The hub ed5 v4

Corstorphine the centre of your community

September / October 2013

Edinburgh Business

We highlight more interesting and successful Edinburgh based businesses.

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

Don Munro Photography Š

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Welcome Message Welcome to the this month’s edition of The Hub: Corstorphine Well, what a summer it was.

Scorching temperatures, a record breaking Fringe, a successful Jazz and Blues festival and a royal baby.

But now the year is turning and it’s time to look to the final quarter of the year and… dare I say it… the run up to Christmas. I have to admit that I walked past one of the team the other day and they had a website up and running: www.xmasclock.com They may be just a little previous!

There’s certainly plenty to look forward to over the next few weeks: by now there may have been a second royal baby, this one at Edinburgh Zoo. In this edition of The Hub: Corstorphine we welcome back old friends such as Bert’s Maintenance and TaxAssist Accountants and we welcome new advertisers Uniq Marketing and Kibble Garden Décor.

We’re also proud to support Gilly Herbert and the Sick Kids Friends Foundation with their Autumn Kids Get Together on Tuesday 15th October.

In this edition you can read more about Mike Laird’s intrepid trip to the North Pole and Rhona MacLean’s revolutionary exercise regime… all of life can be found here in Corstorphine.

As always we’re very grateful to our advertisers for their support and our contributors for their stories. We’re always looking for more; if you have a story or business you’d like to us Spotlight, just drop us a line and we’ll see what we can do. Our cover photo this month is stunning shot of Edinburgh by night kindly donated to us by Don Munro Photography… thanks Don. Finally, of course, we’re very grateful to you for actually reading The Hub: Corstorphine.

Cheers

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The accountant for small businesses & tax payers who: Provides brilliant service Gets to know you You can trust Has competitive fixed fees

Give us a call or drop in for a coffee; we would love to hear from you.

Acco unts driv ing y ou

0131 202 9888

bark ing m ad?

www.taxassist.co.uk/corstorphine 84 St. John’s Road, Edinburgh. EH12 8AT www.thehub-community.com

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Gutter Cleaning Avoid costly water damage, Get your gutters cleaned now we offer: • gutter cleaning • gutter repair • video survey for insurance purposes call now for a free estimate:

07935 074856

info@bertsmaintenance.co.uk Bert’s Maintenance, Domestic and Commercial Gutter Maintenance

JAMES LYNN DECORATOR

Dunedin Paving

domestic painter & decorator With over 30 years experience, James is your local friendly professional offering a interior & exterior decoration service.

Not VAT registered.

Get in touch now to discuss your requirements and arrange a FREE estimate

Damien Holahan

0131 339 4778 07928 433 576

07743 424 604

www.thehub-community.com

damienholahan@hotmail.co.uk www.dunedinbrickworks.co.uk

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THE

DEVIL’S DEAL An explosive first novel from Edinburgh author Richard Lambert BRILLIANT, AGGRESSIVE, FLAWED… Jeremy Fitch has a vision and nothing and no-one will be allowed to stand in his way except the ruthless and deadly Hugh Delaney.

In The Devil’s Deal Richard Lambert leads you through a story of intrigue, double dealing, infatuation and violence to an explosive conclusion.

to buy your copy go to: www.richardlambert.biz

Do you have life insurance?

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est8 planning

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e s t 8 p l a n n i n g i s a t r a d i n g s t y l e o f L i m e C h o c o l a t e C o n s u l t a n c y L t d , w h i c h i s a n a p p o i n t e d r e p r e s e n t a t i v e o f P e r s o n a l To u c h F i n a n c i a l S e r v i c e s L t d , w h i c h i s a u t h o r i s e d a n d r e g u l a t e d b y t h e F i n a n c i a l C o n d u c t A u t h o r i t y.

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Business Spotlight - est8 planning We interview Neil Johnston of est8 planning

Okay, we have a short quiz for you...

What are the top 4 insurance products sold in the UK every year?

Nope, you’re quite wrong.

Starting at number 4 (and here you need to put on your best Tony Blackburn voice), here’s the count-down: New in at number four is mobile ‘phone insurance At three it’s protect your pooch – pet insurance Holding steady at number two is Buildings and Contents And at number one for yet another year is Car insurance Hmmm… as Neil Johnston of est8 planning points out, there’s no mention of life insurance in the list and that’s worrying. Not surprising maybe, but worrying. www.thehub-community.com

We asked Neil why he thought life insurance was absent from the list.

