Latest news with #Alasdair
The Courier
30-05-2025
- Business
- The Courier
Fife lawyer promoted to head up top Scottish legal firm
A Fife lawyer named the next managing partner of Scottish legal firm Lindsays has vowed to grow the business. Andrew Diamond, currently head of the firm's Perth and residential property divisions, will take up the new role in October. He will succeed Alasdair Cummings, who is stepping aside after 14 years in the role. Under Alasdair's tenure, Lindsays has grown its presence in Dundee – including mergers with RSB Macdonald and Miller Hendry – and employee numbers in the city have increased from 15 to 81. Over the past decade, the firm – which began in Edinburgh – has also added offices in Perth and Crieff to its portfolio. Mr Diamond, from Aberdour, has been with Lindsays since 2012. He said: 'I am delighted to be taking on this role. 'I am very much the continuity candidate. And, while in politics that may not always be viewed favourably, it is a good thing for Lindsays. It's business as usual here. 'We are clear in our identity as an independent firm, working with families and businesses. 'There will be no change to that. We will continue with steady, strategic growth on the same path as we have followed. 'Our culture at Lindsays is our greatest asset and our people matter. We have the soul of a smaller firm but with all the benefits of scale. 'A big part of that is down to Alasdair's leadership, for which we are all grateful.' As well as its 81 solicitors and staff in Dundee, Lindsays has a further 32 people across its offices in Perth and Crieff. With offices also in Edinburgh and Glasgow, the firm now has a total of 53 partners along with 300 solicitors and staff. Alasdair said his time as managing partner has been 'the undoubted highlight' of his legal career. He added: 'Lindsays and its tremendous team mean so much to me. The past 14 years have been a successful and exciting journey. 'Together, we have achieved good growth, a wider geographic footprint and become a full-service firm, of which I am incredibly proud. 'The time, however, feels right for a new voice to lead Lindsays into the next stage of that journey. 'Andrew is a very worthy successor and I look forward to supporting him in any way I can.'
The Herald Scotland
28-04-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Scotch whisky is a family affair for Isle of Raasay chief
Alasdair took his own first steps in the industry in 2009, when he recreated the recipe of one of the whiskies his great grandfather produced for J&A Davidson between 1899 and 1916. What is your business called? R&B Distillers Limited (trading names; Isle of Raasay Distillery and Caskshare). Where is it based? We have an office in Manor Place, Edinburgh and the Isle of Raasay Distillery on the Hebridean Island of Raasay just off the east coast of Skye. The Isle of Raasay is a wee island that is 14 miles long and three miles wide, it is the same size and shape as Manhattan but with a population of 161 people (2011 census). What does it produce/do? We started distilling on Raasay in 2017, we released our Isle of Raasay Hebridean gin in July 2019 and our inaugural Isle of Raasay Hebridean single malt scotch whisky in November 2020. We do everything on Raasay. We have our own well on site, we use that water for all steps of the process; mashing, fermentation, cooling, cask filling and bottling. Everything is matured and bottled on Raasay. To whom does it sell? We currently sell in 51 markets around the world and in the UK. We sell online direct to consumers, on Amazon, to on and off trade, wholesalers and specialist drink retailers. We tend to work with one importer and distributor in each market out with the UK. Our top five markets are UK, Germany, France, USA, and Japan. What is its turnover? Our turnover in 2023 was just over £5 million. We have seen 20% year on year growth and in financial year 2024/2025 our turnover was £6m. How many employees? We have over 40 employees. At the distillery on Raasay we have six en suite luxury bedrooms, a restaurant, bar, shop, visitor centre with tours in addition to distilling, maturation warehousing and bottling. All our team live on Raasay, some have moved back to Raasay and some have moved to Raasay to work at the distillery. Why did you take the plunge? I can trace my family connection to Scotch Whisky back to 1820 when a company called J&A Davidson was established in Coldstream, in the Scottish Borders. My great grandfather, Richard Day joined the business as an office boy when he left school in 1895. He took over the licensed grocer shop and whisky blending business in 1923 until he retired after the Second World War. I inherited his cellar book which contains all of the recipes for the blends the company produced from 1899 to 1916. In 2009 I decided to recreate one of those blends called The Tweeddale using the original recipe from the book and that's how I started in the whisky industry. I met Bill Dobbie for the first time in November 2013 and we co-founded R&B Distillers in July 2014 in order to create the Isle of Raasay distillery. What were you doing before? I have a degree in Botany from Glasgow University. I worked in the food industry for over 30 years. My first job was growing mushrooms at Glasgow Fruit Market. I know all the jokes, it was magic, I am a fun guy and there's no much room in that industry. I then moved into fresh produce with companies supplying own label [products] to the UK multiply retailers. It allowed me to travel to source produce from around the world as well as from farms in the UK. Latterly I worked in the dairy industry for companies supplying own label cheese to all of the