁtted from a Skills Scholarship, reinforcing the demand for accessible, affordable training

solutions. Those in receipt of a Skills Scholarship can choose to undertake one short course on a fully funded basis.

Working closely with private, public and third-sector employers, the UWS CPD Team have created a catalogue of short courses that aims to support learners at all levels while covering a variety of sectors and business needs including: project management, marketing, IT and cyber security, business strategy and leadership.

The Skills Scholarships will also apply to a new suite of evening courses that will launch in January 2025, making learning even more accessible for individuals with busy schedules, allowing them to upskill or reskill without compromising their existing commitments.

Skills Scholarships are available to anyone who has never studied at UWS before, and who is ordinarily resident in Scotland, and who has Settled status in the United Kingdom.

To ﬁnd out more about the courses on offer, visit the UWS CPD website: cpd.uws.ac.uk or contact the UWS CPD Team at: cpd@uws.ac.uk

Have Hashtags had their Day?

The hashtag heydays!

It wasn’t so long ago that hashtags pretty much ruled on social media. They were the keys to unlock conversation, identify viral trends, and get your own content in front of more of the right people.

Hashtags increased discoverability, they helped you “label” your content, and allowed you to get into more people’s social feeds, even when they’d never heard of you – if you were using the right hashtags you could rely on your content achieving a bigger reach.

A form of tagging (or categorising) your posts arguably originating with Twitter (where hashtags were the only way to search content), hashtags became the norm on tools like Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and more recently TikTok. But today, as your customers scroll through their social feeds, the power of hashtags is fast diminishing.

Social Search has changed.

We’ve fast moved on from needing to click speciﬁc hashtags as a search mechanism to bring up related posts. These days, all of the social media platforms have advanced search capabilities, where ‘google-like’ text searching allows for a more natural user experience, and more control over the results.

Combine that with the advanced algorithms behind the social feeds, all signiﬁcantly better at understanding what people are looking for, and able to identify and match content without the need for hashtags to label it

Instagram’s downplaying hashtags

It wasn’t that long ago that everyone was meticulously adding 30 hashtags to each Instagram post to help maximise reach. It was all about the numbers.

But Instagram has hugely changed in recent times too. Having carried out an Instagram search, the platform still hints that you might want to specify if you’re looking for Accounts, Tags, Audio or places – “Tags” referring to the matching of Instagram posts using those same hashtags, but does anyone still click that? Instagram’s preferred search option is just an algorithm curated feed “For you”, mixing and matching content based on past behaviours and activities.

LinkedIn and Facebook – Are hashtags still even a thing?

LinkedIn is yet another platforms which has dabbled with Hashtag, and now slowly seems to be ignoring them. Remember just a couple years back when LinkedIn would suggest hashtags for you while still drafting your post? That’s all gone.

Yes you can still click a hashtag on any individual post, and you’re immediately given a feed of content from other people and businesses, but again it’s all algorithm driven, and unlikely to favour smaller businesses trying to reach new suitable customers.

As for Facebook – personally I’ve never used hashtags on there (except when I’ve been lazy and just copied across my Instagram post), because in my opinion they’ve never really worked and look a bit spammy!

Yes, again you can click them and some posts appear using matching hashtags, but the problem with Facebook is that 99% of everything is private – personal users whose content is only discoverable by their friends. The reason why the same approach did conversely work on Twitter was because it was 99% public, so matching content was inevitable.

Hashtags are today’s equivalent of website Meta-Keywords. Ultimately the main reason I believe hashtags to be a failing strategy, is because on the face of it it’s almost too easy. Really?

I just stick in the hashtags I want, and more people interested in those topics will see my posts? That’s so simple and easy! And also exploitable.

Just as sad website owners in the 90’s stuffed their code full of non-relevant Meta-Keywords to attract (and fool) people and search engines into clicking through to their sites (you wouldn’t believe how many random websites claimed to be about Pamela Anderson), so to have businesses being using spammy hashtag tactics to desperately try and attract eyeballs to their social content.

The Future of Hashtags

In the short term, hashtags will still have a place. But that place is diminishing. They’ll still serve a purpose, particularly for niche communities, campaign tracking, and the aggregation of brand content and related user generated content.

On platforms like TikTok, they’ll likely continue to be used in the short term for categorising content, and on Instagram, they’ll still have a role in connecting posts to speciﬁc interests, even if that role is shrinking and more dictated by what Meta want you to see.

However, the emphasis has shifted from stufﬁng posts with dozens of hashtags to focusing on content that sparks genuine engagement. As social media continues to evolve, adaptability is key. Maybe it’s time to give those hashtags a bit of a rest and let your content speak for itself.

Circular economy comes into focus with new £5.5m manufacturing hub in Renfrewshire and training opportunities for local businesses

Anew £5.5 million ReMake Value Retention Centre (RVRC) is set to support Scotland’s transition to net zero and could unlock signiﬁcant new opportunities for local manufacturers in Renfrewshire and beyond.

The new centre, which will use existing infrastructure from the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) and the University of Strathclyde, will provide the skills, processes and business models required to encourage companies in the supply chain across a range of sectors, to adopt circular principles and maximise the life of components and parts through processes such as remanufacturing, refurbishing and repairs - keeping products at their highest value instead of sending them to landﬁll.

Part of NMIS and the University of Strathclyde, the RVRC has been launched in partnership with the University of Exeter and the University of Shefﬁeld. Funding is provided through UKRI’s ‘Accelerating the Green Economy’ programme.

