The Wishaw HUB - Issue 1

HUBHUBIssue Number 1 Friday, 20th August - 2nd September 2010

THE WISHAW

In this edition of your HUB...

‘Blind Cord Campaign Launched’Campaign to prevent accidents involving children and window blinds was launched at Wishaw General Hospital Page 4

Welcome to the Wishaw HUB!An introduction to YOUR new local paper. Pages 7 & 8

Motoring HUBCheck out the Audi A7 Page 14

Wishaw HUB SportsRoundup of all the local action from your local teams and clubs. Pages 15 & 16

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FAST LAPS AT KNOCKHILL HELP PARKINSON’S UK

Donna McWhinne and Nicola Miller outside their shop in Wishaw.

Local hairdressing company Dee-Zignz has managed to

raise over £300 for Parkinsons UK. Owner Donna McWhinnie (22) decided to raise money for the charity as her nana suffers from the condition. In a novel way, Dee-Zignz decided to team up

with Carluke racer Paul Bower-bank. The pair have been friends for some time and decided that spon-soring Paul during his race at the Knockhill circuit in Fife, would be a perfect opportunity to raise some money. Paul, who only started racing

earlier this year, was compet-ing at the motorbike event last weekend and sported a shiny new paint job on his Yamaha bike. His bike, a R-6 model was repainted in red and covered with Dee-Zignz decals for his big race.

. . . Continued on Page 5

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Friday, 20th August - 2nd September 20102 HUBHUBTHE WISHAW

EDITORS COMMENTSIt gives me great pleasure in introducing the 1st ever publication of ‘The Wishaw Hub’, the new sister-paper of Lanarkshire’s original popular publication ‘The HUB’. The Wishaw Hub is a FREE full-colour newspaper. Launched in South Lanarkshire as ‘The HUB’ almost one year ago on the 26th of August 2009 (to be exact), contrary to everyone’s assumptions, the paper flourished, despite being launched amidst the biggest recession Britain has seen! We put this down to The Hub’s positive ethos and strong editorial and design team. The HUB newspaper has seen phenomenal growth, from a humble 15,000 prints per fortnight, to a staggering 23,000 prints per fortnight (46,000 a month)! With the expansion into North Lanarkshire, The Wishaw Hub is set to take the entire HUB repertoire to over 60,000 prints a month! The Wishaw Hub has a very simple ethos…we print only the good positive stories in the community, omitting the ‘doom & gloom’ stories that most other publications thrive on. This also means our stories are unique and send a positive message to our readers. Gathering the content for this inaugural edition has been a mighty task, from numerous meetings and

phone calls to countless photo-sessions and lengthy interviews. But it has been well worth the effort! The Wishaw Hub has been greeted with overwhelming warmth, enthusiasm and eagerness; the most common comment being “are ye sure you can find a positive story in wish’ae?!” Well, we hope to prove to everyone that Wish’ae and the surrounding areas have many positive stories to offer that benefit the community at large. We believe publishing positive stories lifts people’s spirits, which is better than battling out who has the most ‘depressing’ story in Lanarkshire. As always, we appreciate the continued support by our readers. ‘The Wishaw Hub’ is set to become North Lanarkshire’s newest and favourite publication and you can contribute to its success by mailing, emailing or telephoning us with any good-news stories and pictures that you wish to share with the community.Thank you for lifting our Free paper, and I hope you share our enthusiasm about The Wishaw Hub and its role in eradicating negative stories about our community, making depression a thing of the past!

Saj Sabri LLB Hons, LLM, CCNAEditor in Chief

address

online

advertising sales

editorial and production

Tel: 01698 440998 Mobile: 07540 057598Email: [email protected]

The Wishaw HUBMaxim Business Park, Maxim 1, 1st Floor, 2 Parklands Way, M8 Eurocentral, ML1 4WR

www.thewishawhub.com


Central Scotland MSP Alex Neil has reacted to the news that Labour

are preparing to cut free personal care and nursing care in the upcoming Scottish budget. Mr Neil says cutting free personal care and nursing care would be a retrograde step which would target some of the most vulnerable citizens in our society. Labour’s finance spokesman Andy Kerr refused to rule out cutting free personal care in an interview with Newsnight Scotland. Labour has repeatedly threatened the flagship policy which is widely supported across Scotland and has improved the lives of many elderly people. Labour had to be forced to introduce free personal care then used it as an excuse to withdraw funding from Scottish pensioners

and only under the SNP has it been properly funded. Alex Neil said: “Labour is lining up free personal care for the chop, it is disgraceful.” “Last week we heard David Whitton say it was time to scrap pensioners’ bus passes, now they want to scrap free personal care. Our pensioners deserve better than the treatment they are getting from Labour, who are unfairly targeting them for a raft of cuts. “Labour had to be dragged kicking and screaming to introduce this policy to support our elderly, they failed to fund it properly now they want to kill it off. “Free Personal care was a hard won

right and is one of the triumphs of the Scottish Parliament. It is part of our duty to our older citizens who have paid taxes all their lives and who should have the right to be cared for properly in their old age. “In tough times you must get your priorities straight and caring for our older people is something the SNP firmly believes in, that’s why we are consulting on how to improve services. We do not believe our elderly and our vulnerable should pay the price for Labour’s financial mismanagement. “Labour’s priorities are out of kilter with the Scottish people. Difficult decisions will have to be taken, but as we make those decision the SNP will protect the right to free personal and nursing care for those who need it.”

Central Scotland MSP

Neil to help hold landlords toaccount over depositsAlex Neil, SNP MSP for

Central Scotland and Scottish Government Minister for Housing and Communities, has opened a consultation on the best way to protect tenants’ deposits. Mr Neil wants to protect the estimated 8000-11000 tenants who have up to £3.6million worth of deposits wrongly withheld in Scotland every year. The consultation will approach key stakeholders to advise the best way to provide security for the cash and to find an appropriate dispute resolution format. One proposal is for deposits to be ring fenced in a designated client account, and their return

referred to a third party if there was a dispute when the tenant moves out. Another idea is for landlords to be required to join an approved independent self-financing deposit scheme.Mr Neil said:“Landlords can withhold a tenant’s deposit for a number of reasons. “But I am of the view that here in Lanarkshire and across Scotland there are too many tenants, including students who have their deposits unfairly withheld. “I am glad that the ideas have already received the support of NUS Scotland and I look forward to hearing from other stakeholders through the consultation.

“I am looking to move quickly to resolve this issue but I want to make sure that the views of all interested parties are considered before we shape the regulations for new tenancy deposit schemes.”

Commenting on today’s report in a national

newspaper that the Labour Convener of the Scottish Parliament’s Education Convener, Karen Whitefield, is to be investigated over claims of illegally obtaining details about hundreds of primary school pupils, the SNP MSP for Central Scotland Alex Neil said it was incredible that someone in her position should act so irresponsibly. He called on her to step down immediately as the Parliament’s Education Convener. Mr Neil commented: “I am very concerned at the breach of the Data Protection Act by Karen Whitefield whereby she obtained the databases for every primary school child in her constituency from local Head Teachers. “Not only is obtaining and using these databases without the permission of the children’s parents totally reprehensible and irresponsible, it raises many questions which Karen Whitefield must now answer, including: * Were the names and schools of children who are the subject of a Child Protection Order included in these databases? * Does she have access to other databases, for example those of secondary school pupils in her constituency? * Who within her office had access to these databases and have these people been cleared by Disclosure Scotland? * Has she passed on any of these databases to anyone else?

If so to whom? * Does she still hold these databases? If so will she now hand back these databases to the Council and give a public guarantee never to use this information again? * Will she now make a full and public apology to the pupils and parents? * Does she know of any other politicians who have had access to such databases and if so will she name them? “The Parliament’s Education Committee has within its remit the protection of children. Given her actions Karen Whitefield no longer has the credibility and integrity needed to convene such a Committee and she should resign forewith as its Convener. “She boasts that John Reid and her have had access and used these databases this for years. That makes matters worse, not better. “I welcome the investigation by North Lanarkshire Council and I have written to the Chief Executive seeking answers to the above questions from the Council and its staff. I trust that the council will take appropriate disciplinary action against those Head Teachers and anyone else who supplied this information to Karen Whitefield. “I have spoken to the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, Michael Russell MSP, and he has assured me that he is demanding a full and detailed report from the Council.”

LABOUR MSP SHOULD RESIGN AS EDUCATION COMMITTEE CONVENER

Alex Neil MSP

Saj Sabri, Editor

Ilyas Sabri, Senior Sales Executive


EDITORS COMMENTSIt gives me great pleasure in introducing the 1st ever publication of ‘The Wishaw Hub’, the new sister-paper of Lanarkshire’s original popular publication ‘The HUB’. The Wishaw Hub is a FREE full-colour newspaper. Launched in South Lanarkshire as ‘The HUB’ almost one year ago on the 26th of August 2009 (to be exact), contrary to everyone’s assumptions, the paper flourished, despite being launched amidst the biggest recession Britain has seen! We put this down to The Hub’s positive ethos and strong editorial and design team. The HUB newspaper has seen phenomenal growth, from a humble 15,000 prints per fortnight, to a staggering 23,000 prints per fortnight (46,000 a month)! With the expansion into North Lanarkshire, The Wishaw Hub is set to take the entire HUB repertoire to over 60,000 prints a month! The Wishaw Hub has a very simple ethos…we print only the good positive stories in the community, omitting the ‘doom & gloom’ stories that most other publications thrive on. This also means our stories are unique and send a positive message to our readers. Gathering the content for this inaugural edition has been a mighty task, from numerous meetings and

phone calls to countless photo-sessions and lengthy interviews. But it has been well worth the effort! The Wishaw Hub has been greeted with overwhelming warmth, enthusiasm and eagerness; the most common comment being “are ye sure you can find a positive story in wish’ae?!” Well, we hope to prove to everyone that Wish’ae and the surrounding areas have many positive stories to offer that benefit the community at large. We believe publishing positive stories lifts people’s spirits, which is better than battling out who has the most ‘depressing’ story in Lanarkshire. As always, we appreciate the continued support by our readers. ‘The Wishaw Hub’ is set to become North Lanarkshire’s newest and favourite publication and you can contribute to its success by mailing, emailing or telephoning us with any good-news stories and pictures that you wish to share with the community.Thank you for lifting our Free paper, and I hope you share our enthusiasm about The Wishaw Hub and its role in eradicating negative stories about our community, making depression a thing of the past!

Saj Sabri LLB Hons, LLM, CCNAEditor in Chief

address

online

advertising sales

editorial and production


The Wishaw HUBMaxim Business Park, Maxim 1, 1st Floor, 2 Parklands Way, M8 Eurocentral, ML1 4WR

www.thewishawhub.com


Central Scotland MSP Alex Neil has reacted to the news that Labour

are preparing to cut free personal care and nursing care in the upcoming Scottish budget. Mr Neil says cutting free personal care and nursing care would be a retrograde step which would target some of the most vulnerable citizens in our society. Labour’s finance spokesman Andy Kerr refused to rule out cutting free personal care in an interview with Newsnight Scotland. Labour has repeatedly threatened the flagship policy which is widely supported across Scotland and has improved the lives of many elderly people. Labour had to be forced to introduce free personal care then used it as an excuse to withdraw funding from Scottish pensioners

and only under the SNP has it been properly funded. Alex Neil said: “Labour is lining up free personal care for the chop, it is disgraceful.” “Last week we heard David Whitton say it was time to scrap pensioners’ bus passes, now they want to scrap free personal care. Our pensioners deserve better than the treatment they are getting from Labour, who are unfairly targeting them for a raft of cuts. “Labour had to be dragged kicking and screaming to introduce this policy to support our elderly, they failed to fund it properly now they want to kill it off. “Free Personal care was a hard won

right and is one of the triumphs of the Scottish Parliament. It is part of our duty to our older citizens who have paid taxes all their lives and who should have the right to be cared for properly in their old age. “In tough times you must get your priorities straight and caring for our older people is something the SNP firmly believes in, that’s why we are consulting on how to improve services. We do not believe our elderly and our vulnerable should pay the price for Labour’s financial mismanagement. “Labour’s priorities are out of kilter with the Scottish people. Difficult decisions will have to be taken, but as we make those decision the SNP will protect the right to free personal and nursing care for those who need it.”

Central Scotland MSP

Neil to help hold landlords toaccount over depositsAlex Neil, SNP MSP for

Central Scotland and Scottish Government Minister for Housing and Communities, has opened a consultation on the best way to protect tenants’ deposits. Mr Neil wants to protect the estimated 8000-11000 tenants who have up to £3.6million worth of deposits wrongly withheld in Scotland every year. The consultation will approach key stakeholders to advise the best way to provide security for the cash and to find an appropriate dispute resolution format. One proposal is for deposits to be ring fenced in a designated client account, and their return

referred to a third party if there was a dispute when the tenant moves out. Another idea is for landlords to be required to join an approved independent self-financing deposit scheme.Mr Neil said:“Landlords can withhold a tenant’s deposit for a number of reasons. “But I am of the view that here in Lanarkshire and across Scotland there are too many tenants, including students who have their deposits unfairly withheld. “I am glad that the ideas have already received the support of NUS Scotland and I look forward to hearing from other stakeholders through the consultation.

“I am looking to move quickly to resolve this issue but I want to make sure that the views of all interested parties are considered before we shape the regulations for new tenancy deposit schemes.”

Commenting on today’s report in a national

newspaper that the Labour Convener of the Scottish Parliament’s Education Convener, Karen Whitefield, is to be investigated over claims of illegally obtaining details about hundreds of primary school pupils, the SNP MSP for Central Scotland Alex Neil said it was incredible that someone in her position should act so irresponsibly. He called on her to step down immediately as the Parliament’s Education Convener. Mr Neil commented: “I am very concerned at the breach of the Data Protection Act by Karen Whitefield whereby she obtained the databases for every primary school child in her constituency from local Head Teachers. “Not only is obtaining and using these databases without the permission of the children’s parents totally reprehensible and irresponsible, it raises many questions which Karen Whitefield must now answer, including: * Were the names and schools of children who are the subject of a Child Protection Order included in these databases? * Does she have access to other databases, for example those of secondary school pupils in her constituency? * Who within her office had access to these databases and have these people been cleared by Disclosure Scotland? * Has she passed on any of these databases to anyone else?

