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ISSUE 2 • WINTER 2014

focal A BUSINESS APPROACH TO FIFE CULTURE & LEISURE

SEE INSIDE FOR THE LATEST NEWS FROM FIFE’S CULTURE & LEISURE ORGANISATIONS

FIFE CELEBRATES FORTH ROAD BRIDGE’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY & LOOKS AHEAD TO NEW CROSSING

S potlight on B usiness Venues FIFE Cultural Trust’s buildings are ideal venues for a wide range of event and meeting spaces. From large modern, multi-functional venues, perfect for meetings and celebrations to bright meeting rooms with views across the Forth Bridges and theatre venues, there really is a space to suit all needs and budgets.

Rothes Halls Location: Kingdom Shopping Centre, Glenrothes, KY7 5NX Telephone: 01592 611101 Facilities: 12 meeting rooms, gallery spaces and two auditoriums Capacity: from 10 up to 616 seated or 1,400 standing

Carnegie Hall Location: East Port, Dunfermline, KY12 7JA Telephone: 01383 602302 Facilities: auditorium, studio theatre and two large meeting rooms Capacity: up to 450 people Carnegie Hall boasts an auditorium, large studio space, as well as two spacious, comfortable meeting rooms which can accommodate events of all sizes.

Rothes Halls is a purpose-built, multi-functional meeting, conference and entertainment venue, ideal for a range of corporate events including conferences, exhibitions, meetings, awards ceremonies and dinners as well as concerts and productions.

Lochgelly Centre Kirkcaldy Galleries Location: War Memorial Gardens, Kirkcaldy, KY1 1YG Telephone: 01592 583206 Facilities: meeting room / activity room Capacity: 50 lecture / reception or 20 boardroom style Kirkcaldy Galleries provides a unique, spacious and flexible space, located in the heart of Kirkcaldy, easily accessible, by car, bus or train and is perfect for meetings, workshops, lectures or events.

Location: Bank Street, Lochgelly, KY5 9RD Telephone: 01592 583 303 Facilities: auditorium, studio theatre and meeting rooms Capacity: 412 seated in main auditorium The Lochgelly Centre is a bright, modern and attractive community space, combining a 412-seat theatre, studio theatre, art studios and meeting and practice rooms. Whether you’re hosting a meeting, workshop, class, or a full-blown stage production, Lochgelly Centre is a great venue for your event.

Adam Smith Theatre Location: Bennochy Road, Kirkcaldy, KY1 1ET Telephone: 01592 583302 Facilities: auditorium and three spacious suites Capacity: up to 475 seated Whether you’re hosting a boardroom-style meeting, an intimate concert, or a full-blown theatre production, the Adam Smith Theatre is the location for your event. As well as the Main Auditorium, the building’s three spacious suites have flexibility to accommodate events large and small.

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www.onfife.com

Contents

W

elcome

WELCOME to the second issue of FoCaL, Fife Council’s Leisure & Cultural Services’ newest publication.

This issue builds on news, features and event information generated from Fife Council in partnership with a number of leisure and cultural organisations, all of which deliver a wide range of facilities and services to help make Fife the best place to live, work, visit and do business.

We’ve got lots of exciting news to share and we’re particularly proud of Fife Council being awarded the ‘Overall Council of the Year in Service Delivery’ and ‘Best Efficiency Initiative’ awards by the Association of Public Service Excellence (ASPE). The Council was recognised for a range of policies including mobile and flexible working; switching from manual to online systems; and its ‘Bang Tidy’ campaign.

The Council’s Park, Streets and Open Spaces service is showcasing a number of dynamic and exciting initiatives as it seeks to improve efficiencies. On page four you can read more about Fife Council’s trial of a glow in the dark road surfacing product aimed at improving user safety.

Currently it is being trialled in parking bays at Town Park but the long-term plan, if successful, is to use it to light up paths across local parks.

