Credit Crunch Drives Down Will Legacies in Scotland

Edinburgh legal firm Gibson Kerr

The credit crunch is putting charities across Scotland in danger from losing out on vital revenue, due to people leaving smaller donations in their wills and legacies.

Scottish legal firm Gibson Kerr believes that many charities across the country are likely to receive less money from legacies over the coming years – as more people in Scotland choose to dramatically cut down donations after reassessing their personal wealth in the wake of the economic downturn.

The firm says that with investments, such as share portfolios, savings and property, falling in value, many people will choose to change their wills to ensure family members are not left out of pocket in favour of charities.

Edinburgh-based Gibson Kerr believes that many charities that rely on vital funding from donations left in wills could be seriously hindered in the future – as more and more legacy donations are reduced in people’s wills.

View the whole story at the Holyrood Partnership website.

First Time Buyers Need Help to Get A Step on the Property Ladder

ELPG demands more help for first time buyers

More is needed to be done to assist first time buyers to take their first step on the property ladder, according to a group of the Lothians’ leading solicitor estate agents.

The Edinburgh and Lothians Property Group (ELPG) believes that, although house prices are rising and mortgage lending is on the up in Scotland, first time buyers are still being hindered when it comes to being able to finance their first property purchase.

The group has said that new initiatives and funding should be made available for buyers at the lower end of the property spectrum, in order to further revitalise the market and allow encourage the recovery in property sales and prices to continue across Scotland.

The ELPG consists of five of Edinburgh’s leading property solicitors, including Warners, Neilsons, Drummond Miller, the Lints Partnership and Leslie Deans & Co.

You can read the full story on the Holyrood Partnership website.

Hairdressers are a Cut Above with Cheynes Training Website

Scottish Hairdressing institution Cheynes Training is ensuring it is a cut above, thanks to a new interactive education website.

The training centre, which is part of the internationally renowned Cheynes group, works with 200 top salons across the UK to help them equip their staff with NVQ qualifications in hairdressing.

The Edinburgh-based Group’s owner and founder, Jennifer Cheyne, won the hearts of people in Aberfan, Wales this year when she helped out charities while part in Channel 4 hit TV show Secret Millionaire

And to ensure her hairdressers provide a service second to none in their salons, Cheynes Training have teamed up with leading UK multimedia development company Channel 6 to revamp its website.

Part of the restructure includes the introduction of interactive learning modules, which will save the salons using the Cheynes Training service both time and money.

Cheynes Training programme director William Howarth said: “Our training website in crucial in terms of providing up-to-the minute information to the salons we work with across the UK.”

The full release is available at the website of Holyrood Partnership PR in Edinburgh.

Robotic Showcase for Scottish Water in Alva

Water quality engineering firm Panton McLeod

Forward-thinking officials at utility giant Scottish Water have continued their commitment to ensure that customers receive the purest supplies at the tap by using a pair of innovative underwater cleaning robots.

Scottish Water has been working together with independent Scottish water quality engineering firm Panton McLeod to use the two machines – which are used to inspect and clean water structures across the UK – in the Clackmannanshire region.

The robots, known as the VR600 and ROV units, are used exclusively by Panton McLeod to inspect and clean underground water storage tanks while they are live and online – meaning that they do not need to be drained and customers experience no disruption to their supplies.

The Borders-based firm already uses the machines when undertaking cleaning and inspection work for some of the biggest water companies in the British Isles, including Severn Trent Water and Northumbrian Water.

Read the full story at the Holyrood Partnership website.

Property Maintenance Firm Scoops New Deal With Karaman Lettings

Edinburgh property maintenance expert One Call Home Assist

Property maintenance expert One Call Home Assist has secured another major success after agreeing a deal to provide emergency repairs and maintenance with a leading Scottish letting company.

The Edinburgh-based firm, which provides maintenance contracts designed to help homeowners and landlords save thousands of pounds in repair bills, has agreed a deal with Karaman Lettings to provide emergency repairs on some of its portfolio of properties.

One Call Home Assist was set up earlier this year as a low-cost alternative to fixed maintenance contracts offered by energy suppliers such as British Gas and Homeserve. Under the new deal, it will provide monthly emergency maintenance contracts on more than 40 of Karaman Lettings’ properties in Edinburgh.

Yvonne Karaman, owner of Karaman Lettings, said: “We believe our customer service is second-to-none but don’t rest on our laurels. We are always looking at ways to improve our service to our existing landlord clients and One Call Home Assist’s promise to attend to all emergency callouts within two hours was a real deal maker for us.”

