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Aberdeen Hotel Joins TripAdvisor Hall Of Fame

Aberdeen City, Featured, Information No Responses »

Jul 242015

Thistle Aberdeen Altens Hotel.
(Picture by Michal Wachucik/Newsline Media)

With thanks to Jennifer Kelly, Tricker PR.

Thistle Aberdeen Altens hotel has been inducted into the TripAdvisor Hall of Fame after securing the review site’s Certificate of Excellence for five years in a row.

And there have also been celebrations at the chain’s two other hotels in the Granite City – Thistle Aberdeen Airport and Caledonian by Thistle – after they were also awarded the Certificate of Excellence status after receiving consistently high reviews from guests.

The Certificate of Excellence is awarded by TripAdvisor – the world’s most renowned peer review website – and has been running for the past five years.

Recipients are identified by a TripAdvisor algorithm that factors in a variety of user generated content.

This content includes review ratings, overall rating and the quantity and frequency of reviews. Hotels must maintain a rating of at least four out of five, have a minimum number of views and have been listed on Trip Advisor for at least 12 months.

The Hall of Fame Award is a new initiative to mark the fifth anniversary of the Certificate of Excellence scheme, and is being presented to those hotels that have made the grade for five years running.

Thistle Aberdeen Altens manager Kris Manship says:

“This award shows that we are consistently providing an excellent experience for guests. It is testament to the hard work of the team in the hotel, who are very committed to ensuring that we not only provide great service but that the experience is the same for each and every guest.”

General manager at Thistle Aberdeen Airport Alison Christie says staff at the three hotels are delighted with the hat-trick. She adds,

“TripAdvisor is the world’s most influential review site. It puts the power into the hands of the consumer.

“Positive TripAdvisor ratings are hugely important and they recognise and promote the great service and experience which guests have at our three Aberdeen hotels. A Market Metris survey showed recently than 93% of global travellers say their decisions are influenced by online reviews. It’s ‘word of mouth’ via the keyboard or touch screen and reviews benchmark us against all our peers.

“All three of our hotels have received Certificates of Excellence for several years running and they are another element of our strong credentials to mark us out in a highly competitive market.”

President of TripAdvisor for Business, Marc Charron has previously said of the Certificate of Excellence scheme,

“By putting a spotlight on businesses that are focussed on delivering great service to customers, TripAdvisor not only helps drive an improvement to hospitality standards around the world but also gives businesses both large and small the ability to shine and stand out from the competition.”

Recent TripAdvisor comments about Thistle’s three Aberdeen hotels include:

“Staff very helpful and polite, choice at breakfast was 1st class. Pool was great.”
“This is an excellent hotel with first class service, friendly staff, great facilities.”
“The bar /restaurant staff were very polite and efficient. Nothing appeared to be too much trouble and they were certainly hard working.”
“I stay at this hotel once a month the experience begins when you walk through the door staff are friendly and helpful the decor is very good rooms are tasteful and quite large.”
“I stay in many hotels throughout the country and I can honestly say that this place is as good as it gets for what is a city centre location. The rooms are well appointed with everything you could want, parking is free (a rarity for a city) and breakfast is very good. The outstanding feature of the hotel for me is the staff.”

Thistle has three hotels in Aberdeen – The Caledonian, Aberdeen Airport and Aberdeen Altens. There are 446 bedrooms across the three venues, and each has conferencing and banqueting facilities. Aberdeen Altens also has an on-site leisure club and spa. Further information is available at www.thistle.com

Clark IT Calls On Businesses To Boost Their Broadband

Aberdeen City, Featured No Responses »

Jul 242015

Aberdeen, Tuesday, 24th March 2015 Clark Integrated Technologies, Auchterless, Turriff, Aberdeenshire, AB53 8EP (Picture by Michal Wachucik/Newsline Media Ltd)

Austen Clark, managing director of Clark IT. Picture by Michal Wachucik/Newsline Media Ltd

With thanks to Esther Green, Tricker PR.

Clark Integrated Technologies (Clark IT) is helping businesses in the North and North-east to tap into a government grant of up to £3,000 to enable them to benefit from faster broadband.

Clark IT is participating in the Connection Voucher Scheme (CVS) available to businesses in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and
Inverness.

CVS aims to assist businesses to meet the upfront capital costs of a high speed and high grade broadband connection to the premises.

The CVS covers grants of up to £3,000 for setting up superfast broadband services and is a great opportunity for small and medium enterprises to upgrade their current services and reap the benefits, says Austen Clark, managing director of Clark IT.

