Latest news with #JohnKerr
Glasgow Times
27-07-2025
- Business
- Glasgow Times
Johnstone butcher with 40 years' service wins praise
John Kerr started at John Marshall and Son back in 1985 when he was just 17 and has since risen through the ranks to become the shop manager of the family-run business. West Scotland MSP Paul O'Kane hailed the Johnstone butcher for his four decades of dedication after publishing a Holyrood motion to honour him. John Kerr (Image: Newsquest) Mr O'Kane said: 'When I read that John had reached this fantastic career milestone, I knew I wanted to raise awareness of it at the Scottish Parliament. 'Saying that he (John) can't imagine doing anything else is really quite special. It's great to see someone truly love what they do for a living. 'He's committed 40 years of dedication to his craft and forty years of service to the local community. 'We have so many great businesses in Johnstone and people in the town are loyal to these local champions on the High Street,' added Mr O'Kane.
Scotsman
26-07-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Exclusive first look pictures of Edinburghs new high tech gym
Edinburgh's newest gym is set to open its doors at Meadowbank next week and we've taken an exclusive first look inside. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The Gym Group is set to open the doors of the new gym on July 29 and we have taken a first look at the facilities. The gym will be open to the public seven days a week, 24 hours a day and customers can make use of the free parking in the retail park. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A range of high tech facilities are being provided | The Gym Group Memberships start from £14.99 and a range of high tech, modern kit is available for use including free weights and Olympic lifting rigs. The gym will also offer specialist HYROX training sessions | The Gym Group The new Edinburgh site will also be one of 120 gyms nationwide that offers specialist HYROX training sessions, with all the functional equipment required to train for a race event or try out this style of workout. modern kit is available for use including free weights and Olympic lifting rigs | The Gym Group Through The Gym Group's national partnership with NHS Charities Together, The Gym Group Edinburgh Meadowbank will pair with a local NHS charity. This will focus on supporting fundraising, wellbeing, and volunteer initiatives. John Kerr, General Manager of The Gym Group Edinburgh Meadowbank, said: "We're incredibly excited to open our doors at Edinburgh Meadowbank. The team are looking forward to welcoming our members to this brilliant new gym, and helping more of the community to achieve their fitness goals."
CTV News
25-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Lakeshore council exploring renaming Lakeview Park and Marina after former mayor Tom Bain
Lakeview Park and Marina could be renamed to recognize former Lakeshore mayor Tom Bain. Lakeshore ward 4 councillor John Kerr brought forward a motion at Tuesday night's council meeting requesting council rename the park and marina to Tom Bain Lakeview Park and Marina. Bain served 44 years in public service starting as an elected member of council for the former Rochester Township in November 1978, before the province ordered amalgamation in 1999. Bain also served as the longest tenured Warden of the County of Essex Council. . Bain's daughter-in-law, Lynette Bain, spoke at council in favour of the motion and said Bain did not treat public office as a job, it was a calling for him. 'He gave up family dinners, holidays, personal time, because he believed in being present in listening and in doing the hard work of building a stronger Lakeshore,' she said. Bain ran for re-election as mayor of Lakeshore in 2022. Lynette said following the loss to Tracey Bailey, Bain made the difficult decision to step away from public life. 'Being in service to this community was such a core part to who he is, and when that ended there was a real void,' she said. 'That's why this motion, this opportunity, has meant so much to him, and our entire family, it brings back a sense of belonging, and a reminder of that purpose, a sense of connection to this community.' Former Essex mayor Ron McDermott, who served from 2003 to 2018, told council that Bain is deserving of this recognition. 'He was always available, always, always, always, I think in 15 years that I was there [at County Council], they asked me twice if I could fill in for Tom because he was always available,' McDermott said. Rather than adopting Kerr's motion, council instead directed that Tom Bain be considered as the first member recognized when a new Naming Rights/Recognition Policy is brought back by administration in the fall. ~ By Dustin Coffman, AM800 News.
The Courier
30-05-2025
- Business
- The Courier
Broughty Ferry's Brook Street is thriving. What's the secret?
