Student Lockdown To Attract Thousands To Bon Accord

 Aberdeen City, Articles  No Responses »
Sep 012016
 

Student-Lock-In-Save-the-date2With thanks to Jessica Murphy, Senior Account Executive, Citrus:Mix.

Bon Accord will enter lockdown next month as Aberdeen’s biggest and best student event takes over the city centre.

Now in its fifth year, the annual event, which is open exclusively to students, attracted more than 6,000 people to Bon Accord & St Nicholas last year.

The Student Lockdown is expected to attract an even bigger turn-out as the centre hosts the extravaganza on September 27. Students will be able to get their hands on a range of incredible discounts, with retailers offering up to 50% off purchases on the night as well as special giveaways.

Around 40 stores will be open on the night, which will run from 6.30pm to 9pm, and feature a wide variety of attractions and entertainment – as well as DJs, food and pop-up bars.

Craig Stevenson, manager of Bon Accord & St Nicholas, said:

“This event has now firmly established itself on the student calendar and has been growing in popularity each year. The atmosphere it creates in the centre is absolutely fantastic and we are looking forward to welcoming students from Aberdeen’s two universities and North East Scotland College to the Student Lockdown next month.

“Retailers will be putting on some incredible discounts for attendees and we will also be holding a range of competitions in the build-up to the Lockdown. Live music, special giveaways and pop-up bars and food outlets will further add to the occasion and ensure students will have an incredible night. For us this is also a way to introduce new students to what is on offer in Aberdeen and we hope they come along and enjoy it.”

Bon Accord & St Nicholas are at the heart of Aberdeen city centre’s retail sector, offering 840,000 sq ft of prime space and home to around 100 stores. Scotland’s largest Next, Aberdeen’s only Topshop and Topman standalone store as well as the City’s largest New Look and River Island are among the key retailers.

The centres, which attract an average of 275,000 visitors a week, are owned by BMO Real Estate Partners and managed by specialist retail agency Savills. For further information on the centres visit www.bonaccordandstnicholas.com

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Atholl Highlanders March On Lonach For Anniversary Games

 Aberdeenshire, Articles  No Responses »
Aug 262016
 

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

Stars of the show - The Lonach Highlanders are one of the main attractions at the Lonach Gathering (picture credit Ian Halliday)lopro

Stars of the show – The Lonach Highlanders are one of the main attractions at the Lonach Gathering (picture credit Ian Halliday)

Europe’s only private army is heading to Aberdeenshire this Saturday to help celebrate the 175th anniversary of one of Scotland’s oldest and most iconic highland games.

The Atholl Highlanders have been invited to attend this year’s Lonach Highland Gathering and Games as the event takes place for the 175th time.

They will join the local Lonach Highlanders on their three annual games day marches, creating one of the largest marches of highlanders in the event’s long history.

Organised by the Lonach Highland and Friendly Society, the Lonach Gathering is one of Scotland’s best known traditional events, attracting up to 10,000 visitors to the Aberdeenshire village of Bellabeg. Held in village’s Bellabeg Park, this year’s gathering takes place on Saturday, 27 August.

The annual event features the unique march of the Lonach Highlanders, who are believed to be the largest body of non-military men to carry ceremonial weapons in Britain. Membership of the Lonach Highlanders currently stands at around 230 men and is drawn from residents of the local area who descend from the Forbes, Wallace and Gordon clans.

Commencing at 8am on the morning of the games, the march of the Lonach Highlanders winds its way through Strathdon in Aberdeenshire, stopping at six local properties. At each stop on the six-mile route the highlanders receive a dram to toast the health of the society and the area.

Dressed in full highland regalia and armed with eight-foot long pikes and Lochaber axes, the Lonach Highlanders bring traffic on the A944 through Strathdon to a standstill. With the similarly attired Atholl Highlanders, who carry Lee-Metford rifles, the spectacle will be even greater for visitors.

