"The Greatest"

© Christina Jansen

Probably one of the most haunting and touching pictures you'll see this year.  The unmistakeable profile of Muhammad Ali at the Olympic Stadium - reflected in a portrait by Lola Nicol.

Lola, who lives in Brora, Sutherland, is a recently-supported PTYBS business and was commissioned to produce a piece to commemorate "The Greatest's" 70th Birthday.  The painting is part of a major exhibition being held at the Smokehouse Gallery in London.

Link to Lola's website: 

Link to PTYBS/PSYBT:

Mandy Haggith on Mike Ellis, Woodsman

There's a great article on the Northings Blog about Helmsdale's Mike Ellis, traditional woodsman:

"MOST of the crafts people I have interviewed are keen to be thought of as artists, so it is interesting to meet someone who views being seen as ‘arty farty’ as ‘a danger.’ Mike Ellis works as a woodsman, and though some of the things he makes may be beautiful, they are not, in his view, works of art.

IN Mike’s workshop, its walls lined with an extraordinary collection of tools, there is a gate, hand-made from greenwood, its shape coming from the natural bends of oak and ash branches held together with beech pegs. Such an object has both the value of scarcity and is refreshing to modern eyes, so used to the geometric precision of industrial products. I could easily be persuaded to call it art, but it’s not at all clear Mike would be pleased if I did....."

Read the rest of the article here

PSYBT - The Top 100

The PSYBT has published a list of its top 100 clients, which features several significant businesses from the Highlands...

From PSYBT:

"This independently verified research, supported by The Royal Bank of Scotland Group, identifies the 100 best performing businesses funded by PSYBT since the charity's launch in 1989.

Every year PSYBT helps in excess of 600 young people to start up and continue in business. In the last 23 years we have supported over 12,000 young people, and feature 100 of the businesses in this report. With a combined turnover of some £157m, their collective achievements have had considerable impact on Scotland's economy, in terms of both job and wealth creation.

This report celebrates all of the young people PSYBT has supported and highlights that with motivation, ambition and determination comes great success."

For more information visit the PSYBT site (Link) and to download a copy of the illustrated report (560kB)  follow this Link

Ripples Crafts in the News

Nice article in Saturday's Herald about Helen Lockhart of Ripples Crafts, yarn dyers in Assynt: (Link to Herald Website)

Link to Ripples Crafts

Business Gateway Music - The Duplets

Here's something appropriate from the Duplets...

The Duplets: A Man's a Man...

Business Gateway Music - Rachel Sermanni

Here's a brand new video of Carrbridge's very own, Rachel Sermanni, performing "The Fog" from her forthcoming EP "Black Currents".

 

For more info, see Rachel's  website: www.rachelsermanni.net.

To order the EP: http://www.townsend-records.co.uk/stores/rachelsermanni/

 

Henrietta's New Shop

Henrietta Ludgate, ace fashion designer & PSYBT client from Strathpeffer has opened her first store.  Based in Whiteley's Centre in London, the store will showcase Henrietta's work and house her design studio.

Full story from Tellusfashion.com
Henrietta's website: (Link)

Kirsteen's New Business is in the News

Kirsteen & Zac.  (Photo: Clive Grewcock)

There's a great feature about PSYBT/Business Gateway client, Kirsteen MacKintosh in this week's Northern Times.  Kirsteen was helped by PSYBT to start her own business "Star Stables" in Brora earlier this year, which offers all levels of riding tution to locals and tourists.

Here's the full feature from the Northern Times (link)

More Sutherland Food Businesses in the News - Part One

Andy Waugh and his Wild Game Company are the subject of a major feature in the October 2011 issue of Jamie Oliver's magazine.

Andy was assisted by Business Gateway to launch his business, which sells the best of Sutherland wild produce to the foodies of London.  He also runs a "pop-up" restaurant which is receiving rave reviews in the UK Capital.

The article features Ardgay Game and stunning photography taken at Alladale Wilderness Reserve.

Sutherland Businesses in the News: Sutherland Savoury Oatcakes

Bob Christie & Sandra Callus of Sutherland Savoury Oatcakes (pic: Clive Grewcock)

Congratulations (again) to Bob Christie of Sutherland Savoury Oatcakes in getting their perfect product into a hamper as part of the inaugural flight from Inverness to Amsterdam.  Along with chocolates from Durness-based Cocoa Mountain,  the oatcakes were part of a selection which represented some of the best produce from across the Highlands.