If so to whom? * Does she still hold these databases? If so will she now hand back these databases to the Council and give a public guarantee never to use this information again? * Will she now make a full and public apology to the pupils and parents? * Does she know of any other politicians who have had access to such databases and if so will she name them? “The Parliament’s Education Committee has within its remit the protection of children. Given her actions Karen Whitefield no longer has the credibility and integrity needed to convene such a Committee and she should resign forewith as its Convener. “She boasts that John Reid and her have had access and used these databases this for years. That makes matters worse, not better. “I welcome the investigation by North Lanarkshire Council and I have written to the Chief Executive seeking answers to the above questions from the Council and its staff. I trust that the council will take appropriate disciplinary action against those Head Teachers and anyone else who supplied this information to Karen Whitefield. “I have spoken to the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, Michael Russell MSP, and he has assured me that he is demanding a full and detailed report from the Council.”

LABOUR MSP SHOULD RESIGN AS EDUCATION COMMITTEE CONVENER

Alex Neil MSP

Saj Sabri, Editor

Ilyas Sabri, Senior Sales Executive

Friday, 20th August - 2nd September 2010 3HUBHUBTHE WISHAW

DRAGONS BREATHE FIRE INTO YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS

Budding young North Lanarkshire business

people are being lured into the Dragons’ Lair … with the chance to win a scorching prize. The unique competition, themed around the hit TV series Dragons’ Den, is open to S4 – S6 pupils at every North Lanarkshire secondary school and is aimed at inspiring the business brains of tomorrow. The initiative was welcomed by Convenor of Regeneration Services Tom Maginnis: “North Lanarkshire Council’s Regeneration Services and Learning and Leisure Services have partnered with the

Business Gateway to offer the winning business idea a laptop and printer plus a £1000 prize for their school. “We want young people to start thinking about self employment and starting up small businesses in the future. “Our economy will need new businesses and this competition will provide support and advice to encourage a new generation of entrepreneurs.” Entrants, either individuals or teams of up to four, will have to develop their business idea for the initial round of judging. The six finalists will then have to pitch their idea to a panel of successful local

entrepreneurs. Councillor Maginnis said: “As well as business advice from the Business Gateway to help young people to develop their innovative skills we are involved with the Prince’s Scottish Youth Business Trust which helps young people start their own businesses through grants and advice. “This initiative is to help encourage young people develop their innovative and entrepreneurial skills. “With the right idea and backing, they can have their own business.” Councillor Jim Logue, Convener of Learning and

Leisure Services also welcomed this new initiative. He said: “At this time of difficult economic circumstances we want our young people to have the broadest range of experiences to shape their future. “We are confident that participating in Dragons’ Lair will spark their imagination and widen their horizons.” An information day will be held on 10th September 2010 at the Atrium Business Centre, North Caldeen Road, Coatbridge. To register for the event e-mail [email protected] before 3rd September 2010.

North Lanarkshire Council has selected

three preferred bidders to deliver roads, property and central heating maintenance for the next 10 years. The council will now conclude negotiations to complete the contracts, worth £700 million and delivering hundreds of new jobs to North Lanarkshire. The three preferred bidders – Morrison FS Ltd for property, Amey LG Ltd for roads and ALH86 Ltd for central heating – were successful in a complex and lengthy tender process and will enter into joint venture agreements, with the council owning 33% of each joint venture company. The incumbent joint venture companies were a ground-breaking model for providing services when they were set up in 2000 and delivered a net profit of nearly £7.5 million this year. As part of the tender process each of the bidders had to advise on the potential growth of the business and the community benefits that could arise as a result. Highlights of the bids include the creation of more than 600 new jobs, new opportunities for apprentices and people in

long-term unemployment and training hundreds of people in conjunction with local colleges. The joint ventures will also spend more than £200 million with other local businesses. Councillor Barry McCulloch, convener of Housing and Social Work Services, said: “We are delighted to move forward with our new joint ventures. When we originally set these up 10 years ago we did not expect the levels of growth that our current joint ventures delivered but the fact that they have consistently exceeded both operational and financial targets is terrific news for everyone.” Councillor Jimmy Coyle, convener of Planning and Transportation, added: “These businesses are about more than money. Our residents expect quality services and the new joint ventures will be a way to continue to deliver that. Just as important, though, is what these companies can deliver for North Lanarkshire in terms of training, employment and investment in the local economy and I am confident that we will see real, lasting benefits in all these areas.”

Preferred bidders chosen for £700 million contracts

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Anyone with information is asked to contact Wishaw Police Office on 01698 202610

or alternatively CRIMESTOPPERS can be called anonymously on

0800 555 111

Police UpdateRecent Police incidents in our area

ASSAULT WITH INTENT TO ROBStrathclyde Police are appealing for any information with regards to an incident which took place at 7.15pm on Tuesday 10th August 2010 at a house on Netherton Road, Wishaw. The disabled householder was sitting in her house watching television when a male entered the house and brandished a sharp knife and threatened her to get a safe. The startled householder – who originally thought that it was her grandchildren who had entered the house - managed to get up and make her way to the door and shout for help. The male then pushed his way past the householder and left the house jumping the garden fence to get away. The male is described as approximately 16-19 years old, 5’06” tall, wearing a black Helly Hansen jacket, dark hooded top, dark jeans or jogging bottoms and black trainers. Any information please to DC Robertson at Wishaw CID or alterna-tively call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

ASSAULTStrathclyde Police are appealing for any information with regards to an assault on a 44 year old male at the swing park near to Bana-vie Road, Newmains. The male was knocked to the ground and thereafter kicked about the head. The male eventually got to his feet and made his way back to a neighbour’s house who called an ambulance. The incident occurred at around 2.40am on Sunday 15th August 2010. Any information please to DC Hamilton at Wishaw CID or alternatively call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

THEFT BY HOUSEBREAKINGStrathclyde Police are appealing for any information with regards to a housebreaking to a garden shed on Abernethyn Road, Newmains. The thieves made off with a quantity of tools and golfing equipment. The incident occurred between at 11.50pm on Monday 9th August 2010. The following day Tuesday 10th August 2010, the shed belong-ing to a neighbouring property was also broken into and a quantity of tools were also stolen. Any information please to Constable Dunn at Wishaw Police Office or alternatively call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

THEFT OF A MOTOR VEHICLEStrathclyde Police are appealing for any information with regards to the theft of a black Vauxhall Corsa motor car from outside a house on Biggar Road, Cleland. The incident occurred between 11pm on Tuesday 10th August and 10am on Wednesday 11th August 2010. Any information to Constable Les Brownlie at the Communities Unit at Newmains Police Office or alternatively call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

THEFT OF A HANDBAGStrathclyde Police are appealing for any information with regards to the theft of a silver ladies handbag from within the Cotton Club, Kirk Road, Wishaw. The incident occurred between 10.30pm and midnight on Friday 13th August 2010. The handbag was later found in the ladies toilet by security on the premises with the contents – a mobile phone and £70 in cash missing. Any information to Wishaw Police Office or alternatively call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

GOOD DETECTIONSStrathclyde Police can confirm that three schoolboy’s will be the subject of a Report to the Children’s Reporter in respect of the thefts of copper cabling from the premises of St Matthews Primary on Pentland Road, Wishaw on Wednesday 11th August 2010.

Strathclyde Police can also confirm that a 30 year old male will be the subject of a Report to the Procurator Fiscal in relation to the alleged break-in to a car on Belhaven Terrace, Wishaw on Thursday evening 12th August 2010.

SNP MSP John Wilson has welcomed the

announcement that Corus steelworks plans to invest £8 million to its steel plant at Dalzell in Motherwell. This is the largest investment locally for almost 40 years which will help to meet increasing demand for heavy plate products. This investment shall provide 60 new job opportunities throughout Lanarkshire with 11 new jobs at

the Dalzell steel mill in Motherwell while also bringing increased employment opportunities to the firm’s Clydebridge plant. This £8 million investment will significantly increase the capacity of the Dalzell steel mill in Motherwell in several markets, including in the renewable energy sector and offshore energy provision. This shall be achieved through the installation of a 3,500-tonne press and handling machine and by upgrading the plant’s existing press and manufacturing equipment.

It is expected that further jobs could be created at the Dalzell plant if this upturn in demand continues. John Wilson MSP said: ‘this substantial investment by Corus will provide much needed employment opportunities to people throughout Lanarkshire at a time when jobs are increasingly difficult to find. It is also encouraging that the creation of more job opportunities are being anticipated for future demand associated with offshore developments’

MSP WELCOMES £8 MILLION INVESTMENT IN MOTHERWELL STEEL PLANT

political hub find out what your political representatives have been campaigning for on your behalf

The week leading up to the summer recess was a particularly hectic this year. The last two days the Parliament was sitting involved two full days in the Chamber voting on stage 3, the final stage, of two bills. The first was the Crofting Scotland Bill and the second, the Criminal Justice and Licensing Scotland Bill which contained some controversial clauses concerning short term prison sentences. Also tabled for the final week was a very worthwhile Member’s business – this takes the form of an after 5 o’clock debate on issues brought to the Parliament by MSPs. In this instance the debate concerned Children and Young People with a Parent in Prison. Towards the end of last year the Parliament’s Equal Opportunities Committee, which I convene, had taken evidence and produced a report on Women in the Criminal Justice System with a specific focus on the experience of women in prison. The report had subsequently been studied by the Scottish Government and £800,000 allocated to implement some of its recommendations. So I was delighted to take part in this debate and to have a further opportunity to highlight the work of the charity Circle, which is based in Hamilton and which I visited recently to hear more about the invaluable support, for the families of offenders, and the sterling work the charity does helping offenders to achieve successful rehabilitation and to help prevent them re-offending. On top of all this my MSP summer newsletter had to be finalised and distributed at the end of June/beginning of July. The newsletter is a twice yearly report I send to constituents telling them about my activities in the constituency and the Parliament over the last 6 months. This summer’s edition was issue 13! The latest edition can be viewed on my MSP website: margaretmitchellmsp.org The advent of recess itself is one of the most rewarding parts of the job as it provides the opportunity to get out and about in the Central Scotland constituency I represent. This consists of seven Lanarkshire constituencies; two in Falkirk and Kilmarnock. My first visit was to the amazing new Forth Valley Hospital in Larbert. Built under PPP on time and on budget,

the new hospital is designed to put patients and cleanliness firmly first. Even the air circulated in throughout the hospital is controlled to have the correct balance of elements and to be infection free. Venetian blinds, notorious for collecting dust, are encased in double glazed units to keep them sterile and medication in the wards is distributed by robots! It was a truly inspirational visit and this modern hospital marks a important milestone in healthcare in Scotland. Later in the month I had the immense privilege to meet with members of the Hamilton and District Embroiderers’ Guild, to view their work and to present this immensely talented group with a cheque for £7,250 (a grant the Hamilton Guild had received from the ‘Awards for All’ scheme.) The grant will help Guild members improve their existing skills and enable them to pass on their knowledge and experience to the younger members of the Guild. A few days after meeting the Hamilton embroiderers’, I dropped into the St. Andrew’s Hospice in Airdrie to hand over the sponsorship money I had collected from friends and colleagues for completing the 13 mile Midnight Walk (starting at Hamilton Asda, through Bothwell, Uddingston and Tannochside and back again) to raise funds for the hospice. The event had raised a staggering £100,000 and my sponsorship money cheque made it up to a £100,500. Coincidentally while I was there, Katie, the hospice fundraising manager, showed me a magnificent new wall hanging which has pride of place at the entrance. This remarkable piece of work depicts the four seasons of the year and illustrates in fine detail all the different fundraising events that the hospice has organised over the past few years. Imagine my surprise when I learned it had been donated to the hospice by ….the Airdrie and District Embroiderers’ Guild! Some of my other activities during recess have included: visiting an excellent art exhibition in Chatelherault, Hamilton featuring the work of local artists; attending the

launch of Caring Together: Carers and Young Carers Strategy for Scotland 2010-15 at the Princess Royal Trust for Carers Centre, Hamilton; having a follow up meeting in my constituency office with Carers representatives and holding surgeries in Hamilton, Motherwell, Coatbridge and Grangemouth. A trip back to Edinburgh involved meeting with the clerks from the Equal Opportunity Committee and supporting the launch, outside the Parliament on Thursday 5th August, of the count down marking exactly one year until the International Youth Games come to Lanarkshire! There have been meetings too with constituents in Hamilton, Blantyre, Bo’ness, Chryston, Cumbernauld, Airdrie and Coatbridge In addition to catching up with constituents’ casework, holding surgeries and tidy the office (long overdue!) recess has also provided an opportunity to take a little time off and, together with my husband, set ourselves a challenge in the form of signing up for RYA (Royal Yachting Association) Level 1 and 2 sailing course at Strathclyde park. The first day got off to a less than auspicious start when we managed to capsize the yacht – things can only get better! At least I should have some interesting stories to relay to the members of the Scottish Parliament’s cross-party group on Recreational Boating and Marine Tourism which I am a member of as well as being vice convener. All in all recess is certainly never dull!

Constituency Office, 104 Cadzow Street, Hamilton, ML3 6HP Tel: 01698 282815 Email: [email protected]

Margaret Mitchell MSP


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SNP MSP John Wilson, has today welcomed the announcement by the Scottish Government of £400,000 funding through the Safer Streets initiative.

Every local authority throughout Scotland is invited to apply for funding from the Scottish Government to help ensure that people going out for the night can enjoy themselves in a safe environment. Last year’s Safer Streets funding awards benefited projects around Scotland. North Lanarkshire benefited from £26,000 which was used for community safety initiatives including high visibility police patrols in ‘hot spot’ areas, targeting of drink drivers and targeting enforcement of problem premises and locations.

The Safer Streets initiative is a nationally directed, locally delivered programme, building upon existing partnership working to conduct high visibility, high impact, joint initiatives to reduce alcohol-related violence and disorder in city and town centres.Long term, it aims to encourage Community Safety Partnerships to build capacity, encourage innovation, deliver a sustainable change to practice and share that practice. John Wilson MSP said: “Last year’s funding award of £26,000 offered far-reaching benefits across North Lanarkshire. From redesigned taxi queues to improve passenger safety to an increase in high visibility police patrols in target areas”“Safer Streets funding has played a key role in improving safety and confidence over the winter months, which will be enhanced by this extra funding.”