This year, with the Atholl Highlanders in attendance, the march is expected to be one of the largest in history, numbering around 220 individuals, which includes members of both highlanders’ pipe bands. Both bodies of men will again march together during the afternoon marches on the games field at 1pm and 3pm, with the 3pm march being led by the massed pipes and drums of a number of pipe bands.

Featuring a full programme of traditional highland events, including individual and massed piping, highland dancing and light and heavy athletics, the Lonach Gathering attracts some of the country’s leading pipers, dancers and athletes. With a children’s race, a hill race, tug o’war, around 50 trade stands and a family funfair, there are many attractions to keep everyone entertained.

Activities on the games field commence at 10:30am with the piping competitions, before the full programme of traditional events commences at noon.

Jennifer Stewart, secretary and chief executive of the Lonach Highland and Friendly Society, said:

“The 175th Lonach Gathering is shaping up to be a real showstopper and the presence of Europe’s only private army will only add to that.  This anniversary is a milestone for the society and the gathering, and we hope to welcome visitors from near and far to help us celebrate it.

“We are really looking forward to the Atholl Highlanders joining the Lonach Highlanders on their marches, which are always a fantastic spectacle. In the crisp morning air, the sight and sound of the 8am march winding its way through the valley is magnificent. We don’t think that anywhere else in the world you can witness hundreds of kilted highlanders marching along a main road and bringing the traffic to a halt.

“Also to mark the anniversary, we are charting the history of the Lonach Gathering with a display of fascinating old photographs. It includes some from when the Atholl Highlanders have previously marched here at Lonach.”

The 175th Lonach Highland Gathering and Games takes place on Saturday, 27 August in Bellabeg, Strathdon, Aberdeenshire. Tickets are priced from £8 for adults, £4 for children aged between 5 and 15, while entry for children under 4 is free. Car parking is also free.

Established in 1823, by Sir Charles Forbes, 1st Baronet of Newe and Edinglassie, the Lonach Highland and Friendly Society is a charitable organisation based in Strathdon, Aberdeenshire.

The society organises the annual Lonach Gathering at Bellabeg Park, Strathdon, which is held on the fourth Saturday of August. The main attraction at the gathering is the march of the Lonach Highlanders, a unique body of non-military men. Further information on the Lonach Highland and Friendly Society, the Lonach Highlanders and the annual Lonach Highland Gathering can be found at www.lonach.org.

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£15,000 Boost For Child Protection Charity

 Aberdeen City, Articles  No Responses »
Aug 262016
 

AAM NSPCC (1)With thanks to Esther Green, Senior Account Executive, Tricker PR

A £15,000 donation from Aberdeen Asset Management is providing crucial support to extend a leading child protection charity’s work in giving primary aged pupils the  knowledge and understanding they need to stay safe from abuse and neglect.

The NSPCC’s Schools Service in Aberdeen sees skilled volunteers working in city schools covering the difficult subjects of abuse, neglect and bullying presented in an age appropriate way.

Through assemblies and workshops, and by using different tools such as mascots, posters and kits, they give essential safeguarding information in a lively, interactive and memorable way.

Children are taught to understand abuse in all its forms and recognise the signs of abuse, know how to protect themselves from all kinds of abuse and know how to get help, and the sources of help available to them, including the charity’s Childline service.

Aberdeen Asset Management’s support has covered the total cost of operating the Schools Service in Aberdeen City for a year, enabling over 1,600 children to be  informed on how to stay safe from abuse and what do do if they have a worry.

Alice Adamson, Aberdeen Area Co-ordinator for the NSPCC said:

“We are hugely grateful to Aberdeen Asset Management Charitable Foundation for supporting the expansion of our service and this funding will support our skilled volunteers in delivering a vtial service which covers the difficult topics of abuse, neglect, bullying in a child-focussed and relevant way.

“Being able to teach children at primary school about abuse enables schools and children to identify problems sooner and ultimately make sure that children with problems in this area get the help they need to have the happy childhood they deserve.”

The charity offers the programme freely to schools to help ensure all children aged 5-11 learn essential safeguarding information and so that pupils feel empowered to speak out and stay safe as a result.

