Ghana flag flies high in Ayr

AYR resident Dr Charles Amarety Aryiku, (58) has been commissioned as Scotland’s first Honorary Consul-General for Ghana, at a ceremony in the City Chambers in Glasgow. The ceremony was conducted by His Excellency, the Ghana High Commissioner Professor Kwaku Danso-Boafo.

Dr Aryiku, although taking on the role of Honorary Consul-General of Glasgow in a voluntary capacity, has lived and worked in Scotland for many years, and has lived in Ayr for over 20 years.

The home of Dr Aryiku now has a brass plaque which informs people of his new position. In addition a distinctive Ghanaian flag is being flown on the front of his home.


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Dr Aryiku's new role is to protect the interests of Ghanaians and promote the mutual interests of the Republic of Ghana to Scotland.

Speaking about the event, Dr Aryiku said: “I came to the conclusion that this would be a wonderful opportunity to be of service to my motherland Ghana by giving something back.

“At this stage of our national development Ghana has a lot to learn from Scotland. Ghana is still a developing country. Therefore, as the first Consul-General of the Republic of Ghana in Scotland, I hope, first and foremost, to help promote the good name of Ghana in Glasgow, to encourage friendly relations and promote tourism, trade and education. I will also have the responsibility to protect the interest of all Ghanaian nationals resident in Glasgow.

“Many Ghanaians have passed through the city in their training in the fields of medicine, engineering, architecture and agriculture.”

It is estimated that there are between 3,000 to 4,000 Ghanaians living in Scotland. However one of the functions of the Honorary Consulate is to help the High Commission build an accurate register of Ghanaians who live in Scotland.

Councillor Ian Douglas of South Ayrshire Council was at the ceremony in Glasgow, and at the unveiling of the plaque at Dr Aryiku’s home. He said: “This is a proud moment for the town of Ayr and Scotland in general. To have the Consul-General for the Republic of Ghana, a country which has gone from strength to strength since it gained its independence from London rule in 1957, choose to live in Ayr is indeed an honour. Ghana has a lot in common with Scotland, oil and friendly outgoing people. I look forward to the opening of doors both in the tourist sector and the world of commerce and industry between our countries.”


[Pictured after the flag was flown and the plaque unveiled at Dr Aryiku’s home in Ayr are (left to right) Councillor Ian Douglas, His Excellency, the Ghana High Commissioner Professor Kwaku Danso-Boafo, Dr Charles Amarety Aryiku, Honorary Consul General for Ghana and Brigadier General George K Adjei.]

Dr Aryiku is a Consultant General Adult Psychiatrist with interest in the treatment of depression and related conditions with a particular interest in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

He completed his undergraduate education in Ghana where he qualified as a doctor in 1975.

Four years later he gained a Commonwealth Scholarship for post-graduate training in Psychiatry at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital.

That is when he fell in love with Scotland – its culture and its people.

Following his final Royal College of Psychiatrists membership exams in 1982, Dr Aryiku worked in the Scottish Borders for two year before proceeding Cambridge in East Anglia for further training.

His love for Scotland saw his return in 1986 to take up his first Consultant job with the then Forth Valley Health Board.

Four years later in 1990, he moved westward to Ayrshire to take up his current job with NHS Ayrshire and Arran. He and his family have lived in Ayr for nearly 20 years.
 
He has served as a member of the Board of Governors for Hansel Village, a Charitable Organisation for people with Learning Disabilities.

He also served as the psychiatrist for the refugees at Dungavel Detention Removal Centre, for a period of five years up until 2006.

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Paligap help West of Scotland Loan Fund beat targets

CREATIVE agency Paligap has played a major part in helping West of Scotland Loan Fund (WSLF) achieve its current annual targets for lending to small and medium-sized businesses in the West of Scotland.


[Pictured: WSLF manager Andrew Dickson.]

WSLF is a unique consortium of twelve west of Scotland Local Authorities working together to provide loan finance to new and existing small to medium-sized enterprises in the region.