Stephen Fitzpatrick, director of the Digital Factory at NMIS, said: “The RVRC will tackle one of the biggest current manufacturing challenges and bring signiﬁcant economic impact to the UK. We’re decoupling economic growth from environmental harm and expect this work will grow local businesses, reshore supply chains and launch new manufacturing companies.”

The centre will focus on ‘high integrity’ sectors critical to national infrastructure including aerospace, marine, wind, nuclear, industrial and power generation, exploring how components such as aeroplane structures, energy systems and industrial equipment can be remanufactured.

The team will help businesses to make changes through new business models, policies, skills, circular manufacturing technology and inspection processes.

Stephen added: “While much of the focus around net zero has been on the transition to renewable energy sources, nearly 45% of global CO2 emissions come from what we make and use. In sectors such as energy and transport, around 70% of emissions are locked in during raw materials extraction and initial processing meaning that it’s essential to extend product life for as long as possible to maximise value, while preserving the earth’s precious resources. The RVRC will drive system-level change, making reuse, remaking and repurposing viable for critical sectors.”

Any business interested in learning more from NMIS experts and their focus on ‘Remake’ circular manufacturing is invited to join a series of fully funded in person training sessions in the new year, kicking off with an introductory webinar on 20 January.

For more information and to register to attend, visit: www. nmis.scot/what-we-do/manufacturing-skills-academy/ continuous-professional-development/ NMIS is where industry, academia and the public sector work together on ground-breaking manufacturing research to transform productivity levels, make companies more competitive and boost the skills of our current and future workforce. It is part of the High Value Manufacturing (HVM) Catapult.

Stephen Fitzpatrick

Together, transforming the future of

Together, transforming the future of manufacturing.

Revolutionising skills, productivity and innovation to attract investment and make Scotland a global leader in advanced manufacturing. nmis.scot

NEW BRAND MAKES ITS MARK AT HILLINGTON PARK

Any visitor to Hillington Park recently can’t have failed to notice that, in words inspired by Bob Dylan, ‘the signs they are a changing’ across the 419 acre estate.

For the first time in over a decade, Hillington Park, Scotland’s first and largest industrial park, has unveiled a refreshed brand that reflects the estate’s ongoing modernisation and the dynamic, diverse business community thriving there.

The rebrand, which was fully funded by the estate’s majority owner, Frasers Property UK, sees a move to a new, minimalist colour palette of black, white, grey, and bold yellow which now features on quite literally every street on the estate – 107 in totalwith every road sign being renewed. The large entrance signage along Hillington Road has been replaced and the new branding is also being rolled out for all of the directory boards and totems across the estate.

Grant Edmondson, Commercial Director at Hillington Park said: “ThenewHillingtonParkbrandreﬂectsnotonlythetransformation acrosstheestateunderFrasersPropertyUKwithcompletionof newindustrial,automotiveanddrive-thrudevelopments,major refurbishments,andimprovementstoon-siteamenitiesbutalso recognisesthemodernbusinesscommunitywehavewhichis spreadacrossmanysectorsoftheeconomy. Itsheritagewas foundedonmanufacturingandengineeringwhicharestillwell representedbutwenowhavemanysuccessfulbusinessesinsuch variedﬁeldsuchconstructionproductsandservices,logistics, automotive,whiskyandhealth.”

Hillington Park’s premium industrial and business location continues to be a top choice for companies, as demonstrated by the strong retention rates when lease renewals or break options come up.

In the year ending September 2024, an impressive ﬁgure of 78.7% of the £2.1m income at risk from the 63 leases with expiries and breaks was retained. The losses were largely due to business insolvencies, branch closures, or downsizing decisions.

Grant Edmondson added: “Ourtrendanalysisoverthelastsix yearsillustratesthatretentionlevelsremainconsistentlyhighwith arollingaverageof77%solastyearwasconsistentwiththat. It underlinesHillingtonPark’sstrengthsasarealestateinvestment withlong-termanddiverseincomestreams.

Chamber

Networking Lunch with Nick Muirhead CEO Scottish Leather Group

Chamber team 60th Event

60th Speakers & Presidents

Chamber Golf Champions, Wilson Washrooms

60th Anniversary Civic Reception

Burns Speaker John McEvoy

Pitch and Roll

Chamber Connect Paisley Town Hall

Bob Grant, Gavin Newlands MP, Derek J McNab Westminster visit

April Board Meeting with Howdens

March Speaker, Simon Hannah, JW Filshill

March Lunch at Mar Hall

Renfrewshire Connect with Gary Ennis

Renfrewshire Connect Lagoon

highlights of the year

Paisley Arts Centre, Chamber Connect

Chamber Connect

Christmas Lunch

ROCCO 2024 Winners ROCCO Host Fred MacAuley

ROCCO Awards

Chamber Connect Bollo Store

St Vincent Hospice Rocco fund

President Derek J . McNab

ROCCO Charity Fund Raising

Rocco 2024 raised a fantastic £9000 for our Charity Fund. 70% of the monies raised are shared between our 2 main charities of the year. For 2024/25 the are Accord Hospice and Anthony Nolan, the stem cell charity celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2024.

Anthony Nolan has been saving lives through stem cells since 1974. The charity, which matches donors and patients for life-saving transplants, was set up by Shirley Nolan to ﬁnd a match for her son Anthony who had a rare blood disorder. Sadly, a match was not found for Anthony, but over the last 50 years, Anthony Nolan has facilitated more than 26,500 transplants for people around the world. What is a stem cell transplant?

If a patient has a condition that affects their bone marrow or blood, then a stem cell transplant may be their best chance of survival. Doctors will give new, healthy stem cells to the patient via their bloodstream, where they begin to grow and create healthy red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.

