The Hub: Corstorphine Edition 3 Jan / Feb 2013

Club Spotlight: Links United & Beechwood Community Football Club

To advertise please call 0131 603 5290www.thehub-community.com

January / February 2013

Corstorphinethe centre of your community

www.thehub-community.com For advertising and features - 0131 603 5290 / [email protected]

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Welcome to the this month’s edition of

The Hub: Corstorphine

It’s hard to believe that it’s 2013 already!

2012 is nothing but a memory but what great memories it gave us… the Jubilee and the Olympics really stand out as highlights of the year.

But it’s probably not wise to spend too long thinking about 2012 when there’s a whole new year to look forward to. There are some big events coming up: The Six Nations kick off in a couple of weeks and there’ll be a Royal Baby to celebrate, as well.

As for The Hub: Corstorphine, well we have big plans, too.

A new magazine will be launched soon. We’re looking for advertisers, and people to feature in our new publication which will cover central Edinburgh. So if you know of anyone who fits the bill, or you wish to increase your advertising reach, please pass on our details.

The Hub: Corstorphine has some fantastic contributors in this edition which also sees the launch of our Clubs Feature. We talked with the Corstorphine Chess Club and the Ladies Floral Society. We talked to the Links United & Beechwood Community Football Club and the front cover features action from a recent home game which the boys won!

In addition to all this we’re very lucky to have an exclusive interview with Mike Laird – a genuine modern day adventurer who lives right here in Corstorphine as well as business spotlights featuring the work of Jim’s Mowing and Utility Warehouse Distributor, Mike Marshall.

Finally, we’re delighted to (finally) announce the launch of our website. It’s a fully functioning local business search directory designed to increase the profile of Cortstorphine businesses across Edinburgh and beyond.

Of course we’d like you to visit the site; the more clicks we get, the better for us: www.thehub-community.com.

We need businesses to advertise, too. So, if you run a local business, upload your details and come on board!

Here’s to a fabulous 2013… I have to say, we’re expecting big things!

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Club Spotlights

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The Corstorphine Floral Art Club celebrated its 50th Anniversary in October 2012.

This milestone was marked by fifty club members enjoying a wonderful dinner at the newly refurbished Pentland Suite at the Marriot Hotel, Glasgow Road. After the speeches and dinner, there was a floral art demonstration by Mrs Sandra Halkett from Elgin entitled ‘Golden Celebrations’. Her choice of flowers and superb arrangements made the evening truly memorable.

The members appreciated all the hard work and little details provided by the Committee, such as the celebration cake by Mrs Tina Brown, the table flowers, the amazing cupcake favours created by Rosie’s Kitchen, the welcome flower pedestals and the souvenir Order of Service cards. It was also much appreciated that five past Chairman, no longer members of the club, were able to attend the evening and caught up with old friends. This included Mrs Olive Quick who was Chairman from 1969-1971!

The current Chairman, Mrs Julia Newell is extremely grateful to the Committee for all their help and to everyone who sent thank you cards. The next club meeting is on 14th January, then the 2nd Monday of every month starting in March. She welcomes all visitors (£5.00) to their floral demonstration at St Annes Church Hall, Kaimes Rd. Doors open at 6.45pm, for 7.30pm start. The demonstration is by Mrs Lesley Nelson from Kinross, entitled “Simply Christmas”. Their motto is ‘Friendship through Flowers’, so please come and relax, meet new friends and be inspired!

Corstorphine Chess Club

Apparently the Corstorphine Chess Club used to be known as the Corstorphine Castle Chess Club – after an amalgamation between it and the Castle Chess Club, which had its headquarters at the Overseas League, in the dim and distant past!

Who’d have thought the world of chess was so full of skeletons and cupboards?

Nowadays the Corstorphine Chess Club meets every Monday (September to June) in the Corstorphine Youth and Community Centre on Kirk Loan. The club runs various teams, with members competing in leagues across Edinburgh and Scotland.

But it’s not all serious competitive play. Most Mondays members simply play amongst themselves for enjoyment and friendship. The club welcomes new members of all abilities from beginners to experienced players.

If you’d like to come along (with no obligation to join)

you can contact Ian Alexander on 0131 339 5148 or by email at [email protected]

Do you have a club you would like us to spotlight?

Call 0131 603 5290


I didn’t know you did that... But we do!Len Lothian set up his storage and warehousing business in the 1960s. 45 years later and the business is going from strength to strength under the stewardship of Len’s sons, Alistair and Douglas.

