Dunbartonshire issue 27 issuu by dtech

THE DUNBARTONSHIRE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUSINESS MAGAZINE

10 27

FLYING START FOR LOCH LOMOND SHORES NEW DINER AT LOMONDGATE

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WORKPLACE PENSION CHANGES EVENTS DIARY

ISSUE 27 • SUMMER 2015

ADVERTISING FEATURE

The New A3 Sportback e-tron Lomond Fleet Team are delighted to now have the new e-tron A3

available to supply, numbers are limited, however we have managed to secure production for the second half of the year and we expect the availability to be limited in Quarter 4 this year. The interest in the e-tron has been phenomenal, with some of our fleet customers now taking delivery and having the pleasure of driving the model, this has enabled us to declare that the vehicle is a success in this car category. The e-tron is different, in that it has both electric and petrol powertrains, this means the engine is capable of both driving the wheels and recharging the battery pack, the engine is a 1.4 TFSI/75kw electric motor, transmission is a six speed S tronic. Tristan Campbell, Fleet Advisor at Chivas Brothers, has a variety of hybrid vehicles in his fleet and is extremely knowledgeable on the finer details in running such a green fleet. We could not miss the opportunity when we delivered the first of Chivas e-tron orders to get a photo opportunity, thankfully it was a sunny day in March and a very prestigious location at the Chivas office in Paisley. For further information please see our website www.lomondaudigroup.com/new-cars/a3-sportback-etron or contact Jacqui Lee on Jacqui.lee@lomondaudigroup.com.

Contents From the Editor................................... 5 Chamber Represents Business............... 5 News in Brief.................................... 6-8 Chamber Member ‘One to Watch’ Aggreko Tour First for Primary Pupils Vale of Leven Industrial Estate Chivas Workers Fundraise for CHAS The Biz Local Expands into New Territory

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mond Shores

Flying Start for Loch Lo

Flying Start for Loch Lomond Shores..................... 10-13 Pre-School Children Attend Clydebank Charrette.......................... 15 Access Course 100 Per Cent Success................... 16-17 Chivas Brothers Embrace Mobile Computing............................ 20 Tougher Recycling Rules for Food Businesses........................... 22-23 New Diner and Takeaway at Lomondgate..................................... 27 Workplace Pension Changes.............. 28

New Shared Parental Leave Rules.................................. 30-31 Pioneering Ethical Investment ISA........ 33

ate New Diner at Lomondg

Park Previews Project..................... 34-35 New Members................................... 36 Chamber Members Scoop Top Awards............................................39 Entrepreneur’s New Weight Loss Franchise........................ 41 Event Reports............................... 44-46 Events Diary................................. 47-49

Cover photo © and by kind permission of Keith Hunter Photography – www.keithhunterphotography.com.

Dunbartonshire Chamber of Commerce Whitecrook Business Centre 78 Whitecrook Street, Clydebank G81 1QF.

ges

an Workplace Pension Ch

T: 0141 280 0272 F: 01389 750005 E: admin@dunbartonshirechamber.co.uk www.dunbartonshirechamber.co.uk For advertising contact D-Tech: T: 0141 222 2202 E: sales@incommerce.biz For editorial contact editor: June Hyslop T: 07944 265126 E: editor@incommerce.biz Publisher: D-Tech INCOMMERCE is published by D-Tech, Suite 3.3, Station House, 34 St Enoch Square, Glasgow G1 4DF Telephone 0141 222 2202. E-mail: info@dtechuk.com. Edited by June Hyslop, Copywrite Editorial, Dumbarton. Telephone 07944 265126. E-mail: editor@incommerce.biz.

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Events Diary

INCOMMERCE is fully protected by copyright and nothing may be printed nor copied wholly or in part without the written permission of the publishers. The proprietors of this magazine are publishers and not agents, or sub-agents of those who advertise therein. They cannot be held liable for any loss suffered as a result of information contained within this publication. The views expressed by authors of articles published in this magazine are solely those of the author and are not necessarily the views of or shared by the editor, the publisher or the directors, shareholders and/ or employees of D-Tech or Dunbartonshire Chamber of Commerce.

Photo courtesy of Green Highlander Images.

welcome ‘SHOWBUSINESS for ugly people’ is one of my favourite descriptions of political life, although it seems that the show has been going on interminably recently. I am writing this before May 7 and so do not know the result of the election, but all indications are that no single party is likely to gain an overall majority. I hope many of you attended the hustings events we ran in both West and East Dunbartonshire. It was fascinating to be able to grill the candidates at close quarters about issues that are important to business.

However, we can only truly represent the voice of business in the area if we hear from you – our members. I hope you can attend our AGM in the Dumbuck House Hotel in Dumbarton on 28 May. The board of directors will report on chamber business and look forward to the year ahead. There will also be an opportunity for informal networking. Please join in our discussions in LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. The more we hear from you, the more we can influence those in power on your behalf, no matter who wins the election.

However, no matter who wins, political communication is too important simply to be brought up during the razamatazz of an election campaign and thereafter forgotten about. While we are good for networking, it is the ability of chambers to facilitate communication with politicians, at ALL levels – local, national, UK and European – that differentiates us from other business organisations. Since becoming president, I have been impressed by how keen politicians are to approach us to find out what is happening outside the Holyrood or Westminster bubble.

Stewart Rennie President Dunbartonshire Chamber of Commerce www.dunbartonshirechamber.co.uk www.incommerce.biz

An example of this was my meeting on 22 April with some top civil servants to give our input into the Scottish Business Pledge. There was a frank but constructive discussion around these proposals and the Scottish Government was made fully aware of the views of business on the issue.

Photo by Joyce Martin Photography.

ELECTION HUSTINGS: East Dunbartonshire candidates with chamber director, Robert Wilson, who chaired the meeting, and president, Stewart Rennie.

DUNBARTONSHIRE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUSINESS MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2015

Back row (L-R) Jamie Robertson,UKIP, standing in for Wilfred Arasaratnam; Robert Wilson; Amanjit Jhund, Labour; Ross Greer, Green. Front row (L-R) Stewart Rennie; Jo Swinson, Liberal Democrat; John Nicolson, SNP and Andrew Polson, Conservative.

FROM THE

Photo © Murdoch Ferguson – www.ferguson-imaging.com.

EDITOR editor@incommerce.biz

THEY say a week is a long time in politics – that is never more true than during a general election campaign when there is all to play for. By the time you receive this issue of InCommerce, it will thankfully be over. Whoever is elected, and whatever government we have at Westminster, you can be assured that the chamber will represent your interests without fear or favour. One of the strengths of the chamber is its diversity, the fact that it represents business people from across the political spectrum, and that it works with politicians of all parties. Its political neutrality is a strength, its focus on business is resolute, and its job is to represent the interests of its members. This issue of InCommerce celebrates our members’ business successes like Steven Cairns of Virtual VIP, The BIZ Local, Loch Lomond Shores, Tartan Rocket, Glenhead Engineering and JJR Print. It also celebrates educational success at West College Scotland, at the Park Previews Project, at Christie Park Primary School, and at Gavinburn Early Education and Childcare Centre. That covers all the bases – tertiary, secondary, primary and preschool. There has never been a better time to join the chamber both to network with these businesses and to make use of the many benefits membership offers. Over the next few issues of the magazine, I will be looking at some of these benefits in detail and asking members who have used them what they think. Let me know if you have called the 24 hour legal helpline for advice or have made use of the chamber primary health plan. Some of these benefits are part and parcel of your chamber membership – others, like the health plan are an optional extra which you pay a little bit more for, but which come at a heavily discounted rate and, which, offer excellent value for money. The fact is, if you make use of all the benefits that are on offer, you should, in many cases recoup the cost of your membership.

Chamber Represents Business at Charrette Consultation CHAMBER director Nick Allan was heavily involved in the Clydebank and Dumbarton charrette exercises representing the views of the local business community. He attended six workshop sessions as part of the public consultations on the future of the areas, many with chamber members, including president, Stewart Rennie; fellow director, Robert Wilson; Stewart Anderson; Russell Sim; Lesley Shaw and Gordon Cunningham. As a chartered surveyor, Nick was also able to contribute in relation to land use, infrastructure and sustainable investment options. His involvement in the development of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Bill meant could contribute knowledgeably to discussions on the community right to buy and right to challenge aspects of the proposed legislation. Topics ranged from regeneration, spatial planning and investment to property, land use and connectivity of the business district. “All these things relate back to investment, business confidence and economic prosperity in one way or another and the challenge now is to take the ambitious ideas and contributions from all the participants and convert these into an achievable plan for change and improvement,” he commented. West Dunbartonshire Council expects to have the consultants’ reports on the consultations in the next few weeks. These will summarise the events and suggest next steps and action plans for the future.

DUNBARTONSHIRE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUSINESS MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2015

news in brief… Chamber Member is ‘One to Watch’

Aggreko Tour First for Primary School Pupils CHRISTIE Park was the first primary school to tour the Aggreko manufacturing plant in Dumbarton.

Photo courtesy of Virtual VIP.

Primary 7 and 6/7 pupils saw engineering at work as part of the well-established Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) project at the Alexandria school.

THE BusinessZone website chose Steven Cairns of Dumbarton-based Virtual VIP as ‘one to watch’ at the end of March. The chamber member was given the chance to answer eight questions about himself and his business on its website, including how came up with the idea for Virtual VIP, what his key challenges were, and how he overcame them. Virtual VIP provides a customer-focussed, UK-based telephone answering service for small, medium and large businesses. March has been its best month so far and it now has clients from as far afield as Azerbaijan, India and California.

