Ford Scholarships for Strathclyde

Strathclyde University is the only Scottish one to be included in a Ford scholarship scheme announced this week.

Ford has selected 12 leading UK universities to award 100 students scholarships worth a total of £1 million starting in the 2012 academic year.

The aim is to encourage the next generation of engineers, scientists and innovators to make careers in British industry.

Said Joe Greenwell, Ford of Britain chairman: ‘Ford is encouraging students to choose courses which deliver the highest quality science and technology skills which are fundamental to our future industrial base. This programme will help rebalance the UK economy and ensure long term economic success.’

Each Ford Blue Oval Scholarship will provide £10,000 per student over a three-year period on courses ranging from science to automotive engineering and computer technology.

Professor Jim McDonald, Principal of Strathclyde University said: ‘Strathclyde has a long and successful track record of working side-by-side with business to develop ‘industry ready’ engineers, scientists and innovators of tomorrow. We’re delighted Ford has chosen to invest in our talented students who will go on to support industry and fuel its future economic growth.’

At Strathclyde, the scholarships will be open to students in the University’s Faculty of Engineering – the largest in Scotland. It is renowned internationally for research and for strong links with industry.

More info: http://www.strath.ac.uk/engineering/scholarships/fordblueovalscholarshipprogramme/

People v. Bankers rally

CITIZENS UNITED!

Open mic

RALLY

People against the Bankers

outside RBS Gordon Street,

Glasgow

11am

Wednesday 8 February 2012

Have your say. All welcome.

Info from: 07948010959

Shawlands shows the way in Town Centre planning

Shawlands is a step closer to becoming a vibrant town centre, thanks to an Action Plan which was up for public scrutiny  on Monday 23 January.

After several in-depth surveys on different aspects of the area, Glasgow City’s Development and Regeneration Services drafted proposals to re-vitalise the neighbourhood of around 21,000 people.

For businesses, lack of free, convenient parking is a handicap along with a decline in consumer spend as people drive to more modern centres with better facilities, to shop. For local residents, the aim is to make the district the Heart of the Southside by balancing the needs of people, businesses, the sense of ‘place’ and sustainable living.

Said Tim Mitchell, senior Planning Officer with Glasgow City Council: ‘This has been a very productive and useful day. We’ve had a lot of input to get to this point and have confidence that the final version of the Action Plan can come from this within the next two or three months.’ Between 50 and 60 people visited the Action Plan exhibition in Langside Public hall and at least as many sent online comments which will all be considered for the final Plan. Individuals have till the end of January to submit their comments on the Action Plan.

David Dunlop of the Development and Regeneration Services of the City, who has been involved in developing the Action Plan and attended the day-long consultation said: ‘We are really delighted with the turnout. Many people have taken the time to share their thoughts on the draft proposals and ideas and some really interesting ideas have come forward.’ One was that people driving along Kilmarnock Road couldn’t get back into Shawlands because of lack of turning junctions. Pedestrians said there were not enough crossing points along Kilmarnock Road for them. Other thoughts were to turn the Arcade into an amusements centre or knock it down.

Said Norman MacLeod who has been selected to be a candidate for Glasgow City Council election on Thursday, said: ‘This exercise has been done in exactly the right way – community consultations first and from that a draft Action Plan which everyone can look at.’

Visitor Roger Guthrie who is a director of the Alexander Thomson Society, proposed that the Martin memorial Fountain which was recently re-located on Glasgow Green and had been removed from the front of the Langside Hall many years ago, should be brought back to Shawlands where it belongs.

John Dunn of AWG Property which owns the Shawlands Arcade,  attended  the consultation and read the many -mostly negative – comments on the site. ‘We are pretty open to what to do in the Arcade. If the concept is right we will support it. There have been quite a few sparks of interesting comments made on these draft plans.’ He said that a licencing application was due to be heard in February which, if granted, would fill one major unit. In addition, two new tenants had been signed up recently and should be opening soon.