‘Well,’ says Neil, thoughtfully, ‘I think it can be boiled down to 4 things: firstly, it’s just not interesting, secondly it’s dressed up by some to be pretty complicated, there’s some negative press around at the moment and it’s not illegal if you don’t have it.’

Neil has clearly thought about this a lot, which you’d hope would be the case, so we asked him what he’d do to change the situation.

‘For me,’ he starts, ‘It’s all about education… explaining what people have and don’t have.’

He pauses to think for a moment. ‘Then it’s about

making sure what people have is fit for purpose.’

We didn’t understand what he meant. ‘If a couple,’ Neil explains, ‘have a joint life policy and one of them dies, the policy pays out. But that leaves the surviving partner with no life insurance of their own.’

As Neil points out, it’s just an example but it got us thinking...

Neil owns and runs est8 planning. He visits people at home and explains their protection options in plain but no-nonsense terms.

Neil is a whole of market protection specialist.

If you’d like to arrange a chat with Neil, give him a call on 0131 44 11 000.

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Finest Indian Cuisine FULLY LICENSED RESTAURANT

“Come and have a taste for yourself ” 100 St. Johns Road, Corstorphine Edinburgh EH12 8AT

0131 334 4488

Open 7 days Lunch 12 noon till 2.00pm <> Evening 5.00pm till 11.30pm

TAKEAWAY AVAILABLE

Open 7 days <> Home Delivery & Collection Available Order Online: www.stjohnscurryclub.co.uk WE DELIVER TO: Corstorphine, Sighthill, Wester Hailies, Stenhouse, Chessers, Blackhall, South Gyle, Davidson Mains, Glasgow Road, Queensferry Road, Drumbrae Road, Hutcheson, Longstone, Ballgreen, Gorgie, Slateford Road, Gogar Loch, Clermiston Road, Barnton, Roseburn, Silverknowes, Dalry, Haymarket, Clovenstone, Lanark Road, East Craigs, Cammo Place, Maybury, Ratho, Currie, Edinburgh Airport, Carrick Knowe, Forrester Park, Balerno and others! www.thehub-community.com

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Your specialist bed centre is NOW OPEN in Corstorphine We would like to invite you to drop into our new store to have a look at our wide range of beds, mattresses and bedroom furniture.

Our knowledgeable staff will be on hand to give you help, advice and make you feel welcome.

Corstorphine Bed Centre Visit us at: 162 St Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Road, Corstorphine, Edinburgh

0131 334 5802

corstorphinebedcentre@hotmail.com

www.corstorphinebedcentre.co.uk Our delivery is FREE and we will uplift your old bed. Ask for details. www.thehub-community.com

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Spotlight: Bert’s Maintenance Bert has been supporting The Hub: Corstorphine since day one – a fact we’re very grateful for – so we thought we should really find out much more about Bert’s Maintenance… and were surprised by just how much he does!

‘Well,’ Bert continues after a pause, ‘The first thing is, you can’t see if your gutter is blocked and by the time it is, it’s often too late. The second thing is that guttering is high, it’s difficult to reach and sometimes it can be dangerous to work on.’

The business started off doing what Bert calls ‘general maintenance’, hence the name. But he soon saw a real gap in the market – gutter cleaning and maintenance.

When you think about it in those terms, of course Bert is absolutely right. So the gutter repair work came as a result of the gutter cleaning business?

We asked Bert why he thought there was such a gap.

And it was at this point we discovered something about Bert… he’s a man of few words and clearly very passionate about his business.

‘I think it’s because it’s difficult.’

Okay… can you be a bit more specific?

‘Yes, exactly,’ says Bert in his quiet voice. ‘And the exterior painting is an extension of that.’

Here Bert becomes more animated. ‘Keeping the outside of your home in good condition is so important,’ he explains.

‘Getting work done early can save you lots of money in the long run.

Of course, it’s very nearly last chance saloon when

it comes to painting the outside of your home, so if you some work doing then now’s the time to get in touch with Bert.

‘We’ll probably get a few more weeks to work outside,’ say Bert, ‘But then we’ll really be concentrating on our interior painting and decorating work as well as gutter cleaning and maintenance!’

The message from Bert, then, is clear. If you need some work done on the outside of your home, now’s the time to get in touch. Of course, he’d be more than pleased to hear from you if you need a quote for internal painting and decorating or need your guttering sorted, too!