As 2014 comes to an end, there’s certainly lots to be excited about. Next year, sees The Open come to St Andrews; there’s a full calendar of events and festivals planned, which coupled with significant progress on the new Queensferry Crossing, scheduled for completion in 2016, will bring significant opportunities for businesses in Fife and the local economy.

I hope you enjoy this issue of FoCaL and on behalf of my colleagues at Fife Council, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a successful New Year.

Councillor Gavin Yates Executive Spokesperson for Community Health and Wellbeing

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Spotlight on business venues

P4

Fife Council wins top honour

P5

Smart bins help clean up Fife

P6

Celebrating 50 years of the Forth Road Bridge

P7

Strategic Events & Festivals 2015

P8

Businesses urged to plan ahead for rise in golf visitors

P9

ON Business

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A day in the life of a coastal ranger

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New TV drama Outlander starring…Fife

Publisher: DTech Publishing Ltd FoCaL is published by DTech Publishing Limited on behalf of Fife Council Leisure & Cultural Services.

This publication is fully protected by copyright and nothing may be printed wholly or in part without the written permission of the publishers. The proprietors of this magazine are publishers and not agents or sub-agents of those who advertise therein.

The publishers cannot be held liable for any loss suffered as a result of information gained from this publication.

The views expressed by the authors or articles published in this magazine are solely those of the author and are not necessarily the views of or shared by the editor, nor the publisher or the directors, shareholders and/or employees of DTech Publishing Limited.

FoCaL is published on behalf of Fife Council Leisure & Cultural Services.

For further information, please contact: Telephone 0141 222 2202 email: info@dtechuk.com

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Fife announced Council of the Year at national awards FIFE Council has been recognised nationally for its service delivery by the Association of Public Service Excellence (APSE) and has been awarded the ‘Overall Council of the Year in Service Delivery’ award.

Fife Council also picked up the ‘Best Efficiency Initiative’ award recognising its policies on mobile and flexible working across the Council. The switch from manual processes to online ones using smartphones, tablets and laptops has seen staff across departments spending less time on paperwork and more time face-to-face with customers.

Fife Council’s ‘Keep Fife Schools Bang Tidy’ campaign also contributed to its overall success. The campaign, which was launched by the Council in six high schools across Fife, aimed to make pupils more aware of their responsibility to bin their rubbish, while raising awareness of the damage litter can cause to the environment and wildlife in their community.

Fife Council officers at the awards presentation.

Cllr David Ross, Leader of Fife Council welcomed the good news.

He said: “This is an excellent result for Fife. It reflects the hard work and dedication of our staff. Funding is tight for local authorities and continuing to provide quality frontline services remains our top priority.

This national recognition is very welcome and I congratulate all our staff for their hard work and the good results from new ways of working.”

Paul O’Brien, APSE Chief Executive, said: “Fife Council is a deserving winner of the APSE Award for Overall Council of the Year in Service Delivery 2014, recognising its contribution to the delivery of excellence in local public services.

“We had an outstanding set of service award submissions and so to achieve this award reflects the efforts of the councillors and the workforce of Fife Council. Local public services are the glue which holds communities together and we should rightly recognise those councils that go that extra mile to make those services even better.”

Fife Council’s ‘Keep Fife Schools Bang Tidy’ campaign also contributed to its overall success.

Fife Council trials breakthrough glow surfacing FIFE Council is the first local authority in Scotland to trial a glow in the dark road surfacing product, with the aim of improving user safety.

The sophisticated phosphorous chip and pigment surface glows at night and is being installed in six parking bays at Town Park, Glenrothes.

The onset of the glow in the dark surface product will mean that the car parking bays remain visible overnight. If successful, the plan is to light up paths across Fife’s parks with the surfacing phosphorous chips that are mixed with aggregate.

Damien Woods, Service Manager, Parks, Streets and Open Spaces at Fife Council, said: “The light absorption and release processes of this glow in the dark product offers endless opportunities for use in Fife. We are trialling it on six parking bays and will monitor the product’s

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durability overnight and if successful we will apply it to paths across a number of local parks.