All of the children received a merit award, six achieved distinction with four of them going on to the next stage of the judging process. This was the culmination of a focus on engineering linked to the Scottish STEM Leader Award. The experience inspired everyone and undoubtedly contributed to the success of the school’s pupils. Staff at Aggreko gave the group a warm welcome and pitched the tour at an age-appropriate level. Pupils received a safety talk in advance and wore hi-visibility waistcoats and safety glasses. They thoroughly enjoyed the visit and as a result many of the children have been inspired to look at engineering as a future career choice. Principal teacher, Elizabeth Campbell, said: “Christie Park Primary School recognises and values the contribution made when good business links are established. “This provides real life contexts and experiences from the world of work from a young age.”

“We are delighted to be featured in Business Zone. The website provides editorial comment and community interaction for more than 483,000 visitors a month. It is an ideal forum for us to share our story with the business and entrepreneur community,” Steven commented. Virtual VIP was a 2014 finalist in the website’s small business competition – The Pitch. www.businesszone.co.uk www.virtualvip.co.uk

DUNBARTONSHIRE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUSINESS MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2015

Photo courtesy of Christie Park Primary School.

Based at Strathleven House in Dumbarton, and in London, it provides clients with their own PA to answer calls in their company name when they can’t pick up themselves.

VALE OF LEVEN INDUSTRIAL ESTATE

BID Improvements Go Ahead

First Workshops in 20 Years THE first workshops in 20 years are being built at the Vale of Leven Industrial Estate on an undeveloped area of land. Scottish Government Minister for Housing and Welfare, Margaret Burgess, MSP, joined West Dunbartonshire councillors at the ground breaking ceremony for the £1.8m workshops. The council is working with development partner, Hub West Scotland, to complete 13 units for small and growing businesses, ranging in size from 500 to 1000 square feet, by this autumn. Ms Burgess said: “I am delighted that the Scottish Government is providing support of almost £1m from the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund towards the construction of these new units.

NEW CCTV cameras will provide improved security and safety at the Vale of Leven Industrial Estate. Three pole-mounted cameras which can read vehicle registration numbers are being installed and every vehicle entering and leaving the estate will be recorded. Where there is evidence of illegal behaviour or fly tipping, prosecutions will be sought. A commitment of £10k each from West Dunbartonshire Council (WDC) and Scottish Enterprise has matched funds generated by the Business Improvement District (BID) levy to pay for the measures.

“This investment will support local businesses, helping to both sustain and create jobs.” The council’s convener of infrastructure and regeneration, Patrick McGlinchey, added: “Once built, these new workshops will help support our strategy to improve the economy in West Dunbartonshire and create new job opportunities for our residents. “The units will assist new businesses to launch and other firms to develop and expand, acting as a catalyst for job creation.”

Photo courtesy of West Dunbartonshire Council.

The council is also contributing value-in-kind by supplying and installing the mounting poles for the cameras. A second phase will see the installation of two or three more cameras covering the centre of the estate. Strathleven Regeneration CIC has given the BID £1,000 towards the costs of installing new, improved signage at the site, and there are plans to name the two adopted roads for the first time. Proposals for Levenside Road and Burroughs Way, which both reflect the estate’s history and heritage, have been submitted to WDC. This will help customers and suppliers find businesses in the estate.

GROUND BREAKING CEREMONY: (L-R) Debbie McNamara from Hub West Scotland; Margaret Burgess, MSP; Councillor Patrick McGlinchey; Richard Cairns, WDC’s executive director of infrastructure and regeneration, and Noel Mullen, of contractor Heron Bros.

www.voliebid.co.uk

DUNBARTONSHIRE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUSINESS MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2015

Photo courtesy of Chivas Brothers.

Photo courtesy of The Biz Local.

The Biz Local Expands into New Territory

THE Biz Local is launching its fifth business directory covering the Falkirk and Grangemouth area in May.

Chivas Workers Fundraise for CHAS EMPLOYEES from Chivas Brothers’ Kilmalid and Paisley bottling plants have once again raised more than £2,500 for the Children’s Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS). CHAS is a popular cause with the firm’s employees – who have raised more than £120,000 since 1996. This includes contributions from work events, individual fundraising, and the company’s doubling up scheme – which matches amounts raised by employees of up to £500 per person per year. Manufacturing Director Alister McIntosh said: “The work that CHAS does for seriously ill children and their families is incredible, and with Robin House right on our doorstep, it’s a cause very close to our hearts.

“This is the third year in a row that our manufacturing employees have managed to raise more than £2,500 for CHAS.” CHAS is the only charity in Scotland that provides vital hospice services for children and young people with life-shortening conditions. It runs Robin House in Balloch – a homefrom-home where families can relax, recharge their batteries and make the most of the short time they have together. Scott Maxwell, CHAS fundraiser, said: “The ongoing support from the employees at Chivas Brothers is inspirational. They have really grasped what we do at CHAS and we are so very proud of how much they have raised.”

Managing director, Ian Smith, said: “We are going to invest heavily in our new edition issuing 34,000 copies every two months and hopefully will see this new area become profitable during 2016 and beyond. “Our research shows that there is nothing of any real substance serving this area and the response has been overwhelming. Our model will bring local businesses to local people reaching nearly 70,000 homes. “Most of our customers are tradespeople, so want to seek work within one, two, three, four, and, now maybe even all, our areas. Each issue is very local but you can extend your reach in stages depending on the type of business and/or size of your budget.” The first Biz Local in 2009 covered the Kirkintilloch/Lenzie/Bishopbriggs areas and quickly expanded into neighbouring Bearsden and Milngavie giving coverage of the whole of East Dunbartonshire. Two years later it moved into Cumbernauld and Kilsyth followed by Airdrie and Coatbridge. The full colour local business directory is delivered bi-monthly by Royal Mail and copies are also available for pick-up throughout their distribution areas. www.thebizlocal.com Facebook “f ” Logo

CMYK / .ai

Facebook “f ” Logo

CMYK / .ai

thebizlocal

DUNBARTONSHIRE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUSINESS MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2015

We are a small family run delicatessen and cafe, Daughter (Julie) and Mother (Lin). Been trading for five years, serving home cooked food, including full breakfast, tasty soups and made to order sandwiches and panini. All baking is home made including scones, carrot cake and thick caramel slice. Deli and grocery products are mainly sourced from Scottish producers and suppliers, along with a selection of ingredients for around the world.

Normal opening hours Oct - Easter 8.30am til 5pm Thursday to Tuesday, Closed on Wednesday. Easter to Oct 8am til 5.30pm. If you are planning a day in the great outdoors, pop into the deli to fuel up before venturing out or enjoy a well earned coffee and cake afterwards.

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Flying Start for Loch Lomond Shores LOCH Lomond Shores (LLS) has got off to a flying start in 2015 and looks set to increase its visitor numbers for the fifth year in a row. It also reached the final five in the best marketing team category in The Scottish Entertainment and Hospitality Awards in April, as did Loch Lomond Sea Life Centre, in the favourite family day out sector. Over the last 12 months LLS has received a number of awards, including for safer parking and a gold for sustainability. Clare Gemmell, Loch Lomond Shores general manager (pictured above), said: “Getting into the entertainment awards final was great and a step in the right direction – 2015 has been exciting so far. “Our new TreeZone adventure course is open, the Gateway Centre is being marketed to entice a vibrant addition to the site, there’s the cruise operation from the lagoon, and lots of owner investment in the site. “There are also a number of development opportunities which are now on the open market, which offer up the undeveloped land at Loch Lomond Shores and the west riverside area for various uses including further hotel, hostel, lodge or holiday accommodation, tourism-related retail and leisure activity. “With a brand new successful event – Springfest – which attracted our highest ever visitor count on any day on record – already under our belts this year, we will continue to build our events calendar and entice new people to the area. “Loch Lomond Shores is not simply about shopping and great views, it is a place to stay, a place to have an adventure, it is a place to visit time and time again.”

DUNBARTONSHIRE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUSINESS MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2015

Record First Ever Springfest Attendance THE first ever Springfest Scottish Food and Drink Festival at Loch Lomond Shores outstripped all previous attendance records. Around 30,000 people visited the event over its two days to sample fine wines, ales, ciders and food from a wide range of producers and suppliers. Almost 70 Scottish food and drink related businesses took part – many of whom had never been to Loch Lomond Shores before. Clare Gemmell, Loch Lomond Shores general manager, said: “The feedback over the weekend from visitors and from the businesses taking part was very positive indeed. “From setting out to do this once-only event, to celebrate the Year of Food and Drink Scotland, it seems there is a high demand to keep this event in the calendar for forthcoming years.

Springfest was supported as part of Year of Food and Drink Scotland 2015, delivered by VisitScotland and EventScotland. www.lochlomondshores.com

Photos courtesy of Loch Lomond Shores.

“From food tasting, learning about the science behind your taste buds, the great live music from local bands, through to the phenomenal Easter weather, everything just pulled together to showcase Loch Lomond at its very best.”