Friend of the chamber Murdoch Ferguson is currently on the waiting list for a stem cell transplant. Murdoch was the “ofﬁcial” photographer for Renfrewshire Chamber and a very familiar face at the ROCCO Awards. Murdoch is pictured with daughter Eilidh who recently completed the Great Scottish Run half marathon in October raising funds for Anthony Nolan and to encourage more young people to join the stem cell register.

• To join the Anthony Nolan register, you must be 16-30 and

healthy. Anthony Nolan’s world-leading Research Institute has shown younger donors offer better survival rates for patients.

Join Anthony Nolan’s register or support its research. www.anthonynolan.org

At ACCORD Hospice, we believe everyone in our community deserves to be cared for with dignity, compassion, and expert medical support, especially at the end of life. For over 40 years, we have been there for families across Renfrewshire, providing comfort and care to nearly 2,000 patients each year.

Our services are as diverse as our community’s needs: from our 8-bedded Inpatient Unit to our ACCORD at Home service, we bring skilled and compassionate care directly to those who need it most. Beyond physical health, we support patients and families emotionally and spiritually, with bereavement support, physiotherapy, and holistic therapies that uplift and heal.

We are here to ensure everyone has the chance for a “good death”—one that respects their wishes, preserves their comfort, and surrounds them with love.

The impact of what we do extends well beyond our walls. ACCORD Hospice is a true community resource, fuelled by the kindness and generosity of our supporters, and a symbol of Renfrewshire’s deep sense of care for each other. All our care is free.

Up and Coming Events

See our events section on our website: www.renfrewshirechamber.com • 0141 847 5450 events@renfrewshirechamber.com

‘Pitch and Roll’ Breakfast Networking Event

THU 16/01/2025 08:00 - 09:15 Free to members. Abbey Mill Business Centre

January Burns Networking Lunch

THU 23/01/2025 12:00 - 14:15

Members £35.00 +VAT

non-members £45.00 +VAT. Includes Burns Speaker & Burns Singer. Ingliston Country Club

Chamber Connect: Grants & Funding Opportunities for Renfrewshire Businesses

THU 30/01/2025 10:00 - 11:30

Abbey Mill Business Centre Free to members

Robert Kinniburgh, Business Growth Adviser for Renfrewshire Council will give an update on all available grants & funding opportunities for businesses in Renfrewshire.

HR Forum with Morton Fraser MacRoberts LLP

TUE 11/02/2025 12:00 - 14:00

Topic – Employment Law Update

Meghan Jenkins, Associate from Morton Fraser MacRoberts LLP, will provide an employment law update on changes coming into effect for 2025. Free for members

Follow the chamber: twitter.com/renfrewshirecoc facebook.com/renfrewshirechamberofcommerce

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ROCCO AWARDS 2024 Renfrewshire Celebrates 20 years of Business Excellence

Renfrewshire roared in celebration of business excellence at the 20th Annual Rocco Awards Ceremony on Friday 15th November at the Normandy Hotel. The sellout crowd congratulated 17 worthy winners taking home the special Rocco trophies at Renfrewshire’s largest black tie business event, now in its 20th year.

Principal sponsor:

Principal ROCCO sponsor was the Renfrewshire Business Support Partnership (RBSP) combining key partners who help shape business support services in Renfrewshire.

President Derek J McNab highlighted the Chamber’s work in its 60th Diamond anniversary year including £250K of support projects delivered to Renfrewshire businesses and funded by Renfrewshire Council.

The guests were skilfully piped into the Normandy by the talented St Columba’s School Pipe Band.

Renfrewshire Council Leader Iain Nicolson gave the principal sponsor address showcasing the signiﬁcant £100 million investment in cultural assets including the Paisley Arts Centre and the development of the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District (AMID) with anchor institutions National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) and the Medicine Manufacturing Innovation Centre. (MMIC)

The ROCCO rafﬂe raised an outstanding £9,000 supporting Accord Hospice and Anthony Nolan, the stem cell transplant charity celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2024.

Rocco favourite Fred MacAulay was on top form entertaining the audience all evening and the outstanding performance by singer/songwriter ili was met with load applause.

The Awards also featured a unique 20th edition trophy designed and made in Renfrewshire by J.G.B. Steelcraft.

The Winners:

ROCCO Award for Environmental Sustainability

sponsored by Lochlie Construction Group. Winner: W.H Malcolm Ltd (The Malcolm Group)

Award for Innovation & Technology

sponsored by University of the West of Scotland. Winner: Terumo Aortic

ROCCO

Council Leader Iain Nicolson gives main sponsor address

Chamber President Derek J McNab Rocco Host Fred MacAulay

ROCCO Award for Excellence in Manufacturing sponsored by National Manufacturing Institute Scotland.

Winner: RollsRoyce PLC

The Winners:

(The Malcolm Group)

ROCCO Award for Most Promising New Business sponsored by Business Gateway. Winner: Tots United Limited

ROCCO Award for International Trade sponsored by Glasgow Airport. Winner: Scottish Leather Group

ROCCO Award for Excellence in Tourism sponsored by Renfrewshire Council. Winner: Gleddoch

Golf & Spa Resort

ROCCO Award for Family Business of the Year sponsored by The Malcom Group. Winner: Scottish Leather Group Ltd

ROCCO Award for Journey to Net Zero sponsored by Ren Zero.

Winner: Lochlie Construction Group

The Winners:

ROCCO Award for Employer of the Year

The Winners:

ROCCO Award for Outstanding Performing Business >25 employees sponsored by Altrad Babcock. Winner: Wholesale Domestic Bathrooms Ltd

Chamber Chief Executive Bob Grant said:

“ROCCO 2024 was an incredible, upliftingevening celebratingall thatisgoodin our business communityina landmarkyear as we conclude our 60th Diamond Anniversary celebrations.Renfrewshiretrulyisafantasticbusinesslocation withsomanyoutstandingorganisationsrepresentedonthenight andcongratulationstoallourﬁnalists.”