You can get in touch with Bert and his team by visiting www.bertsmaintenance. co.uk or calling 07935 074856.

www.bertsmaintenance.co.uk www.thehub-community.com

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r ds a c to k you o h p ay than y b a new b e and s n to annou

c

Let us take care of your thank you cards. Simply have a look at our website. www.mainstreamcolour.com Choose the one you would like, then get in touch. We will happily upload your chosen photo, add the childs name to the front and your specific message to the inside.

Get in touch now...

call: 0131 538 5462 mail: print@mainstreamcolour.com surf: www.mainstreamcolour.com www.thehub-community.com

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Spotlight: City Local Marketing your business when the budget is tight as it is with most small businesses, can be tricky.

Add to this what seems like millions of people trying to sell you the latest ‘follow this and I guarantee you’ll increase business by 1,000%’ scheme and it all gets very complicated.

We asked an expert to give us some advice.

Alan Johnston from City Local Edinburgh smiles when we use the word ‘expert’.

‘I’m not an expert,’ he says, modestly. ‘I just know what works.’

Sounds like an expert to us, but we let it go at that. We asked Alan what works for him.

‘Well,’ says Alan, ‘The first rule is that activity drives results.

The more marketing activities you have in place, the better

www.thehub-community.com

your results will be.’

Okay, we get that. What’s the second rule?

Once again Alan smiles before answering: ‘It’s almost impossible to spend no money but there’s lots you can do for free; so my second rule is only spend when you absolutely have to… and have a budget… and stick to it!’

Good advice. Is there a third rule?

‘Oh, yes. Only 50% of your marketing will work and it’s impossible to tell which 50% it is.’

That one had us scratching our heads. We asked for more information.

‘You have to think of your marketing as a whole package.

You can’t do one thing, decide it doesn’t work and move on to the next thing and so on.

You have to put a few things in place because they’ll work together.’

Right, got it. What activity do you suggest?

‘For me, it’s a real mix. Of course, there are different ways for different businesses but generally I think you need something in print, which is why The Hub works well. (We like Alan – Ed.) You need some online marketing which can be a website, but if you’re not up on things like Facebook and Twitter then I think you might be missing a trick.

Finally, somewhere you are meeting people face to face… networking.’

Alan runs City Local, Edinburgh, an online business directory which doesn’t tie you in with a long term contract and guarantees you a page 1 listing on Google.

He’s also integrally involved with 4Networking so he knows his stuff when it comes to promoting your business.

To get in touch with Alan you can call him on 07733327601 or email alan.johnston@ citylocal.co.uk

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Spotlight: Kibble Garden Decor Occasionally at The Hub we get sent information about businesses out of the strict geographic limits of Corstorphine.

Sometimes we put these businesses into the magazine but not without thinking long and hard first…

Except with Kibble Garden Décor…

Even though they are based down in the Borders we just had to find out more about Mark Kibble, his business and their brilliant product.

The first thing that’s striking about Mark is the way he thinks about gardens. Mark sees them as so much more than the space around your home; he sees them as your room outdoors and that philosophy drives everything else.

‘You spend so much time and money choosing your indoor furniture, why wouldn’t you do the same for you room outdoors?’

Asks Mark.

Put like that, we can see his point.

We took a trip down to the Borders to understand more about why Mark is so passionate about what he does.

The drive down the A7 to a few miles south of Gorebridge is very pleasant but doesn’t prepare us for arriving at the Kibble’s place.

When we first accepted the invitation we thought we were on our way to see a ‘workshop’.

What we actually got to see was a purpose built (by Mark and his father), state of the art, fabulous environment for creating fantastic garden furniture.

Mark is quite rightly very proud of what he’s created with his own hands. ‘It allows me to get the detail absolutely right,’ he explains.

And we can see what he means.

Kibble Garden Décor designs and produces top quality garden

furniture to suit every garden, whether you have an acre to spare or a few square metres.

It’s obvious, too, that the quality is second to none. The furniture on display ranges from small sculpture pieces through to substantial table and bench sets which can seat ten people comfortably. But every piece has one thing in common.

It is precision built right in the workshop we’re standing next to and it is finished beautifully…

Run your hand along the grain of the wood and it’s as smooth as silk. Mark is standing by quietly and raises an eyebrow when we look over.

‘We are meticulous in the way we prepare our furniture. We’ve developed our own process and we won’t let a piece of furniture, whether it’s a bird table on full table and bench set, out of the workshop unless it’s perfect.’