A large representation from Shawlands and Strathbungo Community Council visited the consultation to see what had happened to many of their ideas and suggestions. ‘The whole consultation idea was sparked off four years ago when we held the first public meeting in Langside Halls to challenge local City Councillors about the needs of the area,’ said Andrew Montgomery from the Community Council. ‘From that came the Shawlands Town Centre Action Plan steering group which resulted in the publication of Glasgow City Council’s draft Town Centre Action Plan for Shawlands. The draft Plan was the focus of the consultation exercise and will be discussed at the next Community Council meeting at 7pm on Thursday 9 February in Shawlands Academy.’ Said Andrew: ‘We encourage everyone in the area – residents, business owners, people who work or shop in Shawalnds – to have their say.’ It is expected that local City Councillors and MSPs will attend.

 

Protest at City Budget cuts

DEFEND GLASGOW SERVICES CAMPAIGN

LOBBY OF COUNCIL BUDGET MEETING

THURSDAY 9 FEB, 12.30PM

CITY CHAMBERS, GEORGE SQUARE

On Thursday 9 February 2012, Glasgow’s Councillors intend to vote through another £43M in budget cuts. This is on top of the £100M+ cut in the last two years which has already led to huge cuts in services and the loss of thousands of jobs in the council, charities, voluntary organisations, contractors, etc in our city.

 Services to our most vulnerable citizens are in the firing line once again with another £10M to be cut from services to the disabled.

 The citizens of Glasgow should not be asked to pay for the mistakes of bankers. Glasgow’s Councillors should oppose all cuts by setting a “needs budget” that protects services while organising a community and trade union campaign to win more money from the Scottish and UK Governments.

 Get to the Lobby – No cuts in services!

 The UNISON Glasgow City Branch co-ordinates the work of the DGS campaign.

Tel: 0141 552 7069 and Facebook/defendglasgowservices

Job opportunity

École Enterprise has the following vacancy funded under Community Jobs Scotland.  All applicants must abide with the CJS eligibility criteria and apply via Job Centre Plus or Skill Development Scotland Advisor.

 Drama Tutor/Creative Assistant

To assist with drama activities within workshop/training and production projects.  To maintain and develop web pages with associated administrative duties.

École Enterprise is a Social Enterprise Business, has Scottish Charitable Status and is a Company Ltd by Guarantee.  The company is based at Theatre at Queens, 170 Queen’s Drive and offers training in the Performing Arts to young people and to youth organisations.  The youth theatre caters for 9-25 year olds. Some of the team are pictured above.

For further information please visit www.theatre-ecole.org.uk or www.facebook.com/theatreecole or tel 0141 423 6037

Winning a blinder of a contract

Glasgow based City Building has won a £2million contract to supply kitchen units and worktops for homes in East Ayrshire. The range of units and worktops will be manufactured by Royal Strathclyde Blindcraft Industries (RSBi) which is a supported facility operated by City Building. The three year contract will provide 3000 kitchens for East Ayrshire Council’s Housing Asset Services which will install the fixtures.

John Foley, managing director of City Building, said: ‘We’re delighted with this contract win. The RSBi produces furniture and construction products to high standards, while giving genuine and lasting employment opportunities to local people, including those with disabilities. We look forward to working in partnership with East Ayrshire Council on this important project.’

Recently the RSBi gained Gold Certificate standard from the Furniture Industry Research Association (FIRA), an independent industry authority which recognises high quality products and professional craftsmanship. This is understood to have been a factor in City Building’s successful bid. Said Chris McAleavey, head of housing services at East Ayrshire Council: ‘We are confident that the finished product will match our high expectations. RSBi is well known for its high quality products and unique social ethos.’

City Building has been successful in gaining a separate contract with East Ayrshire Council, to fit kitchens, bathrooms and to carry out rewiring.

One of Europe’s largest supported employment facilities, RSBi has 240 workers of whom more than half have a disability. The company works closely with a range of organisations including Glasgow’s Helping Heroes and various disabled ex-servicemen and women’s groups.

City Building has delivered more than £28 million in cash surplus over the last five years, which is passed to Glasgow City Council for investment in frontline services.

City Building’s award-winning training academies in Queenslie and Laurieston are the most successful apprentice-training centres in Scotland.