MSP WELCOMES FUNDING FOR SAFER STREETS

***10% OFF

***

Donna told The HUB; “this is a charity that is very close to my heart – given that my nana suffers from the condition. This disease has no cure, and not many people actually know about it and I really want to raise awareness about the condition.” Paul managed to have successful races, coming second three times and third in his final race. He even managed to shave several seconds off his personal best lap time. Parkinson’s is a progressive neurological condition and in the UK and over 120,000 people suffer from it. In other words, one person in every 500 has Parkinson’s. Typi-cally most suffers are also over 50 years of age. The condition can develop in any-one and more high profiler suffers of the condition include Michael J Fox, Muhammed Ali and Johnny Cash. Basically, people with Parkin-


son’s don’t have enough of a chemical called dopamine. This has happened because some nerve cells in their brain have died and without dopamine people can find that their movements become slower so it takes longer to do things. Perhaps the most worrying statistic is that there is currently no cure for Parkinson’s and they don’t actually know why people get the condition. Donna said; “I would like to thank Paul for agreeing to help us out with the charity and everyone who spon-sored him. For me, this is just a start and I hope to raise more money next time around.”


Anyone with information is asked to contact Wishaw Police Office on 01698 202610

or alternatively CRIMESTOPPERS can be called anonymously on

0800 555 111

Police UpdateRecent Police incidents in our area

ASSAULT WITH INTENT TO ROBStrathclyde Police are appealing for any information with regards to an incident which took place at 7.15pm on Tuesday 10th August 2010 at a house on Netherton Road, Wishaw. The disabled householder was sitting in her house watching television when a male entered the house and brandished a sharp knife and threatened her to get a safe. The startled householder – who originally thought that it was her grandchildren who had entered the house - managed to get up and make her way to the door and shout for help. The male then pushed his way past the householder and left the house jumping the garden fence to get away. The male is described as approximately 16-19 years old, 5’06” tall, wearing a black Helly Hansen jacket, dark hooded top, dark jeans or jogging bottoms and black trainers. Any information please to DC Robertson at Wishaw CID or alterna-tively call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

ASSAULTStrathclyde Police are appealing for any information with regards to an assault on a 44 year old male at the swing park near to Bana-vie Road, Newmains. The male was knocked to the ground and thereafter kicked about the head. The male eventually got to his feet and made his way back to a neighbour’s house who called an ambulance. The incident occurred at around 2.40am on Sunday 15th August 2010. Any information please to DC Hamilton at Wishaw CID or alternatively call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

THEFT BY HOUSEBREAKINGStrathclyde Police are appealing for any information with regards to a housebreaking to a garden shed on Abernethyn Road, Newmains. The thieves made off with a quantity of tools and golfing equipment. The incident occurred between at 11.50pm on Monday 9th August 2010. The following day Tuesday 10th August 2010, the shed belong-ing to a neighbouring property was also broken into and a quantity of tools were also stolen. Any information please to Constable Dunn at Wishaw Police Office or alternatively call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

THEFT OF A MOTOR VEHICLEStrathclyde Police are appealing for any information with regards to the theft of a black Vauxhall Corsa motor car from outside a house on Biggar Road, Cleland. The incident occurred between 11pm on Tuesday 10th August and 10am on Wednesday 11th August 2010. Any information to Constable Les Brownlie at the Communities Unit at Newmains Police Office or alternatively call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

THEFT OF A HANDBAGStrathclyde Police are appealing for any information with regards to the theft of a silver ladies handbag from within the Cotton Club, Kirk Road, Wishaw. The incident occurred between 10.30pm and midnight on Friday 13th August 2010. The handbag was later found in the ladies toilet by security on the premises with the contents – a mobile phone and £70 in cash missing. Any information to Wishaw Police Office or alternatively call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

GOOD DETECTIONSStrathclyde Police can confirm that three schoolboy’s will be the subject of a Report to the Children’s Reporter in respect of the thefts of copper cabling from the premises of St Matthews Primary on Pentland Road, Wishaw on Wednesday 11th August 2010.

Strathclyde Police can also confirm that a 30 year old male will be the subject of a Report to the Procurator Fiscal in relation to the alleged break-in to a car on Belhaven Terrace, Wishaw on Thursday evening 12th August 2010.

SNP MSP John Wilson has welcomed the

announcement that Corus steelworks plans to invest £8 million to its steel plant at Dalzell in Motherwell. This is the largest investment locally for almost 40 years which will help to meet increasing demand for heavy plate products. This investment shall provide 60 new job opportunities throughout Lanarkshire with 11 new jobs at

the Dalzell steel mill in Motherwell while also bringing increased employment opportunities to the firm’s Clydebridge plant. This £8 million investment will significantly increase the capacity of the Dalzell steel mill in Motherwell in several markets, including in the renewable energy sector and offshore energy provision. This shall be achieved through the installation of a 3,500-tonne press and handling machine and by upgrading the plant’s existing press and manufacturing equipment.

It is expected that further jobs could be created at the Dalzell plant if this upturn in demand continues. John Wilson MSP said: ‘this substantial investment by Corus will provide much needed employment opportunities to people throughout Lanarkshire at a time when jobs are increasingly difficult to find. It is also encouraging that the creation of more job opportunities are being anticipated for future demand associated with offshore developments’

MSP WELCOMES £8 MILLION INVESTMENT IN MOTHERWELL STEEL PLANT

political hub find out what your political representatives have been campaigning for on your behalf

The week leading up to the summer recess was a particularly hectic this year. The last two days the Parliament was sitting involved two full days in the Chamber voting on stage 3, the final stage, of two bills. The first was the Crofting Scotland Bill and the second, the Criminal Justice and Licensing Scotland Bill which contained some controversial clauses concerning short term prison sentences. Also tabled for the final week was a very worthwhile Member’s business – this takes the form of an after 5 o’clock debate on issues brought to the Parliament by MSPs. In this instance the debate concerned Children and Young People with a Parent in Prison. Towards the end of last year the Parliament’s Equal Opportunities Committee, which I convene, had taken evidence and produced a report on Women in the Criminal Justice System with a specific focus on the experience of women in prison. The report had subsequently been studied by the Scottish Government and £800,000 allocated to implement some of its recommendations. So I was delighted to take part in this debate and to have a further opportunity to highlight the work of the charity Circle, which is based in Hamilton and which I visited recently to hear more about the invaluable support, for the families of offenders, and the sterling work the charity does helping offenders to achieve successful rehabilitation and to help prevent them re-offending. On top of all this my MSP summer newsletter had to be finalised and distributed at the end of June/beginning of July. The newsletter is a twice yearly report I send to constituents telling them about my activities in the constituency and the Parliament over the last 6 months. This summer’s edition was issue 13! The latest edition can be viewed on my MSP website: margaretmitchellmsp.org The advent of recess itself is one of the most rewarding parts of the job as it provides the opportunity to get out and about in the Central Scotland constituency I represent. This consists of seven Lanarkshire constituencies; two in Falkirk and Kilmarnock. My first visit was to the amazing new Forth Valley Hospital in Larbert. Built under PPP on time and on budget,

the new hospital is designed to put patients and cleanliness firmly first. Even the air circulated in throughout the hospital is controlled to have the correct balance of elements and to be infection free. Venetian blinds, notorious for collecting dust, are encased in double glazed units to keep them sterile and medication in the wards is distributed by robots! It was a truly inspirational visit and this modern hospital marks a important milestone in healthcare in Scotland. Later in the month I had the immense privilege to meet with members of the Hamilton and District Embroiderers’ Guild, to view their work and to present this immensely talented group with a cheque for £7,250 (a grant the Hamilton Guild had received from the ‘Awards for All’ scheme.) The grant will help Guild members improve their existing skills and enable them to pass on their knowledge and experience to the younger members of the Guild. A few days after meeting the Hamilton embroiderers’, I dropped into the St. Andrew’s Hospice in Airdrie to hand over the sponsorship money I had collected from friends and colleagues for completing the 13 mile Midnight Walk (starting at Hamilton Asda, through Bothwell, Uddingston and Tannochside and back again) to raise funds for the hospice. The event had raised a staggering £100,000 and my sponsorship money cheque made it up to a £100,500. Coincidentally while I was there, Katie, the hospice fundraising manager, showed me a magnificent new wall hanging which has pride of place at the entrance. This remarkable piece of work depicts the four seasons of the year and illustrates in fine detail all the different fundraising events that the hospice has organised over the past few years. Imagine my surprise when I learned it had been donated to the hospice by ….the Airdrie and District Embroiderers’ Guild! Some of my other activities during recess have included: visiting an excellent art exhibition in Chatelherault, Hamilton featuring the work of local artists; attending the

launch of Caring Together: Carers and Young Carers Strategy for Scotland 2010-15 at the Princess Royal Trust for Carers Centre, Hamilton; having a follow up meeting in my constituency office with Carers representatives and holding surgeries in Hamilton, Motherwell, Coatbridge and Grangemouth. A trip back to Edinburgh involved meeting with the clerks from the Equal Opportunity Committee and supporting the launch, outside the Parliament on Thursday 5th August, of the count down marking exactly one year until the International Youth Games come to Lanarkshire! There have been meetings too with constituents in Hamilton, Blantyre, Bo’ness, Chryston, Cumbernauld, Airdrie and Coatbridge In addition to catching up with constituents’ casework, holding surgeries and tidy the office (long overdue!) recess has also provided an opportunity to take a little time off and, together with my husband, set ourselves a challenge in the form of signing up for RYA (Royal Yachting Association) Level 1 and 2 sailing course at Strathclyde park. The first day got off to a less than auspicious start when we managed to capsize the yacht – things can only get better! At least I should have some interesting stories to relay to the members of the Scottish Parliament’s cross-party group on Recreational Boating and Marine Tourism which I am a member of as well as being vice convener. All in all recess is certainly never dull!

Constituency Office, 104 Cadzow Street, Hamilton, ML3 6HP Tel: 01698 282815 Email: [email protected]

Margaret Mitchell MSP


Quote “The HUB Newspaper” at checkout for your 10% Discount (Min Order of £10 applies)

SNP MSP John Wilson, has today welcomed the announcement by the Scottish Government of £400,000 funding through the Safer Streets initiative.

Every local authority throughout Scotland is invited to apply for funding from the Scottish Government to help ensure that people going out for the night can enjoy themselves in a safe environment. Last year’s Safer Streets funding awards benefited projects around Scotland. North Lanarkshire benefited from £26,000 which was used for community safety initiatives including high visibility police patrols in ‘hot spot’ areas, targeting of drink drivers and targeting enforcement of problem premises and locations.

The Safer Streets initiative is a nationally directed, locally delivered programme, building upon existing partnership working to conduct high visibility, high impact, joint initiatives to reduce alcohol-related violence and disorder in city and town centres.Long term, it aims to encourage Community Safety Partnerships to build capacity, encourage innovation, deliver a sustainable change to practice and share that practice. John Wilson MSP said: “Last year’s funding award of £26,000 offered far-reaching benefits across North Lanarkshire. From redesigned taxi queues to improve passenger safety to an increase in high visibility police patrols in target areas”“Safer Streets funding has played a key role in improving safety and confidence over the winter months, which will be enhanced by this extra funding.”

MSP WELCOMES FUNDING FOR SAFER STREETS

***10% OFF

***

Donna told The HUB; “this is a charity that is very close to my heart – given that my nana suffers from the condition. This disease has no cure, and not many people actually know about it and I really want to raise awareness about the condition.” Paul managed to have successful races, coming second three times and third in his final race. He even managed to shave several seconds off his personal best lap time. Parkinson’s is a progressive neurological condition and in the UK and over 120,000 people suffer from it. In other words, one person in every 500 has Parkinson’s. Typi-cally most suffers are also over 50 years of age. The condition can develop in any-one and more high profiler suffers of the condition include Michael J Fox, Muhammed Ali and Johnny Cash. Basically, people with Parkin-


son’s don’t have enough of a chemical called dopamine. This has happened because some nerve cells in their brain have died and without dopamine people can find that their movements become slower so it takes longer to do things. Perhaps the most worrying statistic is that there is currently no cure for Parkinson’s and they don’t actually know why people get the condition. Donna said; “I would like to thank Paul for agreeing to help us out with the charity and everyone who spon-sored him. For me, this is just a start and I hope to raise more money next time around.”


A campaign to prevent accidents involving children

and window blinds was launched at Wishaw General Hospital with the support of the family of a toddler who died after becoming tangled in a blind cord. The campaign run by The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents in Scotland (RoSPA) see’s them team up with Strathclyde Fire & Rescue, North Lanarkshire Council and the Safer Homes project to run a pilot scheme, funded by the Scottish Government, which fundamentally aims to prevent the deaths of any more young children in blind cord accidents. Showing support for the campaign are Mr & Mrs McLaughlin from Menstrie, Clackmannanshire, who tragically lost their 2 year old daughter Muireann in an accident involving a blind cord back in 2008. Fergus Ewing MSP, the Minister for Community Safety is also backing the campaign. Mr Ewing gave the opening address to launch the campaign in front of local and national media and said; “it was a sad fact that many people were unaware of the dangers to children from free-hanging blind cords.” He continued; “It is therefore imperative that we do what we can to raise awareness of the dangers and help prevent other families from facing the kind of anguish experienced by Muireann’s parents. By telling people, especially parents, about the risks they can decide what they need to do to reduce those risks to their children.”

