Our publisher doesn’t mince her words…
Bob Taylor (Aka Uncle Bob, pictured above) has done it again. He and his merry band of cyclists have just cycled from the BEN’s Pitlochry estate to the Blair Athol Distillery – some 80 miles. The day started at 9.30 with coffee and biscuits and throughout the day they stopped for refreshments. More than £6k was raised for the BEN.
Talking of raising money, the annual Donna Mortimer Ballantyne Ball took place last month and raised a phenomenal £330,000K for the Kilbryde Hospice. The surprise guest on
the night was Lulu. The committee, headed up by Lady Susan Haughey, did an amazing job. Well done to the Mortimer family and friends. I’m sure Donna would have very proud.
It still surprises me when drinks companies of fer promotions which of fer free drinks in Glasgow – quite simply, you can’t. This month, it was Innis & Gunn offering vouchers for free pints at their re-branded Brewery Taproom– it’s okay to do this in Edinburgh but in Glasgow it’s not allowed. It’s not a new law – it’s been around for a few years now. Please everyone tell your marketing and PR departments!
The promotion coincided with a new lager marketing campaign from the company called ‘Your Call’ in the city, started with #PeopleMakeGlassGo. They left an Innis & Gunn lorry full of glasses unattended outside Buchanan Galleries and the people of Glasgow managed to pinch 2000 in 24 minutes, 19 seconds. Of course, as you imagine, some of the brewer’s competitors got quite mischievous.
GMB Scotland has been targeting the licensed trade for a while now. No doubt because their traditional areas of manufacturing have been declining and the union has had
some success. It has just signed a recognition deal with Lap-dancing venue Seventh Heaven. The agreement formalises the presence of a recognised trade union within the industry
for the first time in Scotland and will cover all aspects of the employment contract, including annual pay negotiations, disciplinary and grievance procedures and health and safety
at work.
It’s an important milestone in the union’s organising efforts of workers across Glasgow’s lap dancing bars and wider adult entertainment sector, and at time when Glasgow City Council has launched a public consultation over the future licensing regulations of the city’s lap dancing venues.
This month a Glasgow company has offered to let me try what they say is “the UK’s first after-alcohol revival drink.” Called Bounce Back, it has been created by two biotechnologists in Glasgow. Bounce Back is specifically designed for people who are busy and can’t af ford to have a down day, that would be me then! Mind you, never mind my body recovering after alcohol, I need to recover at the end of every day! It contains 16 carefully selected components including; choline to support liver function, Vitamin B12 to zap tiredness, Vitamin C + E, zinc and selenium to boost your immune system. I hate to tell them but I already partake of this in a multi-vitamin! But, hey, it’s always worth a try!
Congratulations to Fallow Cowley. She has just opened a luxury interiors shop, Viano, in Clarkston, with her friend Vivien Smith. Fallon, as many of you will know, worked with Uncle Steve Graham at Manorview for more than a decade before leaving earlier this year. There’s no holding this girl back. Apparently the idea was hatched over an Espresso Martini in a roof top bar where the idea of a luxury interiors shop was discussed. As you know, the best laid plans and ideas always happen over a drink or two.
Meanwhile it’s all change at Manorview on the management front. David Taylor has been appointed Managing Director with founder Steve Graham planning on concentrating on developing the business. At the same time Finance Director, Kenny Barclay, is moving on.
I headed to Islay for the Islay Whisky Festival with the Distell team and a few others. What a great trip. It may have rained, but the company and the experience I wouldn’t change for a
minute. Bunnahabhain pushed the boat out ,literally, and we had a fabulous tasting from
Dr Kirsty McCallum, and got to sample some remarkable whiskies. We also got to have some of David Graham’s (of Ballygrant Inn fame) famous curry.