We must have looked slightly sceptical about this.

‘I have to be that demanding,’ Mark says by way of explanation.

‘I offer a 10 year personal guarantee with every piece of Kibble Garden Décor we sell.’

There really is something for every garden at Kibble Garden Décor. Find out more at www. kibblegardendecor.co.uk or visit them in person at the workshop on the A7, a few miles south of Gorebridge… there’s a map on the website.

www.thehub-community.com

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The Hub: Corstorphine is a high quality magazine full of interesting articles and full colour adverts.

age p l l r A fu ere fo h ad

0 2 1 £

Advertising with us is cost effective: this full page advert costs just £120 + VAT and with prices t from £40 + VAT for a quarter +va page we have a package to suit all business budgets. The hub: Corstorphine is distributed to 5,000 homes and businesses across Corstorphine 6 times a year.

Sometimes you might want get additional information across to your potential customers. We can write a Spotlight piece for you. We never accept submitted PR. Instead we will talk to you about your business and what makes it tick. We’ll write an editorial based on what you tell us which highlights the work you do.

You will be able to point potential customers to a professionally written and designed editorial that is both interesting and informative. A full page Spotlight feature costs just £150 + VAT. Your business will be listed on our website free of charge for 3 months.

There’s also an online version of the magazine accessed from www.thehub-corstorphine.com. ge a We’ll even feature your business on our Facebook p ll lly A fu page and Twitter feeds. ona d

i e fess& designfor o r p ten ere t h wri torial i ed

0 5 1 £ t +va

All in all The Hub: Corstorphine is a fantastic, cost effective way of promoting your business directly to the local community.

Call us now to book your space in the next edition.

0131 603 5290 I info@thehub-community.com

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Spotlight: Liquid Brewery We interview Ivor Ryndycz from Liquid Brewery

I can remember, when I was a boy in the 1970s, my Mum buying Dad a home beer brewing kit.

www.liquidbrewery.co.uk twitter @LiquidBrewery facebook.com/LiquidBrewery www.thehub-community.com

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To me it seemed like a couple of large plastic bottles and some plastic tubing. My Dad duly followed the instructions and however long it was later we were ready for the first tasting.

Unfortunately the concoction my Dad has managed to create was completely undrinkable and that, as far as home brewing went, was that.

I have to admit I was left with this residual image of brewing when Ivor Ryndycz got in touch to tell us about Liquid Brewery, a brand new micro brewery based right here in Edinburgh.

And my image of ‘micro’ brewing couldn’t have been further from the truth. For example, when we first talked to Ivor his first pallet of new bottles had just been delivered – all 1,125 of them!

Ivor and Alison to date have invested over £10,000 to date. But they’re not resting on their laurels. To take the microbrewery to the next stage they are raising investment through Crowd Funding, which allows anyone to own a part of the brewery.

Ivor and Alison are raising funds which will allow them to buy a 12 barrel brewery www.thehub-community.com

as well as produce cask and keg beers. Investors will be able to achieve a healthy return on their investment.

At full capacity they will be producing around 700,000 litres of beer every year.

And with exports to markets such as Scandinavia, Europe, Canada and the east cost of America, the future looks very bright for Liquid Brewery.

But we had a question, given that Alison and Ivor already run a successful catering business. We started by asking: why?

‘Well, I’ve always had an interest,’ Ivor begins. ‘But as I researched more and more about the process I fell in love with the whole concept.’

He looks off into the distance for a moment, as if remembering those early days. ‘I fully intended it to simply be a hobby but, as these things seem to do, it grew arms and legs!’

Indeed it did. Liquid Brewery is a fully fledged micro brewery capable of brewing thousands of bottles of beer every year.

We asked Ivor what attracted him most to this business.

‘What, apart from sampling my work, you mean?’

He laughs briefly before becoming serious again.

‘It’s the whole process and getting each stage of it right… making sure the ingredients are spot on, brewing at exactly the temperature and bottling at exactly the right time.’

We can certainly vouch for the process being followed very closely. Have a look at the Liquid Brewery Facebook page and it tells you the exact days that brewing and bottling is taking place… a very long way from my Dad’s home brewing kit.

So, tell us more about your beers, Ivor.

It has to be said, at this point, Ivor’s eyes light up.

‘We have three lovely beers.