RoSPA in Scotland says it hears about one or two children dying after becoming tangled in blind cords each year, and believes there are many more near misses. The pilot project will run for 6 months and will involve the distribution of safety leaflets and cleats, around which blind cords can be tied, to families with young children across North Lanarkshire. In another approach at raising awareness, members of Home Safety Scotland will distribute leaflets highlighting the danger that looped blind cords pose to children. Angus and Kate McLaughlin said: “Muireann was a delightful, beautiful child and her death has caused utter devastation to our lives. We do not want what happened to us to happen to anyone else and strongly urge people to remove the kind of blinds with cords and replace with non-corded products.” Jennifer Henderson, RoSPA Scotland’s home safety officer, said: “With blinds already fitted in so many homes, it’s important to raise awareness of the danger and how these accidents can be prevented. RoSPA is also continuing to work with the blind industry, government and standards bodies at a UK and European level to seek modifications to the design of blinds.” Robert Scott, Strathclyde Fire & Rescue’s area commander for North Lanarkshire, said: “Although fire safety is our prime concern, our firefighters are determined to reduce all kinds of risk in the home. Strathclyde Fire & Rescue totally supports the

campaign to make window blind cords safer. If firefighters carrying out home fire safety visits discover dangerous cords they will give leaflets and advice to householders about how the cords can be tucked out of children’s way.” David Roderick, North Lanarkshire Council trading standards manager said: “Our

advice is simply to ensure that cords are always tied out of the way of children, which can be done by fitting a wall clamp. Children are naturally curious, which can lead them into danger around the home. A looped cord is an unnecessary risk, but one easily remedied.” He continued; “The danger for young children is that a loop

that hangs at waist height for an adult could slip around the neck of a young child if he or she trips. Or, if the loop is at floor level, it could become wrapped around the neck of a baby who is crawling. There have also been cases in which babies have been accidentally strangled by cords hanging into their cots.

The advice, off the back of this campaign, that is being given by RoSPA to people buying new blinds to look for a design that doesn’t have cords or chains. More importantly though is the supervision of young children around window blinds which also plays a vital part in reducing the likelihood of accidents happening.

BLIND CORD CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED

Minister for Community Safety Fergus Ewing, with guests at the official launch of the Blind Cord Safety Campaign.

Amazon Bathrooms & Kitchens supply a breathtaking range of bespoke

kitchens and bathrooms throughout the Lanarkshire area. A family run business with many years of experience in designing and installing beautiful kitchens and bathrooms to suit all tastes and surroundings. Amazon can deliver a complete service from conception to completion; we can help with layout and initial design through to final measuring and installation. Amazon will help you through it all, making the process as fast, simple and enjoyable as possible.Bespoke KitchensAmazon stocks a very extensive range of high gloss, high colour and monochrome kitchens. If you are looking for a touch of sophistication, mixed with a dash of stainless steel or stone, we guarantee to have a kitchen to suit you. We supply individual, creative and exciting designs of bespoke kitchens, be it a specialist kitchen or stylish-modern type, we can provide commendable advice that is both fresh and innovative to give you a unique result. We believe that a Kitchen forms the hub of almost every home, providing a space to live, work, relax and entertain. Our design experts are on hand to create you a dream living space with a touch of

flair without compromising on function.Bespoke BathroomsAt Amazon we offer the ultimate in luxury Bathroom fittings. Our elegant bathroom suits allow you to unwind after a hard days work in a beautiful bathroom where grace and elegance has been achieved, even in the smallest of rooms! Our Bathroom collections incorporate bold lines, square or round, floor standing or wall mounted bathroom furniture solutions with gorgeous radiators, shower fittings, taps and even wall/floor tiles. View our showroom to see and feel our extensive collection of both contemporary and traditional freestanding baths and accessories.Professional InstallationsAll our bathrooms and kitchens are fitted by our own ‘in-house’ teams of highly skilled fitters who all work to the highest standards when fitting your dream kitchen or bathroom. We are proud that most of our business is through word-of-mouth and from personal referrals & recommendations from satisfied customers. Feel free to visit our extensive showroom in Newmains to see, touch and even ‘use’ many of our beautiful kitchens and bathrooms. We are sure our range will not disappoint and our quality will speak for itself.

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A campaign to prevent accidents involving children

and window blinds was launched at Wishaw General Hospital with the support of the family of a toddler who died after becoming tangled in a blind cord. The campaign run by The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents in Scotland (RoSPA) see’s them team up with Strathclyde Fire & Rescue, North Lanarkshire Council and the Safer Homes project to run a pilot scheme, funded by the Scottish Government, which fundamentally aims to prevent the deaths of any more young children in blind cord accidents. Showing support for the campaign are Mr & Mrs McLaughlin from Menstrie, Clackmannanshire, who tragically lost their 2 year old daughter Muireann in an accident involving a blind cord back in 2008. Fergus Ewing MSP, the Minister for Community Safety is also backing the campaign. Mr Ewing gave the opening address to launch the campaign in front of local and national media and said; “it was a sad fact that many people were unaware of the dangers to children from free-hanging blind cords.” He continued; “It is therefore imperative that we do what we can to raise awareness of the dangers and help prevent other families from facing the kind of anguish experienced by Muireann’s parents. By telling people, especially parents, about the risks they can decide what they need to do to reduce those risks to their children.”

RoSPA in Scotland says it hears about one or two children dying after becoming tangled in blind cords each year, and believes there are many more near misses. The pilot project will run for 6 months and will involve the distribution of safety leaflets and cleats, around which blind cords can be tied, to families with young children across North Lanarkshire. In another approach at raising awareness, members of Home Safety Scotland will distribute leaflets highlighting the danger that looped blind cords pose to children. Angus and Kate McLaughlin said: “Muireann was a delightful, beautiful child and her death has caused utter devastation to our lives. We do not want what happened to us to happen to anyone else and strongly urge people to remove the kind of blinds with cords and replace with non-corded products.” Jennifer Henderson, RoSPA Scotland’s home safety officer, said: “With blinds already fitted in so many homes, it’s important to raise awareness of the danger and how these accidents can be prevented. RoSPA is also continuing to work with the blind industry, government and standards bodies at a UK and European level to seek modifications to the design of blinds.” Robert Scott, Strathclyde Fire & Rescue’s area commander for North Lanarkshire, said: “Although fire safety is our prime concern, our firefighters are determined to reduce all kinds of risk in the home. Strathclyde Fire & Rescue totally supports the

campaign to make window blind cords safer. If firefighters carrying out home fire safety visits discover dangerous cords they will give leaflets and advice to householders about how the cords can be tucked out of children’s way.” David Roderick, North Lanarkshire Council trading standards manager said: “Our

advice is simply to ensure that cords are always tied out of the way of children, which can be done by fitting a wall clamp. Children are naturally curious, which can lead them into danger around the home. A looped cord is an unnecessary risk, but one easily remedied.” He continued; “The danger for young children is that a loop

that hangs at waist height for an adult could slip around the neck of a young child if he or she trips. Or, if the loop is at floor level, it could become wrapped around the neck of a baby who is crawling. There have also been cases in which babies have been accidentally strangled by cords hanging into their cots.

The advice, off the back of this campaign, that is being given by RoSPA to people buying new blinds to look for a design that doesn’t have cords or chains. More importantly though is the supervision of young children around window blinds which also plays a vital part in reducing the likelihood of accidents happening.

BLIND CORD CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED

Minister for Community Safety Fergus Ewing, with guests at the official launch of the Blind Cord Safety Campaign.

Amazon Bathrooms & Kitchens supply a breathtaking range of bespoke

kitchens and bathrooms throughout the Lanarkshire area. A family run business with many years of experience in designing and installing beautiful kitchens and bathrooms to suit all tastes and surroundings. Amazon can deliver a complete service from conception to completion; we can help with layout and initial design through to final measuring and installation. Amazon will help you through it all, making the process as fast, simple and enjoyable as possible.Bespoke KitchensAmazon stocks a very extensive range of high gloss, high colour and monochrome kitchens. If you are looking for a touch of sophistication, mixed with a dash of stainless steel or stone, we guarantee to have a kitchen to suit you. We supply individual, creative and exciting designs of bespoke kitchens, be it a specialist kitchen or stylish-modern type, we can provide commendable advice that is both fresh and innovative to give you a unique result. We believe that a Kitchen forms the hub of almost every home, providing a space to live, work, relax and entertain. Our design experts are on hand to create you a dream living space with a touch of

flair without compromising on function.Bespoke BathroomsAt Amazon we offer the ultimate in luxury Bathroom fittings. Our elegant bathroom suits allow you to unwind after a hard days work in a beautiful bathroom where grace and elegance has been achieved, even in the smallest of rooms! Our Bathroom collections incorporate bold lines, square or round, floor standing or wall mounted bathroom furniture solutions with gorgeous radiators, shower fittings, taps and even wall/floor tiles. View our showroom to see and feel our extensive collection of both contemporary and traditional freestanding baths and accessories.Professional InstallationsAll our bathrooms and kitchens are fitted by our own ‘in-house’ teams of highly skilled fitters who all work to the highest standards when fitting your dream kitchen or bathroom. We are proud that most of our business is through word-of-mouth and from personal referrals & recommendations from satisfied customers. Feel free to visit our extensive showroom in Newmains to see, touch and even ‘use’ many of our beautiful kitchens and bathrooms. We are sure our range will not disappoint and our quality will speak for itself.


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Amazon Brings a ‘Touch of Class’ to Newmains 54 Manse Road, New-T: 01698 387711


Children’s Olympics Countdown Clock to be Launched at ParliamentA countdown clock

marking a year until the opening of the 2011 International Children’s Games, to be hosted in Lanarkshire, will be launched today (Thursday) at the Scottish Parliament. A joint venture between North and South Lanarkshire Councils, the Games will see up to 1,500 competitors aged 12 to 15, along with coaches, administrators and delegates from more than 70 countries arriving in Lanarkshire for the International Olympic Committee-recognised event from 3 to 7 August 2011.The countdown clock will be launched by Alex Neil MSP, Jackie Burns and Jim Smith, the joint Chairs of the organizing committee and Stuart White of the Official Supporters Group for the Games. Later on Thursday there will be a separate countdown ceremony at half time during Motherwell’s Europa League qualifier at Fir Park. Speaking before the launch Alex Neil MSP said:

“It is an honour to be launching the countdown clock to recognise that the 5th of August marks a year until the biggest youth sporting event in the world arrives in

Lanarkshire. “It is a fantastic achievement for Scotland and Lanarkshire to be hosting such a special event and the clock will only add to the sense of anticipation for the Games to begin. “I am confident the Games will be a fantastic spectacle which will promote Lanarkshire and Scotland to those travelling from all over

the world to take part.”Stuart White from the Lanarkshire Children’s Games Supporters Group said: “The countdown to Lanarkshire 2011 is well and truly underway now with only a year to go until the biggest international event ever to come to Lanarkshire. Unveiling the countdown clock at Holyrood is the perfect way to let the world know

Scotland is looking forward to welcoming them with open arms. “This is a golden decade of sport for Britain, and especially Scotland, and we’re delighted to be kicking that off in Lanarkshire. Everything is in place for the Lanarkshire Games to be the best in ICG history and now we can’t wait for the action to begin and to welcome our friends from

L-R Vivien Kyles Hugh Waters Douglas Millar Stuart White Jim Smith Alex Neil MSP Jackie Burns

Dogs Trust Glasgow is today making an urgent rehoming appeal for one of their most unfortu-nate canine residents. The poor 12 year old crossbreed called Lucy has a severe form of cancer and is looking for a home where she can live out the rest of her days in comfort. Lucy was brought into the Uddingston centre in June when her previous owners’ circumstances changed and they could no longer look after. Staff discovered that she had unusually high calcium levels and she was referred to Glasgow University Veterinary School where an aggressive tumour was discovered to be growing in her stomach and rear end. Sandra Downie, Dogs Trust Glasgow Manager, explains: “The veterinary team advised us that while surgery is an option it would involve months of painful treatment and suffering for poor Lucy, and it may buy her a little more time but she would still die relatively soon. The kindest option in cases like this is to look for a loving home where she could see out her days in peace, however many they may be. We will cover any veterinary treatment costs relating to her condition, so owners need not worry about

any extra expense in helping her.” Lucy needs an experienced dog owner who will be at home for most of the day to look after her as her condition deterio-rates. She will require a garden and a home on ground floor level. She is good with chil-dren, but due to her short life expectancy it would probably be best that any children in the home are aged 12 years or over. Lucy interacts well with other dogs but to offer her maximum rest she should be the only pet in the home. Anyone interested in rehoming Lucy should call Dogs Trust Glas-gow directly on 0141 773 5130 or visit the centre at 315 Hamilton Road, Glasgow G71 7SL.

TERMINALLY ILL LUCY SEEKS LOVING LAST HOMEDogs Trust Glasgow’s Urgent Rehoming Appeal

Lucy with canine carer Steven Gibb

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A Warm Welcome To The Wishaw HUBFriday, 20th August - 2nd September 20108 Friday, 20th August - 2nd September 2010 9

Hello, and welcome to The Wishaw HUB, your brand new free local newspaper covering Wishaw, Newmains, Shotts, Carfin, and surrounding areas - with a little Motherwell thrown in for good measure..

The Wishaw HUB will be bringing you all the latest news, business and sports from in and around the com-munity – all direct to your door and, as we are a completely independent newspaper we are not funded by anyone other than ourselves. This is a key aspect of The Wishaw HUB as it allows us to remain indepen-dent with independent views. We aim to work with the local author-ity and politicians in helping them to deliver their messages to the communities that they serve and as we are independent we will not be influenced anyone or any party – therefore everyone is of an equal status and has a fair crack at the whip. Having conducted research, it became clear that the area needed a more focused publication, which led to The Wishaw HUB being born.

The community needed a voice, somewhere they can air their frus-trations, someone to point them in the right direction and of course somewhere that can take a stand. At The Wishaw HUB, we have a great team of individuals all of whom are focused on making it a success from day one, and we are

all here to help the communities in which we serve. From the admin staff, journal-ists and manage-ment – we all have different but compli-mentary backgrounds but all determined to make The Wishaw

HUB the number 1 publication in the community. We want to hear about your sto-ries, good, bad or indifferent – that is what makes a great community newspaper – remember the paper is all about you! Your community, your stories, your sports, your busi-

nesses…… Each edition of The Wishaw HUB will be run on a fortnightly basis so our shelf life should be considerably greater that other publications. In each edition of The Wishaw HUB you will find all your usual aspects of a quality publication; News, Busi-ness; Entertainment and Sports. We are looking at key areas for The Wishaw HUB;

The Community HUB . . .where in conjunction with the local authorities and politicians, community councils, local charities and voluntary organisations we will work together to bring you the local issues and news as they happen.