“It’s an environmentally sustainable surface which we believe can transform Fife’s path network, especially in areas that lack lighting, helping to reduce the need and cost for lighting.”

David Wilcock, Senior Branch Manager, DBi Services said: “We were delighted when Fife Council agreed to trial DBi Services’ new solar surfacing. The system will ensure the car park is more visible during the hours of darkness, creating a safer environment for visitors.

“With Councils being urged to save energy and reduce street lighting wherever possible, we believe this product will also provide a cost effective and environmentally friendly alternative.

“We look forward to lighting the way on more of Fife’s paths in the near future.”

Solar powered smart bins helping Fife Council clean up FIFE Council is trialling a new solar-powered street bin, which it hopes will revolutionise the way it stores and collects rubbish in key areas across the region.

Eleven Big Belly Solar Powered Compactor Street Bins have been purchased and are in place at Anstruther Harbour.

The innovative bin is solar powered which powers a compactor within the bin. Roughly the same size as a normal bin, because of the compactor, these bins can hold eight times more waste than the

Cllr Elizabeth Riches with Parks, Streets & Open Space Staff.

average bin. When the bins are near full, an electronic signal is sent and a crew responds to empty the bin.

Damien Woods, Service Manager, Parks, Streets and Open Spaces at Fife Council said: “The solar bins are a relatively new concept so we’re excited to be introducing them across Fife. We’ve already got one operational site in Anstruther and the impact has been considerable. The bins can hold a lot more rubbish Big Belly Bin in Anstruther. due to the compactor function and there’s an alert function to notify that the bin is full, so we can schedule rubbish collections more effectively helping us to save time, fuel and money.”

Local Sponsorship of these Big Belly bins is being actively considered as is wifi connectivity. The placement of this type of bin will allow your company or business an ideal advertising opportunity.

Contact Alan White on 03451 55 55 55 Ext. 450862 for details.

Take pride in Fife THE Kingdom of Fife boasts award-winning beaches and parks, new towns, picturesque villages and heritage and culture in abundance.

The Council works hard to improve the quality of the environment for visitors and residents alike.

Taking great pride in the management of its open spaces, Fife Council ensures very high horticultural standards are evident throughout the Kingdom, with permanent horticultural

features in key areas. Seasonal bedding is complemented by sustainable and permanent planting helping to raise the standards of public floral and horticultural displays.

Fife Council runs the successful Beautiful Fife Campaign and this year three communities have achieved Gold Standard: Cupar in Bloom, Growing Kirkcaldy and Aberdour Village in Bloom.

Local businesses in Fife can work in partnership with Fife Council to improve their local environment and raise brand awareness. Many companies sponsor roundabouts and floral areas across Fife and there are still many more sites available for sponsorship.

If you would like or be interested in finding-out how to achieve your company’s name on a roundabout, road verge or flowerbed, please contact: Jim Leitch, Team Manager Fife Council Area Services, Bankhead Central, Bankhead Park, Glenrothes, KY7 6GH: Phone 03451 55 55 55 Ext. 447057.

Taking pride in Fife.

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Celebrating 50 Years of the Forth Road Bridge Celebrating 50 years of the Forth Road Bridge, showing the emerging infrastructure of the Queensferry Crossing

TRULY spectacular scenes marked the 50th anniversary of the Forth Road Bridge. A kilometre-long ‘river of fire’ created by 2,014 torchbearers and fireworks lit up the Firth of Forth to commemorate a wonder of Scottish engineering which has served the country well for fifty years.

In the shadows of those celebrations (Fife Council invested £20,000 in the programme from the Strategic Events Investment Programme) stood the emerging infrastructure of the Forth Replacement Crossing, or the Queensferry Crossing, as the new bridge will be known.

A modern-day feat of engineering, the Queensferry Crossing which when complete will include 23,000 miles of cabling, is Scotland’s biggest transport infrastructure project in a generation, representing a new era for Fife’s workforce, industry and economy.