“Upgrading broadbrand brings real benefits to businesses and a better connection can help you to boost your bottom line in so many ways,” Mr Clark says.

“This scheme offers businesses, charities, social enterprises and sole traders the potential to benefit from speedier response times, increased staff productivity and perhaps provide real options to migrate to Cloud based solutions such as Office 365 and more.”

Already more than 25,000 vouchers have been issued across the UK, allowing businesses to grow and have the scope to:

Increase profits by offering better services to more satisfied customers
Improve customer experience with quicker communication and faster file-sharing thanks to higher upload and download speeds, especially for large files
Reduce software and hardware costs by helping you switch to online data storage solutions
Enhance communication and collaboration through online video conference and cloud-based information sharing
Future-proof business with the latest technology to meet customer needs

Broadband Connection Vouchers are available to Small or Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in qualifying areas where installation of a new broadband connection will cost over £100 and where the broadband service selected delivers a speed or performance improvement on the current connection.

Other eligibility rules apply and to find out more about options available to your business, contact Clark IT on 01888 511441 or email info@clark-it.com

Clark IT has over 20 years of experience in providing industry leading support and delivering business-class technology. The company’s integrated solutions provide industry leading services, productivity and cost effective IT platforms for business growth.

With a client base in both Aberdeen City and Shire, Clark IT has also expanded into the Inverness area.

For more information, see the firm’s website at www.clark-it.com

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Denmark’s Complicity In Faroes Cetacean Slaughter

Environment, Opinion No Responses »

Jul 232015

On Friday 10 July people gathered outside the London Danish Embassy. Denmark, a member state of the European Union, is meant to protect cetaceans. This legal obligation means nothing to the nation. It protects the Faroe Islands, where scores of dolphins and whales are driven to shore each year to be butchered alive.

The resulting bloodbath greatly pleases the islanders, who see it as a rite of passage. It rightly reviles the rest of the civilised world. What is Denmark playing at? Who were these protestors? Suzanne Kelly joined the protest to report and support.

Why this protest?

The Faroe Islanders had just engaged in another ‘grind’ – the driving of whales and dolphins to the shores to be horribly killed.

The tiny island nation relies on Denmark for protection.

The Faroese are outwith the EU, but rely on this EU nation to uphold its grizzly tradition.

Last year Sea Shepherd personnel were arrested by Denmark while trying to stop this slaughter.

The Danish government has bizarrely claimed jurisdiction, and a trial – in Denmark to uphold Faroese tradition – keeps getting postponed. The Danes refuse to return Sea Shepherd’s vessel until the trial, which rather conveniently suits their and the Faroese needs.

The Faroe Islands have also just imposed a new draconian yet unworkable law aimed clearly at stopping Sea Shepherd from protecting marine life. Anyone – including tourists – is subject to arrest and up to two years imprisonment (perhaps in a Danish cell?) if they do not immediately report any cetaceans they see.

CEO of Sea Shepherd Global and Operation Sleppid Grindini Campaign Leader, Captain Alex Cornelissen, said:

“There is something truly sinister about a law that aims to silence those who fight to protect life, while protecting those engage in this blood-thirsty practice. It is this exactly this ominous state of affairs in the Faroe Islands that requires Sea Shepherd’s presence in the region.”

How anyone is meant to prove or disprove who did or didn’t see a pod of whales is anyone’s guess.

It is worth noting the resulting meat from this entire bloodbath is largely inedible. This is blood sport for the sake of blood. The toxins in the meat and fat are such that pregnant women should not go near it, and that those who would willingly eat such a product are meant to eat no more than 4kg per year. Each animal taken then dies horribly without even the excuse the food is needed.

Who came and why they came:

Debbie said

“I am here because of what is going on in the Faroe Islands at the moment. It is inexcusable. They say it is a rite of passage for teenage boys, but it is an outdated blood sport.”

Aga and Kerry were two of the protestors taking a stand against the senseless slaughter. They said:

“It’s the 21st century, and there is no place in Europe for such a barbaric mass dolphin slaughter.”

“Whales and dolphins are very sentient beings and it is so cruel and barbaric what they are doing. They say do it for food; they don’t I think they do it for fun. The mercury levels in the whales and dolphins are so high that they shouldn’t be eating it.”

We talk about the toxicity and about the new law. Kerry tells me:

“I don’t see how they can implement it; you can just say you didn’t see any cetaceans? ‘What cetaceans? Where?’ but it is ridiculous.”

