Elite Ayrshire Business Circle enjoys
the fare at Braehead Foods Cook School

THE Elite Ayrshire Business Circle held their latest meeting at the Braehead Foods Cook School at Crosshouse, Kilmarnock.

Cook School managing director and chef Steven Doherty gave an enthralling demonstration of a breakfast menu including scrambled eggs, poached eggs with smoked salmon, cinnamon French bread and American style muffins with raspberries.


[Click on image to view /download full-size version.]

Members and guests were able to see how an expert chef prepares these dishes, and then sample the results fresh from the stove.

Elite Ayrshire Business Circle managing director Murdoch MacDonald commented: “Braehead Foods and their new venture the Cook School are fine examples of Ayrshire businesses at their most talented and dynamic, and they deserve every success.”

Steven Doherty

Steven Doherty acquired his eminent reputation working with some of the world’s greatest chefs. He began his cookery career at the Savoy in London and then moved to Le Gavroche where he cooked alongside the legendary Albert and Michel Roux, during which time Le Gavroche became the first Three Star Michelin Restaurant in the UK.

Albert sent Steven to work for two years with the late Alain Chapel in his restaurant at Mionnay near Lyon in France. On his return to Le Gavroche Steven became the first ever British Head Chef of a Three Star Michelin Restaurant. During the next five years Le Gavroche won every major European food accolade.

Relocating to The Lake District in 1993, Steven was at the forefront of the Gastro Pub movement and went on to win both national and local food awards, inspiring others to follow his lead. Currently he is Chef/Proprietor at Lakeland in their purpose built First Floor Café and flagship store in Windermere, Cumbria.

Steven has been appointed as managing director of the Cook School at Braehead Foods, Kilmarnock. In a consulting role, Steven’s aim is that the Cook School can look to establish itself as one of the leading cook schools in Scotland and the UK as a whole within the next three years and will look forward to achieving this target.

www.cookschool.org

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Elite Ayrshire Business Circle / Clydesdale Bank Golf Day
raises £10,380 for Ayrshire Hospice

THE second annual Elite Ayrshire Business Circle / Clydesdale Bank Golf Day raised a total of £10,380 for the Ayrshire Hospice.


[Pictured: Clydesdale Bank Financial Solutions Centre managing partner Willie Mackie presents a cheque for £10,380 to Ayrshire Hospice fundraising assistant Graeme Strawhorn.]

The event was held at Belleisle Golf Club, followed by lunch at Ayr Racecourse.

Pictured below: Ayrshire Hospice events co-ordinator Anne Drennan presents a trophy to the winning team from Elite Ayrshire Business Circle founder members ARPL Architects, formerly ARP Lorimer & Associates.


Ayrshire Hospice fundraising manager Louis Jardine commented: “To once again achieve such a fantastic amount, especially in the current difficult economic conditions, is really quite outstanding.

“The Elite Ayrshire Business Circle is an organisation that is going from strength to strength, and I would like to thank all their members who participated so enthusiastically in the Golf Day again this year.

“And special thanks to everyone at the Clydesdale Bank for their support, particularly event organiser David Jellema, without whose hard work the Golf Day would not have been the success it was.

“All the money raised will go straight to directly helping the Ayrshire Hospice to continue to provide care and service to the terminally ill within our community.”

Elite Ayrshire Business Circle managing director Murdoch MacDonald said: “Our members are unanimous in their support for the work that the Ayrshire Hospice does in our community, and we look forward to holding another successful event on their behalf next year.”

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Ayrshire welcomes home the Claret Jug at
Brunston Castle Golf Course

THE famous Claret Jug, presented annually since 1873 to the winner of the British Open Golf Championship, was on show this week at Brunston Castle Golf Club, before being taken on the 5 mile journey to Turnberry for this year’s tournament which takes place 16-19 July.