UK multiple retailers. At that point my friends referred to me as the cheese man. There are a lot of similarities with whisky, a lot of stainless steel, fermentation and maturation. All of this previous experience is where my fascination with different strains of yeast, barley varieties and oak species in whisky comes from. It was also in valuable when designing the distillery process and oak policy for Raasay. What do you least enjoy? In short, bureaucracy, the external factors in business you have no control over, that slow you down and require the rewrite business plans. What are your ambitions for the company? Our ambitions for R&B Distillers is to become Scotland's leading new wave spirits and drinks business. We bought Dhurrie Farm in Campbeltown in December 2021 with plans to build a second distillery there. We received our planning permission for our Machrihanish Distillery in March 2024. We are currently working through our planning conditions and hope to break ground in April 2026. We are now in our fourth year of regeneratively growing barley on Dhurrie Farm. Caskshare, the art of single cask whisky, is now part of R&B Distillers. The vision for Caskshare is to create a global destination for single cask whisky. What single thing would most help? The one single thing that would most help is more export sales. Growing in our 51 existing markets and opening new markets. What is the most valuable lesson you have learned? You can't do anything without a plan. You have to have a ten-year plan, a three-year plan and a one-year plan. All of which are continuously reviewed. Where do you find yourself most at ease? Talking about the distilling process, oak species, barley varieties and yeast strains. How all of these impact on the distillery spirit character and maturation creating complexity, balance and depth in our single malt scotch whisky. If you weren't in your current role, what job would you most fancy? This is the job I most fancy and I'm extremely privileged to be able to do it. What phrase or quotation has inspired you the most? One of our company values: 'Anything is possible'. What is the best book you have ever read? Why is it the best? I'm more into films than books but To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee would be my choice. I think it's more relevant than ever to consider the origins and consequences of prejudice, how good and evil can coexist within a single community or individual. What has been your most challenging moment in life or business? There have been many, Covid restrictions before we had released our single malt and the current global economic situation clearly stand out. What do you now know that you wish you had known when starting out in your career? I had a great uncle who always told me: 'It's later than you think'. I sometimes wish I started in whisky 10 years before I did.
BBC News
13-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
How bagpipes saved a Glasgow piper's great-grandfather
After piper Malcolm Campbell was shot and left for dead during World War One, he credited his bagpipes with helping to save his life. During the recovery of bodies following the Battle of Marne in France in 1914, his pipes were accidentally set off, alerting fellow soldiers that he was still alive. More than 110 years later, the same set of bagpipes are still being played - by Malcolm's great-grandson Alasdair Campbell. The third generation of his family to have the pipes, Alasdair said: "I play them pretty much every day - in bands, solo and in competitions." Malcolm, known as Calum Alasdair in his home island of South Uist in the Western Isles, was a private in the Queen's Own Cameron was among thousands of soldiers in the British Expeditionary Force who fought alongside French troops against German forces at the Battle of the was fought over several days in September 1914 and halted the German's advance on Paris, but was followed by years of trench warfare. The battle resulted in a total of between 300,000 and 500,000 said his great-grandfather, though wounded during the fighting, was one of the lucky ones."He was shot and left for dead," said Alasdair, who lives in Glasgow."But a few days later when they went out to pick up the bodies one of the body collectors stood on him."He was lying on top of the pipes and the pipes made a noise and they thought 'oh, good Lord he must still be alive, we must get him to hospital and back on his feet'."Malcolm, who was carried off the battlefield with his pipes, spent months in a hospital in Aldershot, said: "After that he made a full recovery and he got an honourable discharge and was sent home."He said his grandfather, mum and uncles would not have existed if it was not for the bagpipes. Alasdair is proud to carry on a tradition started by Malcolm, and over the years the pipes have been played at European and World Pipe Band said: "They belonged to my great-grandfather and my grandfather and then I subsequently inherited them."So they have a long lineage." Bagpipes were carried into other battles during WW1, and again during World War Daniel Laidlaw won the Victoria Cross for his actions at The Battle of Loos, the largest British battle on the Western Front in climbed from a trench and played Blue Bonnets Over The Border to encourage his fellow soldiers to renew an assault on German WW2, pipers were used by the 51st Highland Division at the start of the Battle of El Alamein in October 1942. The pipers' tunes were used to identify different commando Bill Millin was ordered by his commanding officer to play his pipes to rally troops during D-Day in June actions on Sword Beach were later portrayed in the 1962 film The Longest Day.