DUNBARTONSHIRE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUSINESS MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2015

National Park Flagship Building Seeks New Tenant LOCH Lomond and The Trossachs National Park is looking for a new tenant for its flagship Gateway Centre building. The two-storey 728 sq m contemporary glass and timber building at Loch Lomond Shores has an open plan design which lends itself to a number of uses having previously been operated as a visitor centre, café and retail outlet. The park authority is keen to receive tenders, which could include an authentic Scottish food and drink offer and something to tie-in with outdoor recreation opportunities in and around Loch Lomond. National park head of visitor experience, Mairi Bell, said: “We know our visitors want to be inspired by their visit and feel like they have experienced the best of what the national park has to offer. “We are looking for a committed operator who understands the needs of our visitors, who can provide an informed and engaging experience, embedding the national park’s core values at the heart of their business.

Loch Lomond Shores offers year-round appeal with a mix of shopping, including luxury retailer Jenners, outdoor clothing stores and several small eateries, as well as a growing number of family attractions including a new ropes course, sea life and bird of prey centres, mini-golf course and activities, including pedalo hire, bike hire and canoe hire. In addition, there is now a pontoon for cruises and waterbuses which became fully operational for the first time at Easter when the new Marston’s 27 bedroom pub, restaurant and inn also opened. The area hosts a variety of large scale events throughout the year including, The Great Scottish Swim, a number of food and drink festivals, a wedding fair, regular farmers’ markets and community cinema nights. It is anticipated that an operator will be appointed in July 2015 with a view to opening in spring 2016. www.investinthepark.org

DUNBARTONSHIRE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUSINESS MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2015

Photos © and by kind permission of Keith Hunter Photography – www.keithhunterphotography.com.

“Food and drink is a huge part of the visitor experience and we see growing opportunities to attract an existing family market and new visitors to the park.”

Photos courtesy of Loch Lomond Shores.

Balloch Business Success Double BUSINESSES at Loch Lomond Shores are also awardwinning with two notching up recent industry successes. Anne Caldwell (pictured near right) received a gold award and was crowned Hawkshead manager of the year after she ensured its Balloch branch was the company’s top performing store in 2014. She exceeded her annual target by five per cent, performed well in stock take, store audits and mystery shops, whilst maintaining a high standard of merchandising in the specialist outdoor clothing retailer.

The newsagent and convenience store has been shortlisted as a finalist two years running and, while disappointed not to scoop the top prize this year, was thrilled to be highly commended.

“I was delighted to have my hard work and achievements recognised and appreciated by the company. I have a great team here and we were all delighted to get a gold award for the store,” she said.

Store manager, Andy Howell (above right), commented: “It was a privilege to be shortlisted. I would like to thank my staff for all their hard work and my customers for being so loyal – they are the reason we got so far.

Hawkshead has 11 stores nationwide, including two in the Lake District, one in Inverness and one in Pitlochry.

“We will continue to strive to keep ourselves at the forefront of all the latest collectables and crazes.”

Loch Lomond News was runner-up in the ‘Collectables Retailer of the Year’ at the 2015 Scottish Grocer Awards at Glasgow’s Hilton Hotel.

He also congratulated the winner – Fleming Gifts of Clydebank – saying he was pleased the top award also went to a West Dunbartonshire business.

Photo courtesy of Loch Lomond Shores.

Gregor’s Great Glen Charity Trek AYRSHIRE Hospice is a charity close to Gregor Field’s heart which is why he is trekking the 77-mile Great Glen Way at the end of May to raise funds for it. The hospice cared for the Loch Lomond Shores site operations manager’s brother, Harry, before his death last year.

“They not only gave him first class care but maintained his dignity. I can’t thank these incredible people enough. “It is awful that the hospice, which provided such fantastic end of life care, has to rely on charitable donations to operate.” The hospice cares for adults in Ayrshire and Arran with lifelimiting illnesses helping them to live as actively as possible until the end of their lives, however long that may be. It is open to all and it’s free for patients, but costs £4m a year to run.

He has already exceeded his initial fundraising target of £500 and now hopes to raise at least £2000.

The Great Glen Way stretches from coast to coast across the Highlands, linking the main centres of Fort William and Inverness. It will take Gregor five days to complete it by walking and wild camping.

He said: “I’m doing this in an effort to raise funds for Ayrshire Hospice as a token of appreciation for everything the amazing staff did for my brother in his last few weeks of life.

He has set up a JustGiving page with all proceeds going to Ayrshire Hospice. If you would like to donate you can do so at www.justgiving.com/Gregor-Field.

DUNBARTONSHIRE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUSINESS MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2015

Award winning

Murrayshall

Hotel & Golf Courses

We have had a busy start to the year at Murrayshall starting with our chefs in the Old Masters Restaurant being recognised for sourcing 75% off their current menu from local Scottish producers, winning them the ‘Taste our Best’ from VisitScotland. The hotel followed this up by being awarded by the Scottish Hotel Awards – Regional Golf Hotel of the Year 2015 for the Central and Fife region. Only last week we have been placed in Golf World’s Top 100 courses in Scotland, the first time we have made the list. With two 18 holes courses, award winning food and accommodation Murrayshall provides the ideal venue for your golf break or golf day…

Tee times available from £99.00 for 4 players, Sunday nights stays from £89.00pp inclusive of bed and breakfast and two rounds of golf, two nights stays with golf from £149.00pp or try our Murrayshall Mondays, coffee and a bacon roll followed by 18 holes on Murrayshall for £30.00pp. All our offers and online tee times are available at

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Photos courtesy of Gavinburn Early Education and Childcare Centre.

Pre-School Children Attend Clydebank Charrette CHILDREN from Gavinburn Early Education and Childcare Centre surprised everyone by taking part in the charrette consultation about the regeneration of Clydebank. Through the nursery’s ongoing intergenerational project, the pre-school children and their parents got together with the residents of Second Avenue sheltered housing to make their views known. Jacqueline O’Donnell, team leader at the centre, said: “We have generated many ideas and suggestions as to how funding can be spent on creating places for families and all generations to come together, embracing the many cultural and historical events and identities that Clydebank has. “Both older people and the young, often the most isolated and stereotyped sections of society, have come together to share their knowledge and enthusiasm, by getting involved with politics and decision-making processes. “The organisers came to the nursery with their map and we shared our ideas and experiences on the things we liked and disliked about Clydebank and Bowling.

“We took the map to our friends in Second Avenue sheltered housing, and together we talked about ways of creating spaces that both the young and the old could share.” The nursery children also visited Clydebank Town hall to tell people about their ideas and then went back to hear how these might be used. Jacqueline added: “Our joint involvement in the charrette has added a new dimension to our work, as we strive to have the views of two sections of society usually overlooked, listened to and hopefully used to shape the future of Clydebank.” “The nursery’s intergenerational work with Second Avenue sheltered housing has led to many great learning experiences. “It sits at the heart of our aim to build our links to the local community and beyond, and has added depth to our commitment to raising attainment in both literacy and numeracy, for not only our children, but their families and the wider community.”

DUNBARTONSHIRE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUSINESS MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2015

tland. West College Sco Photo courtesy of

DUNBARTONSHIRE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUSINESS MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2015

Access Course 100 Per Cent Success WEST College Scotland students on its Access to Science course at Clydebank campus achieved a 100 per cent success rate in its first year. The course is specially designed to prepare students for a place in higher education or at university. Predominantly for adult returners, the year long course gives people a chance to prove that they are capable of gaining further qualifications and every one of the students now has a conditional offer for university. The class of 10 came from very different backgrounds, were a mixture of ages and had a range of career ambitions. They now hope to pursue careers in areas like optometry, marine biology, physics, astronomy and aeronautical engineering. Freelance hairdresser, Heather Boyd, aged 24, from Milngavie gave up on education when she lost her best friend in high school: “It was a devastating time for me and played a big part in my school experience. I left at the first opportunity which is how I got into hairdressing,” she explained. When she subsequently lost her job as a stylist she found it hard to get another position without any qualifications and ended up in low paid posts she didn’t enjoy. “I decided if I wanted to get a better job I needed to get some qualifications behind me. “It was my interest in the environment and animals that brought me to study Access to Science at the college.”

For 30-year-old Allan McLean from Helensburgh, he was ready to do something for himself. “When I left school I was destined for university – I had all the qualifications but my brother needed full-time care so I was unable to follow that path. “Now with facilities in place for him, my brother is able to do much more for himself, which I why I decided it was time to do something for me. “I think I speak for the whole class when I say we were all a bit nervous about coming back into the classroom and learning environment, especially those of us who hadn’t had a great experience at school. But we’ve all been pleasantly surprised by both the teaching methods and the course content. “You have to be willing to put the work and effort in, but if you’re committed to doing it you can’t go wrong.” The youngest member of the class, Shanice Diamond, aged 18, just missed out on the qualifications needed to study for an HNC, so was allowed to join the class with a couple of other under-21s. “It’s ended up working in our favour,” she said, “Every single one of us has received a conditional offer for university which is just amazing – we are all in agreement that we have this course to thank for that.” www.westcollegescotland.ac.uk

DUNBARTONSHIRE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUSINESS MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2015

ADVERTISING FEATURE

BECOME TENDER READY WITH THE SUPPLIER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME HAVE you registered with the Supplier Development Programme (SDP) yet? If you’re a small or medium enterprise (SME) interested in working with the public sector, the Supplier Development Programme can help. West Dunbartonshire Council work in partnership with SDP to bring FREE business support in all aspects of tendering to help you win work and grow your business. We can assist you to become tender ready for public procurement through expert training, support and information. If you’re an SME and based in Scotland, you can register to access all that SDP has to offer. Once your business is registered you can access all information for free.