In April 2009, WSLF secured £6m from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of a £15m fund, which will provide financial support to some 600 new and growing businesses over the next six years.

WSLF’s target for the current financial year was to achieve lending of £2.5million reaching 100 businesses. Already they have granted 85 loans totalling £2.34million to SMEs in the West of Scotland.

Part of the success must be attributed to WSLF’s successful collaboration with Ayr-based creative marketing agency Paligap, which has been working with WSLF for over four years.

Paligap provide a range of market communication services to WSLF, including:

* Brand development
* Media planning
* Campaign Management
* Website design, maintenance and hosting
* Promotional literature design
* Exhibition design

The twin objectives of Paligap’s remit are:

* To ensure that eligible and sustainable companies are aware of WSLF’s existence and their ability to draw funds from it
* To inform companies how to apply

WSLF manager Andrew Dickson commented: “We appreciate the creative and strategic support provided by Paligap, who have been a project partner for over 4 years. A key element in WSLF’s growth has been the success of our multi-layered approach to market communication through advertising in newspapers, periodicals, and industry magazines, and PR pushing potential clients to our web site and making loan applications on-line.”

Paligap sales director Bill Inglis confirmed: “Paligap’s brief has been to raise the profile of WSLF to the business community through a number of market communication channels including, web, e-marketing, events and PR. The result has been a rapid growth in the number of loans being issued and businesses being assisted with gap funding which is great to see.”

Andrew Dickson concluded: “Paligap provide WSLF with all the marketing and design services we need. We particularly appreciate the regular project meetings, and the benefits are clearly demonstrated with the number of loans we have made so far this year.”

www.paligap.com

www.wslf.co.uk

Paligap is a creative agency that research, plan and create strategic brand building ideas and deploy them across all channels including web, press, TV, radio, outdoor, direct mail and e-mail.

Paligap
Apex House
1 Carrick Road
Ayr KA7 2RA
Ayrshire, Scotland

Contact: Stephen Cosh, Managing Director

Tel: 01292 263777
Fax: 01292 285334
E-mail: stephen@paligap.com
Web: www.paligap.com

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Snow causes blip in Scottish housing market

SCOTTISH house prices rose again in January, but buyer interest and new instructions to sell property fell as bad weather caused a blip in activity in the market, says the latest housing market survey from RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) published today.


[Pictured: Sarah Speirs from RICS Scotland.]

In January, 16% of chartered surveyors in Scotland said house prices had risen, 82% said they had stayed the same and 1% reported a fall. In December no surveyors reported a fall in prices and 25% said they had risen.

However, chartered surveyors reported that buyer enquiries fell in January and new instructions to sell also dropped.

But chartered surveyors are optimistic that these negative signs are a reflection of the extreme weather conditions experienced in the early part of the month. They expect sales to increase over the next couple of months and prices are also expected to continue rising steadily.

Sarah Speirs from RICS Scotland said: “The cold snap in January clearly had an impact upon both supply and demand in the housing market with activity virtually coming to a halt amidst the seasonal chaos. However, this was just a ‘blip’ and activity and interest is likely to pick up in the coming months as the market experiences a spring bounce.

“House prices are likely to rise in the short term, but if more supply continues to come onto the market, it is possible that the market could run out of steam in the latter part of the year.”

RICS housing market survey is the longest running monthly survey of house prices in the UK, collecting data since January 1978. The survey is cited by the Bank of England’s monetary policy committee at its monthly interest rate setting meetings.

About RICS

RICS is the world’s leading qualification when it comes to professional standards in land, property and construction. RICS Scotland is a national association of RICS with 10,000 members (chartered surveyors) in Scotland.

RICS is an independent professional body originally established in the UK by Royal Charter. Since 1868, RICS has been committed to setting and upholding the highest standards of excellence and integrity – providing impartial, authoritative advice on key issues affecting businesses and society. RICS is a regulator of both its individual members and firms enabling it to maintain the highest standards and providing the basis for unparalleled client confidence in the sector.

