Business News

L-R: Christopher Neave, Voluntary Assistant Shop Manager, Elma Hay, Voluntary Shop Manager, June Hardie, Volunteer.
Picture by Ross Anderson, Ellon Times.

The British Red Cross shop in The Square, Ellon, has been presented with an award at the annual British Red Cross conference in Perth, for the second highest percentage increase in profit. The shop has won this award two years in a row.

The shop beat all but one of the other Red Cross shops in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man with a staggering 188% increase for the year 2005-2006.

Volunteer Shop Manager, Elma Hay, says she is delighted with the award, adding, "It wouldn't have been possible without our dedicated band of volunteers, many of whom have been with the shop since it opened over 10 years ago, and, of course, our many customers who support the shop year in year out."

Voluntary Assistant Shop Manager, Christopher Neave, added "It's super to have received the award. Not only is it a thankyou to all of the volunteers at the shop for their hard work but behind it all lies the fact that we have managed to raise a tremendous amount of money to help the charity with their work at home and abroad."

Mr Neave added, "For me, one of the most important parts of the conference this week was when they played us a DVD showing just a tiny part of the tremendous work that the British Red Cross do around the world. Many people may think that the Red Cross devote all their funds and resources to overseas projects and disasters but the DVD reminded us that the Society were there at many of the disasters on our own doorstep - the Boscastle floods and London bombings being just a couple. The Society also fund educational projects around the country, including valuable first-aid training. It really was inspirational and it certainly motivates you to keep on with the hard work so that we can raise the funds to support the Society and it's work."

The shop in Ellon has been open for over 10 years and is increasingly popular because of the high quality of the second-hand goods it sells. The shop itself is attractive, clean and fresh smelling, dispelling many of the myths surrounding charity shops.

Mr Neave said of the shop, "I think people enjoy shopping at our shop because of our high-standards, not only with the shop itself but with the stock we sell. Ellon is an affluent town and we are very lucky to receive high-quality donated stock, for which we are extremely grateful. All our donated clothing is steam cleaned before being offered for sale and I think that all of these factors combined with our excellent band of volunteers help to make the shop so popular with the people of Ellon."

Elma and Christopher would like to thank all of their volunteers and indeed their customers for their support over the years.

For more information on the British Red Cross shop in Ellon, click HERE.

Ellon Calendar seeks sponsorship
Ellon Community Council are seeking sponsorship for their Ellon 2008 Calendar which is due to be launched summer '07. There are a few months to choose from which remain unsponsored - £50 for a shared page/month or £100 for a full page/month. Further information can be obtained from Sandra Topp - Secretary to the Community Council - ecc@visitellon.co.uk

EPS Project
Scotland needs to give greater encouragement to ideas and businesses that show high growth potential. Their needs are not just access to funding, but also the support of professional services and the availability of company networks.The eps project, which is a private/public partnership, has been put together especially to provide these requirements; it incorporates seminars and workshops by leading local professionals and raises motivation and commercial awareness through networking and mentoring. It is a bi-annual no-cost programme, which identifies and nurtures North East companies with "high growth" potential and encourages rapid roll-out of business plans. Click HERE for further information.

Inspiring Entrepreneurship in Scotland
NESTA provide business skills training for budding entrepreneurs, working across science, technology and the creative sectors. They are setting up 'Starter for 6' in six cities and regions around Scotland - Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Stirling. Launched in November 2006, with participants to start training in a Scottish city near their home in Spring 2007. Click HERE for further information.