FINANCE TO IMPROVE BUSINESS PERFORMANCE ONE of the most important issues facing all businesses is obtaining appropriate levels of finance to grow their business. West Dunbartonshire Council has developed a wide range of business support programmes which can provide financial investment to new and existing businesses in West Dunbartonshire to assist them to improve business performance and safeguard or increase employment. Our Business Capital Grant could help towards the purchase of essential equipment or machinery and our Business Property Improvement Grant could assist with developing your business premises to support business growth and job creation. If your growth plans include developing and implementing new ICT systems, we could help with an ICT Grant. Each of these grants could contribute 30% or up to £3,000 towards the costs of developing your business. We also have grants to help with startup costs, creating employment, training/developing staff and ideas for new social enterprises. Our Business Support team can provide information on all our business support initiatives.

ADVERTISING FEATURE

YOUTHOYMENT EMPL T GRAN 50% of wage costs for u p to 26 wee ks!

Are you 16 - 24 years old and looking for a job? If so, we may be able to offer your new employer a grant!

In addition to our grants, if you have a funding gap and are making significant investment in your business, whether for new equipment or machinery, property improvements, property purchase or other purpose, you could apply for a loan from the West of Scotland Loan Fund. West Dunbartonshire Council are partners in the West of Scotland Loan Fund (WSLF) and we can work with you to apply for a WSLF Loan between £10,000 to £100,000 at a very competitive 5% interest rate. You can apply online at www.wslf.co.uk or contact the WDC Business Support team for more information. The aim of this programme is to provide a

West Dunbartonshire Council’s Business Support Team is financial incentive to businesses to create on hand to offer a comprehensive range of information, new youth employment opportunities for West advisory services and funding and support initiatives Dunbartonshire residents who would otherwise to assist in the creation, development and growth of be unemployed/economically inactive. businesses in the local area. Whatever your business subsidy can provide a grant to your new needs, theThe team is waiting to help. employer for a maximum of 26 weeks, covering 50% of the national minimum wage. Employers

GROW YOUR BUSINESS WITH SUPERFAST BROADBAND BROADBAND Connection vouchers are available to businesses in West Dunbartonshire and across the UK through a Government backed scheme. If you are a small or medium enterprise (SME), sole trader, registered charity or social enterprise you could be eligible for a grant of up to £3,000 towards installing a faster, better broadband service. The Grant Scheme is managed by Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) a unit within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. To find out more about the Scheme visit:

www.connectionvouchers.co.uk All West Dunbartonshire postcodes should be eligible to apply. If not please get in touch with the WDC Business Support Team.

outwith the West Dunbartonshire area may also be eligible for this grant.

West Dunbartonshire Council Business Support Team Economic Development West Dunbartonshire Council Garshake Road Dumbarton G82 3PU Tel:

01389 737777 Email:

business.support@west-dunbarton.gov.uk Web:

www.west-dunbarton.gov.uk/ business/grant-and-loan/

Photo courtesy of Chivas Brothers.

Chivas Brothers Embraces Mobile Computing

CONNECTED: Dumbarton-based Chivas employees with their new tablet computers.

CHIVAS Brothers has issued its 1600 staff with tablet computers to keep them connected across its UK and worldwide operations. A new digital hub provides a bespoke mobile site to replace its traditional website. This allows employees, including around 50 per cent who are not office based, or do not have their own personal computer, to access company news and information from its 29 sites in the UK, including its Dumbarton plant. The Samsung Galaxy S3 can be also used to retrieve information and surf the internal websites of the company’s parent group, Pernod Ricard, connecting Chivas Brothers employees with their colleagues around the world. Video and interactive features feature strongly on the dynamic new site. Key business updates and administrative information are combined with a ‘community spirit’ section that allows employees to update each other about activities outwith work such as fundraising and social activities, including the company’s sailing club and golf society.

While optimised for mobile devices, the new site also acts as the digital hub for all company computers. The project will substantially streamline the company’s internal communications replacing magazines and newsletters with a single digital channel offering instant access and updates for employees. A version of the digital hub also replaces the company’s corporate website, bringing its media centre, magazine and corporate updates to an important stakeholder audience. Chivas Brothers chairman and CEO, Laurent Lacassagne, commented: “Through this initiative we wanted to better connect our teams together – everyone in every department, in every location, from the north of Scotland to London and Plymouth.” IT services and solutions provider, Kelway Ltd, which supplied the tablets, has been commissioned to provide a helpdesk for the company’s employees. www.chivasbrothers.com @ChivasNewsRoom

DUNBARTONSHIRE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUSINESS MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2015

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Tougher Recycling Rules for Food Businesses Food businesses need to prepare for the implementation of tougher recycling rules next year.

DUNBARTONSHIRE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUSINESS MAGAZINE â&#x20AC;˘ SUMMER 2015

BY 1 January 2016, an urban food business producing more than 5kg a week will have to segregate its food waste for collection. The definition of a food business includes any undertaking, whether for profit or not, public or private, carrying out any activity relating to the processing, distribution, preparation or sale of food. Currently, cafés, restaurants and takeaways, which produce more than 50kg of food waste per week have to present it separately for collection, unless they are in a rural location. All businesses and organisations in Scotland must already recycle:

• Metal, including cans and tins; including, drinks bottles and rinsed empty • Plastic, food containers; • Paper; • Cardboard. Large and small businesses have a legal duty to: waste securely so it does not cause litter or • Store attract vermin; it is transferred to an authorised collector • Ensure such as a local authority or a reputable waste contractor; a waste transfer note and retain a copy • Complete of this for two years; taking their own waste for recycling, be registered • Ifwith the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). Registration is free and the application form is available on the SEPA website.

To comply with the law businesses should: with their local authority or waste contractor. • Speak They can offer advice and a service that enables compliance. Putting all waste in a single bin is not compliant if any recyclables are present – any contractor offering such a service should be reported to SEPA; contaminate recyclables or food waste. A waste • Not contractor may refuse to uplift recyclables or food waste (or charge extra) if they are contaminated by other materials. Use clear bags to collect recyclables, black bin bags should only be used for general waste; staff and make sure they know how to • Train recycle in the workplace. Label bins stating clearly what should be recycled and ensure staff know what goes where. Use the free online poster creator tool to help staff recycle effectively – www.resourceefficientscotland.com/PosterCreator; the rural postcode search tool to check if • Use your business is rural and therefore exempt from the requirement to segregate food waste – www. resourceefficientscotland.com/resource/wastescotland-regulations-faq-rural-postcode-findertool; to reduce waste. Look at what it costs for waste • Try collection and think about how to reduce the amount of waste you produce. Advice is available from your waste contractor, local authority or Resource Efficient Scotland offers free specialist advice and support. An overview of the regulations and supporting resources are available at www.resourceefficientscotland.com/ regulations. www.zerowastescotland.org.uk www.sepa.org.uk

Images © Zero Waste Scotland.

including drinks bottles and rinsed empty • Glass, food jars;

DUNBARTONSHIRE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUSINESS MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2015

OUR AIM IS TO MAKE THE MOST THOUGHT PROVOKING SINGLE MALT WHISKY POSSIBLE. The Islay Barley Exploration series: Bruichladdich Islay Barley 2007. Harvested in 2006 and distilled in 2007, the grain for this iconic whisky was grown in the ministers field at Rockside farm 1 mile from the Atlantic ocean on Islay's west coast. A painfully slow distillation to gently coax the delicate oils and flavour compounds from the barley, coupled with casks carefully selected to preserve those flavours, has resulted in a whisky of exceptional complexity. Bruichladdich is trickle distilled through tall, elegant stills and matured for all of its life in warehouses on Islay’s Atlantic coast. Chosen by hand, eye and taste rather than a process or formula, every drop is hand crafted by our team of artisans, led by proud Ileach and Master Distiller Jim McEwan. The only major distiller to bottle spirit on the island itself, Bruichladdich never add colour or chill filter, retaining the vital natural oils which give the spirit its complex flavour profile and unctuous mouth feel. With a reputation for producing cult single malts that challenge the malt convention, Bruichladdich produce three different brands – Bruichladdich – always unpeated. Port Charlotte, heavily peated and Octomore – the most heavily peated spirit in the world.

WE BELIEVE THAT ISLAY WHISKY SHOULD HAVE AN AUTHENTICITY DERIVED FROM WHERE IT IS DISTILLED AND WHERE IT IS MATURED, FROM THE PHILOSOPHIES OF THOSE WHO DISTIL IT. A SENSE OF PLACE, OF TERROIR THAT SPEAKS OF THE LAND, THE BARLEY AND THE WATER FROM WHICH IT WAS MADE, AND OF THE HUMAN SOUL THAT GAVE IT LIFE.