Originally set up as a traditional warehousing and bulk storage business things have changed over the years. We talked with Mike McGuire because we wanted to know more about what the business does.

‘Well,’ says Mike after a pause, ‘We still do the warehousing – we have a 36,000 square feet warehouse in Granton,

where we also do self-storage as well as 4 other sites across Edinburgh and Glasgow – but now we do so much more.’

Mike wasn’t wrong, so we asked him for more detail.

15 years ago the business was a pioneer in Scotland, bringing the concept of self-storage from the USA. The business now offers a huge range of storage options from 25 square feet lockers to 3,000 square feet units.

But what sort of people use Len Lothian? Mike told us more:

‘It might be people who are

moving and need to keep their stuff safe for a few weeks if the new place isn’t ready. It could be people moving abroad; sometimes they leave their belongings with us for many years.’

When you start thinking about it, the options are almost endless: some customers have de-cluttered their homes but don’t want to throw possessions away. Some people have down sized, lost a spare bedroom and need a different option.

Business Spotlight: Len Lothian


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Mike is keen to expand both sides of the business; commercial and domestic. You can find out more by visiting www.lenlothian.com or calling direct on 0800 834 799.

On the business side Len Lothian works with its customers to offer solutions that are as flexible as possible. Mike went on to explain more: ‘We have a wine importer as a customer, the MoD stores furniture and we even have guys running their business from one of our units – we ran in electricity and sub-divided a unit for them.’

There must be some unusual things you store for customers.

‘Yes, I’m sure there is,’ Mike says with a smile. ‘The beauty of the operation is that our customers can decide how much they want us to do for them; we can give them a key and they do everything or they might ask us to access their storage and send things to them or even their customers.’

He pauses for a second and then smiles as he remembers one of the more unusual storage jobs they’ve had recently. ‘Chanel recently put on an event at Linlithgow Palace. The organisers needed somewhere to store 112 black cars that were used to drive celebrities around Edinburgh… and we had the capacity to do it’

But after 45 years the directors of Len Lothian

know they can’t stand still. There are more and more services coming on line such as a couple of Cloud based software products which will allow even a very small business to manage their stock or documents. The software even allows for Len Lothian to pick, pack

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Club Spotlight:Links United and Beechwood CFC

Football or more specifically, footballers have had a bit of a bad rap over the past few months but we often forget the football we see on the television is only the tip of the iceberg.

We were contacted by Tom Chalmers the Club Secretary of Links United and Beechwood CFC who invited us along to a recent boy’s under 14 match.

The first thing to say is this: if by any chance a professional footballer is reading The Hub: Corstorphine we suggest they get themselves down to a boy’s football match (incognito) and watch

the attitude and sheer enjoyment of the

players. The lads were completely

committed to their sport and

each other; they worked

really hard and when they got knocked over they jumped up and played on. There wasn’t a clutched face or knee in sight!

And they played with a lot of skill, too. We really enjoyed the match and decided to find out more about the club from Tom.

Links United and Beechwood CFC was formed from 2 smaller clubs last summer. Links United was formed 57 years ago in 1955 and represents the adult teams. Beechwood FC was founded in 1985 and is still the only youth and children’s football club based in Corstorphine.

The clubs merged to create more and more opportunities to play football in Corstorphine

and to raise awareness of the club’s activities in the community. In total the club runs 7 teams ranging from under 7s to 2 adults’ teams.

Tom Chalmers, as Club Secretary, has the not inconsiderable task of making sure the teams have everything they need to play football, from a pitch to play on to kit to wear. It’s clear that Tom loves his football, but it’s also clear that he loves this club, too. In fact, he told us that he would love to raise the profile of the club so the people of Corstorphine can get involved in a club they are proud of.

Tom understands the club’s place in the community and the positive influence football can have on so many lives. The club is

founded on very specific values: community


Do you have a business or hobby you would like us to spotlight?

Call 0131 603 5290

and using football as a social tool to help children and adults have a real focus to their lives.

Tom also knows there are challenges to be faced by the new club. ‘We’re currently building a community football club that delivers the highest standard of football possible in Corstorphine.’

He pauses for a moment before explaining what the club needs: ‘We’re always on the look-out for coaches who can get children interested and then keep them interested when there other things vying for their attention.’

Of course, those are not the only things that keep Tom awake at nights. ‘We need more players across the board, from our under 7’s team all the way through to the adult teams who are looking to step up a couple of notches and play in the

East of Scotland Senior league next year.’