 

 

 

 

Asian entrepreneurs praised and rewarded

Scottish Asian men and women were recognised for their business achievements at the Scottish Asian Business Awards on Wednesday 23 November at the Thistle Hotel.

Irfan Younis, Director for the event organisers, Oceanic Consulting, said: ‘This year the competition was exceptionally strong. We had some truly inspiring winners and finalists and they should all be incredibly proud of themselves.’

John Rendall, CEO of HSBC in Scotland, said: “HSBC is proud to be supporting these awards and it was fantastic to see the achievements of Scotland’s thriving Asian business community being recognised. At HSBC we continue to see innovative Scottish businesses making strides and we’re well placed to help them realise their potential. I was impressed by the high calibre of nominees. The winners should all be very proud of their personal achievements and the spirit of entrepreneurship they are fuelling in Scotland.’

The keynote speaker was the Deputy First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon who said: ‘This is a great opportunity to recognise the major contribution the Scottish Asian business community makes to Scotland.’

The event also raised money for The British Asian Trust. Set up by the Prince of Wales, the charity serves as a ‘social fund’ to support high impact charities in education, enterprise and health. Since it was formed in 2009 the charity has helped over 350,000 people in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the UK.

AWARD winners were:

Young Achiever of the Year – Ricky Singh, owner of Team Singh, a personal fitness training company based in Ayrshire. A talented boxer, he is aiming for a gold medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. His website is http://www.teamsingh.com

Franchisee of the Year – Kumon Educational, Glasgow (Saima Afzal). The company offers English and maths tutoring to children of all ages and abilities; instilling lifelong study skills and boosting children’s confidence. The Glasgow franchise is located at 15 Kenmure Street, Pollokshields. Its website is: http://www.kumon.co.uk/

Small Business of the Year – Khan Autos – is a family run business which has been going for 32 years. It is located at 23-25 Garturk Street, Govanhill. The website is: http://www.khanautos.co.uk/

The Community Award – E Waste Solutions – This not for profit organisation aims to help disadvantaged people learn computer skills. The company recycles used equipment and has a zero landfill policy to ensure they are as environmentally friendly as possible. They have donated several computers to the village of Samundri in Pakistan, where company director Zahid Rafiq’s late mother came from. The website is http://www.ewastesolutions.co.uk/index.php

Businesswoman of the Year – Preet Sandhu – founded a Glasgow based residential letting and property management company, Happy Lets. Preet works alongside her husband Bobby in running the company. A graduate in business management, Preet is also the daughter of curry king (and winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award) Charan Gill. Happy Lets website is: http://www.happylets.co.uk/

Businessman of the Year – Asim Sarwar – managing director of United Wholesale (Scotland) Ltd, a wholesale cash & carry operation in Glasgow, trading in tobacco, alcohol and grocery products predominantly to the traditional independent retail market in Scotland’s central belt. A family business, Asim has worked for Wholesale (Scotland) Ltd for 11 years.

Business of the Year – Perfect Glazing (Glasgow) Limited – it manufactures Rehau units on-site in their own Scottish factory. It is the only double glazing installer in Scotland that has a toughened glass plant on-site producing toughened glass to certified British Standards. Clients include the Royal Navy and Strathclyde Fire Brigade. Website is http://www.perfectglazingscotland.com/

Entrepreneur of the Year – Samrat Sarkar – owner of Sarkar Defence Solutions Ltd, a company specialising in the manufacture of ballistic and tactical body armour for police and military. An ex-Royal Navy Officer, Samrat founded the company four years ago. His clients now include the US Army, Italian Special Forces, the Peruvian Army, the Spanish Navy, the UN and many others. Samrat sources as many of his materials as possible, locally and transferred manufacturing to Scotland. Sarkar Defence Solutions website is: http://www.sarkardefence.com/

Lifetime Achievement – Charan Gill MBE – The man is credited by many in making the curry a staple of the Scottish diet. Arriving in Scotland from India at 9 and leaving school at 16 he worked his way up from cleaning toilets and peeling onions to being the owner of a chain of 17 restaurants. He now concentrates on building links between Scottish and Indian businesses. Last month he raised £1 million for the Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice.