All blonde ales. There’s Scallywag, Teuchter and ThistleDhu… ‘But you’ll have to try them because it doesn’t really do them justice to describe them!’

We certainly intend to. You can find out more about Liquid Brewery by following their Facebook page where there will be more details of Crowd Funding opportunities announced shortly.

www.thehub-community.com

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Spotlight: Edinburgh Bodytonic

Ever heard of Gyrotonic? No?

Neither had we until we met up with Rhona Maclean.

Rhona Maclean is one of only a handful of teachers of this revolutionary new exercise regime that involves stretching and strengthening the whole body instead of the incessant pounding on a treadmill.

We thought we’d better find out a bit more, especially as Richard seems to be getting a little round about the middle!

Rhona is a tall willowy lady and it comes as no surprise when she tells us that she is a trained ballet dancer who had a professional dance career sadly cut short through illness.

Having suffered from a rare neuromuscular disease she discovered that her illness had been present in her body since adolescence, which got her thinking that all her training must have www.thehub-community.com

kept the affects at bay.

At about the same time as she was thinking this she discovered a dancer called Juliu Horvath, who also had a dance career cut short through injury.

Juliu developed a series of supported exercises to help him recover from his injuries... sort of a cross between yoga, tai-chi and Pilates: Gyrotonic was born.

Rhona travelled to New York and trained there before moving on to Miami and London to complete the learning process. She now teaches Gyrotonic, one to one, at her studio in York Place.

sports people recovering from injury, those simply wishing to build muscle strength to more elderly people who want to stay mobile and fit’.

And who are we to argue?

None other than Andy Murray practices Gyrotonic to help with his back injury... and he went on to win Wimbledon!

You can book a session with Rhona by calling 0131 524 6108 or by visiting www. edinburghbodytonic.co.uk

‘It’s ideal exercise for building long and deep muscle strength and flexibility’, explains Rhona.

‘It works for everyone from For advertising and features - 0131 603 5290 / info@thehub-community.com

Solicitors you’ll enjoy talking to If you need a solicitor chances are life is already complicated.

At DMD Law we recognise this and deliver the very best service to our clients as well as top quality legal advice.

Whether you’re buying or selling a property, you need help with divorce or separation, are looking for advice on inheritance tax or want to set up a will or Power of Attorney we’ll make sure you understand what’s happening at every stage of the process… before you have to ask.

Call us for more information about what we can do for you.

It won’t cost you anything and you can make your mind up after we’ve had a chat. We offer flexible appointments, on site car parking or can come to you if you prefer.

www.dmdlaw.co.uk www.thehub-community.com

0131 316 4666

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We are experts in the field of providing construction and plant training services.

Sibbald Training are experts in the field of providing Construction & Plant Training services for industries such as construction, civil engineering, utilities, local authorities, emergency services, warehousing and distribution. We have an enviable customer base across a wide range of industry sectors.

Our construction plant and health & safety training courses include; Construction Plant CPCS & NPORS, New Roads & Street Works, RTITB, CSCS Vocational, Health & Safety, Manual Handling, Fire Safety, IOSH, PASMA & Safety Passport training. Sibbald cater for industries such as construction, civil engineering, utilities, local authorities, emergency services and warehousing and distribution.

Follow us ....

facebook.com/SibbaldTraining Did you know Sibbald is only 20 minutes from Corstorphine?

enquiries@sibbaldtraining.com | 01501 750900

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Kumonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s maths and English study programmes work to develop your childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s confidence and independent study skills so they excel throughout the new term and beyond.

Contact your local Instructor for a Free Assessment.

Edinburgh, Corstorphine Study Centre Grant Jones 0131 334 1036 kumon.co.uk

Has recession hit your business?

Are sales down?

Why not speak to one of our business analysts to find out what options are available to you...

At Cooperative Solutions, we look after businesses who need help to resolve financial issues. You can speak directly to one of our business analysts who can offer a free initial consultation to help your business move forward.

0845 544 1263 info@coopsolutions.co.uk www.coopsolutions.co.uk

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Our Advertisers Top Tipsajorca David’s

Gardening Tip

Autumn /Early Winter Gardening Tip: Autumn is a great time to rejuvenate a garden for the new season and for next spring…. but there’s plenty to do. These tips are an autumn garden task list that will keep your garden flourishing: • • •

David Hughson from Jim’s Mowing gives us useful gardening tips and advice.

• •

Trim hedges before winter to keep them compact and bushy from ground level.