The British Chamber of Commerce estimates it will bring opportunities worth up to £6 billion to the Scottish economy through Scottish businesses and sub-contractors along the supply-chain. To date, £157 million worth of subcontracts and supply orders from the project have been awarded to over 360 Scottish companies, many of them from Fife. The overall budget for the project is £1.4 billion.

It is estimated that construction of the bridge will involve approximately 10 million man hours, many of those will be provided

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by people from the local area. In August last year, 874 people were working on site and 43 per cent of those were from Fife, Edinburgh and the Lothians.

The Queensferry Crossing has already delivered a significant boost to the Scottish construction sector, through sub-contracts and there is likely to be significant further benefit during the contruction process as the consortium is working with local businesses to ensure the project brings real benefits to the local economies in the area.

Over £20 million in subcontracts has already been awarded to Scottish firms and many of these are suppliers or contractors in the immediate vicinity of the construction.

Continuing on schedule and ahead of budget, the crossing is expected to open in 2016 and will safeguard a vital link in Scotland’s transport infrastructure, creating opportunities, and delivering real results to the local economy.

Cllr Lesley Laird, Depute Leader and Executive Spokesperson for Economy and Planning, said: “The Queensferry Crossing will bring improved transport links which presents new opportunities for the whole of the east of Scotland. It means that businesses can now have confidence to commit to future plans knowing that the vital transport links are being safeguarded and improved.”

Strategic Events & Festivals 2015 Cultural Services and Tourism Merger

FIFE Council provides support to a range of strategic events to support the Council’s aims of ‘Growing a Vibrant Economy’.

The Cultural Partnerships & Events Strategy Team will invest over £120,000 in 2015 in a minimum of 14 major events that will promote a strong sense of identity for Fife. As part of over 6,000 events staged in Fife every year and generating around £269m for the economy, under the brand of Celebrating Fife, these 14 events alone will collectively generate an estimated £4.5m visitor spend and attract over 158,000 people to events and festivals throughout Fife.

FOLLOWING the recent Directorate restructures within Fife Council, Cultural Services are now part of the Business and Employability portfolio and have merged with the Economy, Tourism and Town Centres team. This move will allow for even closer synergies with tourism, place promotion and town centres.

As part of funding invested by Creative Scotland to support our vision of advancing Fife’s position nationally and internationally as a world class festival destination and be recognised as offering excellent experiences for locals and visitors alike, we have undertaken concise research of 12 of Fife’s strategic festivals. During 2014/15 this detailed and specific research will identify the tourism, economic, artistic value and social impact of those festivals to inform future planning at a local and national level.

A selection of Fife’s Strategic Events & Festivals 2015: February

June, July & August

Fife Jazz Festival – www.fifejazzfestival.com

Crail Food Festival – www.crailfoodfest.co.uk

Cambo Snowdrops by Starlight – www.snowdropsbystarlight.com

East Neuk Festival – www.eastneukfestival.com British Superbike Championship – www.knockhill.com

Snowdrops by Starlight

March StAnza: Scotland’s International Poetry Festival – www.stanzapoetry.org

National Festival of Youth Theatre – www.ytas.org.uk Fife International Carnival – www.onfife.com

Crail Food Festival (picture by Paul Watt)

Highland Games – www.shga.co.uk Open Golf Championship, St Andrews – www.standrews2015open.com

April Kirkcaldy Links Market – www.linksmarket.org.uk Fife Comedy Festival – www.onfife.com

May Open Studios North Fife – www.openstudiosfife.co.uk

Bruce Festival – www.connectingwithyou.co.uk Pittenweem Arts Festival – www.pittenweenartsfestival.co.uk British Touring Car Championship – www.knockhill.com

September Doors Open Days – www.doorsopendays.org.uk

Open Studios North Fife

For strategic event enquiries please contact Linda Temple, Cultural Partnerships & Events Strategy Manager E-mail: linda.temple@fife.gov.uk

October

Alfred Dunhill Links Championship – www. alfreddunhilllinks.com St Andrews Voices – www.standrewsvoices.com

Tel: 07985706682 www.fifedirect.org.uk/events Facebook – whatsoninfife Twitter – @WhatsonFife

St Andrews Voices (picture by Ben Goulter)

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Businesses urged to plan ahead for rise in golf visitors PLANNING is well underway for next year’s Open Championship in St Andrews and Fife businesses are being urged to plan ahead to take advantage of the rise in visitors to the Kingdom.