You can read the full story at the Holyrood Partnership website.

From Fringe Role To Key PR Position For Holyrood Partnership New Recruit

Kirsty Taylor: Award winning

Scottish PR agency Holyrood Partnership has enhanced its team with the appointment of former journalist Kirsty Taylor.

Kirsty, 25, joined the Holyrood Partnership after a stint working in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society’s press and marketing team, where she helped international arts companies promote their work.

She added: “The face of journalism and media relations is changing like never before, and as someone with a print reporter’s CV I knew it was more important than ever to keep my skills ahead of the game.

“I was incredibly impressed with the vision for using online and video journalism in Holyrood Partnership’s PR work, while not losing sight of traditional media strategies to help their clients.”

Scott Douglas, co-founder of the Scottish PR agency said: “Kirsty is a real catch. She sailed into a job with us.”

Read the full version of this story at the Holyrood Partnership website

Scots Firm Says PCI Compliance Essential for E-Commerce Confidence

Multimedia firm Channel 6 has urged all web-based businesses across Scotland to ensure they meet new security regulations for online transactions.

The e-commerce specialist has worked to meet new card security requirements which came into force this month, but says many other online retailers could be caught out because of lack of awareness about the changes.

The Payment Card Industry (PCI) Security Standards Council was founded by Visa, MasterCard and American Express to crack down on payment card fraud. 

Larger retailers have long had to meet rigorous PCI standards, but smaller online retailers have only been obliged to comply since October 1.

Under the new rules, merchants processing fewer than 20,000 e-commerce card transactions a year could now face a block on payments or risk substantial fines if they do not meet the new requirements.

Experts at Channel 6, one of Scotland’s leading developers of e-commerce websites, have advised online retailers the measures are a good way of securing customer confidence and business reputation. 

The full release is available from the Holyrood Partnership PR in Edinburgh.

New Quality Standard Award for Eagle Couriers

Eagle Couriers wins new quality standard

Scotland’s leading independent courier firm has cemented its levels of excellence after having a highly sought-after quality standard upgraded.

Eagle Couriers has become the first courier firm in Scotland to be given the prestigious ISO 9001:2008 level following a surveillance visit by industry inspectors.

The company is Scotland’s biggest independent courier, employing more than 100 people with bases in Edinburgh, Bathgate and Glasgow, and works with a range of high-profile companies and organisations across the country. 13 years ago it earned its first prestigious ISO 9001 certificate in recognition of its impressive working practices and standards.

The ISO award is a mark of excellence which reassures clients – including the BBC, communications giant BT and the Scottish Government - that Eagle Couriers operates at the highest levels.

You can read the full story at the Holyrood Partnership website.

September Sales Stats Highlight Edinburgh’s Property Revival

Warners reveals latest property sales stats in Edinburgh

Edinburgh’s property market is showing more encouraging signs of recovery, according to new statistics revealed by the Capital’s leading solicitor estate agent.

Warners has released figures showing that the number of property sales it completed in September has risen by more than a third, compared to the same month in 2008.

According to the data, a total of 67 properties were sold through the firm in September – worth a total value of £12.2 million. In contrast, the firm only sold 47 homes worth a total of £7.6 million in the city during the same period in 2008.

Scott Brown, estate agency partner at Warners, said: “We’ve been seeing promising signs of recovery in the property market for some time now. There’s a lot more confidence among buyers and, as a result, we’ve seen house prices and the number of property sales rising in recent months.

Read the full story at the Holyrood Partnership PR in Scotland website.

New Office Move for Property Maintenance Experts

Property maintenance expert One Call Home Assist

Property maintenance expert One Call Home Assist

has stepped up its ambitious UK expansion plans by moving into new headquarters.

The firm, which provides unique fixed-price maintenance contracts to help homeowners and landlords save thousands of pounds in repair bills, has taken its first step to growing the business across the country by investing £200,000 in re-branding and relocating to new premises in Edinburgh.

The investment comes after a successful first five months for the firm, which was set up earlier this year as a low-cost alternative to costly maintenance contracts such as those offered by the likes of British Gas and Homeserve.

One Call Home Assist’s emergency and maintenance contracts, which cover all maintenance issues, emergency call-outs and annual certification work, have already been hugely popular after the service was piloted with landlords and property owners in the Lothians and Fife. 

Read the full story at the Holyrood Partnership PR in Scotland website.