Check your lawn and make sure any weeds you sprayed last month are dying. Repeat the treatment if necessary.

Aerate the lawn with a garden fork Gather fallen leaves, grass clippings, kitchen scraps and shredded prunings, and layer them in a compost bin. Turn periodically with a garden fork to allow air to circulate and feed organisms, and decompose the organic matter quickly. Don‘t overload your compost with one particular ingredient – maintain a mix.

Transfer the leaves that fall on your garden and lawn to the compost bin on a regular basis, otherwise they will smother your plants and grass.

Don’t rush to prune spent seed heads. They provide a wealth of food for birds that visit the garden.

Look out for the Winter Tip next edition.

Personal pensions Pensions are a particularly good product for tax-conscious investors, because they boost the value of every £1 you invest – as you receive tax relief of at least 22%. Many other products make you wait until your first income payment – or even until the plan matures – before you see any tax benefits.

Pension contributions give you tax relief at the highest rate you pay. For a 40% taxpayer, that means for every £100 invested, the net cost to you is only £60. All pension policy holders can take 25% tax free cash regardless of what type of pension you may have.

You and your employer are able to pay up to one annual allowance for that tax year. This amount is up to 100% of your earnings and for the tax year 2006/2007 this allowance is capped at £215,000, with the limit set at £3,600 for low or non earners paying into a personal and stakeholder pensions.

Renee’s

Money Advice Renee Mackay from Tax assist Accountants gives us useful money saving tips and advice.

Pensions are a fantastic way of mitigating your tax bill if you run a business, too. Call us and we’ll put you in touch with an expert who’ll talk you through your options.

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Gets your child’s new school year off to a confident start Most children start their new school term with fresh notebooks and a crisp new uniform but it’s just as important to ensure they are equipped with the most vital tools needed for a successful year; a good grip on the core subjects of maths and English and the learning skills required for ‘getting on’.

The government is quite right when they say these core subjects are vital for ongoing progression and to give your child the confidence to tackle these subjects will stand them in brilliant stead for their life at school and beyond.

So what’s important to develop this confidence?

Regular study is key – working on these subjects every day. Study of the Kumon programmes, for example, will help develop the ability to learn independently. This means your child won’t be dependent on the skills and knowledge of others. They will be able to apply these skills to all subjects and outside of school too.

The new school year is an ideal time to take advantage of a Free Assessment and enrol your child at your local Kumon centre, to ensure they gain maximum benefit from the year of learning ahead.

For more information or to book your Free Assessment, contact Instructor Grant Jones on 0131 334 1036 or email edinburghcorstorphine@kumoncentre.co.uk.

Jo Worrall’s Safety Advice

Heart Attacks are still one of the biggest killers in Scotland. Lives can be saved by calling 999 and performing Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR to you and me!)

So what’s important when someone is suffering a Heart Attack?

Of course it’s important to recognise a Heart attack. The casualty will have vice-like chest pain, which may spread to their arms, neck, jaw, back or stomach.

Call 999 immediately or get someone else to do it; the quicker the professionals arrive the better the chance of survival.

Make the sufferer comfortable; sit them on the floor, leaning against a wall or something similar… and reassure them that help is on the way; they will be scared. It the worst happens and they fall unconscious and stop breathing start CPR. Hands only is the simplest form which can still help.

Simply place your hands in the centre of the chest and push firmly downwards and release (chest compression).

Repeat at a regular rate and keep going until help arrives.To help you learn just a little bit more which might save a life you can download the free app from the British Heart Foundation.

www.thehub-community.com

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CARS | COMMERCIAL VEHICLES | GREEN FLEET | VEHICLE-PRO AUDIT

Pike & Bambridge Midlothian Innovation Centre Pentlandfield, Roslin EH25 9RE tel: 0131 563 7493 fax: 0800 092 3877 www.pikeandbambridge.co.uk

twitter.com/pikebambridge facebook.com/pikebambridge www.thehub-community.com

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Increase your online bookings and positive reviews with http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk

Get your FREE TripAdvisor Marketing Guide! http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk

Visit soUNIQ.co.uk/TripAdvisorTopTips

Marketing Solutions Call 0845 834 0058 or email info@souniq.co.uk

TBC www.thehub-community.com

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Need Help...

Moving? Storing? Decluttering?

With over 45 years experience, there is very little we don’t know about storage..... you’re in safe hands!

Stop closing the door on the problem!