Fund raising is an issue, too. There are kit sponsorship opportunities for all teams starting from as little as £400 for the youth teams.

Links United and Beechwood CFC is based at Gyle Park and Tall Oaks Recreation pitch. Players, in the main come from Corstorphine, South Gyle and the surrounding areas. Tom could always do with more people to get involved with everything from coaching to supporting the teams.

If you’d like to get involved with the club you can contact Tom at [email protected] or you can call him direct on 07948 812607.


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Some people collect stamps, others toy cars. Mike Laird describes himself as a collector

too; he’s a collector of experiences.

And his collection is coming along nicely, thanks very much.

Having cycled across Australia, swum 21km across the English Channel, crossed deserts, trekked in Iraq and been in the TV programme Castaway on Taransay you might have been forgiven for thinking his collection was nearing completion!

Not a bit of it.

Mike’s next adventure is a biggie by anyone’s standards. He’s taking part in the 2013 Polar Challenge – a 600 km race from northern Canada to the North Pole. Mike and two colleagues will haul everything they need on sleds during a month long sprint to the pole. They’ll be racing four other teams all trying their hardest to get there ahead of them.

Local Hero: Mike Laird

www. jockandthebeanstalk.com


Throughout the race Mike will battle average day time temperatures of -40 degrees. ‘If there’s a twenty mile an hour wind,’ adds Mike with a huge dollop of understatement, ‘The wind chill factor goes mad; it feels more like -70 and your flesh will freeze in fourteen seconds.’

At this point a thought occurred to us… so how about, ummm, going to the loo?

Mike pauses for a second and coughs just a little nervously. ‘Yes,’ he says, ‘Going to the toilet is going to involve a certain skill set.’ Beyond which he wouldn’t elaborate and, to be honest, we didn’t press the subject.

Strangely, though, one of the challenges Mike is going to face is getting too hot. ‘One of the key dangers in polar regions,’ Mike explains, ‘Is sweating. After all, this is a race and we’re trying to get to the finish line as fast as possible. But once you stop the physical exercise that has made you sweat it freezes on you and that’s really dangerous.’

Mike’s team will be locking horns with some hardcore athletes battling their way to the pole but

Mike, who regards himself as ‘moderately fit’, isn’t daunted. He’ll give it his all and we’ll report back on his achievements later in the year when he returns to his home in Corstorphne.

Yes, Mike is very much a citizen of Corstorphine, having lived here from when he was born until he went to University when he was eighteen. Mike, now forty three, returned to live in Corstorphine last year.

He’s able to fund his adventures through his own business which we hoped would be something like being a spy but is actually slightly more everyday – he’s a risk manager working with large insurance

companies. However, this adventure is his biggest yet and Mike is looking for sponsors to help with the £25,000 entrance fee.

Mike is more than happy to speak with anyone who might be interested in a sponsorship deal and you can get in touch with him by visiting his website www.jockandthebeanstalk.com or by calling him on 07948 812607

Local Hero: Mike Laird

However, this adventure is his biggest yet and Mike is looking for sponsors to help with the £25,000 entrance fee.


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On any given day the headlines about the economy are confusing. Take today for example: UK inflation unchanged. Good news. UK house prices see slight rise. Even more good news!

Household income squeezed. Boo!

If the disastrous recession we’ve just been through has taught us anything it’s that we have to keep an eye on your outgoings – whether you run the government or the equally tricky task of making your family budget balance.

But that’s not easy either. There’s controversy about the way fuel tariffs are presented, petrol and diesel prices are up and down (although to us it seems like mostly ‘up’) and shopping seems to get more and more expensive.

Mike Marshall, like most of us, could see all this going on. And one day he decided

to do something about it by joining Utility Warehouse as a customer. He was so impressed with his bills he decided to join the business and now he tells other people about the savings they can make.We asked Utility Mike (as he’s known by almost

everyone he meets) why he is so passionate about Utility Warehouse.

‘For me,’ says Mike, ‘It’s about three things.’

Mike ticks them off on his fingers: ‘First of all it’s about saving money. Whether it’s ‘phone, broadband, mobiles, utilities or even money off your bill by using the Utility Warehouse card, we save you money.’

Okay, we get that. What else?

‘Secondly, it’s simplicity. Everything is listed, logged and presented to you on one simple monthly bill. There’s one direct debit and that’s it. The more services you have the simpler it becomes because we keep everything in one place.

And finally?

Utility Mike is really into his stride now. ‘Finally, it’s about the service we provide. I know all my customers and if they need anything from me they call me or the UK based award winning call centre; for good old fashioned personal service.’