Here's a link to the Northern Times article: Link

Sutherland Businesses in the News - Leigh Sedgley

Leigh Sedgley (pic: Euan Callus)

Sutherland businesses continue to feature in news releases.  There's a great article in the Press & Journal about "Living the Dream", Leigh Sedgely's burger van situated on the spectacular clifftop at Stoer. (However, it's difficult for any article to do justice to Leigh's bacon rolls!).

Here's a link to the P&J Article: Link

Rachel Sermanni at Kildonan Church

Rachel Sermanni, supremely-talented singer-songwriter from Carrbridge. will be performing at Kildonan Church on 10th August 2011 at 7.00pm.  (There's a bus from Timespan, Helmsdale at 6.30pm).

For more details, contact: Timespan

Here's a taster:

SilverCise.Me

 Entrepreneur and Innovator, StevenReeves (based in Dornoch)  has just launched his new website:  Silvercise.me .  The site, which will eventually provide a platform for his assessment innovations, is a networking and information portal for all those interested in age-related and quality of life issues. 

Helmsdale Charcoal & Coppice

There was a nice article about Helmsdale Charcoal & Coppice in the P&J this weekend:

Press and Journal - Article - Mike’s burning ambition sees his business grow

Henrietta is Young Designer of the Year

Henrietta (photo: Terry Chin)

PSYBT Alumni,  Henrietta Ludgate, has just won Young Designer of the Year at the Scottish Fashion Awards in Glasgow.  Following a tremendous amount of success and recognition in her first couple of years of trading, Strathpeffer-based Henrietta was watched by an audience which included Lulu, Dame Shirley Bassey and Samantha Cameron; in addition to Fashion Industry VIPs.

Congratulations to Henrietta from all of us at PSYBT and Business Gateway.

Business Gateway Music: Sandra MacBeth

Here's a vintage track and video from PSYBT Alumni, Sandra MacBeth, originally from Glenelg

Business Gateway Music: Leighton Jones

The Man Who Never Was by Leighton Jones
As part of an occasional series of posts, showcasing performed by PSYBT & Business Gateway clients, here's a track from Skye-based Leighton Jones, of Injuns fame .

Food & Drink Excellence Awards 2011 - Saladworx do it again...

David & Michelle of Saladworx pick up another addition to their trophy cabinet.

At the risk of seeming repetitive, Saladworx have won yet another award.
 
Hosted by BBC Radio 2 food expert Nigel Barden and sponsored by Clydesdale Bank, the 15th Scotland Food & Drink Excellence Awards recognise the best of Scotland’s food and drink industry.

The entries were judged by a panel comprising industry experts and journalists and the hotly contested product awards were presented to some of the country’s most innovative and exciting companies.

Dornoch-based Saladworx won Product of the Year and Product Innovation of the Year.

Cabinet Secretary (Rural Affairs & Environment) Richard Lochhead congratulated the booming food and drink sector in Scotland and underlined its ongoing importance to Scotland’s economic recovery. The Cabinet Secretary also announced a £2.64 million Scottish Funding Council package to establish a Scotland-wide food and drink innovation network with 17 Scottish universities. Part of the Scotland Food & Drink industry strategy, the delivery of the innovation network is the culmination of three years of work and collaboration.

Mr Lochhead said: “Once again, the Scotland Food & Drink Excellence Awards have showcased an impressive variety of the very best Scotland has to offer. It’s great to see returning names maintaining high standards, as well as some new entries who have successfully shaped innovation into excellence."

Client Snapshot - Brora Health Food & Gift Store

Andrew Weston in the Store (photo Clive Grewcock)

As the regeneration of Brora's village centre continues, one of the recently-opened shops is the Brora Health Food & Gift Store, owned and run by Andrew Weston.

The Store stocks an incredible range of health foods and supplements, environmentally-friendly and Fair Trade products -  and a great selection of wholefoods and ingredients for the more adventurous chefs in the area.  In fact, Andrew prides himself on selling products that would be hard to find anywhere else in the Highlands.

The business is now expanding  into e-commerce,  as well as supplying catering establishments in the North of Scotland. “The benefit to caterers is that we can supply products as and when they want and without a delivery charge,” he explains.

Business Gateway helped with a small grant and Andrew attended several of our free workshops

For more information, and to browse the new online store, follow this link  - or you can call Andrew on 01408 622692

Client Snapshot - Jadcom UK

James Dalton started his IT business, Jadcom UK in 2003. Since that launch, James has been able to supply hardware and software solutions combined with consultancy, training and IT development from his base in Rosehall.

James is seeing considerable potential for growth in his business and recently received some support from Business Gateway to help access these new markets. 

Apart from his business activities, James and his family are familiar figures in the equestrian world and are building a name for themselves in the showing of guinea pigs!

To contact JADCOM visit James' website: Link

Photo: Clive Grewcock