The Independent
21-02-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Star of Caledonia sculpture plans for Scotland-England border submitted
Plans have been submitted in a long-running scheme to build a 33-metre high sculpture near Gretna Green which would stand taller than the Angel of the North. The Star of Caledonia would be a steel sculpture near the Scotland- England border visible from the A74(M), with a visitor centre and a small loch also included in the £10 million plans. It would be illuminated at night by 108 LED lights powered by renewable energy and is intended to symbolise the 'dynamism of the Scottish nation'. Artist Cecil Balmond created the design a decade ago but the site will not open before spring 2027 at the earliest. The artistic drawings use the concept of energy as a metaphor, with the curves in the design also intended to represent 'Scottish brainpower'. The trust behind the project says most funds have been donated by CWP Energy, though it says it could potentially receive public funding as well. Lucy Houston, chairwoman of the Star of Caledonia Trust, said her late husband Alasdair – a farmer and tourism business owner – had the idea of a border landmark in 2001 to help the region recover from the foot-and-mouth outbreak. She spoke to the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme on Friday, saying the Star would stand taller than the Angel of the North in Gateshead. Ms Houston said: 'It's quite difficult to describe – it's almost like a DNA double helix. 'It's in painted grey steel and there will be 54 LED rods that come out of it, making a total of 108 lights.' The sculpture will sit on a grassy mound in a 38-acre landscaped site, she said, and would be a 'destination attraction'. Ms Houston said the trust is doing 'everything possible' to secure the remaining funding from sources such as the Borderlands growth deal. The foot-and-mouth outbreak had been a 'terrible, terrible time' for the area, she said, and Alasdair had wanted to contribute to the community. The trust hopes to begin construction next spring and welcome its first visitors in 2027. Planning councillors on Dumfries and Galloway Council will consider the proposals at a later date. David Mundell, the Scottish Conservative MP for Dumfriesshire, said: 'This is an exciting project for the Gretna area and I welcome the revised proposals and the solid basis now to bring the project to fruition. 'Outdoor artworks like the Angel of the North and the Kelpies have been hugely successful and brought economic benefit to their areas and I'm sure that will be the case with the Star of Caledonia.'
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Star of Caledonia sculpture plans for Scotland-England border submitted
Plans have been submitted in a long-running scheme to build a 33-metre high sculpture near Gretna Green which would stand taller than the Angel of the North. The Star of Caledonia would be a steel sculpture near the Scotland-England border visible from the A74(M), with a visitor centre and a small loch also included in the £10 million plans. It would be illuminated at night by 108 LED lights powered by renewable energy and is intended to symbolise the 'dynamism of the Scottish nation'. Artist Cecil Balmond created the design a decade ago but the site will not open before spring 2027 at the earliest. The artistic drawings use the concept of energy as a metaphor, with the curves in the design also intended to represent 'Scottish brainpower'. The trust behind the project says most funds have been donated by CWP Energy, though it says it could potentially receive public funding as well. Lucy Houston, chairwoman of the Star of Caledonia Trust, said her late husband Alasdair – a farmer and tourism business owner – had the idea of a border landmark in 2001 to help the region recover from the foot-and-mouth outbreak. She spoke to the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme on Friday, saying the Star would stand taller than the Angel of the North in Gateshead. Ms Houston said: 'It's quite difficult to describe – it's almost like a DNA double helix. 'It's in painted grey steel and there will be 54 LED rods that come out of it, making a total of 108 lights.' The sculpture will sit on a grassy mound in a 38-acre landscaped site, she said, and would be a 'destination attraction'. Ms Houston said the trust is doing 'everything possible' to secure the remaining funding from sources such as the Borderlands growth deal. The foot-and-mouth outbreak had been a 'terrible, terrible time' for the area, she said, and Alasdair had wanted to contribute to the community. The trust hopes to begin construction next spring and welcome its first visitors in 2027. Planning councillors on Dumfries and Galloway Council will consider the proposals at a later date.