“YoucanviewimagesonourFacebookpage.Iencourageall Rocco winners to utilise their win across their PR channels. Thank youtotheentireChamberteamforalltheirworkbeforeandon thenighttoensureour500guestshadagreattime.Specialthanks tomainsponsorRenfrewshireBusinessSupportPartnership, Diageowhosuppliedourdrinksreception,AndrewO’Brienand theteamfromJ.G.B.Steelcraftforourfantastictrophies,Cameron Presentations&GapTVforalltheAV,thePrintbrokersforthe program,JennaLynnfortheexcellentsocialmediacoverageand theNormandyHotelforthemealandservice.ThanksalsotoSt Columba’sSchoolPipeBandwhowelcomedguestsinsuchstyle. Finally,thanksandawarmwelcomebacktosinger/songwriter ilifollowingherﬁrstappearanceatROCCO2010agedjust12years old–atrulyspecialperformanceforourselloutaudience.”

ROCCO Award for Business Leader of the Year sponsored by Diageo. Winner: Brian Toward, CEO - Wholesale Domestic Bathrooms Ltd

ROCCO Award for Renfrewshire’s Favourite Business sponsored by Braehead. Winner: Paisley Pie Co

Pipers & Drummers from St Columba’s School Diageo Bar Team

Chamber Sta Team

Entertainment wiht Singer Song Writer ili

ROCCO Trophies by JGB Steelcraft

New members

On behalf of the Board of Directors and the Chamber sta , we would like to welcome onboard the following new members.

Barclays

Banking Services

Cameron McIlveen cameron.mcilveen@barclays.com

Overﬂow Artwork and Design

Graphic Design Services

Iain Smith 07843 773 951 iain@overﬂowartworkanddesign.co.uk

Abracadabra Events

Events

Deborah Crangle 07392349547 deborahcrangle@gmail.com

Bilkus & Boyle

Solicitors

Stuart Porter 0141 882 3221 law@bilkusandboyle.com

Arena HR Ltd HR Specialists

Laura Rennie 07805 332236 laura@arenahr.co.uk

Virtual Support Solutions t/a Virtual IT Support IT Support

Pete Richards 0333 323 7731 pete@virtualitsupport.co.uk

Admin Angel

Virtual Assistant Services

Pamela Renfrew 07843 887 554 pamela@youradminangel.co.uk

Currys Business

Electronics retail and repair shop in Scotland

Lee Sharp 0141 435 5482 lee.sharp@currys.co.uk

Ethnic Construction Skills Development CIC Education

Bajiter Pall 07747023260 info@ethnicconstruction.co.uk

Launch Exercise Therapy Exercise Therapy

Laura Walker 07773021851 info@launchexercisetherapy.co.uk

Team Ltd

Rooﬁng Services

Alan Latham 03332412689 enquiries@team-ltd.com

The Osteopaths Osteopaths Simeon London 01418873734 admin@theosteopaths.org.uk

Shepherd Chartered Surveyors Chartered Surveyors

Gary Louttit 0141 331 2807 g.louttit@shepherd.co.uk

Renfrewshire Community Transport Community Transport

Scott Duncan 07825270170 renfrewshirect@outlook.com

The Linell Group Engineering

Douglas Jamard 01505 331165 douglas.jamard@linellgroup.co.uk

“Show Me The Money” Jerry Maguire, 1996

Of the top ten Jerry Maguire quotes my favourite isn’t there. “Help me, Help you”, “You Complete Me” and “You Had Me at Hello” are all as expected noted but my number one from the movie of struggling Sports Agent Jerry Maguire battling a moral dilemma didn’t make the cut.

“Fewer Clients, Less Money” is the quote that jumped right out at me, as a young 20 year old student in HR. A direct contrast to the business culture I knew and surrounded myself with for another 20 years before I decided that “Fewer Clients, Less Money” was the way I wanted to build my business.

Arena HR was created in 2016 in response to a need to provide outsourced HR support and advice to small/medium businesses throughout Scotland. We still hold our values close as we provide a fully personalised service to all clients. The number one feature that clients love from us, is our availability. We come to your site; we are available when you are free to discuss your HR needs.

All in all, it works well. We don’t compete with the bigger outsourced companies that are available only to discuss your generic issues online or over the phone. We really know your staff and we know how the managers and the business owners tick. We don’t judge their opinions, we rely on them telling us the true, regardless of what that is. We build trust from the ﬁrst interaction. We have been working with clients within the Renfrewshire area for some time now so it makes sense to engage with their local chamber rather than only our home base chamber. Renfrewshire is

Raising

such a welcoming place to work, study and live in. We’re delighted to become part of this chamber. We’re going full circle back to Paisley where I studied as that young girl looking out wondering what the next 20+ years would bring.

Id love to meet up with members and am always available for a cuppa, especially in my favourite Scottish Uni. Café.

Standards Since 2001

Established in 2001, Ashleigh (Scotland) Limited is a leading private construction company operating as a Main Contractor across various sectors, including housing, education, commercial, refurbishments, industrial, and healthcare. We undertake projects in both the public and private sectors, with a focus on delivering quality solutions. From residential developments to state-of-the-art facilities, our work in Ayrshire, South West Scotland and the Central Belt reflects our commitment to innovation.

https://www.ashleighscotland.co.uk/

@ashleighscot

(Scotland) Limited

With a focus on sustainability and community engagement, we deliver projects that exceed client expectations while positively contributing to the local economy. Our dedication to excellence, integrity, and collaboration drives us forward as we continue to build a brighter future for Scotland.