One Grampian volunteer who delivers the programme in schools  says that children respond well to the approach taken and the tools provided, including a mascot and a bag of worries, are essential in the delivery to children as it keeps them fully engaged throughout.

After one recent session, the volunteer was handed a note from one of the children showing they clearly knew what was inappropriate behaviour – and would know exactly what action to take if they were in that situation.

The volunteer added:

“I admit to feeling quite overwhelmed when I read the note and I was completely reassured that this child knew exactly who their ‘trusted adults’ were and where to seek help if they needed to. This act and many other comments from children during our deliveries, keeps me passionate in my volunteering role and further cements my belief in the importance of the NSPCC Schools Service.”

Dominic Kite of Aberdeen Asset Management, said:

“This programme uses specially trained volunteers to talk to primary school children about abuse and with £15,000 from our Charitable Foundation they will be able to extend this essential work and have the materials they need to support the effective delivery of this programme in Aberdeen city schools.”

The Aberdeen Asset Charitable Foundation was established in 2012 to formalise and develop the Group’s charitable giving globally.

The Foundation seeks partnerships with smaller charities around the world, where funds can be seen to have a meaningful and measurable impact and the firm encourages its employees to use their time and skills to support its charitable projects.

The main focus of the Foundation is around emerging markets and local communities, reflecting the desire to give back to those areas which are a key strategic focus of the business and to build on the historic pattern of giving to communities in which Aberdeen employees live and work.

A number charities supporting children have benefitted from the Foundation recently including the Northsound Cash for Kids Bed Appeal, the National Deaf Children’s Society for its work with deaf children and their families, Hopscotch which was able to provide a welcome respite holiday for vulnerable children in Middlefield, Aberdeen, and the Teapot Trust’s for its art therapy work at the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital.

For more information visit http://www.aberdeen-asset.co.uk/aam.nsf/foundation/home

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Home Comforts Delivered To Young Homeless People

 Aberdeen City, Articles  No Responses »
Aug 182016
 

With thanks to Esther Green, Senior Account Executive, Tricker PR

quarriersHousehold essentials that help make a house a home are being provided to young homeless people in Scotland who are overcoming significant challenges and taking up their first tenancies.

Starter packs containing the basics like curtains, bedding, pots and pans, towels and cleaning items are being provided to young people who have experienced homelessness when they move into their first homes through an initiative by leading social care charity Quarriers.

Aberdeen Asset Management’s Charitable Foundation has given £2,000 to provide starter packs to help 40 young people kit out their new home, giving them a more comfortable start to life in their first secured tenancy.

Youth homelessness remains a real issue in Scotland and young people supported by Quarriers’ youth housing services have often travelled a harrowing road with exposure to neglect, violence, abuse, relationship breakdowns with family and friends, and substance misuse which has affected their health, emotional and psychological development, confidence and self-esteem.

A number of young people have also experienced the care system at some point in their lives.

Many have encountered difficulties at school which has hindered their progression and acquisition of basic literacy and numeracy skills.

Increasingly, Quarriers is also supporting young refugees and asylum seekers whose extreme experiences and negligible resources severely limit their ability to survive, let alone thrive, in their new country.

Young people speak of their feelings of despair, abandonment and isolation; many have turned to alcohol, drugs and high risk behaviours to try to escape their situations and feelings.

Quarriers last year supported over 300 young people to regain their confidence and get their lives back on track, providing them with the means and skills to live independently and successfully within their community. These youngsters, often referred by social work or related services, receive up to two years support from the charity, depending on their circumstances.

Moving into their own tenancy – be it in mainstream or supported accommodation – is a significant step forward full of challenges for young people with few belongings, let alone basic furniture.

Providing basic household items including bedding, curtains or blinds, towels, cutlery and dishes, a kettle, toaster and pots, cleaning goods and other items when possible and funding permits helps young people get settled in and feel like they are in their own home, rather than just a safe room with a roof.

Alice Harper, Quarriers Chief Executive, said:

“Quarriers is committed to providing high quality services to help young people experiencing homelessness. Practical support such as providing these starter packs makes a real difference and we would like to thank Aberdeen Asset Management wholeheartedly for their support.