 

Ruth is new Conservative leader

Ruth Davidson has been voted leader of the Scottish Conservative Party. The former BBC journalist won by 2983 votes over Murdo Fraser’s 2417. The MSP has campaigned across Scotland among Party members. She said on being elected: ‘A political party is not a leader. A political party is its membership and I want to bring our members at all levels much closer together to take our party forward in unity.’ She also said that communication of the Party’s vision has to be better. Within minutes of the announcement she had been congratulated by Prime Minister David Cameron. She said: ‘I’ve been cheeky enough to ask for some things already,’ but she didn’t say what she’d asked for.

The 32-year-old takes over from Annabel Goldie and was only elected to the Scottish Parliament in May.

First Minister Alex Salmond was among the first to congratulate her on becoming Leader. He said: ‘ I wish her well. My own view is that Annabel Goldie was a highly successful leader for the Conservatives in Scotland, and maximised the Tory vote here. That merely underlines the scale of the task for Ruth Davidson in motivating her party – as does the number of Scottish Tory members who actually voted in this contest, and the fact that her main opponent proposed winding up the party.

‘Hopefully, under Ruth’s leadership, the Tories will change their attitude to Scotland and start to work in the country’s best interests.’

AMEEN aim to be advocates.

A new network has been set up to help reduce inequalities among people in minority ethnic communities.

Called Alliance Minority Ethnic Empowerment Network (AMEEN), it aims to provide advice and advocacy particularly in housing issues.

The brainchild of Sofi Parveen who is now Chairperson, and friends, it is designed to provide holistic support. Said Sofi: ‘Even though I speak fluent English, I found it frustrating not to be able to access the support I needed and to have to face inequalities in trying to find a job. This organisation will spearhead these issues. We aim to empower families from different cultures and backgrounds. By doing so we will make a powerful statement.’

Funded by Scottish Community Foundation, the group has a working base in Torrisdale Street in Govanhill. It has a drop in session in the nearby Larkfield Centre, Inglefield Street on Tuesdays from 1pm till 4pm and in St Ninian’s Episcopal Church, in Albert Drive, Pollokshields on Thursdays from 1pm till 4pm.

The volunteers who will provide the support for AMEEN clients will be trained and given personal development opportunities.

At the launch event, dramatised accounts of some real life experiences were acted out to show how advocacy can bring a suitable solution to sometimes difficult-to-handle problems.

Said Sofi: ‘Advocacy can play a powerful role in helping people resolve issues of unfair treatment or discrimination.’

Westminster MP Anas Sarwar, reaffirmed his commitment to helping disadvantaged communities in tackling inequalities. ‘He has been brilliant,’ said Sofi. ‘He understands the kind of inequalities we are confronting.’

MSP Hanzala Malik also attended the opening event. ‘He has expressed a supportive attitude,’ said Sofi.

The Housing Support Project aims to help families and individuals who are currently needing advice and support in housing matters. They will be offered free, independent, confidential and culturally sensitive help from AMEEN.

The organisation can be contacted on: mob 07403491660 or email:office@a-meen.org.uk Languages currently spoken include: Punjabi, Urdu, Arabic, Igbo and German as well as English.

Re-launch for an old favourite

The discount store TJ Hughes, will have special treats for customers on Saturday 1 October as it celebrates its relaunch. Almost closed in August when the company went into administration, it was saved by Liverpool entrepreneur Anil Juneja who bought the Trongate business along with five other TJ Hughes outlets in England, including the Liverpool one.

His action saved 110 Glasgow jobs and 700 throughout the previous company’s stores. Said Mr Juneja: ‘We’re all extremely excited about the relaunch and want to let the people of Glasgow know that the TJ Hughes store is back and better than ever. We’re hoping that customers will be able to come and join us to celebrate and get a taste of the fabulous deals that TJ Hughes has to offer.’ Among the brands on offer will be Nike, Paul Smith and Elizabeth Arden. The company also plans to sell online soon so check out their website: www.tjhughes.co.uk

Formed in 1996, A

nil Juneja’s main business is Benross Marketing Ltd which supplies home and garden wholesale products across the UK and Europe. Quality is a watchword and clients include some of the biggest retail names on the high street.

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