TOPTRACER DRIVING RANGE

Our state-of-the-art Toptracer driving range is the ideal practice facility for all your golfing needs and offers the opportunity to practice into the night with our long opening hours. Available to members and non-members.

OPENING TIMES: Monday - Friday 10.00am - 9.00pm | Saturday - Sunday 10.00am - 6.00pm

GOLF COURSE:

Our 18-hole championship course is spread over 360 acres, with stunning views over the Clyde Estuary.

GOLF PRO SHOP:

CORPORATE GOLF: Bring a client or colleague and mix business with pleasure with our corporate membership and golf day packages.

Our on-site Pro shop is well-stocked featuring all the essentials available to hire or buy.

Renfrewshire Business Challenge Fund

Empowering Renfrewshire Businesses for Success

Renfrewshire Council’s Business Challenge Fund aims to bolster the growth and sustainability of small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in Renfrewshire. The initiative with support from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund invited proposals from public, private, education and third sector organisations in the area for new and bespoke business support services. The fund is structured around ﬁve key areas, reﬂects the evolving needs of local businesses: Business Growth and Productivity; Business Sustainability and NetZero; Innovation and Collaboration; Internationalisation and Digital Upskilling.

The successful applications from NMIS, Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce and West College Scotland represent an investment in the future prosperity of Renfrewshire allowing businesses to innovate, grow, and thrive in an ever-changing marketplace.

COOBOTICS S & 3D PRINTING

NMIS PRODIGY (PROductivity and Digital Innovation for Growing Your Business) program offers a comprehensive suite of digital manufacturing upskilling interventions. From Demo Days showcasing the basics of 3D printing and collaborative robots to immersive Interactive Upskilling Workshops that provide participants with hands-on skills and access to expertise. The highlight of the program is the Supported Technology Trial

What is PRODIGY? The ‘PROductivity and Digital Innovation for Growing Your business ’ programme will deliver a series of hands -on upskilling workshops designed to give local manufacturing SMEs an enhanced understanding of how cobotics & 3D printing can help improve their efficiency and innovation, through levering developments in manufacturing technology and upskilling their workforce.

How does it work? PRODIGY has four phases from awareness to deployment. It is structured to cater to diverse audiences and digital readiness levels, allowing

which enables SMEs to test and validate the beneﬁts of adopting advanced manufacturing technologies. Led by the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland, this support is entirely free for SMEs in the Renfrewshire area.

Where does it take place? All demonstrations and workshops will be held at the flagship NMIS Netherton facility, next to Glasgow Airport. The final phase will see a selected group of companies take the equipment to their own sites for a hands -on trial. Various waves of the programme will run from April 2024 to January 2025.

For more information contact: PRODIGY at nmis-skills@strath.ac.uk.

Who has developed PRODIGY? The is being fully funded by Renfrewshire Council ’s Business Development Fund, part of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. It has been created & delivered by the Manufacturing Skills Academy

Renfrewshire Chamber are delivering four projects:

West College Scotland will deliver the Renfrewshire Net Zero Workforce Development Fund (NZWDF) equipping SMEs in Renfrewshire with the skills and capabilities to move towards net zero.

Via a small grant programme, participating SMEs will be able to equip their workforces with the skills needed to deliver new, or enhanced, net zero services to their business customers; helping customers meet their Net Zero and Sustainability goals whilst

Renfrewshire International Trade helping to expand your business by trading internationally. It provides workshops, information and 1-2-1 consultancy support to encourage SMEs to export either for the ﬁrst time or to develop new markets with existing products or services. The Trade Mission Support programme can provide 50% match funding to cover costs of attending physical trade missions and exhibitions and supporting some of the logistics in presenting your commercial offer abroad.

For more information contact: Stuart Hamilton - Renfrewshire International Trade & Trade Mission Support, call 07554 153517 or email: shamilton@renfrewshirechamber.com

The Business Mentoring Programme for non-members works with a group of dedicated expert volunteer mentors who offer their knowledge, skills, and connections to help you meet challenges and support your business, you will be matched with someone who has the right skills and experience to add value to your business.

For more information contact: Stuart Murray - Business Mentoring, call 07525 323500 or email: smurray@renfrewshirechamber.com

“ I’d

like to update

my professional qualifications ”

West College Scotland offers a range of professional training and development courses to help you update your skills.

The AI Innovation Programme can identity what aspect of your business could beneﬁt from applying generative AI software & technology. It includes 1-2-1 consultancy support with AI experts over six months to measure improvements in productivity & efﬁciency of your business.

For more information contact: Bob Grant - AI Innovation, call 07702 909476 or email: bgrant@renfrewshirechamber.com

maximizing the opportunities for participating SMEs to grow their business.

Clydebank Campus 0141 951 7555 Greenock Campus 01475 553 044 Paisley Campus 0141 581 2121

In supporting 40 SMEs, NZWDF will signiﬁcantly support Renfrewshire’s contribution towards the achievement of Net Zero goals.

t 0300 600 6060 w www.westcollegescotland.ac.uk

For more information contact: nzwdf@wcs.ac.uk.

Renfrewshire Council Updates:

Retail shopfront investment passes £750,000 in Renfrewshire

Investment in retail shopfronts and buildings in Renfrewshire has surpassed three-quarters of a million as the Council strives to improve town centres and support local businesses.

Since the inception of the Retail Improvement Scheme (RIS), more than 205 local businesses have received funding to improve their commercial shopfrontswith more than £755,000 awarded to 106 projects since 2016.