In revenue terms, golf tourism is worth £220m a year to the Scottish economy and directly supports over 4,400 Scottish jobs. The last time The Open was held in St Andrews (2010) it brought over £40 million to the local economy (R&A/EventScotland).

Fife Golf Partnership (FGP) and Fife Tourism Partnership are working together to promote The Open and the wider Fife tourism offering to visitors.

Chair of the Fife Golf Partnership, Stephen Owen explained: “We know that golf fans will come to The Open because it’s being held in the Home of Golf, and we want to ensure these visitors know what else St Andrews and the rest of Fife has to offer.

“Promotion started at The Open in Hoylake earlier this year and will be continuing right up to July next year. The success of the campaign will depend largely on businesses becoming involved and telling us what they have to offer visitors.”

There are a number of ways to get involved if your business is a member of Fife Golf Partnership or Fife Tourism Association:

• Web and social media – information about businesses will be given out through key websites and social media. Paying FGP members get their own web page on www.visitfifegolf.

• PR – A series of news releases and features will be produced throughout the year, featuring local businesses and events, targeting local and national publications.

• At The Open – the Fife stand will feature an interactive kiosk to

provide visitors with real-time information about what to do in St Andrews and in the wider Fife area. Businesses can purchase an upgraded listing on the kiosk so visitors can download menus, prices, information and a QR code to direct them to the business.

• Fife Golf Guide – focussed on the golf sector in Fife, but will

also provide extensive coverage of the overall tourism product.

Businesses can buy advertising.

• Industry events – paying FGP members will be promoted on stand

at The Open 2015 and all other events attended by Fife Golf, for example VisitScotland Expo and International Golf Travel Market (IGTM) where your business is promoted to targeted tour operators and the golf media.

To sign up for Fife Golf Partnership or advertise in the Fife Golf Guide Open Edition contact Liam Barn: liam@visitfifegolf.com. To sign up for Fife Tourism Partnership go to www.fifetourismpartnership.org.

Farmers Markets prove popular in Fife AS a showcase for high quality local produce, Fife Farmers Markets have become a welcome and regular feature in the event calendar for Cupar, Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy and St Andrews. The lure of a traditional market helps increase footfall and spend in each town centre and brings an added social buzz. As part of a wider event

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programme, they are helping to tackle the serious challenge to the traditional high street economy from the likes of out-of-town shopping and the growth of online retailing.

For further information and details of forthcoming markets visit: www.fifefarmersmarket.co.uk.

Want to Get ON in Business?

ON Business – Fife’s own business networking club – offers a range of features and benefits unseen anywhere in Scotland, perhaps in the UK. Membership is growing steadily, via word of mouth, and currently sits at 40 businesses from varying sectors, ranging from sole traders to multinational corporations. Each member business trades or operates in Fife and every one recognises the unique opportunities afforded by ON Business.

What makes this business networking club unique and how can it appeal equally to B2C and B2B? The answer lies in the parent organisation, Fife Cultural Trust (FCT), which operates 64 venues (Libraries, Museums and Theatres) across Fife on behalf of Fife Council, under the ON Fife brand.

Benefits of ON Business include:

• Free tickets to theatre shows (any shows, any FCT theatres, no exceptions)

• Free meeting room hire allowance • Unrivalled prominence for your brand – Platinum members’ logos can

that, all our members enjoy a range of benefits you just would not find elsewhere.”