The Business HUB. . . where we will be helping the local businesses to promote and adver-tise their business further in the community with an aim of generat-ing new business for them in this difficult time. We will be running dedicated columns each and every week to offer some advice to our readers ranging from computer help to financial ideas, and for the business community we have the pleasure of introducing

The Sport HUB. . . How can we forget about The Wishaw HUB Sport section, with the roudup of all your local clubs and teams. So if you have not been in touch with him yet please make sure that you do and your sporting achievements will be cov-ered in The Wishaw HUB for the whole community to read about. I guess what we are saying is,

that our view for The Wishaw HUB is to be the focal point in the com-munity, and as we are a free paper we want everyone to have the ability to read The Wishaw HUB – that is the reason that we are free! So, regardless of whether you are wealthy or poor, The Wishaw HUB will be available to you and your community. We believe that working togeth-er is the best way to deliver the lo-cal news and stories and to tackle any local issues, but we do need you to get in touch with us to re-ally make The Wishaw HUB a suc-cess. Contact us on: 01698 440998 or email to [email protected] or if you prefer snail mail, write at: The Wishaw HUB Maxim Business Park, Maxim 1, 1st Floor, 2 Parklands Way, M8 Eurocentral,

We want to hear about your stories, good, bad or indifferent, that is what makes a great community newspaper – remember this paper is all about you!

The HUB is, and will be, The Heart of The Community.

HUBHUBTHE

Why not drop in and see us at:Lomond Suite, Ellismuir House, Ellismuir Way, Tannochside Park, Uddingston G71 5PW

Call Us On: 01698 803909Email: [email protected] | www.athenaprint.com

Summer Saver10,000 leaflets, printed & distributed* for only

Print only £169

A5, single sided full colour, printed on 135gsm gloss

* North Lanarkshire, other areas may vary in

£399

we would like to wish the Wishaw HUB every success in their new venture

from all at athena

A Warm Welcome To The Wishaw HUBFriday, 20th August - 2nd September 20108 Friday, 20th August - 2nd September 2010 9

Hello, and welcome to The Wishaw HUB, your brand new free local newspaper covering Wishaw, Newmains, Shotts, Carfin, and surrounding areas - with a little Motherwell thrown in for good measure..

The Wishaw HUB will be bringing you all the latest news, business and sports from in and around the com-munity – all direct to your door and, as we are a completely independent newspaper we are not funded by anyone other than ourselves. This is a key aspect of The Wishaw HUB as it allows us to remain indepen-dent with independent views. We aim to work with the local author-ity and politicians in helping them to deliver their messages to the communities that they serve and as we are independent we will not be influenced anyone or any party – therefore everyone is of an equal status and has a fair crack at the whip. Having conducted research, it became clear that the area needed a more focused publication, which led to The Wishaw HUB being born.

The community needed a voice, somewhere they can air their frus-trations, someone to point them in the right direction and of course somewhere that can take a stand. At The Wishaw HUB, we have a great team of individuals all of whom are focused on making it a success from day one, and we are

all here to help the communities in which we serve. From the admin staff, journal-ists and manage-ment – we all have different but compli-mentary backgrounds but all determined to make The Wishaw

HUB the number 1 publication in the community. We want to hear about your sto-ries, good, bad or indifferent – that is what makes a great community newspaper – remember the paper is all about you! Your community, your stories, your sports, your busi-

nesses…… Each edition of The Wishaw HUB will be run on a fortnightly basis so our shelf life should be considerably greater that other publications. In each edition of The Wishaw HUB you will find all your usual aspects of a quality publication; News, Busi-ness; Entertainment and Sports. We are looking at key areas for The Wishaw HUB;

The Community HUB . . .where in conjunction with the local authorities and politicians, community councils, local charities and voluntary organisations we will work together to bring you the local issues and news as they happen.

The Business HUB. . . where we will be helping the local businesses to promote and adver-tise their business further in the community with an aim of generat-ing new business for them in this difficult time. We will be running dedicated columns each and every week to offer some advice to our readers ranging from computer help to financial ideas, and for the business community we have the pleasure of introducing

The Sport HUB. . . How can we forget about The Wishaw HUB Sport section, with the roudup of all your local clubs and teams. So if you have not been in touch with him yet please make sure that you do and your sporting achievements will be cov-ered in The Wishaw HUB for the whole community to read about. I guess what we are saying is,

that our view for The Wishaw HUB is to be the focal point in the com-munity, and as we are a free paper we want everyone to have the ability to read The Wishaw HUB – that is the reason that we are free! So, regardless of whether you are wealthy or poor, The Wishaw HUB will be available to you and your community. We believe that working togeth-er is the best way to deliver the lo-cal news and stories and to tackle any local issues, but we do need you to get in touch with us to re-ally make The Wishaw HUB a suc-cess. Contact us on: 01698 440998 or email to [email protected] or if you prefer snail mail, write at: The Wishaw HUB Maxim Business Park, Maxim 1, 1st Floor, 2 Parklands Way, M8 Eurocentral,

We want to hear about your stories, good, bad or indifferent, that is what makes a great community newspaper – remember this paper is all about you!

The HUB is, and will be, The Heart of The Community.

HUBHUBTHE

Why not drop in and see us at:Lomond Suite, Ellismuir House, Ellismuir Way, Tannochside Park, Uddingston G71 5PW

Call Us On: 01698 803909Email: [email protected] | www.athenaprint.com

Summer Saver10,000 leaflets, printed & distributed* for only

Print only £169

A5, single sided full colour, printed on 135gsm gloss

* North Lanarkshire, other areas may vary in

£399

we would like to wish the Wishaw HUB every success in their new venture

from all at athena


Business and Money HUB

Situated in the heart of Edinburgh, a well established sandwich bar is presented to the open market which is currently trading between 7am and 3pm. Approx 20 years left on existing lease. Has class 3 license with late opening to 11pm every night. Would perhaps a suit change of use to take away or similar – no oriental takeaway operating within area. The business also has potential for owner to live in.

Contact 01324 472682 or 07736 289899 for details.

EDINBURGH CITY CENTRE BUSINESS FOR SALEOffers Around £45,000 (leasehold)

• FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITIES •

PUBLISHING BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

How would you like to run your own publication? Do you fancy being your own editor? New for 2010 is a unique opportunity to own your own publishing franchise. You will run your own franchise in accordance with a proven method of growing and develop-ing your business.

Full support and training is given ensuring you have the necessary skills to make a success of the business. Ideally a full time commitment however you can if wish work this business part time and from home.

The sky is really the limit with this fantastic opportunity.

For information contact 01698 803909 or email [email protected] quoting:

Publishing/Franchise

• BUSINESS FOR SALE •

NewPrice

There is an old truism that when you are in a swamp and the alligator is about to bite your head off it is difficult to remember that your intention was to drain the swamp! So many laws support interrelate (or even con-tradict one another) that it is extremely difficult to understand and hang onto the basic principles in recruiting and managing people. Astonishingly, employment law has developed and allowed the people in Britain today to have at least six rights which they could pursue to the Employ-ment Tribunal before they are an employee, or even before have been interviewed! Those six are to be joined by others in the not too distant future. The existing six are concerned with discrimination on the grounds of age, race, sex, disability, trade union and (Northern Ireland only at present), religion/political opinion or persuasion. Therefore adverts should not contain any element, refer-ring to these areas, which is directly or indirectly discriminatory. But more of the law later. Why are you advertis-ing? Recruitment advertising is usually for one of two purposes, to replace leavers or to increase numbers (presumably to cope with growth/in-creased production). It should only be done at the end of the thought process chain; it should not be that leavers are automatically replaced, like with like. Questions need to be asked first starting with, perhaps, why are they leaving and could something be done to persuade them to stay? If they do leave - do you need to replace? Could the work be divided amongst a number of other

employees thus cost saving. If some hours still need to be replaced (even all of them) is the replacement of a full-timer with a full-timer the best thing to do? Would two 20 hour, or four 10 hour workers, be more flexible and economic (especially if you can keep them below the income tax, NI, employer’s contribution threshold). Does this leaver offer the opportunity of re-structure, re-engineer working methods and system without problems of staff resistance? Having explored these areas then thorough checking and updating of the job description to ensure it is still relevant is required next. Use the job description requirements to define the at-tributes required of the person to undertake the role, (called a personnel specification). For example, strict eye sight colour definition requirements required of airline pilots means that someone who is colour blind (especially red/green) simply cannot perform the job. Be sure that you do not introduce requirements which would indirectly discriminate by requiring a standard from an applicant that the job does not demand. For example a high standard of spoken and writ-ten English is not necessary for someone whose job is to pick out twigs/leaves, etc., from fruit passing along a production line. Once you know what the job is and what it requires of the individual, the advert can then

be drawn up. Job title should be the prominent heading. Adverts with the salary displayed attract a larger and more relevant response. Display the skill requirements prominently or else too many unqualified personnel will apply accordingly. Highlight benefits, not just financial but growth or promotion opportunities, growing market sector/market leader, etc. - if your job is not as attrac-tive as others on the page there is a chance you will lose the applicant to them. Consider where and when to advertise and target carefully. Obvi-ously avoid using any potentially discriminatory language, e.g. ‘Man Friday’ wanted as this clearly discriminates against female candidates and may

even be classed as racist as well. “Waiter” is not accept-able, “Waiter/Waitress” is. Manager is acceptable, it is not necessary to state Manager/Manageress - but should there

be any doubt make this clear. Make clear how applications should be submitted, e.g. application form, letter, letter and CV, fax, e-mail, etc., and by what closing date. Time taken to carefully decide what precisely the job is, what is required of the individual(s) and how this can best be translated to an advert is rarely time wasted. “Staff wanted”, as an advert, usually is!

For further information contact John Malone on 0777 232 0539 or via e-mail, [email protected]

John Malone, Consultant at Peninsula, takes a look at job advertising

We’ve all been there. A meeting so

long, so dull and so full of pointless

agenda items that most of us have

lost the will to live by point three,

and are main-lining coffee in an

attempt to keep our eyelids in an

upright position.

According to Howard Popeck,

meeting guru and founder of

2MuchTalk there should be a

structure to your meetings to help you

maximise your time and returns.

Here are some of his top tips for

making sure you get the most out of

every meeting.

Prepare, prepare prepare - as any

boy scout knows, preparation is

everything. Decide what you want the

meeting to achieve, and how much of

the ground work can be done before

getting everyone together. A room

full of people who haven’t done their

homework is a room full of people

who are wasting time.

Send out any background

information in advance, make sure

that they are aware that they need

to review it prior to the meeting,

and allow the meeting to focus on

achieving a result.

Remember, meetings are never

free - even a 10 minute brainstorm

involving a handful of employees has

a cost implication. Keep this in mind

when deciding who to invite, and

how long the meeting should go on

for. Keep it short, and invite only the

people who really need to be there.

A quick look at costs can be quite an

eye opener. Work out the hourly rate

of each attendee, their expenses to

attend, and add the cost of room hire,

refreshments and other associated

costs. You will soon see how a quick

meeting can add up to a significant

outlay.

Strike the right balance - between

thorough pre-meeting preparation

and endless over-rehearsal. It’s

common for a less experienced

chairperson to look on a meeting

as a performance. Focusing on that

“performance” means your ears

and mind are closed to whatever

anyone else is saying. It’s also easy to

flounder if things don’t go according

to your script.

Produce a powerful agenda - the

power of the agenda cannot be

underestimated and neither can

the value of sticking to it. While

discussion is to be encouraged, the

agenda is there to ensure that all

relevant points are covered, so letting

the meeting drift off topic is a waste

of time and money. Set yourself a

timescale for each agenda item, and

keep track of time. It’s easy to get

carried away and find that you have

spent half the time allocated for the

entire meeting on one item.

Think wisely about time - every

minute spent talking is a minute

spent not doing. Generally, meetings

take place to make a decision about

something, and involve your most

valuable (and expensive) people.

Where these people add value is by

getting out there and doing their jobs,

not by sitting in meetings talking

about how to do them. You know what

you need from them, so make sure

you extract it in timely fashion and

then get them back to doing what they

do best.

Manage the meeting - it’s your job as

chairperson to ensure that objectives

are achieved with minimal disruption.

Let everyone else have their say, but

be prepared to step in and control the

meeting if necessary. If a room full

of big personalities is not managed

properly, it can swiftly turn into a

shouting match. Once the chest

thumping starts, no-one is adding

or gaining any value whatsoever. If

personal feelings start to get the

better of an attendee, quietly suggest

that you discuss it after the meeting.

Make sure that everyone has a chance

to speak; it’s often the less confident

members of the team who have the

most valuable wisdom to impart!

Make it snappy - the longest that

most adults are able to focus on one

thing is about 20 minutes. Letting a

discussion point run any longer than

that will guarantee that at least one

person in the room is wondering what

he’s going to have for dinner.

Sources: www.2muchtalk.com, www.newbusiness.co.uk

Are you getting the most out of meetings?

sample


Business and Money HUB

Situated in the heart of Edinburgh, a well established sandwich bar is presented to the open market which is currently trading between 7am and 3pm. Approx 20 years left on existing lease. Has class 3 license with late opening to 11pm every night. Would perhaps a suit change of use to take away or similar – no oriental takeaway operating within area. The business also has potential for owner to live in.

Contact 01324 472682 or 07736 289899 for details.

EDINBURGH CITY CENTRE BUSINESS FOR SALEOffers Around £45,000 (leasehold)

• FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITIES •

PUBLISHING BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

How would you like to run your own publication? Do you fancy being your own editor? New for 2010 is a unique opportunity to own your own publishing franchise. You will run your own franchise in accordance with a proven method of growing and develop-ing your business.

Full support and training is given ensuring you have the necessary skills to make a success of the business. Ideally a full time commitment however you can if wish work this business part time and from home.

The sky is really the limit with this fantastic opportunity.