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South Ayrshire Council starts construction
of new Colmonell Primary School

A MAJOR milestone in the history of the village of Colmonell was achieved when the first sod of turf was cut to mark the start of the construction of the new Colmonell Primary School building.

Pupils from the school, along with staff, local Councillors and invited guests watched as Councillor Hywel Davies, Lifelong Learning Portfolio Holder, enthusiastically cut out the first piece of turf.


Councillor Davies said: “It was an honour to be asked to cut the first sod of turf on the ground where the new Colmonell Primary school building will be built.

“This is an important part of the Council’s school investment programme. The new school building will provide a bright and exciting learning environment for the children and staff as well as a modern community resource for Colmonell and surrounding district.

“Costing £1.5 million, the single storey building will fit into the landscape of the village. The school will be environmentally friendly, with different spaces in the building designed to accommodate small and large groups of children to meet all their needs and outdoor space too.”

“It will be an education for the children to see their new school building growing before their eyes, and I am sure it is something that they will always remember.”

Cindy O’Driscoll, head teacher of the school said: “This marks the start of a really exciting time for everyone at Colmonell Primary. We are thrilled that work has begun on our fantastic new school, and are looking forward to moving in to a building which is purpose-built for delivering Curriculum for Excellence.”

The staff and pupils already know what their new school building is going to look like thanks to artists impressions and are very excited about it, one pupil James Hyslop, Primary 1 said: “The new school looks really cool.  I love the grass roof.”

The old primary school was built in 1967. In 2008, following an inspection of the school, it was decided that alternative accommodation should be found for the staff and pupils. The pupils and staff were moved to temporary accommodation, situated on the village playing fields, that has one large teaching room, an activity room, shared office accommodation, storage and toilet provision to ensure that the school continued to run smoothly.

www.south-ayrshire.gov.uk

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Elite Ayrshire Business Circle welcomes
West Sound audience research results

THE Elite Ayrshire Business Circle has congratulated West Sound Radio station director Brenda Ritchie and her team on the latest RAJAR audience research results, which show that the station has retained the title as market leader in Ayrshire, with over a quarter of all radio listening.


[Pictured: Elite Ayrshire Business Circle executive chairman and Frazer Coogans Solicitors senior partner Norman Geddes (left) with West Sound Radio station director Brenda Ritchie. CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO VIEW / DOWNLOAD FULL-SIZE VERSION.]

The audience figures show that West Sound is the number one choice for radio listening across Ayrshire.

Around 43% of the Ayrshire population tune in to West FM and West Sound every week, listening on average for just under 11 hours.

Year on year, the figures show a weekly increase of 7,000 listeners, with a market share of 27.3%.

Programme controller, James Pllu said: “I’m delighted with the latest figures, and would like to thank the team at West Sound for working so hard to achieve these results.

“We have recently made some changes to our playlist to meet listeners’ demands. On top of this, we have had some exciting competitions including our monthly ‘£500 Fridays’. This proved to be very popular with our listeners.

“We also covered every Christmas light switch on in Ayrshire, which showed our dedication to local communities. It is very important to us that we play a part in local areas, and I believe our community spirit has helped us retain the title of the number one station in Ayrshire.”

Elite Ayrshire Business Circle executive chairman and senior partner at Ayr-based Frazer Coogans Solicitors Norman Geddes commented: “West Sound Radio is a valued member of the Elite Ayrshire Business Circle, and is in a very real sense the voice of Ayrshire.

“Our members warmly congratulate Brenda Ritchie and her team on their well deserved success, as evidenced by this latest set of audience research figures.”

West Sound Radio is part of the Bauer Publishing Group.

Under the management of four generations of the Bauer family, the Bauer Publishing Group has grown from its humble beginnings as a printing house into a worldwide publishing empire comprising 282 magazines in 15 countries, as well as its TV and radio stations. The group has 6,600 employees worldwide and an annual turnover of 1.79 billion Euro.

www.westsound.co.uk

www.westfm.co.uk

www.bauer.co.uk

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Building contractors William Skinner & Son
achieve renewable energy accreditation

AYRSHIRE-BASED building contractors William Skinner & Son are proud to announce that they have become one of very few Scottish companies to have gained accreditation under the national Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS).