“Together, we are helping the young people we support to develop essential life skills and work towards a brighter future.”

Dominic Kite of Aberdeen’s Charitable Foundation, added:

“Having a place to call your own is a milestone in any young person’s life but for anyone who has faced homelessness it must be all the more significant. Quarriers has recognised the difference it makes to provide an assortment of basic home items right at the start of a new tenancy and we’re pleased to be able to provide starter packs for 40 young people.”

Aberdeen Asset Charitable Foundation was established in 2012 to formalise and develop the Group’s charitable giving globally. It seeks partnerships with smaller charities around the world, where funds can be seen to have a meaningful and measurable impact and the firm encourages its employees to use their time and skills to support its charitable projects.

The main focus of the Foundation is around emerging markets and local communities, reflecting the desire to give back to those areas which are a key strategic focus of the business and to build on the historic pattern of giving to communities in which Aberdeen employees live and work.

For more information visit http://www.aberdeen-asset.co.uk/aam.nsf/foundation/home

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Mass Blockade Hits Drone Factory

 Articles, Featured, Information  1 Response »
Aug 182016
 
GazaIsraelBigRide (5)

The Big Ride has set out to draw attention to the 547 children verified as killed during the Israeli bombardment of Gaza in 2014.

With thanks to Greg Challis, The Big Ride.

Hundreds of cyclists and their supporters who blockaded a Midlands factory in protest at its sale of drones used by the Israeli military have vowed: “We’ll be back.”
The Big Ride for Palestine staged four feeder rides from London, Bristol, Manchester and Sheffield which converged on Birmingham for a festival in Sparkhill Park.

The peloton then moved off en masse to a rally at the factory gates of UAV engines, in Shenstone near Lichfield.

UAV is part of the Elbit group and has been the target of repeated protests by activists, appalled at the way drones have been used against Palestinian civilians.

The Big Ride has set out to draw attention to the 547 children verified as killed during the Israeli bombardment of Gaza in 2014.

Protesters pinned photographs of child victims on the fence surrounding the factory and, during a two hour peaceful action,heard first hand testimony from a Palestinian doctor working with children in Gaza.

The event also created a minor internet sensation with ten of thousands of views of a video posted by the Friends of Al Aqsa group and You Tube footage of Tom from Manchester performing his rap composition, There’s Nothing new about the News.

Dr Mona El Farra, who lost nine members of her extended family in 2014, told the crowd:

“With your support and solidarity, we are helping some of the thousands of children who are traumatised by the loss of the families, their homes, their schools. Even though Gaza has been reduced to rubble in places with the support of arms manufacturers like Elbit, who own UAV, we are doing everything we can to rebuild lives.

“The children are all our futures, and they are so brave, but I can’t tell you how damaged they are. They have to learn how to play again, to be children. This is nothing more than collective punishment of the Palestinian people by the Israel and we say that it is a war crime.”

The Big Ride drew support from MPs, MEPs, trade unions and celebrities, including film director Ken Loach and campaign and charity groups including War on Want and Campaign Against the Arms Trade. They have set a target of £20,770 to help the Middle Eastern Children’s Alliance, which funds projects on the ground in Gaza.

Activists are now meeting with other grass roots groups to step up their campaign against UAV and the Government supported arms trade with Israel.

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Another World Ranking Performance From Clark IT

 Aberdeen City, Articles  1 Response »
Aug 112016
 

With thanks to Esther Green, Senior Account Executive, Tricker PR

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.

A North-east firm has been ranked among the most progressive managed service providers (MSPs) for IT in the world, according to the latest edition of an influential global guide to MSPs.

For the fifth year in a row, Clark Integrated Technologies (IT) features in the annual MSPmentor 501 list and study published by Penton Technology.

Clark IT is also in the Top 50 for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) for a third time. Clark IT is one of only two Scottish firms to make it into the EMEA Top 50.

Clark IT’s listing is an incredible achievement considering the size of the MSP market globally, says Austen Clark, Managing Director of Clark IT.