[Pictured left to right: Brunston Castle Golf Course general manager Cheryl Steven; South Ayrshire Council leader Hugh Hunter and deputy leader Margaret Toner; Clydesdale Bank Financial Solutions Centre managing partner Willie Mackie, South Ayrshire Council deputy Provost Mary Kilpatrick; and Elite Ayrshire Business Circle executive chairman and Frazer Coogans Solicitors senior partner Norman Geddes. CLICK ON IMAGE TO VIEW / DOWNLOAD FULL-SIZE VERSION.}

South Ayrshire Council leader Hugh Hunter, deputy leader Margaret Toner, deputy Provost Mary Kilpatrick and chief executive David Anderson attended an evening reception to mark the occasion, hosted by the directors of Brunston Castle Golf Club represented by general manager Cheryl Steven.

Also in attendance were directors and members of the Elite Ayrshire Business Circle.

The first Open Championship was played in 1860 at Prestwick, and Prestwick hosted each of the first 11 British Opens.

Welcoming the Claret Jug back to South Ayrshire, Councillor Toner said: “The Open Championship, that will take place at Turnberry this year, ranks as one of the world’s premier annual sporting events. The first Open Championship was played over three rounds of Prestwick’s 12 hole course on 17 October 1860. Since then Turnberry and Royal Troon, located within South Ayrshire, have hosted the event on many occasions and brought pleasure to locals, visitors and those people around the globe who have watched it on television.”

Elite Ayrshire Business Circle executive chairman Norman Geddes added: “It is a marvellous tonic for Ayrshire businesses to have the Open Championship return to Turnberry. I hope that many of the visitors during the Open will also take a look at Brunston Castle, a challenging and most scenic parkland course, situated only fifteen minutes drive from Turnberry.”

Brunston Castle Golf Club General Manager Cheryl Steven concluded: “It has been a real thrill for all of us at Brunston Castle to welcome the Claret Jug home to Ayrshire. It is very humbling when we think of the rich history and the roll-call of great Champions who have held this trophy aloft.”

29 downloadable images are available on Flickr. CLICK HERE

Brunston Castle Golf Club
Dailly KA26 9SB
Ayrshire, Scotland

Contact: Cheryl Steven, General Manager
Tel: 01465 811471
Fax: 01465 811545
E-mail: cheryl.steven@brunstoncastle.co.uk
Web: www.brunstoncastle.co.uk/


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John Scott calls for Ayrshire ‘Jobs Summit’

A local MSP is calling for an Ayrshire ‘jobs summit’ in the wake of this week’s announcement that 700 jobs are to be lost from the Diageo packaging plant in Kilmarnock. The news comes on top of a raft of earlier job loss announcements in Ayrshire over first half of the year, which will see hundreds more jobs lost from the county.


John Scott (pictured above) wants the ‘summit’ to bring together local Councils, local MSPs and representatives of the Scottish government and business community to identify steps to support Ayrshire’s economy and protect local jobs.

John Scott said: “The loss of 700 jobs at the Diageo packaging plant is a devastating blow to the economy of Ayrshire, and taken alongside other major closures already announced this year, including the loss of hundreds of jobs from Scottish Stampings and the ISP alginate plant in Girvan and fears over job losses at Prestwick Airport, it paints a very worrying picture.”

“Job losses on this scale don’t just hit the communities in which the companies are located - they also impact upon households and families right across the whole of Ayrshire. That’s why I believe it is important to take a very wide view when trying to put in place the strategies necessary to sustain local jobs and hopefully to attract the inward investment needed to create more employment opportunities for local people.”

“We need to chart a positive course forward and to see Scottish government and local authority investment programmes reflect the needs of the Ayrshire economy and the need to support local employment. I believe that a useful first step would be to draw together representatives from the Scottish government, local Councils, local MSPs and the business community in a ‘jobs summit’, where all the options can be fully explored.”

“With the economic forecast for the year ahead still very depressed, it is vital that we do everything we can to help stop the haemorrhaging of jobs from Ayrshire, and to position ourselves as best we can to grow our local economy in the future.”

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Leading Scottish broadcaster receives honorary doctorate

SCOTTISH writer and broadcaster Billy Kay received an Honorary Doctorate from University of the West of Scotland at its graduation ceremony on Wednesday 1 July at Troon Concert Hall.


Billy Kay (pictured above) was born in Galston, Ayrshire in 1951, and educated at Kilmarnock Academy.