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Design business business has sights set Design set on on growth growth With impressiveportfolio portfolioofofclients clientsand andplans plans With ananimpressive growover overthe thecoming comingyear, year,there thereisisno nodoubt doubt toto grow Signsand andGraphics Graphicsisismaking makingaaname namefor foritself itself CKCK Signs in the West Dunbartonshire business community. in the West Dunbartonshire business community. Launched 2013by byCraig CraigMoffat Moffatand andKaren KarenCooper Cooper Launched inin2013 – and helped to develop by Business Gateway – and helped to develop by Business Gateway –– (www.cksignsandgraphics.co.uk)has hasestablished established CKCK (www.cksignsandgraphics.co.uk) a strong reputation for delivering a range of topquality quality a strong reputation for delivering a range of top graphics projects, from vehicle livery, banners and graphics projects, from vehicle livery, banners and posters to exhibition stands, decals and signs. posters to exhibition stands, decals and signs. “We provide a complete service, guiding clients through “We provide a complete service, guiding clients through the graphic design process and ensuring everything we the graphic design process and ensuring everything we do adheres to their brand,” said Craig. “The business has do adheres to their brand,” said Craig. “The business has started to really develop since we moved into our new started to really develop since we moved into our new premises in Dumbarton and we have managed to pick premises in across Dumbarton we have to pick up clients centraland Scotland andmanaged also in Dundee upand clients across central Scotland and also in Dundee Aberdeen. and Aberdeen. Download our free business support app.

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“When “When we we were were looking lookingto togrow growthe thebusiness business we we approached approached Business BusinessGateway, Gateway,which whichproved proved to be a great decision. Our adviser, Bob Donaldson, to be a great decision. Our adviser, Bob Donaldson, has has provided provided strategic strategicdirection directionand andhelped helpedshape shapeour our growth plans. He understands exactly what we growth plans. He understands exactly what wewant want to to do do with with the the business businessand andhas hasused usedhis hisextensive extensive network to introduce us to a number of really network to introduce us to a number of really useful useful contacts. contacts. “We are moving in the right direction and feel confident “We are moving in the right direction and feel confident that we will be able to take on a few members of staff and that we will be able to take on a few members of staff and secure a number of larger contracts over the coming year.” secure a number of larger contracts over the coming year.” To find out how Business Gateway can help To find out how Business Gateway can help your business, call us on 0141 530 2408 or visit your business, call us on 0141 530 2408 or visit www.bgateway.com/westdunbartonshire. www.bgateway.com/westdunbartonshire.

New Diner and Takeaway at Lomondgate A FAMILY fish diner is the latest addition to the services at Lomondgate in Dumbarton. Jaconelli’s restaurant, which is due to open this summer, will accommodate 50 covers, as well as providing a takeaway service. Lawrence Jaconelli, whose family started in the café trade some 90 years ago, said, “I’ve been looking for a location to set up a new diner concept for the business and Lomondgate met all our requirements perfectly. “As well as a substantial passing trade, there is a large local population to cater for, and I believe we can offer a great addition to the already popular roadside services.” Construction of the new business began in April as Euro Garages completed its petrol filling station which includes an Esso garage, SPAR shop, Greggs and Subway fast food counters, Starbucks ‘On the Go’ and an ATM. This is Euro Garages’ first new site in Scotland – the development of new petrol stations, other than with supermarkets, is something of a rarity with around only 25 per annum in the UK in recent years. In 2014, Euro Garages won the Forecourt Retailer of the Year Award and was 38th in the Sunday Times Top Track 250.

DUMBARTON’S Premier Inn has applied for planning permission to add an extra 18 bedrooms at Lomondgate. The popular travel hotel which opened in 2011 currently has 60 rooms and cost more than £4m to build. The owners, Whitbread, recently announced plans to increase its stock of Premier Inn rooms from around 60,000 to 85,000 over the next five years.

Stephen Andrew, associate technical director for Taylor Wimpey West Scotland, said: “Our proposed development is just over five acres within a countryside setting and our application includes the infrastructure needed for our development such as associated roads, footpaths and landscaping. “It will complement our existing development, The Fairways, and will deliver an impressive range of new homes to appeal to a wide range of buyers.” www.lomondgate.com

Photo courtesy of Strathleven Regeneration CIC.

Taylor Wimpey has also applied for planning permission to build a further 58 homes as an extension to its existing Lomondgate site.

Dumbarton’s Premier Inn Expansion Plans

DUNBARTONSHIRE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUSINESS MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2015

Photo courtesy of Killermont Investments.

Workplace Pensions for All by 2017 Craig Richardson of Killermont Investments examines the thorny issue of workplace pensions which every business must have in place by next April. ALL employers, including small and medium-sized enterprises, will have to offer employees a pension scheme. The government has learned lessons from the lukewarm stakeholder pensions of 15 years ago and, rather than wait for employees to opt in, they will automatically be in the new scheme from outset, with the option to opt out – this is known as auto-enrolment. Big firms have been required to have workplace pensions since October 2012. However, between now and April 2017, all businesses must have them. It is estimated that over this 24 month period some 760,000 firms will be required to set up these schemes.

be contributed into workplace pensions in total. It is made up of the employee’s contributions, the employer’s and tax relief, added together. The minimum starts at two per cent and increases to eight over the next few years. As part of the overall percentage, the government has also set a minimum for employer contributions, starting at one per cent, increasing to three. While contributions will themselves be a significant business cost, the time required to set up the scheme, manage employees in, out and possibly back in again, update leavers, joiners and salary changes, in addition to facilitating guidance to staff about pension performance, and what they should be investing in, will also add up. If the employer gets it wrong there are fines and charges too.

Each business will have its own staging date, determined by size of firm, by which they must comply with the rules or face fines. Find this out at www.thepensionsregulator.gov. uk/employers/staging-date.aspx.

That said this is an opportunity for employers to offer a good scheme to their staff which is a way of adding value and retaining key employees.

An eligible employee is someone under state pension age, and over 22, who earns more than £10,000 per annum.

Craig will be speaking about pension reform at a chamber business breakfast – see Events Diary page 47 for details.

Employers contribute a percentage of salary as does the employee. The employee can choose to opt out/in at any time. The government has set a minimum percentage to

www.killermontinvestments.co.uk

DUNBARTONSHIRE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUSINESS MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2015

Conference Facilities & Retail Opportunities... Clyde Shopping Centre is open for business. Conference Suites offering flexible meeting, presentation and training facilities for groups of 2 to 200 and available to suit all budgets. Promotional Areas ideal if you’re looking to launch a new product, publicise your company or reach new customers. They present an excellent opportunity for direct customer contact with footfall of around 150,000 every week.

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Roxburgh Group is the trading name of J C Roxburgh (Financial Services) Ltd , J C Roxburgh (Insurance Brokers) Ltd and J C Roxburgh(Properties) Ltd and are registered in Scotland under numbers 417019, 417217 and 073801 respectively. Registered Office 151 Glasgow Road Clydebank Glasgow Scotland G81 1LQ. Both J C Roxburgh (Financial Services) Ltd and J C Roxburgh (Insurance Brokers) Ltd are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

New Shared Parental Leave Rules Employment lawyer, Lucinda Hunter, of Rennie McInnes LLP, Solicitors, explains the new parental leave regime

DUNBARTONSHIRE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUSINESS MAGAZINE â&#x20AC;˘ SUMMER 2015

THE new rules now allow mothers, fathers and partners to share fully in the care of a child during the first year of its life. They came into force on 1st December last year but only apply to children due to be born or adopted on or after 5 April 2015. The Shared Parental Leave and Shared Parental Pay Regulations allow fathers/partners to take up to 50 weeks paid leave, with the same right to return to their job that the mother already has. While some sharing of leave has been available since 2011, the new system is designed to be much more flexible. Whereas previously the father could use up the remaining term of the mother’s leave if she returned to work early – the new system allows one parent to work, one to be at home, and for this situation to swop back and forth throughout the year of leave. Parents can choose to have one at work and one at home, or can both opt to be at home at the same time with neither working. The leave must be taken within the first year, but the timing is, in the main, a matter for the parents. An employer cannot refuse a request for a continuous period of leave, but may refuse a discontinuous period –

for example where the parents wish to swop to work month about, sharing the whole year using that approach. In any case, the total leave taken by both parents cannot exceed 52 weeks. A significant aspect of the new provision is that 39 weeks of the leave will be paid, at the same statutory rates as maternity leave is currently paid - six weeks at 90 per cent and 33 weeks at statutory maternity pay with similar qualifying criteria. If the mother earns more, then it may make more financial sense for the father or partner to take the leave. Partners, civil partners and spouses in same sex relationships are covered by the new rules. Employers should review their family friendly policies to accommodate the new rules and ensure they know what to do when their first employee seeks parental leave. ACAS has a helpful guide at www.acas.org.uk. Finally, many employers offer enhanced maternity packages, particularly for high earners. The question of whether they will now offer fathers enhanced contractual parental leave payments is of interest. If they don’t, no doubt some will find themselves at the wrong end of a sex discrimination claim by a father. www.renniemcinnes.co.uk

DUNBARTONSHIRE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUSINESS MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2015

Your business is amazing… … isn’t it a shame no-one can see it here? InCommerce is read by business owners and decision makers … people who buy all kinds of services … if you’re not in here they won’t be contacting you! It’s too late for this issue but there’s always next time Call our Advertising Team on 0141 222 2202

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Killermont Launches Pioneering Ethical Investment ISA CHAMBER member Killermont Investments is behind the launch of a pioneering ethical investment ISA at the Scottish Parliament in June. Many people are keen on investing ethically, taking account of sustainability, and do not want to profit from areas like tobacco and mining Investing Green gives access to tools and calculators to guide them on what to invest in so they can make their own decisions. There is no charge for these services or for setting up an account. A range of top performing funds have been specially designed to meet ethical requirements without taking more risks than people are comfortable with. The ongoing cost of these is very low and they are completely free to invest in with no initial charges at all. There is also a new charity ISA which is the brainchild of financial adviser, Scott Murray, of Virtuo Wealth in Edinburgh, and of a London-based fund management firm called TAM Ethical. This offers a ‘you give, we give’ option where investors can choose to give up some of their portfolio growth each year and pay this to the charity of their choice. The fund provider will reduce their charges by the same proportion and pay this to the charity as well. Killermont director, Craig Richardson, commented: “The concept has been welcomed both by charities and by political parties. “Not only will it help investors to secure their own futures by making sure their savings work hard for them and grow, but it will also provide charities with much needed donations for the future.” www.killermontinvestments.co.uk

DUNBARTONSHIRE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUSINESS MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2015

Pupils Develop Skills with Park Previews Project THANKS to an ambitious new project, secondary school pupils are gaining valuable work experience, including film-making and photography skills, in their local area.