[Pictured: William Skinner & Son solar engineer John Nimmo with the company’s new Microgeneration Certification.]

The Microgeneration Certification Scheme is an independent scheme that certifies renewable energy products and installers in accordance with consistent standards. It is designed to evaluate renewable energy products and installers against robust criteria, providing greater protection for consumers.

William Skinner & Son’s accreditation under the MCS Scheme will be of particular interest to householders, landowners and businesses who are seeking to reduce their energy costs and their carbon emissions, and of even greater interest to those who wish to take advantage of Government grants available to help finance the installation of renewable energy systems such as solar panels.

Grants for individual Scottish householders interested in having their own renewable energy sources have been available for some time – up to 30% of the capital cost to a maximum of £4,000 for a domestic installation, for example. And two such grants have been available concurrently to individuals for two installations using different technologies. But clients wanting to claim grants have needed to employ an accredited Installer under the Clearskies scheme.

The accreditation arrangements have now been made much more stringent, amounting to a searching quality check and a practical confirmation of both the skills and business practices of any company wanting to be involved. It is now known as Microgeneration Certification, (MCS), each qualifying business being identified by a unique number – William Skinner & Son’s being MCS 1139.

William Skinner & Son is also a member of the recognised trade body for solar thermal work, the Solar Trade Association (STA), and of the Renewable Energy Association (REA) which looks after customer interests.

With considerable experience already in most forms of renewable energy, but especially domestic solar thermal work, William Skinner & Son have earned a high reputation not only as advisers to clients on the best forms of renewable energy generally to meet their specific needs, but also as installers of optimised systems which will, for example, help individual households to have plentiful, free, hot water and heating. With energy prices soaring, many find that prospect hard to resist.

William Skinner & Son solar engineer John Nimmo (telephone: 0845 0519060) and renewable energy director John Quinton (telephone: 0115 923 2914) are happy to answer questions about local site surveys or particular kinds and uses of renewable energy generally.


William Skinner & Son’s renewable energy director John Quinton (pictured above) commented: “Our hard won Microgeneration Certification means that our clients can now take full advantage of government grants available in Scotland for the installation of renewable energy systems.

“We already have substantial experience in this new and exciting field of work, and anticipate that William Skinner’s Renewable Energy Division will play an increasingly important part in our company’s future growth.”

ABOUT WILLIAM SKINNER & SON

Building contractors William Skinner & Son’s Ayrshire and Cambridgeshire bases cover Scotland, South East and Eastern England with a range of activities centred on building refurbishment, mainly of retail stores and shopping centres. Joinery manufacture, metal fabrication, special finishes and terrazzo tiling are amongst the special skills offered.

William Skinner & Son are approved Sika Trocal single ply roofing membrane installers. Experienced and highly skilled operatives carry out a range of schemes from small repairs to major installations on very large buildings, and are trained to apply the Kemper roof repair system. Skinners frequently supply and fix ward decking systems in conjunction with roofing works.

The Company also offers contract maintenance and has recently diversified further into custom garden structures, notably treehouses, and solar thermal systems – for which it is now fully Microgeneration Certified.

Skinners’ recently introduced renewable energy survey service is already in demand, supporting its offer to install any kind of renewable energy system.

Founded in Ayrshire in 1964, Skinners made their first move down south into England six years ago. But the company’s recent expansion and diversification into new areas of business made it necessary the purchase of their own larger facilities comprising an 8,000 sq. ft yard, 1,900 sq. ft of office space, and a 1,620 sq. ft warehouse.