He joined the BBC as a researcher in 1979, then as a producer, he created the acclaimed Odyssey series of documentaries recording the oral history of the Scottish working class. Later as a freelance writer and broadcaster he continued this theme in a number of television documentaries for BBC Scotland. These included the story of Scottish colliers – ‘Miners’ and ‘The Mother Tongue’.

He has written two plays for radio and one for the stage, ‘They Fairly Mak Ye Work’ which broke box office records at Dundee Rep in its two runs at the theatre in 1986. He has poetry and short stories published in several Scottish anthologies.

In 1994 the UK Wine Guild gave the ‘Best Radio or TV programme’ award to Kay´s feature ‘Fresche Fragrant Clairettis’. In 1999 he made a television series on Scots for Channel 4 Schools – ‘Haud Yer Tongue’ and in 2003, he represented Scotland at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington DC.

Kay, who is an active member of the Cross Party Group on the Scots Language at the Scottish Parliament, presents and produces an average of ten new features per year on Radio Scotland. In 2006, Mainstream Publishing issued a brand new edition of his classic, ‘Scots: The Mither Tongue’ while his new book ‘The Scottish World’ was launched at the Edinburgh International Book Festival in August 2006.

Professor Seamus McDaid, Principal and Vice Chancellor of University of the West of Scotland said: “We are delighted to award Billy Kay with an Honorary Doctorate. He has made a significant contribution to Scottish culture and is a fitting recipient of this honour.”

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Elite Ayrshire Business Circle offshoot
to meet in Cambridge on 10 July

THE next meeting of the Elite Cambridge Business Circle, a recently formed business association launched by the successful Elite Ayrshire Business Circle in Scotland, will take place at 8am on Friday 10 July in the boardroom of the Clydesdale Bank, Terrington House, 1st Floor 13-15 Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 1NL.


A buffet breakfast will be served.

As well as providing excellent opportunities for networking with leading Cambridgeshire business people, politicians and academics, the meeting will also feature a presentation by BDO Stoy Hayward.

BDO Stoy Hayward is the award-winning UK Member Firm of BDO International, the world’s fifth largest accountancy network, with more than 1,000 offices in over 100 countries.

www.bdo.uk.com

Cambridge office senior partner Gary Hanson will talk about “BDO’s investment within the Cambridge area” and “Making the most out of the recovery”, and there will also be an additional item entitled “The low-down on high taxes: problems and opportunities in a 50% tax environment”.

Elite Cambridge Business Circle members, guests, and anyone interested in finding out more about the Circle will be made most welcome.

However, in order to facilitate catering arrangements, please e-mail Murdoch MacDonald at FamePublicity@aol.com too notify your intention to attend or to find out more.

THE ELITE CAMBRIDGE BUSINESS CIRCLE

The Elite Cambridge Business Circle is a recently formed business association based on the successful Elite Ayrshire Business Circle in Scotland.

The Elite Ayrshire Business Circle is an association founded in 2007 by some of the top companies in Ayrshire.

Its purpose is to publicise its members, and to celebrate and promote the rich diversity of industry, commerce and business services available within the county boundaries of Ayrshire.

Members include the Clydesdale Bank, Ayr Racecourse, Western House Hotel and South Ayrshire Council. and member company activities include broadcasting, building and construction, architectural practice, estate agency and land management, chartered accountancy, insurance broking, legal services, golf club management, marketing services and brand creation, web design and public relations consultancy.

For further information about The Elite Ayrshire Business Circle and to apply for membership, e-mail eliteayrshire@gmail.com

Website: www.eliteayrshire.com

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See the Claret Jug at Brunston Castle Golf Club

For all you golf fans out there...ever dreamed of getting your hands on the Claret Jug, the most prestigious prize in world golf?


Well here is your chance! The famous trophy will be visiting Brunston on Wednesday 1 July from 5pm to 9pm as part of the build up to the Open Championship taking place 5 miles away at Turnberry from the 16 to 19 July.

Come along and get your picture taken with the trophy. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity!

Brunston Castle Golf Club
Dailly KA26 9SB
Ayrshire, Scotland

Contact: Cheryl Steven, General Manager
Tel: 01465 811471
Fax: 01465 811545
E-mail: cheryl.steven@brunstoncastle.co.uk
Web: www.brunstoncastle.co.uk

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Elite Ayrshire Business Circle to
meet at Braehead Foods Cook School

THE next meeting of the Elite Ayrshire Business Circle will be held between 8am-10am on Friday 3 July at the Cook School at Braehead Foods in Kilmarnock.