For information contact 01698 803909 or email [email protected] quoting:

Publishing/Franchise

• BUSINESS FOR SALE •

NewPrice

There is an old truism that when you are in a swamp and the alligator is about to bite your head off it is difficult to remember that your intention was to drain the swamp! So many laws support interrelate (or even con-tradict one another) that it is extremely difficult to understand and hang onto the basic principles in recruiting and managing people. Astonishingly, employment law has developed and allowed the people in Britain today to have at least six rights which they could pursue to the Employ-ment Tribunal before they are an employee, or even before have been interviewed! Those six are to be joined by others in the not too distant future. The existing six are concerned with discrimination on the grounds of age, race, sex, disability, trade union and (Northern Ireland only at present), religion/political opinion or persuasion. Therefore adverts should not contain any element, refer-ring to these areas, which is directly or indirectly discriminatory. But more of the law later. Why are you advertis-ing? Recruitment advertising is usually for one of two purposes, to replace leavers or to increase numbers (presumably to cope with growth/in-creased production). It should only be done at the end of the thought process chain; it should not be that leavers are automatically replaced, like with like. Questions need to be asked first starting with, perhaps, why are they leaving and could something be done to persuade them to stay? If they do leave - do you need to replace? Could the work be divided amongst a number of other

employees thus cost saving. If some hours still need to be replaced (even all of them) is the replacement of a full-timer with a full-timer the best thing to do? Would two 20 hour, or four 10 hour workers, be more flexible and economic (especially if you can keep them below the income tax, NI, employer’s contribution threshold). Does this leaver offer the opportunity of re-structure, re-engineer working methods and system without problems of staff resistance? Having explored these areas then thorough checking and updating of the job description to ensure it is still relevant is required next. Use the job description requirements to define the at-tributes required of the person to undertake the role, (called a personnel specification). For example, strict eye sight colour definition requirements required of airline pilots means that someone who is colour blind (especially red/green) simply cannot perform the job. Be sure that you do not introduce requirements which would indirectly discriminate by requiring a standard from an applicant that the job does not demand. For example a high standard of spoken and writ-ten English is not necessary for someone whose job is to pick out twigs/leaves, etc., from fruit passing along a production line. Once you know what the job is and what it requires of the individual, the advert can then

be drawn up. Job title should be the prominent heading. Adverts with the salary displayed attract a larger and more relevant response. Display the skill requirements prominently or else too many unqualified personnel will apply accordingly. Highlight benefits, not just financial but growth or promotion opportunities, growing market sector/market leader, etc. - if your job is not as attrac-tive as others on the page there is a chance you will lose the applicant to them. Consider where and when to advertise and target carefully. Obvi-ously avoid using any potentially discriminatory language, e.g. ‘Man Friday’ wanted as this clearly discriminates against female candidates and may

even be classed as racist as well. “Waiter” is not accept-able, “Waiter/Waitress” is. Manager is acceptable, it is not necessary to state Manager/Manageress - but should there

be any doubt make this clear. Make clear how applications should be submitted, e.g. application form, letter, letter and CV, fax, e-mail, etc., and by what closing date. Time taken to carefully decide what precisely the job is, what is required of the individual(s) and how this can best be translated to an advert is rarely time wasted. “Staff wanted”, as an advert, usually is!

For further information contact John Malone on 0777 232 0539 or via e-mail, [email protected]

John Malone, Consultant at Peninsula, takes a look at job advertising

We’ve all been there. A meeting so

long, so dull and so full of pointless

agenda items that most of us have

lost the will to live by point three,

and are main-lining coffee in an

attempt to keep our eyelids in an

upright position.

According to Howard Popeck,

meeting guru and founder of

2MuchTalk there should be a

structure to your meetings to help you

maximise your time and returns.

Here are some of his top tips for

making sure you get the most out of

every meeting.

Prepare, prepare prepare - as any

boy scout knows, preparation is

everything. Decide what you want the

meeting to achieve, and how much of

the ground work can be done before

getting everyone together. A room

full of people who haven’t done their

homework is a room full of people

who are wasting time.

Send out any background

information in advance, make sure

that they are aware that they need

to review it prior to the meeting,

and allow the meeting to focus on

achieving a result.

Remember, meetings are never

free - even a 10 minute brainstorm

involving a handful of employees has

a cost implication. Keep this in mind

when deciding who to invite, and

how long the meeting should go on

for. Keep it short, and invite only the

people who really need to be there.

A quick look at costs can be quite an

eye opener. Work out the hourly rate

of each attendee, their expenses to

attend, and add the cost of room hire,

refreshments and other associated

costs. You will soon see how a quick

meeting can add up to a significant

outlay.

Strike the right balance - between

thorough pre-meeting preparation

and endless over-rehearsal. It’s

common for a less experienced

chairperson to look on a meeting

as a performance. Focusing on that

“performance” means your ears

and mind are closed to whatever

anyone else is saying. It’s also easy to

flounder if things don’t go according

to your script.

Produce a powerful agenda - the

power of the agenda cannot be

underestimated and neither can

the value of sticking to it. While

discussion is to be encouraged, the

agenda is there to ensure that all

relevant points are covered, so letting

the meeting drift off topic is a waste

of time and money. Set yourself a

timescale for each agenda item, and

keep track of time. It’s easy to get

carried away and find that you have

spent half the time allocated for the

entire meeting on one item.

Think wisely about time - every

minute spent talking is a minute

spent not doing. Generally, meetings

take place to make a decision about

something, and involve your most

valuable (and expensive) people.

Where these people add value is by

getting out there and doing their jobs,

not by sitting in meetings talking

about how to do them. You know what

you need from them, so make sure

you extract it in timely fashion and

then get them back to doing what they

do best.

Manage the meeting - it’s your job as

chairperson to ensure that objectives

are achieved with minimal disruption.

Let everyone else have their say, but

be prepared to step in and control the

meeting if necessary. If a room full

of big personalities is not managed

properly, it can swiftly turn into a

shouting match. Once the chest

thumping starts, no-one is adding

or gaining any value whatsoever. If

personal feelings start to get the

better of an attendee, quietly suggest

that you discuss it after the meeting.

Make sure that everyone has a chance

to speak; it’s often the less confident

members of the team who have the

most valuable wisdom to impart!

Make it snappy - the longest that

most adults are able to focus on one

thing is about 20 minutes. Letting a

discussion point run any longer than

that will guarantee that at least one

person in the room is wondering what

he’s going to have for dinner.

Sources: www.2muchtalk.com, www.newbusiness.co.uk

Are you getting the most out of meetings?

sample


simplifying ITSABRE:IT Solutionz Ltd

IT Solutionz LtdABRESABRES __

IT Solutionz Ltd

...your Success is our Vision!

IT Support for Small & Medium-sized BusinessesRisk Management / Disaster Recovery

Web Design / Search Engine OptimisationIP-CCTV & VoIP IP PBX Solutionz

Branding & Logo Design

PDA/Mobile SolutionzIP Video Conferencing

SABRE Corporate OfficeMaxim Business ParkMaxim 1, 1st Floor2 Parklands WayM8 EurocentralML1 4WR

Headquarterz t. 0845 508 7214Corporate t. 01698 209 111

Friday, 20th August - 2nd September 201012

take five, with the entertainment hub...

Your Stars...

Aries Mar 20 - Apr 20

A serious heart-to-heart could be on the cards. Some of you will have to decide between friendship and love while others will have to decide how to balance your needs to be yourself and do your thing.

Taurus 20 Apr - 20 May

It looks like the stress of recent weeks is going to ease. You should soon be thinking and feeling very positive as renewed optimism puts the spring back in your step. Communication with loved ones and family is set to improve and in your enthusiasm and optimism you could be inspired to make some creative decisions about your future.

Gemini 21 May - 21 Jun

A boost to your confidence and finances is on the cards. With Mercury, your planetary ruler, in Virgo you’ll want to communicate your ideas and you’ll attract attention and admiration in the process. Some of your dreams and inspirations may meet resistance with some less imaginative individuals who feel the need to analyse and control everything around them.

Cancer 22 Jun - 22 Jul

You’re even more adorable than ever. However you need to be careful not to believe everything you’re told or promised since some people’s interest in you may be motivated more by animal passion than platonic good will. But don’t let that stop you complaining about what a shallow and superficial world we live in, where you’re judged more on appearance than effort and enterprise.

Leo 23 Jul - 22 Aug

A realty check could bring you down to earth with a bump, espcially if you’ve let an unnatural desire cloud your judgement. With Mars joining Saturn in Libra, gossip and careless talk could be your undoing. Meantime with the Sun in Leo, your Sun sign, you’ll be able to walk the walk and talk the talk and therefore able to make considerable progress.

Virgo 23 Aug - 22 Sep

With the Sun in Leo this would bean excellent time to retire from the world for a little while and do some serious thinking about where you go from here. Easier said than done because with the demands of your social life becoming, with so many people coming and going and driving you to distraction.

Libra 23 Sep - 23 Oct

With Mars having joined Saturn in Libra, your Sun sign, you can expect to make considerable progress towards your worldly goals and ambitions, and what’s more you’ll do it in style. Meantime if you get the occasional, self-conscious pang that you’re getting a little too big for your boots it’s because you are!

Scorpio 24 Oct - 21 Nov

With the Sun in Leo you could well find yourself and your ideas in the spotlight in some way. It may prove a testing week or so, but you need to stick to your guns and demand others are as open and honest with you as you are with them.

Sagittarius 22 Nov - 21 Dec

Attention and recognition for your ideas is indicated with Mercury in Virgo. However there is the possibility of confusion and misunderstandings if you don’t do your homework. With Jupiter and Uranus in Aries you’ll be able to attract love and money like nobody’s business.

Capricorn 22 Dec - 19 Jan

With the Sun in Leo, and Saturn, your ruler, and Mars in Libra, relationships and work matters are set to get busier. Unfortunately not everyone has your best interests at heart and while not wanting to rain on your parade, you need to be careful with some people who are more interested in the contents of your purse than the contents of your soul.

Aquarius 20 Jan - 18 Feb

Astrological activity this week is likely to bring home to you the fact that you have needs like everyone else and so you should consider making time and creating space for you to do your thing.

Pisces 19 Feb - 20 Mar

Your natural intuitive understanding is likely to be especially wired now so take time out from the hustle and bustle to meditate, contemplate, reflect and listen to the guiding voice within you.

Q’s Views!The HUB is pleased to have the infamous ‘Q, from Airdrie’ writing for the Entertainment Pages, to give you all some comic relief. As a regular contributor to the Glasgow Metro newspaper, and a regular in the comedy scene in Glasgow and Edinburgh, Q has given the HUB an exclusive column, which we are sure will have you wanting for more in the next edition of the HUB!

SHOWER GEL / TORQUAY

Last week I had to travel to Torquay on a last minute business trip, and discovered that I didn’t have any shower gel. Luckily my lovely fiancée Claire stepped in and lent me some of hers, thus saving me a trip to the shops.

Written on the front were the words “Coconut and almond scented, deep cleansing lotion, with a refreshing tropical feel”. These were interesting words, but not as interesting as the words on the back which said “THIS IS NOT A FOOD”. I would have thought the fact the product was purchased from a chemist would have served as a giveaway.

Incidentally, during my trip to Torquay a car full of hooligans drove past me and yelled “You’ve got a crap life mate”. I wonder if they saw the gig I performed there in 2004?

MY TIP FOR THE OSCARS NEXT YEAR

The last Oscars had some unusual nominations for Best Picture, such as ‘Avatar’ and ‘Up’. One can’t help but feel that these films were simply nominated due to the fact they were popular, and nominating them would increase interest in the Oscars.

That in mind, I would like not only like to tip the movie ‘Twilight: Eclipse’ for an Oscar nomination, but the directors and writers too.

If you haven’t seen this film, let me explain- it has no plot, a flat script, and merely shows a bunch of pretty boys either pouting or poncing around with no shirts on. In spite of this, the

makers have managed to make three (yes three) of these films, all of which have raked it in at the box office, and have a fourth one planned for 2011.

Directors such as Stephen Spielberg and James Cameron may be geniuses at movie making, but even they couldn’t make something as pointless as the Twilight Saga into box office gold. Therefore surely the makers deserve an Oscar?

I wonder what else will be nominated next year? The A-Team perhaps?

JIMMY BULLARD

Normally I try not to talk about football in Q’s Views, but special mention must go to Celtic target Jimmy Bullard who, at time of writing, wants £75,000 a week. My nephew wants to be Superman when

he grows up, and quite frankly his dream is more realistic than Bullard’s.

What exactly makes a Hull City player, who is 31 and spent

most of last season injured, think he is worth such an obscene amount of money? He’s going to Celtic on loan, not Real Madrid. Indeed, if Real Madrid did

come up against Celtic, I doubt very

much Kaka and Ronaldo would look

at the team sheets and say “Oh no, they’ve got

Jimmy Bullard playing for them, that’s us stuffed now”.

Still, it’s not the worst thing I’ve heard

come out of a Celtic player / Celtic target’s mouth. In 1996, striker and trouble maker Pierre Van Hooijdonk famously said his wages would be great if you were “homeless”. He was on £6,000 a week…

WIKIPEDIA

In a previous edition of Q’s Views, I suggested that the Tartan Army could start an internet campaign to get an English pundit to mistakenly change his name to a rude word. Well, someone beat me to it, and tricked not just a pundit, but the South African government.

In case you haven’t heard, the South African government presented an award to FIFA president Sepp Blatter, listing his full name. Unfortunately they had taken his name from WIkipedia after a mischief maker had added a naughty word into Sepp’s name. Therefore the award went to Joseph Sepp (CENSORED) Blatter.

You should use Wikipedia with caution. I once saw a brawl break-out during a pub quiz after participants used their WAP phones to get answers off Wikipedia, and someone had changed the articles which the quizmaster had viewed the previous evening. Or the US journalist who, in a review of Transformers, claimed that Autobots leader Optimus Prime sang the song “The Minstrel Boy” at the end of the film, simply because he’d read it on Wikipedia.

Incidentally, in 1999 Optimus Prime

unofficially won Time Magazine’s “Man of the Century” award,

beating Nelson Mandella, Winston

Churchill, and Pope John Paul II. Sadly the

award was only open to people from earth, and not Cybertron.

AND FINALLY

I wish to commend Traffic Scotland on the messages they display on the M8 visual message signs first thing in the morning. As drivers sit in queues and see the words “CONSIDER TAKING THE BUS OR TRAIN”, it must really wind them up.

DODGY PARKING???

Have you seen some dodgy parking this week?As always, we are on the prowl to find Lanarkshire’s dodgy

parkers but we do need your help!

Unfortunately, we cannot do this campaign on our own – so please send in your dodgy parking pictures to [email protected]. Does one of your colleagues suffer from dodgyparkingitis? If so, take a picture of the evidence and send it to us! Don’t worry, all identities will be protected and vehicle registrations blanked out.This is all in the name of good fun, and in no way are we personally attacking any individual or group.