All networking events are free for members and it is even free to bring a guest from another business. They are an excellent opportunity to make contact with companies such as Smith Anderson Group, MüllerWiseman Dairies, Diageo, Fife Group, Fife Chamber of Commerce and a host of other members and guest businesses. For a full list of current members, see www.onfife.com.

ON Business is about to introduce a new format of networking event, ON Thursday. These monthly events will shift away from presentations where businesses promote their wares towards a more educational theme, with a member business delivering a mini-seminar on a relevant theme.

This will add further value to networking for members.

With packages at Silver, Gold and Platinum levels starting from £299 per annum plus VAT, ON Business offers exceptional return on investment.

To enquire about membership or discuss possibilities further, please contact Bill Mair, Fife Cultural Trust on 03451 555 555, ext 493338 or bill. mair@onfife.com.

be seen at least 1.6 million times per annum

• Unique corporate hospitality opportunities • FCT is an arts organisation and sponsorship of the arts falls under

Corporate Social Responsibility. Obvious prestige in being an arts sponsor

• Free networking opportunities; even free to bring a business guest • Your logo displayed in up to 10 FCT venues • Your logo as a click-through on our website Bill Mair, who manages the business club, said: “ON Business is a bit like Microsoft Office: few members ever use all the features available, but all are there for all to use. Having said

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A day in the life of a Coastal Ranger

DEREK Abbott has been a Ranger with Fife Coast and Countryside Trust (FCCT) for eight years. As one of three rangers, Derek covers the Coastal Path and beaches from Kincardine to Dysart (37 miles) and works from Beach Brae, near Kinghorn Harbour.

FoCaL caught up with Derek to find out more about his role and what a typical day involves. He said: “Every day is different. Not only does the day’s content vary but there can also be a great seasonal variety to my work. The summer has long gone, so the influx of people using the coastal path and our beaches has subsided and this is now the best time to progress various projects and maintenance on the Coastal Path which will be my focus for the winter.”

Working in partnership with local businesses and community groups is a key element of Derek’s role. He said: “Going through my e-mails there is one from a local group asking me a talk about their area of the Coastal Path and a request about checking and visiting our Welcome Ports to make sure information is accessible.”

Welcome Ports is an information facility that provides walkers with details of what to see and do along the Coastal Path. In addition to showcasing over 50 businesses along the route that provide walkers with a warm welcome, there’s also information on toilet facilities and public transport. To support this, FCCT publishes a guide book, business listings on its website and interpretation boards along the path.

www.fifecoastalpath.co.uk 10

Derek added: “We also work closely with community and corporate groups who regularly spend the day with us making environmental improvements along the path. We recently welcomed a group from Nationwide, which did some meadow management on conservation grassland as part of our Big Green Footprint initiative. Without such help, this work would never have happened.”

Derek is also a contact for many of the local companies routed along the path and has been coordinating a project to create a new archway to mark the end of the Coastal Path in Kincardine, with help from Babcock International, Breedon Aggregates and Stockdale & Lyall.

He said: “The archway project in Kincardine is a great example of how the private and public sectors can work together with the local community to bring together projects like this.”

Derek concluded: “Will tomorrow be the same? No way! But my colleagues and I will still be working hard to ensure that people who come and visit Fife along with our local population can enjoy the fantastic free facility that is our Coastal Path.”

New TV drama Outlander starring…Fife FIFE has long been favoured by filmmakers in search of beautiful, interesting and dramatic locations. Outlander, the much anticipated American TV series, was filmed extensively in Fife and has now premiered in the USA and is set to be picked up by broadcasters in the UK and across the world.

Based on the book by Diana Gabaldon, the series stars new screen talent Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan (Young Alexander the Great, Rebus, A Very British Sex Scandal). With directors like Richard Clark (The Musketeers, Silent Witness, Dr Who) and Brian Kelly (Dracula, Lewis, Downton Abbey) it has caused worldwide interest.