It is run by the community-led Skills Partnership, which is operated by Loch Lomond and The Trossachs Community Partnership.

The Park Previews Project is giving 20 students the opportunity to use their artistic and organisational skills to create short films and produce photographic posters to promote work experience and careers in sectors that are vital in Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park area.

The project is funded by the Big Lottery Young Start Programme and involves pupils from the Vale of Leven Academy in Alexandria, Hermitage Academy in Helensburgh, McLaren High in Stirling and Balfron High. It is working with local employers including Cameron House Carrick Golf Course, Monachyle Mhor Hotel, Loch Lomond Homes and Garden Centre and Fraser C Robb, who are offering work experience placements.

Photos by Paul Saunders Photography â&#x20AC;&#x201C; www.paulsaundersphotography.com.

These include hospitality, golf course management, outdoor activities, retail, tourism, horticulture and land-based engineering.

HORTICULTURE: Kitchen gardening at the Oak Tree Inn, Balmaha.

DUNBARTONSHIRE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUSINESS MAGAZINE â&#x20AC;˘ SUMMER 2015

KITCHEN CRAFT: Cooking with Tom Lewis, chef/owner of the Mhor Group, Balquidder.

Other employers such as Balloch-based Can You Experience, The Loch Katrine Experience in the Trossachs, and others, will share information about skills and career opportunities within their businesses. The students will work alongside professional film-making company Urban Croft Films and with Paul Saunders Photography. The aim is to increase their self-confidence and knowledge of local employment as well as develop a range of skills including self-employment, communication, photography and filmplanning, production and editing.

It has become increasingly difficult for those between the ages of 16 and 24, to access local training and employment opportunities. The project aims to address this and ties in with the Scottish Government’s ‘Developing the Young Workforce’ Strategy, which was launched in December 2014 by Roseanna Cunningham MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Fair Work, Skills and Training. This encourages the development of sustainable partnerships between schools and employers so that the realities of the world of work are integrated into curriculum planning.

Vice chair of the Community Partnership, Kate Sankey, said: “The films the pupils produce will be distributed to local schools and career services with the aim of encouraging young people to think seriously about their futures – hopefully in Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park!” The winners of the career poster competition will be announced at a celebratory event in the autumn when the films will also be launched. This will also highlight the value of work experience and partnerships between schools and employers. The Park Previews Project hopes this will help stem the outward migration of young people from the National Park area as this threatens the future growth and prosperity of vital local industries. Research carried out in 2012 shows the area with an ageing population, with an 8.1 per cent decrease in the number of younger people living there over the last 20 years. FENCING: Donald Cairns supervises on a Rural Skills Week with Luss Estates Company. DUNBARTONSHIRE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUSINESS MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2015

New Members CARERS OF WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE

CARERS of West Dunbartonshire supports unpaid carers over the age of 18 years within the West Dunbartonshire area.

which is managed by a voluntary board of trustees. The service works in partnership with West Dunbartonshire Council and West Dunbartonshire Community Health and Care Partnership.

A carer is someone of any age who looks after and supports a relative or friend who, because of their disability, illness, frailty or addiction, would not otherwise be able to live independently at home. Many carers provide substantial amounts of regular care and are not paid for the help and support that they give. Caring for someone can be very stressful, and carers often have little help and regularly suffer financially, physically and emotionally themselves.

Carers of West Dunbartonshire 84 Dumbarton Road Clydebank G81 1UG T: 0141 941 1550 E: clydebankcc@carerswd.org W: www.carerswd.org www.twitter.com/CarersofWestDun

Carers of West Dunbartonshire is an independent, voluntary organisation

JOYCE MARTIN PHOTOGRAPHY

Photo by Joyce Martin Photography. Photo by Joyce Martin Photography.

in Photography in 1980. Since leaving college she has always been employed as a photographer and has learned many varied photographic skills and techniques along the way.

Joyce now has the perfect space to light and create all types of portraits of babies, children, adults and pets. She also does weddings, PR, landscape and bespoke commercial work using the most up-to-date digital equipment to provide a high quality personal photography service for all her clients. Joyce has been a photographer her entire working life and, in 2010, decided to set up her own business, initially working from home.

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Joyce Martin Photography Unit 2:2 Kirkintilloch Industrial Estate, Milton Road, Kirkintilloch G66 1SY. T: 0141 776 5836 E: joyce.martin@ntlworld.com W: www.joycemartin-photography.co.uk joycemartin.photo CMYK / .ai

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CMYK / .ai

She studied at Glasgow College of Building and Printing and qualified with an HD

MERUMHOR LTD

JOYCE Martin’s lifelong dream was to have her own photographic studio and last year she realised it by opening one in Kirkintilloch.

YOU are what you eat applies as much to our four-legged friends as it does to ourselves.

MeruMhor also offers a home delivery option giving owners a convenient way to feed raw food to their pets.

Dog and cat owners can now give their pets a raw food diet which can bring visible improvements to their health and well-being – and which they enjoy. Colin Martin of MeruMhor, and border terrier Nina, can vouch for the benefits of feeding a biologically appropriate raw food (BARF) diet to dogs and cats which includes all the essential vitamins, minerals and proteins they need for an active and healthy life. This is provided by MeruMhor as a complete meal, comprising a balanced pet diet made from all natural, 100 per cent British, human grade ingredients with no cereal or fillers.

DUNBARTONSHIRE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUSINESS MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2015

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MeruMhor Ltd., Unit 2:2 Kirkintilloch Industrial Estate, Milton Road, Kirkintilloch G66 1SY. T: 0141 776 5836 M: 07712582497 E: cj.martin@ntlworld.com merumhor CMYK / .ai

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CMYK / .ai

Unrivalled expertise in the Scottish Licensed Trade Passionate about our Product and our Service Centre of Excellence for Staff Training

137 Shawbridge Street Glasgow G43 1QQ

tel +44 (0)141 649 9881 fax +44 (0)141 649 7074 InverarityMorton.com

Photo courtesy of the Crichton Carbon Centre.

Chamber Members Scoop Top Sustainability Awards

THREE West Dunbartonshire-based chamber members have scooped top awards in a local sustainability programme. Tartan Rocket and Glenhead Engineering of Clydebank, and Dumbarton’s JJR Print, wowed judges with their efforts to become more environmentally friendly through the Crichton Carbon Centre’s Sustainable Process Improvement programme. Food business, Tartan Rocket, received the coveted Ambassadors for Sustainability Award and plan to use it to launch its own compostable packaging. The Eco Box Finger Food® range even features plastic containers and wrappings made entirely from corn starch which costs only a fraction more than conventional packaging.

JJR Print was recognised with the Aligning Sustainability with Business Plan Award for making resource efficiency core to their operation by investing heavily in the infrastructure of their premises to future proof from energy price shocks. General manager, Clare Gemmell, received a gold certificate for sustainability improvements at Loch Lomond Shores, which included new LED lighting and recycling facilities. Awards also went to Clydebank’s Rumbol Products, Dumbarton’s Diamond Power and Drampac, and to CHAS’ Robin House and Lomond Park Hotel in Balloch.

It has already gone down well with customers in a pre-launch pilot and is winning the company contracts because it is zero waste.

Programme sponsors, West Dunbartonshire Council, were represented by Gillian Scholes, business support co-ordinator. Convener for infrastructure, regeneration and economic development, Councillor Patrick McGlinchey, said: “Getting a handle on resource efficiency is critical these days if a business is to survive the long term.

Glenhead won the award for Most Reduced Carbon Foot Print – they cut it by almost half by heating their new premises using biomass and installing LEDs and motion sensors for lighting.

“These businesses have been tireless with their efforts and we hope they’ll keep up the good work and wish them every success in the future.”

DUNBARTONSHIRE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUSINESS MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2015

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10 Stafford Street, Helensburgh www.lomondschool.com

To find out more please call

01436 672 476

Photo courtesy of Jim Smart.

Entrepreneur’s New Weight Loss Franchise SERIAL entrepreneur Jim Smart is rolling out a new weight loss franchise across the UK with its own app for mobile phones and devices. Hypnotrim® is his trademarked, affordable training and support programme for qualified fitness professionals, gym owners and lifestyle coaches. It teaches them how to use hypnosis to help their clients get fit, lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle. The app is currently available on Google Play and will soon be released for Apple devices. Jim firmly believes that in the long term diets don’t work – that to lose weight and keep it off people need to change their eating habits and exercise more. He is also adamant that those taking his course must have a fitness qualification, be yoga teachers, or nutritionists. “Starving yourself doesn’t work – people need to follow a balanced diet to lose weight and exercise to burn fat and keep it off. Regular exercise keeps you healthy, building strong muscles and bones.