Sally from Eastbourne said

“It’s disgusting the way they cover up what is going on in the Faroe Islands and sadly young children take part in this. It is so sad for future generations. I don’t think anybody should be involved in this. I am really worried for the future for young people who can do this; they smile because the adults say it is OK.”

Sally’s quite right about the indoctrination of this and any similar abuse carried out on animals. Psychologically the result is to destroy empathy with living creatures and this is utilised by military forces that still to this day torture animals under the guise of ‘medical trauma training’ for military medical personnel.

Such training could well take place at hospitals (particularly in high crime areas), but the goal of making people immune to the suffering of animals is clearly a common goal shared by the Faroese and the military forces who want to discourage any form of empathy.

The protest was peaceful, as opposed to the Faroese cetacean torture and killing. How much longer can Denmark continue its self-contradictory behaviour in light of the negative press it receives, diplomatic pressure, and the heightened awareness and disgust the public throughout the world feels?

It is either an EU partner and as one opposed to cetacean slaughter, or it is the protector of an outmoded, unnecessary, cruel form of animal torture.

If Oscar Wilde said that a fox hunt is ‘the unspeakable in pursuit of the inedible’, then what would he make of The Faroe Islands grind?

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[Aberdeen Voice accepts and welcomes contributions from all sides/angles pertaining to any issue. Views and opinions expressed in any article are entirely those of the writer/contributor, and inclusion in our publication does not constitute support or endorsement of these by Aberdeen Voice as an organisation or any of its team members.]

Bright Coast – Long Shadows: Exhibition At Duff House

Aberdeenshire, Information No Responses »

Jul 162015

By Duncan Harley

Duff House, Banff is to host an exhibition of new work by North East artist Bryan Angus this summer.
An art book, successfully funded by a Kickstarter project which attracted backers from as far afield as the USA, Germany and Denmark, accompanies the exhibition.

Entitled Bright Coast – Long Shadows, the exhibition will feature Bryan’s images of Banff, Macduff, Gardenstown, Pennan and Portsoy.

The book will explore the methods and creative processes used in the making of the work.

Says Bryan:

“This book will help promote my artwork and I hope encourage other people to make art. It will also promote this beautiful and hidden area of the world.”

Bryan is a visual artist living and working on the Banffshire Coast. Along with wife Carla he teaches art at the Creative Retreat in Gardenstown. His work is firmly based in the tradition of representational landscape art, created in soft pastel, oils and increasingly, lino print.

Influenced by American artist Edward Hopper’s paintings of houses in the blazing Massachusetts sunshine and referencing the low angled lighting typical of film noir, Bryan’s images portray the villages and sea edge of the Banffshire coastline and feature the dramatic lighting and long shadows of the northern winter months.

When asked about his inspiration, Bryan, a graduate from Gray’s School of Art, comments:

“The bulk of my work is inspired by the beauty of the land hereabouts, enriched by the history of the people and their towns. My own family history has a branch along this coast, so my sense of place, and subsequently the rediscovering the images of previous lives, has also informed my work.”

Bright Coast – Long Shadows opens at Duff House on 18th July and runs until 30th August.

Words © Duncan Harley, Images © Bryan Angus.
First published in Leopard Magazine.

SNP Strategy On Trident: CND Host Public Meeting

Aberdeen City, Information No Responses »

Jul 162015

Aberdeen and District Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament will be hosting a debate entitled ‘The SNP strategy on Trident at Westminster and how the local CND group can support this’. With thanks to Jonathan Russell.

Jonathan Russell Chair of Aberdeen and District Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament stated ‘that given the SNP’s large numbers at Westminster and their strong commitment to oppose replacing Trident we consider it important that all those opposed to Trident get involved with our elected representatives in working out the best strategies to stop any decision taking place at Westminster in 2016 to replace Trident.’

Speaker: Stuart Donaldson, MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine

Meeting to take place at 7.30pm on Friday 24th July at Unite the Union 42-44 King Street Aberdeen

All Welcome.

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Moreland & Arbuckle Set To Rock The Tunnels

Aberdeen City, Opinion No Responses »

Jul 162015

Funky Blues Promotions Aberdeen is proud to present Moreland & Arbuckle at The Tunnels, Aberdeen on 25th July 2015

Guitarist Aaron Moreland and harpist/vocalist Dustin Arbuckle have spent over a decade exploring the edges of American roots music, in the process merging blues, folk and rock and building a reputation as an influential roots duo.