New data gathered by The Courier reveals that Brook Street in Broughty Ferry boasts a vacancy rate of 4.4% – well below the Dundee city average of 18.7%. As of May 2025, only four out of 94 units on the street were unoccupied. Not only is the area performing well compared to Dundee city centre, but it also shows stronger results when compared to Aberdeen, where the average vacancy rate stands at 19.4%, Perth, where it is 16.9%, and Inverness, where it is 10.7%. All of these statistics are based on DC Thomson high street trackers. The national picture is also positive. According to the most recent data from the Scottish Retail Consortium, gathered in 2023, the average vacancy rate across Scotland stands at 15.7%. Brook Street may be less vacant than Dundee city centre, but it is pretty equally matched when it comes to independent businesses, with 70% (63 of 90) of its occupied units being independent. In 2024, the Courier found that 69.05% of Dundee's occupied units were independent. While Brook Street exceeded the city centre average, it trailed behind streets like Union Street (96%) and Perth Road (88%). So, what is the secret to Brook Street in Broughty Ferry's success when it comes to its low vacancy rate? John Kerr, chairman of the Broughty Ferry Traders' Association – which is responsible for Gala Week and the Christmas lights switch-on – says that the area benefits from its 'historic affluence'. He explains: 'There's good community, great housing, great schooling and there's a beautiful location here. 'It's served very well by the aesthetics of where it is positioned within the north east as well. 'And let's not also forget the fact that within Broughty Ferry and Dundee and the north east itself, we enjoy this beautiful climatic ecosystem, which extends the summer days.' Businessman John, who owns 45 Black Hound Distillery in Douglas with his wife Kerrie, says that Brook Street is also boosted by its easy-to-access location. '[Brook Street] is greatly positioned with regard to housing,' he says. '[There is a] natural sort of relationship of how people migrate from where they live into the town and into Brook Street itself. 'Its relationship with bus routes [and] its relationship with the train station gives fantastic access from – not only the locals and those who can get access to it directly – but incoming footfall from neighbouring places such as Montrose, Arbroath and obviously Dundee and Perth.' Amber Cochrane, who opened real estate business Verdala on Brook Street with Scott Bremner in 2020, thinks much of its success is down to the strong community. She says: 'Broughty Ferry has become a hub, and it's become very centralised, and it's very focused on businesses supporting one another, and it feels very friendly. 'The businesses are all very approachable, and I think that's got quite a big part to do with it.' Amber, who looks after communications at the Traders' Association, believes that plentiful free on-street parking in the area (something that is not so readily available in Dundee city centre) also helps businesses thrive. 'We often have conversations at the Traders' about the ease that parking provides for nipping into shops,' she says. 'Locals can get everything from last-minute panic presents to a full summer BBQ.' The Traders' have commissioned a survey to be conducted by industry experts at Strathclyde University this summer to track the impact of this readily available parking on business success. This comes as Dundee City Council mulls over on-street parking charges. The £18m Broughty Ferry active route has also helped to boost general footfall in the area, Amber says. 'The whole development of the Esplanade, I feel, particularly from the tourism perspective, has really added to Brook Street. The Courier's data reveals that the majority of occupied units on Brook Street are shops (40%), while only 23.3% are food and drink establishments. In contrast, across the city centre's high streets, an average of 29.5% are shops and 37.2% are food and drink venues. Specifically in terms of independent businesses, of all the shops on the Dundee high streets in March 2024, only 56.8% were independent. Meanwhile, in Broughty Ferry, 63.8% of shops were independent. But of the food and drink units, 76.2% were independent in Broughty Ferry, while in Dundee city centre, 83.8% were independent. One independent food and drink venue on Brook Street is The Selkie. Kelly-Anne Fairweather, who owns a restaurant of the same name on Exchange Street in Dundee city centre, opened the Broughty Ferry eatery in 2023. Why did the restaurateur, who also runs nearby Sol Y Sombra on Gray Street, choose Brook Street for her business? 'The unit was empty for eight years before we went into it, ' she says. 'So it was a bit of a gamble. 'But for us, it was about being part of the independent-type vibe. 'And for us, the demographic of who was using that street was quite important. 'It was predominantly women 35 plus who were shopping in Broughty Ferry. 'We know that's our target market – [people with] a little bit more disposable income.' Kelly-Anne also feels that Broughty Ferry attracts people who are looking for an 'experience'. It's not just about spending money. 'It's a sunrise-to-sunset kind of place,' she explains. 'You can go for a coffee at half seven in the morning, whether that's Gracies or whatever. 'And then you can be in the pub, or somewhere like Sol y Sombra, until midnight. 'And then amongst that, it's got everything you need. And Broughty Ferry is always attracting new businesses. Derek McCammon opened his furniture store, The Living Room, on Brook Street in May 2024. How has his first year in business been? 'It has been a lot better than I anticipated it was going to be,' he says. 'The local people have been fantastic: really, really supportive.' Derek adds that Broughty Ferry's reputation as a tourist destination also boosts footfall. 'I've also had quite a lot of customers coming from as far away as Aberdeen, Inverness and Stirlingshire, as well as people who are up on holiday from England. 'So Broughty Ferry is drawing in quite a crowd from all over, which is lovely.' All data is gathered on foot by DC Thomson reporters and analysed by its data team, which means that it may be subject to some human error. Each occupied business was manually checked to determine whether it was an independent business or a chain. Businesses with multiple locations were deemed independent if they were only based in Scotland and/or were specifically registered to Tayside addresses. Otherwise, they had a single location, which again was registered within Scotland.
Local Germany
13-03-2025
- Business
- Local Germany
What are the most important political issues for foreigners in Germany?