During the meeting members and guests will be given a guided tour of the new state of the art facilities. Breakfast refreshments will also be provided, as well as a demonstration comprising the following - poached eggs with smoked salmon, cinnamon French bread and American style muffins.

The Cook School at Braehead Foods opened in March this year. It is part of the new Braehead Foods headquarters at Moorfields Industrial Estate, Kilmarnock, which the company moved to in April last year. The 30,000 sq ft premises were purpose built and houses the factory processing unit, cook school, demonstration kitchen, restaurant, shop and administrative headquarters.


Michelin-starred chef Steven Doherty (pictured above) is the managing director, and he and his team of in-house and guest chefs from acclaimed establishments across Scotland provide tuition in over 18 different types of courses from game to red meat to simple shellfish to desserts.

The cook school received five-star Visit Scotland status recently for its tourist facilities. The school offers day, evening and weekend courses for adults and children, as well as children’s parties and corporate events.

7 Moorfields North Industrial Park,
Crosshouse,
Kilmarnock,
KA2 0FE.

(If using SatNav - The postcode is : KA1 2RS)

For details of how to get to the cook school CLICK HERE or telephone 01563 550008.

If you wish to attend, please contact:

Murdoch MacDonald
Elite Ayrshire Business Circle
Registered Office
Dalblair House
46 Dalblair Road
Ayr KA7 1UQ
Ayrshire, Scotland

Telephone: 01292 281498
Mobile: 07833 667322
E-mail: famepublicity@aol.com

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Scotland ranked sixth globally in World Bank survey

First in UK for inward investment

THE World Bank has ranked Scottish Development International (SDI) sixth in the world for its work in attracting overseas investment to Scotland.


[Pictured: SDI chief executive Lena Wilson.]

The Global Investment Promotion Benchmarking report for 2009 examined how effectively government organisations such as SDI are at promoting their countries to inward investors.

Produced jointly by the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, the report looked at the work of 181 countries in influencing foreign investors looking for new global locations.

As well as the global ranking, SDI recorded the highest score in the UK – and was noted particularly for its work in the areas of customer care and follow-up.

Commenting on the results, Ceci Sager, Manager, Investment Climate Advisory Services Department at the World Bank, said:

"We would like to congratulate Scottish Development International on achieving such a high level of performance despite the challenging economic climate. SDI excelled over many of its peers, scoring particularly highly in the area of customer care and follow up.

"One of the leading investment promotion agencies in both in the UK and globally, SDI has proven to be very effective in facilitating foreign investment projects, further building on Scotland’s reputation as a successful global investment location."

Last week SDI announced that over the period 2008-09 it brought £500 million of planned investment to Scotland, including almost 2,000 high value jobs.

Speaking about the report, SDI chief executive Lena Wilson said:

“Scotland has a strong track record of attracting foreign direct investment, and our World Bank ranking further builds on the real success we have had over the past year in bringing projects to Scotland.

“However, in the current economic climate it’s more important than ever that we continue to focus on attracting high quality research and development projects and opportunities for skilled employment to Scotland. Inward investment based on this has the potential to become firmly embedded in the Scottish economy and make a real contribution to our long-term growth.”

Scotland came sixth globally after Austria, Copenhagen, Sweden, Germany and Canada. Each agency website and two ‘mystery shopper’ projects were assessed.

SDI’s work to attract inward investment to Scotland saw the creation of 4,000 jobs over the period 2008-09, almost 2,000 of which were high value jobs with salaries of over £30k.

Examples of organisations which have either located or expanded their operations in Scotland in the past year include esure, Schering Plough, Shed Media and Doosan Babcock.

Scottish Development International (SDI) works to attract inward investment and knowledge to Scotland to help the economy grow. It also helps Scottish companies to do more business overseas and promote Scotland as a good place to live, work and do business. It is jointly operated by Scottish Enterprise and the Scottish Government, and its work is guided by the Scottish Government’s strategy for economic development in Scotland.

For further information visit www.sdi.co.uk

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