Moreland had grown up absorbing mostly rock influences including Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath whilst Arbuckle had taken his inspiration from icons such as Little Walter and Sonny Boy Williamson.

Their journey began after meeting at an open-mic night in Kansas in 2001, and they made their debut as a duo on Telarc International with the release of Flood in 2010.

In July 2013 they released 7 Cities, a most ambitious work, telling the story of Spanish explorer Coronado and his fabled search for the seven cities of gold in the Kansas plains. The sounds of 7 Cities ranges from the vintage rock of ‘Kow Tow’ to the twang of ‘The Devil in Me’ and takes in a surprise version of Tears for Fears’ ‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World’, all rooted in the spirit of the Delta Blues.

“Filled to overflowing with guitar and percussion soaked rock, country twang and low slung blues, 7 Cities is proof that Moreland & Arbuckle have yet again hit the listener right between the eyes.” (World Music Central)

Tickets are available from the venue or from Aberdeen Box Office 01224 641122.

Links:

www.FunkyBlues.co.uk or www.facebook.com/FunkyBluesAberdeen
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWCrC7h5CjE
www.morelandarbuckle.com

MSP Takes Turn On Pioneering Pharmacy Kiosk

Aberdeenshire, News 1 Response »

Jul 162015

Stewart Stevenson, Inverallochy dispensing kiosk2 2015

Stewart Stevenson MSP takes his turn on the new dispensing kiosk.

With thanks to Paul Robertson.

Stewart Stevenson visited the Post Office in Inverallochy this week to take his turn on the new piece of technology which is the talk of the town. The robot kiosk, developed in an Aberdeen University research project, is enabling residents to speak with pharmacists in Fraserburgh via webcam and receive medicines dispensed straight from the machine.

The trial examines how better services can be delivered to rural areas. Should the trial be successful, similar schemes could be rolled out in other parts of Aberdeenshire and across rural Scotland.

The robotic kiosk, which cost around £150,000 to develop, allows customers to speak to a pharmacist at Bairds Pharmacy in Fraserburgh via webcam. The kiosk is filled with a range of prescription and over-the-counter remedies which can then be dispensed as necessary.

Testing the new kiosk at the Inverallochy Post Office, Stewart Stevenson MSP said:

“Rural communities sometimes struggle to retain local amenities so this trial is a very important step in ensuring that such vital pharmacy services can be provided locally and efficiently. It is important to our health, and to the health of our rural town centres, to have facilities on our doorstep.

“I am very proud that this trial is a product of the North-east from start to finish – researched at the University of Aberdeen and delivered for trial in Inverallochy and Fraserburgh. I would encourage my constituents to make use of the new easy-to-use tool and I will follow the project with a keen interest.”

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Made In Scotland – This Sunday AT GTM

Aberdeenshire, Information No Responses »

Jul 162015

With thanks to Martyn Smith.

The Grampian Transport Museum in Alford will be welcoming surviving examples from the Scottish Motor Industry to a one off event this Sunday.

Made in Scotland – an event running in conjunction with an exhibition of the same name in the museum building – will showcase everyday cars, such as the Hillman Imp – which were produced at the Rootes plant in Linwood, Paisley.

A 1973 Davrian Imp racing car, owned by renowned Imp expert Dave Cooper of Midhurst, West Sussex, will also be on display and will in fact be driven some 600 miles to the event.

Dave will also be talking to the museum’s Young Engineers team and offering advice on how best to restore the museum’s own 1965 Hillman Imp.

The First Group Heritage Trust and Aberdeen & District Transport Preservation Trust will display a number of buses, once operated in Aberdeen and bodied by Alexander of Falkirk. The museum’s 1914 Sentinel Steam Waggon – the oldest fully functional example remaining – will offer museum visitors the chance of a ride around the circuit, as well as demonstrating the difference between steam and motor lorries of its era.

A 1927 Rolls Royce 20HP, which was bodied by Claud Hamilton of Aberdeen and now owned by Tom Muir of Kirkcaldy, will be making the journey north for Made in Scotland and joined by a pair of stunning Arrol Johnston vehicles which are also a part of the family collection.

A purpose built single seater racing car, the GWR Raptor, designed by former F1 Lotus designer Martin Ogilvie and built by former Scottish Champion and 2 time British Hillclimb champion Graeme Wight Junior, will be taking part in a demonstration on the museum’s circuit.