HUBHUBTHE WISHAW

Friday, 20th August - 2nd September 201012

take five, with the entertainment hub...

Your Stars...

Aries Mar 20 - Apr 20

A serious heart-to-heart could be on the cards. Some of you will have to decide between friendship and love while others will have to decide how to balance your needs to be yourself and do your thing.

Taurus 20 Apr - 20 May

It looks like the stress of recent weeks is going to ease. You should soon be thinking and feeling very positive as renewed optimism puts the spring back in your step. Communication with loved ones and family is set to improve and in your enthusiasm and optimism you could be inspired to make some creative decisions about your future.

Gemini 21 May - 21 Jun

A boost to your confidence and finances is on the cards. With Mercury, your planetary ruler, in Virgo you’ll want to communicate your ideas and you’ll attract attention and admiration in the process. Some of your dreams and inspirations may meet resistance with some less imaginative individuals who feel the need to analyse and control everything around them.

Cancer 22 Jun - 22 Jul

You’re even more adorable than ever. However you need to be careful not to believe everything you’re told or promised since some people’s interest in you may be motivated more by animal passion than platonic good will. But don’t let that stop you complaining about what a shallow and superficial world we live in, where you’re judged more on appearance than effort and enterprise.

Leo 23 Jul - 22 Aug

A realty check could bring you down to earth with a bump, espcially if you’ve let an unnatural desire cloud your judgement. With Mars joining Saturn in Libra, gossip and careless talk could be your undoing. Meantime with the Sun in Leo, your Sun sign, you’ll be able to walk the walk and talk the talk and therefore able to make considerable progress.

Virgo 23 Aug - 22 Sep

With the Sun in Leo this would bean excellent time to retire from the world for a little while and do some serious thinking about where you go from here. Easier said than done because with the demands of your social life becoming, with so many people coming and going and driving you to distraction.

Libra 23 Sep - 23 Oct

With Mars having joined Saturn in Libra, your Sun sign, you can expect to make considerable progress towards your worldly goals and ambitions, and what’s more you’ll do it in style. Meantime if you get the occasional, self-conscious pang that you’re getting a little too big for your boots it’s because you are!

Scorpio 24 Oct - 21 Nov

With the Sun in Leo you could well find yourself and your ideas in the spotlight in some way. It may prove a testing week or so, but you need to stick to your guns and demand others are as open and honest with you as you are with them.

Sagittarius 22 Nov - 21 Dec

Attention and recognition for your ideas is indicated with Mercury in Virgo. However there is the possibility of confusion and misunderstandings if you don’t do your homework. With Jupiter and Uranus in Aries you’ll be able to attract love and money like nobody’s business.

Capricorn 22 Dec - 19 Jan

With the Sun in Leo, and Saturn, your ruler, and Mars in Libra, relationships and work matters are set to get busier. Unfortunately not everyone has your best interests at heart and while not wanting to rain on your parade, you need to be careful with some people who are more interested in the contents of your purse than the contents of your soul.

Aquarius 20 Jan - 18 Feb

Astrological activity this week is likely to bring home to you the fact that you have needs like everyone else and so you should consider making time and creating space for you to do your thing.

Pisces 19 Feb - 20 Mar

Your natural intuitive understanding is likely to be especially wired now so take time out from the hustle and bustle to meditate, contemplate, reflect and listen to the guiding voice within you.

Q’s Views!The HUB is pleased to have the infamous ‘Q, from Airdrie’ writing for the Entertainment Pages, to give you all some comic relief. As a regular contributor to the Glasgow Metro newspaper, and a regular in the comedy scene in Glasgow and Edinburgh, Q has given the HUB an exclusive column, which we are sure will have you wanting for more in the next edition of the HUB!

SHOWER GEL / TORQUAY

Last week I had to travel to Torquay on a last minute business trip, and discovered that I didn’t have any shower gel. Luckily my lovely fiancée Claire stepped in and lent me some of hers, thus saving me a trip to the shops.

Written on the front were the words “Coconut and almond scented, deep cleansing lotion, with a refreshing tropical feel”. These were interesting words, but not as interesting as the words on the back which said “THIS IS NOT A FOOD”. I would have thought the fact the product was purchased from a chemist would have served as a giveaway.

Incidentally, during my trip to Torquay a car full of hooligans drove past me and yelled “You’ve got a crap life mate”. I wonder if they saw the gig I performed there in 2004?

MY TIP FOR THE OSCARS NEXT YEAR

The last Oscars had some unusual nominations for Best Picture, such as ‘Avatar’ and ‘Up’. One can’t help but feel that these films were simply nominated due to the fact they were popular, and nominating them would increase interest in the Oscars.

That in mind, I would like not only like to tip the movie ‘Twilight: Eclipse’ for an Oscar nomination, but the directors and writers too.

If you haven’t seen this film, let me explain- it has no plot, a flat script, and merely shows a bunch of pretty boys either pouting or poncing around with no shirts on. In spite of this, the

makers have managed to make three (yes three) of these films, all of which have raked it in at the box office, and have a fourth one planned for 2011.

Directors such as Stephen Spielberg and James Cameron may be geniuses at movie making, but even they couldn’t make something as pointless as the Twilight Saga into box office gold. Therefore surely the makers deserve an Oscar?

I wonder what else will be nominated next year? The A-Team perhaps?

JIMMY BULLARD

Normally I try not to talk about football in Q’s Views, but special mention must go to Celtic target Jimmy Bullard who, at time of writing, wants £75,000 a week. My nephew wants to be Superman when

he grows up, and quite frankly his dream is more realistic than Bullard’s.

What exactly makes a Hull City player, who is 31 and spent

most of last season injured, think he is worth such an obscene amount of money? He’s going to Celtic on loan, not Real Madrid. Indeed, if Real Madrid did

come up against Celtic, I doubt very

much Kaka and Ronaldo would look

at the team sheets and say “Oh no, they’ve got

Jimmy Bullard playing for them, that’s us stuffed now”.

Still, it’s not the worst thing I’ve heard

come out of a Celtic player / Celtic target’s mouth. In 1996, striker and trouble maker Pierre Van Hooijdonk famously said his wages would be great if you were “homeless”. He was on £6,000 a week…

WIKIPEDIA

In a previous edition of Q’s Views, I suggested that the Tartan Army could start an internet campaign to get an English pundit to mistakenly change his name to a rude word. Well, someone beat me to it, and tricked not just a pundit, but the South African government.

In case you haven’t heard, the South African government presented an award to FIFA president Sepp Blatter, listing his full name. Unfortunately they had taken his name from WIkipedia after a mischief maker had added a naughty word into Sepp’s name. Therefore the award went to Joseph Sepp (CENSORED) Blatter.

You should use Wikipedia with caution. I once saw a brawl break-out during a pub quiz after participants used their WAP phones to get answers off Wikipedia, and someone had changed the articles which the quizmaster had viewed the previous evening. Or the US journalist who, in a review of Transformers, claimed that Autobots leader Optimus Prime sang the song “The Minstrel Boy” at the end of the film, simply because he’d read it on Wikipedia.

Incidentally, in 1999 Optimus Prime

unofficially won Time Magazine’s “Man of the Century” award,

beating Nelson Mandella, Winston

Churchill, and Pope John Paul II. Sadly the

award was only open to people from earth, and not Cybertron.

AND FINALLY

I wish to commend Traffic Scotland on the messages they display on the M8 visual message signs first thing in the morning. As drivers sit in queues and see the words “CONSIDER TAKING THE BUS OR TRAIN”, it must really wind them up.

DODGY PARKING???

Have you seen some dodgy parking this week?As always, we are on the prowl to find Lanarkshire’s dodgy

parkers but we do need your help!

Unfortunately, we cannot do this campaign on our own – so please send in your dodgy parking pictures to [email protected]. Does one of your colleagues suffer from dodgyparkingitis? If so, take a picture of the evidence and send it to us! Don’t worry, all identities will be protected and vehicle registrations blanked out.This is all in the name of good fun, and in no way are we personally attacking any individual or group.

HUBHUBTHE WISHAW

• • • pet of the fortnight

To submit your pet please send a photo of your pet to [email protected] or post your photo to Suite 17, Ellismuir House, Ellismuir Way, Uddingston G71 5PW with your name, your pets name, breed, age and his or her likes and dislikes. * although we will try, we cannot guarantee the return of any photos posted to us.

Name: Kleopatra (as she is a queen)

Breed: British Short Hair

Age: 11 months

Lives: With Mona and Shahid

Likes: Cuddles and playing catch

Dislikes: Being told off (she goes in a huff!!!)

Maya’s Corner


Will he forget me?It’s been 2 years since I have liked this boy who is older than me, he likes me too. He is about to start uni in a few months. We have been making out from time to time, but nothing official. I am scared that when he moves away for uni I might not be able to get over him, and will he just forget me? What shall I do?AnswerIf he really likes you he will stay in contact and he will be willing to make it work for you. If it’s not going to be, he’ll move on and so should you. You need to think; is he worth waiting for? Good luck sweetie.

Should I Stay With My Husband?I’ve been with my husband for 12 years and we have been married for 9. About four years ago I realised I just didn’t fancy him anymore. He no longer cares about how he looks; I know it’s much more than a person’s appearance that counts, but its much deeper.He is also very controlling with the way he treats me and makes me feel second class. Sex is awful because even though I still love him I

have no sexual desire for him at all.About two months ago I started having an affair with a guy I’ve known for about 20 years. It’s made me realise what I’ve been missing for so long. I’ve confessed to my husband and he’s devastated.He said he hadn’t realised there was anything wrong with our relationship and wants us to try and work it out. He is a good father to our little girl who is 8. Should I stay with my husband even though I am no longer in love with him just for the sake of security for myself and my child or should I follow my heart and try to find the love I want?AnswerThat’s’ a tough one, on one side you have the father of your child, someone you love and care for, who provides for you, and on the other hand you have someone who is fulfilling your sexual needs... for many this is quite simple, but for the person who is involved emotionally it is another question. Try looking at this logically, ask yourself, was sex ever good with my husband, and what has changed in our relationship which has blown out this fire between us. If you can answer them, try working on rekindling the passion

between you and your husband, you might be able to work through this. If at the end you still feel the same, then do what your heart says. But don’t just break your marriage without giving it another shot. You have already told your husband about your feelings, he is aware, that was the hard part, now you both can work together in making this marriage work. Good luck

Why Does He Treat Me This Way?I’m 14 years old. My boyfriend never comes out, but when he does I love being with him. It gets me down because when I’m with one of my best friends he completely changes and everyone tells him he does. He sucks up to her a lot, and has previously told her ‘I wish I was going out with you.’I dumped him for this, but we got back together a while back. I don’t understand why when she’s there he changes so much. I would tell him, but I know he’d tell her that I said it and she would have a go at me and I can’t be bothered with that. I don’t know what

to do and I don’t know why, when she’s there he basically just blanks me and acts as though I’m not going out with him, but when she’s not there, he holds me and kisses me and stuff like that. I prefer it so much when she’s not around, but I can’t tell her this as she’s my best friend. What should I do?AnswerHoney, that guy isn’t worth it. Firstly a guy, who treats you like that, must ask the question; is he really serious about you? It doesn’t look it. And your best friend, why is she having a go at you, if she was a good friend she would support you in this. I reckon you should have it out once and for all, tell him if he keeps treating you like this then he can forget it. Stand up for yourself, your much better, and no one deserves to be treated like that.

[email protected]

As a fan of hill walking, and hiking in general, I couldn’t

pass up the opportunity to join some friends on a trek up Scafell Pike, England’s highest mountain. The idea was to meet at Ambleside Youth Hostel, spend the Friday night on one of the local ‘pub walks’, climb the Pike on the Saturday, and spend the Sunday morning recovering with a cruise on nearby Lake Windermere. Now being the sometimes lucky man that I am, I got the chance to do this with four fantastic ladies. Three of which I had never met before, but was quickly acquainted with due to the charms of some of the locally brewed ales! Ambleside Hostel is a fantastic early 20th Century building on the shores of Lake Windermere. It caters for all with a great bar, refectory and sitting areas, as well as watersports hire and hiking advice. Due to being the only male of the party, I had to share a six bed dorm alone with the usual mix of hikers and bikers, as well as the odd snorer. But at £15 a night, I was never going to complain. As I had mentioned, the pub walk on the Friday night took in some great little places, where the hospitality could not have been any better, the pubs more quaint, and surrounded

by scenery which, if I was not fiercely patriotic, would say was as dramatic as anywhere you could see here. This meant however, that the Saturday morning had started off a little cloudier than was anticipated! However after a huge breakfast in the hostel, we picked up our packed lunches which are an optional extra, and headed for the hills. Now Scafell Pike stands at 978 Meters, and by our standards would not qualify as a Munro. It is however a great climb, and, due to its location involves a fair bit of trekking to get to its base. I would set aside six to seven hours for the climb. Great weather and great company, as well as a good sense of achievement, led to five happy

walkers as we reflected on our day in another one of the areas fine hostelries! (Try the Honey Ale!) Sunday’s excursion of a small cruise on Lake Windermere was about as adventurous as we could muster after the previous day’s excursions, but a very pleasant and breezy one at that! For any of you hikers out there, I could not recommend this area for a jaunt highly enough. And for anyone else, the beauty of the area, its hospitality and great pubs would keep you occupied, even if the only walking you planned to do was to the bar and back! Even if you are not as fortunate as me, and are unable to go with four beautiful ladies, I am sure you would not regret a visit.

Walking in the Lake DistrictAmbleside YHA, Ambleside, Cumbria. by Brian Hartie

Party/Evening Make-Up

Hairstyles

Henna Tattoos

Bouquets

Waxing

And Much More...