‘Hypnosis can help to change mindset, re-programme thought patterns and encourage motivation for healthy eating and regular exercise,” he explained. Jim has been a hypnotherapist and fitness instructor for more than 17 years but is probably better known as the owner of the Best Acts entertainment agency and as a Freddie Mercury impersonator. He is also a stage hypnotist and recently featured in a BBC Scotland documentary about the entertainment industry – Viva Variety. Jim knows how hard it is to lose weight: “I was a fat kid and by the age of 17 my weight was up and down until I took up karate and gained a black belt. I realised then that exercise was a key factor.” Jim started out with his own ice cream van, sold it and moved into karaoke, branched out into cabaret and stage hypnotism, then tribute acts, eventually founding his own entertainment agency. He also worked for West Dunbartonshire Council as a fitness instructor and GP referral tutor for 10 years while performing in his spare time. Although no longer as involved in the day-to-day running of Best Acts, Jim still appears as Freddie Mercury in his own 80s tribute show which also features Bon Jovi and Europe. His first Hypnotrim® student, Kay Young, offers the programme at the Fit for Women Gym in Dumbarton. She said: “It has provided my business with an edge over my competitors and has allowed me to market as a weight loss centre, as well as being a women only gym. It is doing great things for my business.” www.hypnotrim.co.uk

DUNBARTONSHIRE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUSINESS MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2015

Business Success in East Dunbartonshire After working as a Project Manager for over 15 years and starting a number of lifestyle businesses, Terri identified the challenge for small organisations to get good quality stock photos for marketing. Her husband, Neil, as a commercial photographer realised the difficulty for freelance photographers to get their work to market. Their combined experience led them to create the concept of Caritas Images to meet specific customer needs. After evaluating the market they positioned their business as a niche supplier of photography to Not-for-profit organisations and Local government as they saw this as a sector that was under-supplied.

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The business works by providing a rigorously managed collection of photographs in a searchable database that can be purchased and downloaded over their website. Contributors are sourced locally and make a 50% commission on any sales achieved through the site. Neil works closely with their customers, identifying their image needs and passing these on to the contributors who in turn attempt to create imagery to meet specific customer requirements. In establishing the company, Caritas Images has made full use of the services available to businesses in East Dunbartonshire. Prior to launching the product range, Terri and Neil engaged with Business Gateway to help them develop the business plan to guide the establishment of the business.

Although the website was always going to be an important part of the business, after the initial development they recognised the limitations of the initial site and the need to expand. In recognition of this they applied for an e-commerce grant to help further develop the site through adding increased server capacity and software enhancements to allow the business to grow to 50,000 photos. Sixteen months after opening for business, Caritas Images expanded to the rest of the UK. Their five-year plan sees further development into Europe and potentially further afield to other suitable markets. Their customers are very happy with their products and over 80 contributors from across the UK and Europe are currently supplying high quality images. Terri was delighted with the assistance they received from East Dunbartonshire. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Council support for our business has been invaluable. It has helped us to become more sustainable in quicker time. It also allowed us to invest to allow for continued growth rather than just for the current needs. This will enable us to be better placed for on-going development of the businessâ&#x20AC;?.

For more information on Caritas Images go to www.caritasimages.com or phone 0845 680 6764. For more infromation on how East Dunbartonshire Council can help your business visit www.eastdunbarton.gov.uk/business or call 0141 578 8530.

We can help East Dunbartonshire Council work to support the local economy through delivering business support projects which aim to attract businesses to the area, help new businesses develop and existing businesses grow within East Dunbartonshire. Come and talk us about programmes we have that can assist your business • Fully funded advice from one of our experienced experts • Funding to support to Start or grow your Business • Small grants to assist you develop an e-commerce enabled website or take on your first employee or a long term unemployed person • Advice on tendering with the public sector • Business loans to hep grow your business • Help with business planning • Workshops to develop your business skills • Support to relocate your business to East Dunbartonshire

For more information on any of the activities of the East Dunbartonshire Council to support businesses go to www.eastdunbarton.gov.uk/business, or call Economic Development at East Dunbartonshire Council on 0141 578 8530.

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NEED HELP WITH YOUR BUSINESS?

Event Reports Home Brew Became Award-Winning Business A GLUT of apples, a bad experience making cider, and husband and wife team, Euan and Fiona MacEachern, were home brewing their own beer instead. “I enjoyed making the beer,” Fiona explained, “It was like making cakes or soup. “My husband doesn’t do things by halves, so he spent £2000 on a stainless steel kit and that is what we did on a Sunday – made beer.

“Nine months later, with help from Business Gateway, we opened our brewery in 2011.”

DUNBARTONSHIRE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUSINESS MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2015

Four years on and Loch Lomond Brewery has 30 different beers, 11 bottled, and three members of staff. It is part of a growing trend for craft beers which has seen the number of small breweries more than double from 40 when the MacEachran’s first started out. Last year the brewery picked up two prizes in the Society of Independent Brewers Scotland Regional Awards. Its Loch Lomond 60/- got a silver in the cask milds, and Ale of Leven received bronze in the bottled bitters. The firm is now looking at setting up its own bottling plant – which would be the only one in Scotland for beer. It is also working on cracking the export market in Canada and the USA, with Lithuania, and even The Czech Republic future possibilities. www.lochlomondbrewery.com

Event Reports

Catering Essential for Garden Centres DURING the recession Caulders Garden Centres ‘tightened our belts, carried on trading and spent very little’, owner and managing director, Colin Barrie, told members of Dunbartonshire chamber. It put the company in a good place when the time was right to invest allowing it to expand the business. From a small start as a plant nursery at Mugdock in 1999, Caulders now has centres in Kirkintilloch, Newton Mearns, and recently took on a fourth at Erskine last November. It was customer demand that led to the business incorporating a cafe and gifts at Mugdock – a formula that it has successfully replicated at each site.

The cafe at Kirkintilloch is full every day which is why Colin has plans to modernise and extend it, as well as increasing the onsite parking. Mugdock, which is the smallest of the centres, is due for investment in a bigger covered area too. “Catering is fundamental, accounting for 30 per cent of our business,” he added, “it would be almost impossible to have a garden centre without catering now. “We operate table service because it means we are giving our customers a better experience.” “It’s the staff who give our business personality and enable us to grow – they are at the core of what we do.” Caulders employs 140 both full and part-time staff and has a turnover of £6m. www.caulders.co.uk

DUNBARTONSHIRE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUSINESS MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2015

Photos by Joyce Martin Photography.

Event Reports

DEBATE: Liberal Democrat candidate, Jo Swinson, engages with the audience.

Large Turnout for Lively Dunbartonshire Hustings Meetings THE chamber hustings events in West and East Dunbartonshire were lively and well attended with the biggest turnout in both areas for many years. President, Stewart Rennie, welcomed everyone and thanked the candidates for attending while chamber director, Robert Wilson, chaired proceedings. Despite press reports to the contrary in West Dunbartonshire, the meeting was not disrupted nor was there any protest. Like any good political hustings, there was robust questioning and debate about a range of issues. There were common themes across both meetings including welfare and benefits, the economy, ways to help business, pensions, carers, cancer care, zero hours contracts and the minimum wage.

The East Dunbartonshire electorate wanted to hear the candidates’ views on single transferable voting systems, election turnout, abortion, euthanasia, Scottish Water privatisation, about controversial traffic management plans for Kirkintilloch and about traffic humps in Bearsden. Standing for West Dunbartonshire were Maurice Corry (Conservative), Martin Docherty (SNP), Gemma Doyle (Labour), Aileen Morton (Liberal Democrats) and Claire Muir (Independent). In East Dunbartonshire, Wilfred Arasaratnam (UKIP) – represented at the meeting by Jamie Robertson, who was standing in Glasgow North; Ross Greer (Scottish Greens); Amanjit Jhund (Labour); John Nicolson (SNP); Andrew Polson (Conservative) and Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrats).

Photos by Joyce Martin Photography.

In West Dunbartonshire, there were questions about Trident and Faslane, hereditary peerages, fuel poverty, job creation and

about how the transport and geographical issues in the area could be overcome.

QUESTION TIME: The SNP’s, John Nicolson, makes a point.

WELCOME: President, Stewart Rennie, opens the meeting.

DUNBARTONSHIRE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUSINESS MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2015

LISTENING: Chamber members and guests hear what the candidates have to say.

Events Diary... May

June

Wednesday 27 May 11.30am – 2.30pm

Thursday 18 June 12pm – 2pm

Aggreko Site Visit and Guided Tour

Does Training Actually Work?

Aggreko, Lomondgate, Stirling Road, Dumbarton G82 3RG.

World of Golf, 2700 Great Western Road, Clydebank, Glasgow G81 2XT.

£20 members/£30 non members (+ VAT). £20 members/£30 non members (+ VAT). Includes lunch. Lunch included.

Photo courtesy of Aggreko.

Take part in a real life experiment to find out if training actually works. Teams will be given different levels of coaching and set tasks to see how they perform.

July This is a chance to see Aggreko’s manufacturing facility which was opened by HRH the Princess Royal in April 2012.

The chamber takes a break in July and returns to business as usual in August.

There will be a presentation by the company’s head of operations, Jim Kilpatrick, followed by a tour of the premises.