Made in Scotland takes place this Sunday, 19th July, from 12noon – 4pm and is included in the museum’s standard admission, £9.50 for adults, £7.50 for concessions with 2 children admitted FREE with every adult. More information can be found online at www.gtm.org.uk

ACYC Elects New Office Bearing Team

Aberdeen City, Information No Responses »

Jul 162015

With thanks to Piotr Teodorowski.

Members of the Aberdeen City Youth Council (ACYC) have elected a new Office Bearing team at their recent Annual General Meeting.

The new team of Office Bearers includes a new Chairperson and a new Vice-Chair Person as well as a new Secretary, Public Relations Officer and Treasurer.

The elected members are as follows:

Chairperson- Piotr Teodorowski
Piotr is the first non-British Chairperson of Aberdeen City Youth Council to have been elected.

Vice-Chairperson- Rebecca Lindsay
Rebecca has recently taken part in a sponsored hike up Mount Toubkal, Morocco for charity.

Treasurer- Scott Bremner
Scott is a member of the peer-education group GRADE-A, which provides drugs education.

Public Relations Officer- Martin Carle
Martin is the youngest of the newly elected Office Bearing team.

Secretary- Euan Davidson
Euan is a member of Hot Topics, a peer-education group that delivers sex education lessons to schools.

The new Office Bearing Team looks forward to working in their respective roles for the next two years.

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Scottish Bed Making Championship Launches In Aberdeen

Aberdeen City, Charity, Featured No Responses »

Jul 162015

With thanks to Ian McLaren, PR account manager, Innes Associates.

Michele Binnie and Courage the Cat launch the Scottish Bed Making Championship

Cash for Kids’ Michele Binnie and charity mascot Courage the Cat launch the Scottish Bed Making Championship at Village Urban Resort

Hospital corners will be the order of the day when a new competition is held in Aberdeen next month. The city is to play host to the inaugural Scottish Bed Making Championship on Thursday, 06 August.

The brainchild of local children’s charity Cash for Kids, the event forms part of its fundraising efforts for this year’s Bed Appeal.

The appeal, which officially launched earlier this month, aims to provide underprivileged children in north-east Scotland with a bed of their own and local disabled youngsters with specialist beds.

The charity hopes this year’s Bed Appeal will raise around £25,000 to purchase beds for more than 100 local underprivileged and disabled children.

The Scottish Bed Making Championship will be staged at Kingswells’ Village Urban Resort and is expected to attract entries from hotels, guest houses, care providers and hospitals in north-east Scotland.

Teams of four will be challenged to make a double bed – fitting sheets, pillow slips and duvet covers – as quickly as possible, before then making a bed which will be judged on its presentation. Points will be awarded for each task, with the two highest scoring teams then taking part in a bed race to be crowned Scottish Bed Making Champions. The winners will also win a corporate bowling night courtesy of Codona’s.

Cash for Kids charity manager Michele Binnie said:

“We are very excited to be launching the Scottish Bed Making Championship, which will be an important part of the 2015 Bed Appeal. The appeal highlights the issues of poverty and disability that families here in the north-east are facing.

“The championship is open to any team that wants to show off its bed making prowess, whether they’re from the hospitality and care industries or another sector entirely. Cash for Kids is grateful to Village Urban Resort Aberdeen for getting behind the event and we look forward to a great evening on Thursday, 06 August.”

Tracy Harrison, general manager of Village Urban Resort Aberdeen, said:

“The Scottish Bed Making Championship is a fantastic initiative to raise funds for this important appeal. It gives housekeeping teams in hotels and guest houses, and nursing and care staff a chance to shine at something they have to do proficiently and speedily each day.

“The championship is not just about making a bed quickly, but also presenting it well. The judges will be looking for crisp hospital corners and well plumped pillows. It will no doubt be a fun and competitive event, and one that we hope our hospitality colleagues across the north-east, and further afield, will get behind.”

Entry to the Scottish Bed Making Championship costs £100 for a team of four people, all of which goes directly to the Bed Appeal. Anyone interested in entering a team should contact Michele Binnie on 01224 337010 or michele.binnie@northsound.co.uk, or register online at www.northsound1.com/bed.

Cash for Kids is Northsound Radio’s listeners’ charity. It makes grants to individuals, families, children’s groups, organisations and projects throughout the Northsound transmission area. All money is raised locally and spent locally to benefit local disabled and disadvantaged children and young people under 18. More information on Cash for Kids can be found at www.northsound1.com/cashforkids, or telephone 01224 337010.

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