In the past three years, six vacant premises have reopened following works supported by the fund and a further two are currently advertised for lease.

Recent projects have included muchloved sewing school the Auld Atelier in Paisley town centre, the Flower Shop

in Elderslie, and the Green Herbalist in Lochwinnoch.

Lisa Thom, the Auld Atelier, said: “The RetailImprovementSchemehasmadea hugedifferencetomybusiness.Itallowed metoreplacetheexistingshopfront,which wasfallingapart,toastandardwhichI wouldhavestruggledtoachieveonmyown.

“Iusedtoavoidhavingphotosoftheshop takenandsharedonlinebutnotanymore. Now,myshopfrontstandsoutbeautifully inthestreetanditattractsalotofpositive attention.

“This scheme is vital for local businesses, ensuringthatourretailspacesare attractiveplacesforpeopletovisit.The teamwereverysupportiveinensuringI couldcompletemyapplication,andwhere

problemsarose,theywereonhandtohelp me resolve them.”

So far this year, 13 projects from across Renfrewshire’s towns and villages have been awarded funding and a second application stage has just concluded - with a total of £130,000 set to be allocated to enhance town centres across the area.

Councillor Andy Steel, Convener of Renfrewshire Council’s Economy and Regeneration Policy Board, said: “This fund hasbeenhugelypopularwithbusinesses acrossRenfrewshireandI’mdelightedto seesomanybeneﬁtfromourinvestment -particularlythosepremisesthatwere vacantandhavenowbeenabletoreopen thankstooursupport.

“Investingmorethan£750,000since2016 outlinesourcommitmenttosupporting localbusinessesandimprovingthe look and feel of our town centres. I look forwardtoseeingthelatestsetofprojects completedearlynextyearaswecontinue tomakeRenfrewshireaplacethatpeople want to live, work, visit and invest in.”

Cllr Andy Steel

Renfrewshire Council Updates:

First Minister breaks ground on Oligonucleotide Manufacturing Innovation Centre

Scotland’s First Minister, John Swinney and the UK Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation, Lord Vallance, have marked the start of construction on the £20million Oligonucleotide Manufacturing Innovation Centre of Excellence (OMICE) which will be based in the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland (AMIDS) in Renfrewshire.

The state-of-the-art facility represents a transformative milestone in the UK’s capabilities for the manufacture of lifesaving oligonucleotide therapies that will enable life-saving treatments and cuttingedge therapies to get to patients quicker.

Oligonucleotides are short strands of DNA or RNA that can target the underlying drivers of disease, with the potential to provide treatments for otherwise untreatable diseases, from cancers to Alzheimer’s. With an expanding pipeline of oligonucleotide-based medicines on the horizon, this centre in Renfrewshire places the UK at the forefront of their development and manufacture.

Renfrewshire Council Leader Iain Nicolson said: “Wearedelightedthat this centre of excellence, which will be transformativeforthegloballifesciences, manufacturingandhealthcareindustries, will be based within AMIDS as we continue tocreateaworld-leadingdistrictof innovation and collaboration.

“AMIDSisbringingacademia,industry andgovernmenttogetherinamanner that will be transformative for a number ofsectors,thelocalandnationaleconomy, andbringthousandsofhighly-skilled jobs,trainingandopportunitiesto Renfrewshire.”

Jointly supported by UK and Scottish Governments through funding from the Ofﬁce for Life Sciences and Scottish Enterprise, the new centre will act as a catalyst for economic growth and collaboration, creating high-skilled jobs and helping to form an innovative medicines manufacturing cluster in Scotland.

First Minister, John Swinney, said: “Thiscentrebringstogetherlifesciences andmanufacturing-twoofourmost

successful sectors. We know the life sciencessectorisgoodforScotland’s economy,butthemedicinesthatwillbe madeinRenfrewshirewillbeneﬁtpeople aroundtheworldbyofferinginnovative andlife-savingtherapieswiththepotential to treat cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s disease.

“The Scottish Government contributed £10.275milliontothisprojectthrough ScottishEnterprise.Wedidsobecauseit reﬂectsmycommitmenttotransforming ourapproachtoinnovationbybuilding newpartnershipsanddrivingcollaboration betweengovernments,industryand academic institutions.”

The build of this new centre solidiﬁes the UK as a global hub for pharmaceutical innovation. With the global market for oligonucleotides continuing to grow, the UK is set to lead the way in shaping the future of healthcare through collaboration, innovation, and investment.

UK Science Minister, Lord Vallance, said: “Oligonucleotidetherapiesaresettobe keymedicinesofthefutureandhavehuge potentialtoimprovehealthoutcomesfor patients-tacklingdiseasessuchascancer, Alzheimer’s and more.

“This new centre of excellence is a strategicinvestmentwhichwillsupport economicgrowthandbetterhealthcare: two of the missions at the heart of this Government’sPlanforChange.”

The centre will be operated by CPI and positioned next to CPI’s Medicines

Manufacturing Innovation Centre, expanding the company’s footprint at the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland.

Frank Millar, CEO of CPI, said: “The OligonucleotideManufacturingInnovation CentreofExcellencewillensurewecanget life-savingtherapiestopatientsquicker, supportingthehealthandwellbeingof peoplearoundtheworld.

“The centre demonstrates the UK’s leadershipinadvancinghigh-value manufacturingandhealthcareinnovation. Byinvestinginthemanufacturing technologiesoftomorrow,wearenotonly strengtheningtheUK’scompetitiveness ontheglobalstagebutbringingimpact backintotheregionswhereweoperate, enhancingourabilitytoattractinward investmentandcreatinghigh-skilledjobs.”