Outlander (the book was published in the UK as “Cross Stitch”) is the first of a series of eight books which have sold 20 million copies worldwide and been translated into many languages. It follows the story of Claire Randall (Balfe), a married combat nurse from 1945 who is mysteriously swept back in time to 1743, where she is immediately thrown into an unknown world where her life is threatened. When she is forced to marry Jamie Fraser (Heughan), a chivalrous and romantic young Scottish warrior, a deep relationship is ignited that tears Claire’s heart between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

The series has used all kinds of locations in Fife including Culross, Falkland and Limekilns. An initial series of 16 episodes was commissioned by the US channel STARZ in June 2013 and production began in Scotland in October 2013. The series premiered in the US in 2014 and a second season has now been commissioned.

Publishers Weekly said of the book Outlander: “Absorbing and heartwarming, this first novel lavishly evokes the land and lore of Scotland, quickening both with realistic characters and a feisty, likeable heroine.”

Julie Craik, FifeScreen Manager, commented: “It’s been a great pleasure and privilege to help Outlander. Hugh Gourlay and Miglet Crichton are two of the top location managers in the country and we’re delighted that they were sold on Fife for such a high profile production.

“Fife is especially attractive for its unique coastal and historic locations and this gave the area huge appeal for the production. But it’s not just locations that get projects to come here. Fife Council is film-crew friendly. It’s a huge team effort when a production of this

scale is filming, so a special thank you to the transport services and building services teams and the community councils.”

Councillor Lesley Laird, Fife Council Depute Leader, added: “It’s really exciting that Fife will be showcased in the new US series Outlander. We are so lucky to have such beautiful landscapes, quaint picturesque towns and villages on our doorstep. This is probably why we have been successful in attracting screen producers for a number of years. The Fife and Tayscreen partnership works hard to secure around 70 projects annually injecting around £1.5 million of spend in the local economy.”

Fife is also a popular destination for off-duty film and sports stars, with Samuel L Jackson, Michael Douglas, Hugh Grant and Andy Garcia regularly attending the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

Recent film projects in Fife include:

•Railway Man (2014)

Fife had a starring role in locations in Fife in the Colin Firth, Nicole Kidman film of the true story by Eric Lomax.

Filmed during 2012, The Railway Man premiered at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival and went on general release in January 2014. The production used many locations in Scotland including in Fife, North Queensferry by the Forth Bridges and picturesque St. Monans fishing village.

•Silent Witness (Jan 2014)

Scenes for the story “In a Lonely Place” starring Emilia Fox, Richard Lintern and David Caves were filmed in Falkland, Fife. The programme aired on BBC1 in January.

•Kirkcaldy Film Festival

Fife’s celebration of the film industry continued this year with the first ever Kirkcaldy Film Festival which was held in September. With a packed three days of movie treats, the festival looked to the future by showcasing films not yet seen by the rest of the country – and to the past with the glory years of the silver screen. Fife born Hollywood actor Dougray Scott was the patron of the festival.

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New Funding Opportunity

START UP LOANS 6% ÂŁ6k

FIXED INTEREST RATE

AVERAGE LOAN VALUE

PAYABLE OVER

5

YEARS

Business Gateway Fife is pleased to offer an exciting new startup loan through Fife Council and Start Up Finance Scotland, which offers financial support to individuals looking to start a business and to those who have recently started trading within the last 12 months (24 months in certain circumstances).

The start up loan enables you to receive an individual loan which reflects the needs of your business. However, as this is a personal loan, more than one person in a business may be eligible.

A Business Gateway adviser is on hand to provide valuable business advice and help you throughout the application process. They can also provide access to a range of additional services including specialist training, 1-2-1 surgeries and networking opportunities.

To find out more contact us now on

01592 858333

To find out about Business Gateway Fife services Call: 01592 858333 Email: success@bgfife.co.uk Visit: www.businessgatewayfife.com

Business Gateway services are delivered by Local Authorities, Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Government with the support of associated partner organisations. Maximum call charge from BT landline is 3p a minute.