The new premises in Meldreth, near Cambridge, were officially opened in 2008 by Andrew Lansley, MP for South Cambridgeshire. Pictured above: William Skinner & Son chairman John Quinton (left) and managing director Sandy Cunningham (right) with Andrew Lansley MP (centre) at the official opening of Skinners' new Southern Division offices in Meldreth, Cambridgeshire.


William Skinner & Son managing director Sandy Cunningham (pictured above) said: “Our commitment at Cambridge is a measure of the importance to us of the market in London, the South East, Midlands and East Anglia.

"The Meldreth base provides high quality warehouse, workshop and office accommodation from which we are already developing our capacity and increasing our market penetration. It is capable of supporting several times its present level of activity.”

Further information:

Sandy Cunningham
Managing Director
William Skinner & Son
Cunningham House
Highfield
St Quivox
Ayr KA6 5HQ
Ayrshire, Scotland

Tel: 0845 051 9060
Fax: 01292 671133
E-mail: scunningham@williamskinner.co.uk
Website: www.williamskinner.co.uk

OR:

William Skinner & Son
Southern Office
College Farm Business Centre
North End
Meldreth
Cambridgeshire
SG8 6NT
England

Tel: 0845 051 9070
Fax: 01763 262916

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South Ayrshire Council announces
council house improvement scheme

THOUSANDS of council house tenants in South Ayrshire are all set to benefit from ambitious and far reaching quality improvement works on their properties as the Council continues its extensive upgrade and refurbishment programme over the next four years.

The 2010/11 Housing Capital Investment Programme will see £11 million invested to improve council houses and ensure that they meet the Scottish Housing Quality Standards (SQHS) in all its properties by 2015.


[Pictured: Wills Street in North Ayr is one road to have benefited from the Council’s refurbishment programme, with new kitchens, bathrooms, roofing, external cladding and garden landscaping.]

Councillor Douglas Campbell, Portfolio Holder for Housing said: “The capital housing programme brings further welcome news for council tenants.

“South Ayrshire Council has already frozen council rents until 2011 and we have recently secured funding to allow us to build the first new council houses in over thirty years under the Social Housing Investment Programme.

“In addition, we are continuing a significant and wide ranging programme of upgrade and refurbishment work to our existing houses. This will make a real difference for our tenants and ensure they can enjoy a quality home environment”.

The scope of the work is far reaching, with partial and full upgrade work to take place at properties in Ayr, Dundonald, Symington, Crosshill, Kirkoswald, Maybole, Minishant, Troon, Girvan, Ballantrae, Loans, Prestwick, Colmonell, Tarbolton and Coylton.

The most immediate priority in these areas will be given to upgrading and improving over 800 homes, with half of the funding (£6.1 million) being spent on new kitchens, replacing or upgrading central heating systems, bathroom suites, additional loft insulation, smoke detectors and rewiring houses.

In North Ayr, significant improvements to twelve maisonette blocks in Wallacetoun will be complete by early 2011 and £350,000 has been set aside to eradicate dampness in homes, targeted on a need basis.

The Council is also committed to improved energy efficiency in its housing stock and all homes will be modernised to meet the National Home Energy Rating guidelines.

New smoke detectors will be fitted from next year and all houses will continue to be electrically tested and certified every five years.

New door entry systems will be fitted to common close areas and the Council’s ongoing programme to fit uPVC external doors to homes will be brought to conclusion with up to £500,000 being spent on houses in Ayr and Girvan.

Homes in Ayr and Girvan will be the first to benefit from external improvements with over £1.2 million being spent on re-roofing, rendering of walls, cladding and other significant exterior improvements.

Properties in and around Girvan’s Doune Burn will also benefit from £100,000 being spent to improve walls and drainage to the stream, minimising the risk of flooding.


Councillor Campbell (pictured above) concluded: “We take our responsibility as a social landlord very seriously and every one of our homes will meet, or exceed, national standards within the next four years.

“The Capital Housing Investment Programme represents a clear and ambitious intent to make sure our housing is of the highest quality for our tenants and is a key part of our drive to make South Ayrshire the most dynamic, inclusive and sustainable community in Scotland.

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