Adrian Gillespie, Chief Executive of Scottish Enterprise, said: “This is a terriﬁc stepinScotlandbecomingaworldrenownedOligonucleotidehubwhere innovative,life-savingtreatmentswillbe developedforpatientsaroundtheglobe.

“Themarketforthispioneering technologyispredictedtodoubleover thenextﬁveyearswhichpresents opportunitiesformanymorecompanies tojoinarapidlygrowingmedicines manufacturingsupplychaininScotland.

“Oursupportispartofourlong-term focusedstrategytoscaleinnovationin growthsectorslikeLifeScienceswhere Scotland excels.”

Renfrewshire Council Updates:

Crowds take to Paisley High Street to Reclaim the Night

Hundreds of women and men took to the streets of Paisley to call for an end to violence against women and girls.

Local people, students, activists and councillors carried placards and banners for the Reclaim the Night march, which started from outside University of West of Scotland.

Two pipers led the march down the High Street to Dunn Square, where everyone gathered for a short memorial service.

A wreath made by the Paisley Soroptimists was laid by Renfrewshire Provost Lorraine Cameron to honour the lives lost to violence. Afterwards, Starlight Rock Choir performed two songs.

People attended Paisley Town Hall after the event for refreshments.

The annual event is part of the United Nations’ international 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence and has been taking place in Renfrewshire for the last 18 years. It was organised by Renfrewshire Council’s Community Learning and Development team, Women and Children First team, partners and local support groups and campaigners.

Provost Cameron said: “No one should feel afraid to walk throughthestreetsatnightclutchingtheirkeysincasetheyare attacked.It’stimeforviolenceagainstwomenandgirls,andthe threatofit,tobeeliminated.Womenandgirlsshouldn’thaveto modifytheirownbehaviourtokeepsafe.Oursocietyneedsto change.

“EventslikeReclaimtheNightarevitaltohelpraiseour voicesthatassaultsandviolencearenotacceptable.Everyone shouldbesafefromgender-basedviolencenomattertheirage, ethnicityorbackground.

“Itwasinspiringtoseesomanypeopleattendthisevent, whichhasgrownyearonyear.Women,menandyoungpeople allmarchedtogetherasoneandIwouldliketothankeachand everyoneofyouwhocamealong.”

Anyone suffering from domestic violence can get help via two national helplines. Calls from a landline are free and the lines are open 24 hours a day.

• Scottish Domestic Abuse—0800 027 1234

• Abused Men in Scotland—03300 949 395

• The Council’s Women and Children First team—0300 300 0345

Schools Updates: Thousands take part in the ﬁrst Renfrewshire Employability Week

Careers and upskilling opportunities were at the forefront as Renfrewshire’s ﬁrst-ever Employability Week came to a close.

Taking place from 2 to 6 September 2024, and facilitated by the Renfrewshire Local Employability Partnership, Renfrewshire Council and the Chamber joined a range of partners and local businesses to support local people into new career paths, showcase job vacancies and access new skills to help advance their careers.

Across more than 20 free events, including sessions with social care professionals and open days with key local employers in sectors such as Manufacturing, Logistics/Warehousing and Construction more than 1,000 people took part in Renfrewshire Employability Week. The programme included employability activity from Chamber members WH Malcolm, Wincanton Logistics, The Russell Group, Scottish Leather Group, NMIS, Peak Scientiﬁc, Morrison Construction and many others.

As part of Employability Week, school pupils visited the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) and CPI’s Medicines Manufacturing Innovation

Centre to promote careers in advanced manufacturing and life and chemical sciences, while others had the chance to see the site of the new Paisley Grammar School and Community Campus and the Renfrew Bridge as construction ﬁrms GRAHAM and Morrison Construction promoted careers in the industry.

Alison Engles, Performance Manager at CPI said: “Wehopestudentswere inspiredtoconsiderarangeofcareersand pathwaysinSTEMinthefuture.Wewere delightedtointroducethosewhovisited ustothewidevarietyofcareerpathways that we offer within life sciences. As an apprenticeshipprovider,thiswasalsoa valuableopportunityforourapprentices tosharetheirexperiencesandofferareal insightintotheworldofwork.”

Milo Sneddon, S5 pupil at Park Mains High

School, said: “Theeventopenedmyeyesto thenumberofwaystogetintoacareerin STEM,suchasapprenticeship,university, collegeorstraightfromschool.Thereare lotsofaspectsIhadn’tconsideredandthe eventhighlightedtomewhatIwouldneed goingforwardlikecertainqualiﬁcations andworkexperience.It’sreallyhelped meunderstandwhatmyoptionsareafter school,aswellasthedifferentjobswithin STEM I could work in.”

There was also an open event at Paisley Town Hall outlining career opportunities available across the public sector, a jobs fair showcasing the latest vacancies in retail, and support to move into self-employment – while the Renfrewshire Employability Conference brought hundreds of professionals together professionals to review the local economy.

NMIS school visit

Park Mains school employment session

Malcolm Logistics open day

MMIC school visit

Paisley Town Hall public sector event

DYW West, 2024

2024 for many organisations has been a busy year and too many events and activities to mention here, so here

SAW – Scottish Apprenticeship Week

March 2024

– we arranged 15 employer led on-site talks/tours for young people across the region.

STEM West 2024

– returned in November for the 6th time with 60 exhibitors showcasing their sector via hands on stem activities to over 800 young people. Our biggest and busiest yet.