MOTORING HUBNEW AUDI A7The new Audi A7 Sportback has been revealed. As its name suggests, it will sit between the A6 and A8 in Audi’s range and cost from £42,925 when it goes on sale next month. The A7 is Audi’s answer to the BMW 5 Series GT and Mercedes CLS with it being billed as a five-door coupe. The A7 officially goes on sale next month however it will not be available for delivery in the UK until January 2011. The Audi A7 Sportback will go on sale with two petrol and two diesel V6 engines initially, ranging inpower from 201bhp to 256bhp. Torque ranges from 207lb ft 369lb ft. All engines are mated to energy recuperation and stop-start systems to improve efficiency. The cleanest of the quartet, the 201bhp 3.0 TDI, averages 53.3mpg and emits 139g/km of CO2 with the standard multitronic automatic gearbox. A sportier seven-speed S tronic gearbox with permanent four-wheel drive is also available as an option, along with a sporty differential. Despite the curvy looks, the new A7 comes with a decent

boot too! The boot can hold 535 litres of luggage seats up, or 1390 litres with the seats folded down. The 5-series GT can hold 440 litres seats up and 1700 litres seats down while 505 litres is available behind the fixed seats of the CLS. Two trim levels are available - SE and S Line. Standard kit will include xenon headlights, LED rear lights, a powered tailgate, leather upholstery, climate control, electric seat adjustment, heated front seats, cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, sat-nav, iPod connection, DAB radio and Bluetooth connection.

The touchpad sat-nav screen first seen on the new Audi A8, which allows the driver to write a destination on the screen with their finger, will also be available. The sat-nav can also use Google Earth images to enhance the mapping. The interior is described by Audi as having ‘workmanship at a craftsman’s level’, and is significant because many of the design touches and materials will be used in the new A6. It can be enhanced by options including ventilated, massaging front seats and ambient lighting.


HUB Sport

The club are an amateur football club and were only founded in April this year. They currently have a good squad of lads and are starting to form into a fine young football team. For this coming season, the team will be competing in the Carluke & District AFL Sunday league. Talking to The HUB they said

that their main aim is to finish top of the league come the end of the season in May. In helping the club get to where they are today, the club and committee would like to thank the following businesses for their support, Alderside Engineering, Asia Tandoori (Newmains) and ASDA (Newmains). Nicol Boilers. The club would like to extend

a special thanks to Auto X car Sales (Newmains), Spar Village store (Allanton) and Capital Vending (Livingston) their main sponsors for their generous sponsorship. To follow Allanton’s progress this season visit their website at www.allantonminersfc.wetpaint.com

Hamilton Colt Boys Club The name of Hamilton Colts has

been long established in the area and is well known in the football circles. The previous team of Hamilton Colts Boys Club had been playing together for the last three years. This season Hamilton Colts will be playing in the Lanarkshire Youth Football Association having transferred from the Cumbernauld League, where they finished in a credible second place. Recently, the team have started an intense pre-season programme after the holidays under the expertise of George Borden. Each training night is planned, with the boys set various training drills to increase their stamina, endurance, strength and general fitness. Building respect

through teamwork is an important part of training nights, there is a healthy competitive element attached to the training nights to motivate and encourage each player. In total Hamilton Colts have five qualified coaches, Colin Dunn goalkeeping coach, Callum Anderson, Bobby McKean, George Borden Player Protection Officer and First Aider and Rev. Malcolm J. Anderson Manager. We are delighted to announce our sponsor for this season,Buchanan the Butchers Burnbank.If any local business would like to sponsor or donate to the team, please contact: Rev. Malcolm J. Anderson 01698 820510.

ALLANTON MINERS 2010/11

Pictured above are 2010/11 season Allanton Miners FC.

JUNIOR RESULTS & TABLES

Surridge Sectional League Cup – Section 2Wednesday 18th AugustCarluke Rovers 3 Forth Wanderers 1Shotts Bon Accord 2 Wishaw Juniors 1

Saturday 14th AugustCarluke Rovers 0 Shotts Bon Accord 4Newmains Utd 2 Forth Wanderers 3

Surridge Sectional League Cup TableSection 2Pos Team Pld W D L F A GD Pts1 Shotts Bon Accord 4 4 0 0 19 2 17 122 Wishaw Juniors 4 3 0 1 11 4 7 93 Carluke Rovers 4 2 0 2 6 9 -3 64 Forth Wanderers 4 1 0 3 7 12 -5 35 Newmains United 4 0 0 4 3 19 -16 0

Junior Football

The rain was bouncing off the ground and the organisers fully expected to see no one at the start when they arrived. Unbelievably, fifteen riders were there, waiting for the off!The usual five laps of the Coalburn circuit was the order of the day, and the rain was easing by the time the first riders left the gun. Due to a misunderstanding, the first group started initially with only two riders (Alex Douglas and Lee Sallis) and not six, with the others (Jim Laughlan, Sandy Bain, Les McKenzie and Davie Fairweather) starting later, individually. Eight minutes after the first man was off, the scratch bunch of nine left the start gate and began to ease into its rhythm, before starting to eat into the eight minute gap. With half a lap to go, the deficit from the front man, Lee, was still a minute and the chase was really on. By the time the race came to the finish on the Auchlochan climb,

seven of the original scratch bunch were still together and had caught Lee at about this point. Ricky Sutherland attacked on the climb and finished a few seconds ahead of Charlie Duffy, John Campbell, Paul Ramsay, Darren Stewart, Jim Paton, and Derek Burnside. Well done to all for turning up in such heavy rain, and for making a superb race. It was great to see Ricky’s attacking strategy on the hill. It was good to see Charlie and Jim Paton in the race, sharing their experience with the newcomers. Veteran John Campbell is still up there with the best. Paul had a good ride considering he had been off the bike for a while. Well done to Lee for holding the bunch off till the end and for staying with them to get 5th place. Ironmen Darren and Derek are to be congratulated for the contribution they made – solid iron! Commiserations to Davie for puncturing.

CYCLINGAuchlochan Development Road Race

Ricky on Meldons Climb

ABOVE: 2010 Season Team Tri-outs.

LEFT: 2009/10 Season Team.

RIGHT: Team Captains for 2010 Season, Ross Borden and Ian Nelson


MOTORING HUBNEW AUDI A7The new Audi A7 Sportback has been revealed. As its name suggests, it will sit between the A6 and A8 in Audi’s range and cost from £42,925 when it goes on sale next month. The A7 is Audi’s answer to the BMW 5 Series GT and Mercedes CLS with it being billed as a five-door coupe. The A7 officially goes on sale next month however it will not be available for delivery in the UK until January 2011. The Audi A7 Sportback will go on sale with two petrol and two diesel V6 engines initially, ranging inpower from 201bhp to 256bhp. Torque ranges from 207lb ft 369lb ft. All engines are mated to energy recuperation and stop-start systems to improve efficiency. The cleanest of the quartet, the 201bhp 3.0 TDI, averages 53.3mpg and emits 139g/km of CO2 with the standard multitronic automatic gearbox. A sportier seven-speed S tronic gearbox with permanent four-wheel drive is also available as an option, along with a sporty differential. Despite the curvy looks, the new A7 comes with a decent

boot too! The boot can hold 535 litres of luggage seats up, or 1390 litres with the seats folded down. The 5-series GT can hold 440 litres seats up and 1700 litres seats down while 505 litres is available behind the fixed seats of the CLS. Two trim levels are available - SE and S Line. Standard kit will include xenon headlights, LED rear lights, a powered tailgate, leather upholstery, climate control, electric seat adjustment, heated front seats, cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, sat-nav, iPod connection, DAB radio and Bluetooth connection.

The touchpad sat-nav screen first seen on the new Audi A8, which allows the driver to write a destination on the screen with their finger, will also be available. The sat-nav can also use Google Earth images to enhance the mapping. The interior is described by Audi as having ‘workmanship at a craftsman’s level’, and is significant because many of the design touches and materials will be used in the new A6. It can be enhanced by options including ventilated, massaging front seats and ambient lighting.


HUB Sport

The club are an amateur football club and were only founded in April this year. They currently have a good squad of lads and are starting to form into a fine young football team. For this coming season, the team will be competing in the Carluke & District AFL Sunday league. Talking to The HUB they said

that their main aim is to finish top of the league come the end of the season in May. In helping the club get to where they are today, the club and committee would like to thank the following businesses for their support, Alderside Engineering, Asia Tandoori (Newmains) and ASDA (Newmains). Nicol Boilers. The club would like to extend

a special thanks to Auto X car Sales (Newmains), Spar Village store (Allanton) and Capital Vending (Livingston) their main sponsors for their generous sponsorship. To follow Allanton’s progress this season visit their website at www.allantonminersfc.wetpaint.com

Hamilton Colt Boys Club The name of Hamilton Colts has

been long established in the area and is well known in the football circles. The previous team of Hamilton Colts Boys Club had been playing together for the last three years. This season Hamilton Colts will be playing in the Lanarkshire Youth Football Association having transferred from the Cumbernauld League, where they finished in a credible second place. Recently, the team have started an intense pre-season programme after the holidays under the expertise of George Borden. Each training night is planned, with the boys set various training drills to increase their stamina, endurance, strength and general fitness. Building respect

through teamwork is an important part of training nights, there is a healthy competitive element attached to the training nights to motivate and encourage each player. In total Hamilton Colts have five qualified coaches, Colin Dunn goalkeeping coach, Callum Anderson, Bobby McKean, George Borden Player Protection Officer and First Aider and Rev. Malcolm J. Anderson Manager. We are delighted to announce our sponsor for this season,Buchanan the Butchers Burnbank.If any local business would like to sponsor or donate to the team, please contact: Rev. Malcolm J. Anderson 01698 820510.

ALLANTON MINERS 2010/11

Pictured above are 2010/11 season Allanton Miners FC.

JUNIOR RESULTS & TABLES

Surridge Sectional League Cup – Section 2Wednesday 18th AugustCarluke Rovers 3 Forth Wanderers 1Shotts Bon Accord 2 Wishaw Juniors 1

Saturday 14th AugustCarluke Rovers 0 Shotts Bon Accord 4Newmains Utd 2 Forth Wanderers 3

Surridge Sectional League Cup TableSection 2Pos Team Pld W D L F A GD Pts1 Shotts Bon Accord 4 4 0 0 19 2 17 122 Wishaw Juniors 4 3 0 1 11 4 7 93 Carluke Rovers 4 2 0 2 6 9 -3 64 Forth Wanderers 4 1 0 3 7 12 -5 35 Newmains United 4 0 0 4 3 19 -16 0

Junior Football

The rain was bouncing off the ground and the organisers fully expected to see no one at the start when they arrived. Unbelievably, fifteen riders were there, waiting for the off!The usual five laps of the Coalburn circuit was the order of the day, and the rain was easing by the time the first riders left the gun. Due to a misunderstanding, the first group started initially with only two riders (Alex Douglas and Lee Sallis) and not six, with the others (Jim Laughlan, Sandy Bain, Les McKenzie and Davie Fairweather) starting later, individually. Eight minutes after the first man was off, the scratch bunch of nine left the start gate and began to ease into its rhythm, before starting to eat into the eight minute gap. With half a lap to go, the deficit from the front man, Lee, was still a minute and the chase was really on. By the time the race came to the finish on the Auchlochan climb,

seven of the original scratch bunch were still together and had caught Lee at about this point. Ricky Sutherland attacked on the climb and finished a few seconds ahead of Charlie Duffy, John Campbell, Paul Ramsay, Darren Stewart, Jim Paton, and Derek Burnside. Well done to all for turning up in such heavy rain, and for making a superb race. It was great to see Ricky’s attacking strategy on the hill. It was good to see Charlie and Jim Paton in the race, sharing their experience with the newcomers. Veteran John Campbell is still up there with the best. Paul had a good ride considering he had been off the bike for a while. Well done to Lee for holding the bunch off till the end and for staying with them to get 5th place. Ironmen Darren and Derek are to be congratulated for the contribution they made – solid iron! Commiserations to Davie for puncturing.

CYCLINGAuchlochan Development Road Race

Ricky on Meldons Climb

ABOVE: 2010 Season Team Tri-outs.

LEFT: 2009/10 Season Team.

RIGHT: Team Captains for 2010 Season, Ross Borden and Ian Nelson

spOrt hubspOrt hubthe

For all your local sport . . . we’re on the ball!

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Wishaw went into their Surridge Sectional League Cup match against Super Premier League side Shotts Bon Accord full of confidence. Prior to the game, Wishaw had been on a fantastic run of 8 straight games unbeaten under the guidance of new management team John Fallon Snr and Alex Young. Wishaw knew the task at hand against a very strong Shotts side would be tough at Hannah Park and were unable to stretch their unbeaten run to 9 games. Wishaw made it hard for Shotts and the Super Premier League side had to fight all the way for their win. The game could have been a different encounter if Wishaw had converted their penalty early in the second half. The official awarded

a controversial spot kick for a foul on Morton and proceeded to flash the yellow card to two Shotts players for protesting. JP McBride was denied by a great save from the home keeper Brown. After an opening flurry of attacks by the home side Wishaw settle well and began to take the game to their higher league opponents playing some good football. Real chances however were few and far between and the opening goal in 28 minutes came after Wishaw lost possession in midfield, Wallace sending an inch perfect cross to Boyack who drove low home past the diving Gallagher. Coffey probably had the best chance for the visitors but again home keeper Brown just beat him to a long through

ball. Shotts increased their lead midway through the second half Jack netting at the back post as Gallacher frantically scrambled across his goal. In 85 minutes Wishaw pulled on back after a delightfull through ball from McBride allowed Noble to go on a blistering run to the byline before crossing for Airth to head home. Manager John Fallon Snr told The HUB: “Shotts deserved the victory however we had alot of posession and gave the ball away to easily to have gived last years finalists a tough match shows the progress we are making. I firmly beleive that we will just get better as the season progresses.” Shotts now progress to the quarter

finals with an away tie against Greenock. Wishaw now have to settle to league business with a home match against St Rochs.

Teams:Shotts – Brown, Finnigan, McGurgan, Fleming, Ferguson, Boyack, Sideserf, Hanlon, Duffy, McLaughlan, Wallace. Subs – McSeveney, Barker, McStay, Jack, Barr, Callaghan, Wheelan. Wishaw – Gallacher, Campbell, Little, Markey, Flaming, Durris, Coffey, Lynch, Morton, McBride, Ward. Subs Anderson, Noble, Sommerville, Airth, McIntyre, McHinven, Kearney.

Shotts Bon Accord 2 Wishaw Juniors 1Unlucky Wishaw Come Close

Documents

The Wishaw HUB - Issue 1