August

The bespoke 165,000 square feet production building and 25,000 square feet of office space employs around 400 people designing, developing, manufacturing and supporting the production of power generators and temperature control equipment.

Thursday 20 August 8am – 9.30am

Business Breakfast – Workplace Pension Reform – Auto-Enrolment

Aggreko plc is the global leader in its field and supplied major sporting events including the 2012 Olympic Games, the FIFA World Cup, the Superbowl and the 2014 Ryder Cup.

Venue TBC £10 members/£15 non members (+ VAT).

Chamber AGM & BBQ The Dumbuck House Hotel, Glasgow Road, Dumbarton G82 1EG. AGM Free - Members only. BBQ £20 members/ £30 non-members (+ VAT). Chamber president Stewart Rennie will provide an overview of the year at the AGM then members and guests can enjoy a BBQ and informal networking.

Photo courtesy of Killermont Investments.

Includes breakfast rolls, tea & coffee. Thursday 28 May 5.30pm – 6.30pm AGM; 6.30pm – 8.30pm BBQ

All employers, including SMEs, will be required by law to enrol employees into a ‘qualifying’ workplace pension scheme and make minimum contributions into it by next April. Are you ready for this? Do you have an eligible scheme set up? It takes time to organise and implement, do not leave it until the last minute as the penalties for non-payment are severe. Craig Richardson of Killermont Investments will explain what auto-enrolment is, what the options are and how firms can meet their obligations. continued

to book chamber events Call our events team on 0141 280 0272 or e-mail: admin@dunbartonshirechamber.co.uk For updates and the latest events information, check the chamber website and social media. www.dunbartonshirechamber.co.uk DUNBARTONSHIRE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUSINESS MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2015

Events Diary... September

Tuesday 11 August 12-2pm Casa Italia 1 Montrose Street, Clydebank G81 2JF

Thursday 24 September 12-2pm

The Impact of the Canal Corridor on Leisure and Tourism Venue TBC

Members and guests £10 payable direct to venue. No speaker, no agenda, just networking! Meet chamber members, guests and directors for a two-course lunch. Hosted alternately in East and West Dunbartonshire.

£20 members/£30 non members (+ VAT). Please note that you must still register for this event by e-mailing admin@dunbartonshirechamber.co.uk.

Photo courtesy of Scottish Canals.

Other events Friday 29 May 7pm for 7.30pm

East Dunbartonshire Business Awards 2015 Chris Breslin of Scottish Canals will examine the impact of the canal corridor on leisure and tourism in Dunbartonshire highlighting current developments at Bowling, Clydebank and Kirkintilloch, which are key sites.

The Eagle Lodge, 2 Hilton Road, Bishopbriggs, Glasgow G64 2PN. £60 – Lounge suits. Celebrate business success at the East Dunbartonshire Business Awards.

December

Join chamber members, councillors, sponsors, nominees and guests to find out who are the winners of this year’s categories.

Thursday 17 December 12pm – 2pm

Chamber Christmas Lunch Cameron House, Loch Lomond, Alexandria G83 8QZ. £30 members/£40 non members (+ VAT).

Photo courtesy of Cameron House Hotel.

Celebrate the festive season at the ever popular, annual chamber Christmas lunch. Join directors, fellow members and guests for seasonal fun, a delicious meal and informal networking.

Also features auction/raffle for local charities. Wednesday 2 December 2015 7pm for 7.30pm

Scottish Chambers of Commerce Annual Dinner Hilton Hotel, 1 William Street, Glasgow, G3 8HT. Black tie/cocktail dress Tickets for 1 - 4 guests £100 + VAT; Tickets for 5 - 9 guests £95 + VAT. Table of 10 £950 + VAT; Table of 12 £1140 + VAT. Book your table to hear from social entrepreneur, Robert Brozin, founder of Nando’s.

Book early to avoid disappointment!

Business Lunch Club Diary Dates

From humble beginnings in Johannesburg, Nando’s has grown to 1100 restaurants in 23 countries with stores stretching from Rosettenville to Cape Town, Canada to Australia and the UK to Malaysia. Nando’s is an internationally recognised brand and Nando’s founder, Robert Brozin, will share his entrepreneurial journey.

Tuesday 9 June 12-2pm

To book call 0141 887 6181 or email info@entourageuk.com.

Virgin Active Milngavie, Strathblane Road, Milngavie G62 8HJ

DUNBARTONSHIRE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUSINESS MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2015

Business Gateway East Dunbartonshire

Thursday 11 June 10.00am – 4.00pm

National Meet the Buyer Glasgow Concert Hall, 2 Sauchiehall Street Glasgow G2 3NY.

Tuesday 19 May 9.30am – 12.00pm

Value Add and Innovation The Lighthouse, 11 Mitchell Lane Glasgow, G1 3NU. Find out how to use value add and innovation as key differentiators versus competitors when bidding for contracts. www.sdpscotland.co.uk/events/events-calendar

Wednesday 20 May 9.30am – 12.30pm

Social Media McGregor House, Kirkintilloch. Increase your understanding of social media and how it can be used to benefit your business.

Suppler Development Programme and Scotland Excel are jointly hosting the 2015 Meet the Buyer event where businesses can meet and speak to the people in charge of purchasing at more than 25 Scottish Councils and other public sector bodies. There will also be programme of business seminars. www.sdpscotland.co.uk/events/events-calendar/2015/june/ supplier-development-event Wednesday 17June 9.30am – 12.30pm

Social Media Milngavie Enterprise Centre. Increase your understanding of social media and how it can be used to benefit your business. Wednesday 12 August 9.30am – 12.30pm

Wednesday 3 June 9.30am – 12.30pm

Mastering Selling Skills McGregor House, Kirkintilloch. Improve your selling skills and increase sales.

Wednesday 10 June 9.30am – 12.30pm

Bookkeeping McGregor House, Kirkintilloch. Equip yourself with the knowledge and skills necessary to manage your finances and comply with regulatory and legal requirements using a relevant bookkeeping system. Wednesday 26 August 9.30am – 12:30pm

Bookkeeping

Marketing Your Business

Milngavie Enterprise Centre.

Equip yourself with the knowledge and skills necessary to manage your finances and comply with regulatory and legal requirements using a relevant bookkeeping system.

Create a realistic marketing plan, improve how you market your business and increase sales. More information at www.bgateway.com/local-offices/eastdunbartonshire/local-events/ unless otherwise indicated.

To book call 0141 578 8530 or visit www.edbusiness.net

DUNBARTONSHIRE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUSINESS MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2015

The Carrick on Loch Lomond Corporate and Society Packages…

79 per person

...from £

The Carrick on Loch Lomond championship course is a must in any 2015 golf calendar. All 18 holes on the course will inspire every standard of golfer, making you want to play each hole again and again. Your Golf Day is important to us and we set the standard from the start with a warm welcome from our Professional Golf Team. As you relax in our exclusive Claret Jug Clubhouse and bar, before and after you’ve played, our restaurant staﬀ will look after your every need. This is not just a golf day, this is a Carrick at Loch Lomond Golf Day.

Play 18 holes of championship golf on The Carrick on Loch Lomond from Bespoke packages available.

per person

To book your 2015 Golf Day, call 01389 727611 or email: golfsales@cameronhouse.co.uk The Carrick on Loch Lomond | Dunbartonshire | G83 8QZ | www.cameronhouse.co.uk Subject to availability. Terms and conditions apply.

Clyde Cruising Club

the active heart of Scottish sailing

CRUISE – under your own steam or in company to musters and social events. Explore The Clyde and West Coast through our cruising and racing programme.

NEW FOR 2015 KINTYRE TO ARDNAMURCHAN

RACE – The Scottish Series – the spring feast of racing and socialising at Tarbert, Loch Fyne from Friday 22nd to Monday 25th May including white sail passage events for all comers. TRAIN – learn at our own RYA Approved Training Centre – Bardowie Loch near Glasgow. Evening lessons and summer school. 60 monohulls, three Access and Challenger dinghies mean that all ages and abilities can sail. Dinghy racing here too.

WHY NOT JOIN

SOCIALISE – at cruising musters, at the dance, winter talks, at race events or simply meet fellow members in local harbours. We have a year round social programme.

Suite 101, Pentagon Business Centre, 36 Washington Street, Glasgow G3 8AZ.

The Clyde Cruising Club

Tel 0141 221 2774 • Email: office@clyde.org • Web: www.clyde.org like us on facebook.com/ClydeCruisingClub

Honour the ones who didn’t come home.

Help Erskine care for the ones who did.

Erskine has been providing care, accommodation and employment for ex-Service men and women in Scotland since 1916. We depend heavily on the generosity of people like you to continue doing our valuable work.

Please support our country’s veterans. To donate, please fill in the coupon below or call free on 0300 123 1203.

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Send your completed coupon to: Fundraising, Erskine, Bishopton, PA7 5PU. Scottish Charity Number SCO06609

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Want to grow your business to the next level? We can help.

Ambitious young company or already well established in East Dunbartonshire? Business Gateway can offer you access to a range of professional services designed to help take your business forward: • Mentoring from our team of industry-experienced advisers. • Peer support and networking opportunities. • Market research and insights. • Information-rich website full of resources to help with financial planning, recruitment, training, expanding into new markets and more. • Programme of local workshops and training events. Just some of the reasons why more and more businesses are turning to us as their gateway to business expertise.

0141 578 8530 www.bgateway.com

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