If you’d like to know more about the services offered by Utility Warehouse or are interested in becoming a distributor you can call Mike on 07766 82 12 42. or visit www.utilitymike.co.uk

With Mike Marshall of Utility Warehouse

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I certainly wouldn’t describe myself as a technophobe: I know how to work our DVD player and everything… but getting a website ready for launch is not easy!

Having said that we’re ready to go with www.thehub-community.com and we thought we’d give you a sneak preview ahead of the official launch!

All along The Hub has been designed to promote local businesses and to deliver a magazine that is readable

The Hub: Community WebsiteBy creative writer Richard Lambert

and more than just a directory. Our aim is exactly the same with our website. Quite simply we want it to be a usable, friendly and above all useful resource for Corstorphine.

So, what have we done?

There are three parts to the site. First of all there’s a business directory. You can search for a business by sector or name, whether you fancy a coffee or need an emergency plumber.

Secondly, we have our ‘About Corstorphine’ pages where you’ll find information about local clubs, photographs, local stories and much more – all based on what’s on in Corstorphine.

Finally, we’re developing our living history pages: we’ll have more information about this later.

To make all this work, we need your help. If you find a business on our website, please tell them where you saw them. If you are a local business and want to advertise please get in touch with us or upload your details straight on to the site.

If you have photographs or interesting stories from around Corstorphine please send them to us and we’ll use them on the site.

But most importantly, do click on www.thehub-community.com – we need you to push us up the Google ratings.

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Business Spotlight

Jim’s Mowing is the world’s largest garden services franchise…

But that’s not what we love about it. It’s the fact that there actually is a Jim and he still does mowing. Brilliant.

The business originated in Australia in the 1980s when Jim needed to fund his university studies. Little did he know that mowing peoples’ lawns would actually end up as his life’s work.

The same is true for David Hughson. David owns the rights to develop Jim’s Mowing in the UK… or, in

With David Hughson of Jim’s Mowing

other words, he’s our very own Jim. And he’s based right here in Edinburgh. We asked David how he ended up being Jim.

‘It was a complete accident,’ says David. ‘I was commuting from Edinburgh to London and had enough of it. I was thinking about what I could do when it occurred to me that the guy who cut our lawn did it when he wanted to and not when we needed it… which meant I usually ended up doing it myself.’

David joined Jim’s Mowing in April 2006. He employed his first gardener March 2007 and his second in the April. Since then things have gone ballistic for Jim and David. So much so that he bought the rights to develop the business across the UK where there are now 27 franchisees.

There are 4 Jims in Edinburgh alone, with 3 more in Glasgow and 2 in Perth.

We wondered why the business is so successful.

‘It’s because we make sure we look after our customers and do things


Business Spotlight‘Right now, though, we’re really busy with garden tidy ups – preparing gardens so they look their best in spring and summer after the winter.’

It looks as though 2013 is going to be even busier than 2012 for David.

‘Yes, we have our first franchisee kicking off in East Lothian and we are winning more and more customers across Edinburgh…’

It’s fair to say that Jim’s Mowing is a growing business! Sorry, couldn’t resist the joke.

at their convenience not ours. We’re good at what do, too, and that helps. Everyone who works with us is qualified, licensed and insured!’

So, is it just mowing you do, or is there more to it than that?

‘Well, that’s a good question! Although we’re ‘Jim’s Mowing’ we also do all kinds of gardening work from pruning to weeding to fencing to tree cutting. We’ve even made a garden puppy proof, which wasn’t as easy as it sounds!

we make sure we look after our customers and do things at their convenience not ours

David launches ‘Hub’ Gardening FeatureGreen fingered David Hughson has kindly agreed to supply the hub magazine with useful gardening tips & advice. Each edition David will tell us what we should be doing in our gardens so that we keep it look as good as possible. We might even pick up some useful ‘tricks of the trade’. Thanks David.

Do you have a business or hobby you would like us to spotlight?

Call 0131 603 5290


Corstorphinethe centre of your community

We want to hear from you if:

• You are a local club or society and want to promote your organisation

• You want to tell us about a Local Hero and their work

• You would like us to spotlight a local business

• You want to advertise your business in The Hub or on our website

Contact us now...0131 603 [email protected]

www.thehub-community.com

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The Hub: Corstorphine Edition 3 Jan / Feb 2013

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Transcript of The Hub: Corstorphine Edition 3 Jan / Feb 2013