DXC – the Digital Futures Academy

– as delivery partner we supported DXC for a full calendar year. The DFA not only delivers world class digital skills & tech sessions on site at their Erskine campus, but also collaborated with external organisations such as at NMIS, arranged via our chair Jim Hannigan, and a popular Murder Mystery event delivered by our host, West College Scotland. 2025 will also see the group of 52 pupils attend the National Robotarium in March 2025.

Barclays visit East Ren schools

DXC murder mystery with the college

Sandy Begbie and Bob at STEM West

2024 review

DYW

West

is no

di erent.

There are are some highlights:

Over the year the regional group & DYW school coordinators (that are based in each school) delivered activity to over 30,000 young people aided by over 1,000 employer interactions. By December 80 organisations have now pledged their support to the Young Person’s Guarantee (YPG).

Looking forward, early in 2025 DYW across Scotland is celebrating 10 years since it was formed (will be 9 years for DYW West) and asking organisations that have beneﬁted from DYW to get involved – see dyw.scot/decade for more info (socials campaign runs Jan 13-31 with #dywdecade). Maybe we have helped increase awareness of your industry, help attract more diverse applications for any early careers roles,

or a young person has got a job as a result of a talk / tour / event. Please share any examples with us.

Scottish Apprenticeship Week returns 3-7 March. If you have apprenticeships live at that time or soon after please let us know, consider running an event that week or asking us to help promote any relevant vacancies for you – please email info@dywwest.co.uk

DYW is here to help employers develop their workforce via our school connections – so if not already do chat with us about talks, tours, careers events, apprenticeships, mentoring etc. We are here to help, and our services are free. We are in the early stages of planning DYW activity in 2025 with chamber members such as Thermo Fisher, Scottish Leather and Altrad.

Finally, thank you to our board, staff, employers, educators, councils, DYW schools coordinators and our host the college for all their support in 2024 and we wish everyone all the best for 2025. And a special congratulations to Jan in our team who gave birth to twins (a boy and a girl) in November.

DYW West are seeking employers of all sizes & sectors to help develop the future workforce across Renfrewshire and beyond. For example, could you or your colleagues o er:

• Class talks

• Workplace tours

• Work experience

• Help with CVs / interview skills

• Attend careers events

• Mentor a young person via Career Ready / MCR Pathways

If you are looking to attract young people to your organisation please ask for our free support and remember to post apprenticeship opportunities on www.apprenticeships.scot (free) and tag us in social media to allow us to help market your opportunities. Get in touch via info@dywwest.co.uk

Bob & Taylor at Renfrewshire Connect

THE HAZLITT APARTMENTS PAISLEY –LUXURY ACCOMMODATION IN A HISTORIC BUILDING

The regeneration of the historic town of Paisley continues with the opening of The Hazlitt Apartments. Developed within a beautiful, listed building in Paisley’s Causeyside Street, which was built in 1908, this sympathetic conversation to a self-catering apartment hotel comprises of a mix of one bedroom and two-bedroom apartments.

The 18 apartments range from studios to one- and two-bedroom suites and a beautiful bridal suite. The interiors feature a mix of contemporary and traditional furniture and ﬁttings. With a ﬂoor area of more than 450 square feet, the smallest single bedroom apartments are larger than most hotel suites, and, at more than 700 square feet, their average single bedroom apartments offer a very generous space in the living rooms and bedrooms.

The stunning entrance hall features original tiles which will be a warm welcome for guests on arrival. Appointed to a very high standard, all apartments have fully ﬁtted and well-equipped kitchens, widescreen televisions, a dining area, sofa bed and a six-foot king-size bed.

For business guests, each apartment beneﬁts from wi-ﬁ throughout; some apartments have desks and there is also a dishwasher, and a turndown and laundry service, if required.

Ian Henderson, owner, The Hazlitt

Apartments, said: “Thisprojecthasbeen inthepipelineforover10years,andwe’re delightedtowelcomegueststoexperience thisfantasticaparthotel. Thebuilding issteepedinhistoryandourlocationis perfectforbothbusinesstravellersseeking proximitytothetown,leisureguests,those visitinguniversitiesinthearea,andtourists visitingScotland’slargesttownforitsrich culturaloffering.”

Although there is no food and beverage offering on site, there is a fully functioning kitchen in each apartment, and the location beneﬁts from lots of local bars, restaurants and shops on its doorstep.

There is no minimum stay at The Hazlitt Apartments. They can accommodate guests looking for one or two nights, or longer. The Hazlitt Apartments are ideal for long terms stays and the team are happy to discuss discounted terms for stays of more than one week. They also take group bookings for larger parties, making this the ideal place if you are visiting with a group for an event.

The Hazlitt has many amenities including a free private car park; Glasgow Airport is a 10-minute drive away. Glasgow town centre is a 20-minute drive. Gilmour Street train station is a 5-minute walk.

The apartments are accessible, with lift to provide access to all rooms. Check in is at 3pm and check out is at 10am. Late check out can be arranged upon special request and will incur an additional charge. Well

behaved pets are welcome at an additional fee of £15 per night (treats included).

The building was the former home of Paisley Co-operative and is one of the most signiﬁcant listed buildings in the town. At the turn of the 20th century, the Paisley based company J & P Coats was the third largest company in the world after US Steel and Standard Oil and many ﬁne buildings were built in the town around this time – as a result Paisley has the highest percentage of listed buildings per capita in the UK and many are open to the public, including Coats Memorial (now a thriving venue), Paisley Abbey and the soon to be re-opened refurbished Paisley Museum and observatory, due to open in 2025. The recently refurbished Paisley Town Hall and Paisley Arts Centre are now open.

The Hazlitt Apartments

27 Causeyside Street Paisley, PA1 1UL

T: 0141 886 5020

E: info@thehazlitt.com