Germany's (most likely) incoming government – composed of the conservative Union parties (CDU/CSU) and the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) – looks set to make some significant changes. The 'Grand Coalition' partners have eagerly jumped into coalition talks, and are also pitching a major change in the country's debt rules to allow significantly more budget for defence and infrastructure projects. So far conservative and SPD leaders have produced an 11-page exploratory paper that gives a taste of what might be expected from the next German government. Key policies include tightening rules on migration, raising the minimum wage, and tax relief for the middle classes. In a survey following the announcement of the preliminary election results, we asked our readers to react to the vote and share their opinions on the potential incoming government. Asked which issues were most important to her, Elizabeth, a 31-year-old software engineer in Berlin, told us, 'Dual citizenship, as we're in the queue and concerned. Also rental controls, cost of living, punitive measures against immigrants, [and] increased fascist confidence.' These core issues: the fate of the dual citizenship law, cost of living increases, migration policy and the rise of far-right politics were named again and again as primary concerns by our readers. So how well do the likely new coalition's plans and priorities align with the issues that foreigners in Germany are worried about? Here's what our readers had to say. Conservatives reversing dual citizenship would be a big concern John Kerr, a 78-year-old retiree living in Frankfurt, named the 'continuation of dual citizenship' as his top issue of interest, as well as the 'long delays in processing applications,' including his own. Hamidreza Soleymani, a lawyer and legal consultant from Tehran now living in Düsseldorf agrees, stating: 'I believe a five-year path to citizenship is reasonable.' Soleymani added that making real efforts to encourage legal pathways for immigration, while being more strict on 'illegal immigration' would 'benefit both Germany and migrants.' Around the time of the election, there was reason to fear that the conservative parties, under the leadership of Friedrich Merz, could make an effort to overturn Germany's dual citizenship law - a major reform that lowered the residence requirements to naturalise as German, and allowed those naturalising to retain their previous citizenship. However, following initial talks between CDU and SPD leaders, the parties agreed to keep these reforms in place after all. 'I wouldn't like to see Germany with closed borders' Many readers wanted to see politicians focus on the kinds of immigration issues that affect people who move to Germany and take up work legally. But there is a sense that politicians are instead hyper-focused on those who enter the country irregularly to seek asylum. 'Stop constantly talking about immigration. There are real problems,' said a reader who identified as a Berlin-based software engineer in their 40s. Claire, 66 and living in Baden-Württemberg notes that as a retired person with permanent residency in Germany, she isn't affected by many issues that foreigners tend to face. But she named far-right politics and closed borders as two potential issues in the future: 'I don't believe going back to closed borders with people being refused entry will benefit anyone in the long run.' Carlos, a 38-year-old software developer in Cologne felt the same: 'As a European citizen, I don't exactly have direct fears about immigration policies. But I wouldn't like to see Germany with closed borders.' For his part, Adi Singh, a 35-year-old Munich-based startup founder, said the 'clampdown on illegal migration' was important, but he also wanted to see a 'healthier attitude towards legal immigrants' along with lower taxes and less bureaucracy. Far-right politics and xenophobia Of course the increase in support for far-right parties – in particular the Alternative for Germany (AfD), which won roughly 20 percent of the national vote – is a serious concern for many foreign nationals living here. 'I want to see a decrease in racist views,' said Sabrina Mercer, a retired teacher who had taught at an international school in Frankfurt. Some of our readers were concerned that anti-immigration talking points and populist politics have been fuelling a rise in racism. Brenda Pegg, 77, living in Landshut, said she's concerned 'that we as foreigners will encounter hostility that we haven't so far.' An election campaign ad poster features Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in Wulfen, western Germany on February 7th, 2025. The slogan on placard reads: "Finally be free in your own country". Photo: Ina Fassbender / AFP 'I don't have any concern except the rise of AfD,' said a reader who gave his name simply as David. 'I feel like many of the issues people are loudly talking about are non-issues: there is not a drastic increase in crimes, the cost of living is high everywhere in the world… [and] immigration is not an issue but an opportunity.' David suggested that issues like high construction costs or a lack of caregivers in Germany could be solved, in part, with immigration. Cost-of-living issues were also front of mind for many respondents. 'Affordable housing is one of the biggest issues,' said Bhavesh Uppal, a 33 year-old sales manager in Berlin. Although he also listed lack of available health care, and limited places in Kitas and schools as top concerns. 'Germany is the land of Ideas,' Bhavesh added, 'It urgently needs infrastructure redevelopment and reduced bureaucracy.' John, 49, living in Cologne also mentioned 'spiralling out-of-pocket healthcare costs and spiralling waiting times to see specialists' as a top issue. He was also concerned about the ' crumbling Deutsche Bahn network. ' Climate change and dealing with Trump Meanwhile, in global issues, multiple respondents said they were concerned that the next conservative-led government might step back on Germany's climate goals. 'Europe should not back down on climate and sustainability policies and should aim to reclaim its role as a leader in these domains,' said Erica, a Berlin-based copywriter. Erica also mentioned 'geopolitical risks' especially from the 'Putin - US unspoken alignment'. Other readers also mentioned these concerns. For Gill McKay, 64, living in Allgäu the top issues can be summed up no more than six words: 'Climate change, racism, Trump and Putin.' Asked if she had specific hopes or concerns for Germany's next government coalition, Brenda Pegg said simply, 'I hope they stand up to Trump.'