Mr Clark continues:

“This is a major milestone for the team at Clark Integrated Technologies and is recognition of all the work they put in, and how they are continuing to grow and develop into a formidable group of engineers.

“Being recognised as one of the top 50 MSPs in Europe, the Middle East and America is a worthy accolade for our company and its people, and further strengthens our place  as an established and trusted provider.’’

Each year, MSPmentor undertakes research to gather information for its annual rankings through the participation of managed service providers and IT service providers in their survey. It attracts a large entry of thousands of IT solutions companies but only a select 501 make it onto the honours list that is MSP 501.

At the top are robust services providers that span multiple geographies, product categories and technological capabilities. When it comes to customers, nine out of 10 MSP 501 companies sell to small organisations with fewer than 100 employees. While small business remains a mainstay of many MSPs, 70 percent also sell to companies with as many as 1,000 employees, and nearly one in five MSP 501 companies sell to enterprise customers with at least 1,000 or more employees.

Founded 25 years ago, Clark IT is based near Turriff in Aberdeenshire. The firm has become one of Scotland’s leading independent providers of managed ICT solutions and has a broad range of corporate and commercial clients not only in the North-east but across Scotland and beyond.

Clark IT clients benefit from the specialist knowledge of the firm’s 26-strong team to support their systems and through managed IT services. Clients also benefit from Pro-active IT Support, 24/7 Monitoring, A virtual IT Manager, predictive IT costs and a strategic IT plan tailor-made for their business.

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Hall Morrice Continues to Strengthen Team with New Recruits

 Aberdeen City, Articles  No Responses »
Aug 112016
 

With thanks to Eoin Smith, Senior Account Executive, Tricker PR.

hm-new-recruits-2016

Michael Smith, Catherine Freeman, Aaron Williams, Toni Parker, Ashleigh Welsh, Irene Walker, Maria Marcas and Calum Mathers have all recently joined Hall Morrice.

An Aberdeen-based accountancy firm has announced the appointment of eight new members of staff. Following the creation of a new business development role earlier this year, Hall Morrice has further strengthened its team across its various departments in order to continue to provide exemplary service to clients operating in a wide range of industry sectors notwithstanding the current challenging economic backdrop affecting many.

Aaron Williams has joined Hall Morrice from KPMG UK, and will take up the role of audit and accounts manager, working with clients in a variety of sectors including oil and gas, ICT, retail, and property.

Aaron says,

“Hall Morrice has an excellent reputation in the north east of Scotland, so I welcomed the opportunity to join the team. Working across such a varied portfolio is a challenge, but one that I am looking forward to embracing. I look forward to working with the Hall Morrice team to continue providing the high level of service that our clients expect.”

The firm’s payroll team has been expanded in recent months, with the addition of Irene Walker and Maria Marcus. Additionally, CA students Ashleigh Welsh, Catherine Freeman and Michael Smith took on new roles within the firm last month, and were joined by RGU placement students Calum Mathers and Toni Parker.

The recruitment news sees the firm strengthening its operations at all levels, and follows an impressive year for Hall Morrice which saw a large intake of students taking on roles in 2015 and the appointment of Mike Innes to the newly-created role of business development director this spring.

Shonagh Fraser, partner at Hall Morrice, says,

“Undoubtedly times are tough for many businesses in Aberdeen, however we believe in a focus on the future. The economic climate will ease over time, and we want to be in the strongest position we can when it does.

“We firmly believe in developing and nurturing new talent, and we have been delighted to see so many students coming into the firm over the last month. By investing in young people, we are cementing the future of our industry for years to come.

“Aaron is an important addition to the managerial team, and we are confident that his leadership will help guide our new recruits and current staff over the years to come.”

Founded in 1976, Hall Morrice celebrates its 40th anniversary this year and is one of Scotland’s leading independent firms of chartered accountants with has offices in Aberdeen and Fraserburgh. Based at 6 and 7 Queens Terrace in Aberdeen, Hall Morrice can be contacted on 01224 647394 or at accounts@hallmorrice.co.uk

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