Have a look at what we can do for you!

“Safe, no fuss, good opening times” Fiona Whittkamp - stored at Sighthill Branch

0800 834 799

info@lenlothian.com

HOME

www.lenlothian.com

Edinburgh Granton I Edinburgh Sighthill I Edinburgh Calder Road I Glasgow Kinning Park I Glasgow Hillington

Imagine a warm summer’s day in your garden… the chores are done, the car is clean and you’re ready for some ‘me’ time.

The Rosebay (10 person seating)

bespoke

To request a brochure or find out more:

Foxglove (custom birdtable)

Your garden really is your room outdoors, a place to relax and enjoy the fruits of your labours whether it’s on your own, with your favourite music playing in the background or with friends and family.

All Garden Décor by Kibble is unique. Each line of grain is carefully nurtured and is exclusively yours. You can be proud knowing that no-one else in the world has furniture the same. Each piece of Garden Décor by Kibble is lovingly hand crafted and treated in our own workshop to your personal specifications, bringing the very best out of each piece of wood.

Calandine Family Dining

call: 01875 835 339 mail: info@kibblegardendecor.co.uk surf: www.kibblegardendecor.co.uk

www.thehub-community.com

garden decor

by Kibble

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The Hub: Business

Of course, the heart of our business is The Hub: Corstorphine – our magazine which is distributed to 5,000 homes and businesses around Corstorphine.

Of course, the heart of our business is The Hub: Corstorphine – our magazine which is distributed to 5,000 homes and businesses around Corstorphine.

Having said that, we are developing a range of services which we’ll tell you about as we finalise the details.

But here’s a sneak peak of what’s coming during the rest of 2013 and throughout 2014.

Rest assured The Hub: Corstorphine will continue to be delivered every two months without fail. Supplementing the www.thehub-community.com

magazine is our website, www.thehub-community.com and we’re making some very exciting changes to the site.

In the future the site will concentrate on four areas: The Hub: Holiday Club, The Hub: Property, The Hub: Motoring and kicking off with The Hub: For Business.

The Hub: For Business will be a place for local businesses to advertise but also to find suppliers, information, help and advice. We also plan to run networking events, bringing together local businesses so we can continue to generate and retain more and more business in Corstorphine.

But we do need your help. What would you like to see from The Hub, whether it’s the magazine, holiday features, properties, motoring or indeed business issues?

We are open to all ideas, so please do visit the website and send us a message, email Richard or Like the Facebook page and get in touch that way.

The more information we can gather about what would be really useful for Corstorphine, the more targeted we can be…

And thanks a million for your help!

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philip::politi Warm up your Hair Colour this Autumn

October Colour Sale We are offering a 30% Discount Off all colour services throughout the month of October, when accompanied with a Cut and Style This is a particularly busy time for the salon, save disappointment and book your appointment now.

Please tear out this voucher to entitle you to your discount.

philip::politi hair and beauty 56/58 st johns road, corstorphine, edinburgh. EH12 8AT

0131 334 0088 www.philippoliti.com

www.thehub-community.com

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William Watt Ltd Electrical Contractors Est 1921

at Designs By Debbie Bridal, Special Occasion Wear And Also Alterations

To Book Your Appointment t. 07766 818 086 e. shop@theagencyscotland.co.uk w. theagencyscotland.co.uk 13 East End, West Calder EH55 8AB

Domestic Installations Commercial Installations Rewiring Fuseboard Upgrades Repairs / Maintenance HMO Inspection & Test Portable appliance testing Fire / Burglar Alarms Data Network Installations Appliance Repairs

FREE estimates I All work guaranteed

0131 229 4030 I 07947 128 697 william_watt@btinternet.com

www.williamwattelectricians.co.uk

facebook.com/theagencyscotland

www.thehub-community.com

• • • • • • • • • •

49 Barclay Place, Edinburgh. EH10 4HW

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Local Hero: Mike Laird We catch up on Mike Laird’s Polar Adventure Earlier in the year we interviewed Corstorphine resident Mike Laird about his forthcoming trip to the North Pole.

Mike made it to the Pole and home safely… well, most of him did. There were some issues with blisters and toes, but we’ll save those pictures for the website!

We talked to Mike about some of his experiences and the impression the trip made on him.

Okay, Mike, you made it back safely, so that has to be a good thing, right?

Mike laughs. ‘Well, yes, I suppose so, but it wasn’t without its challenges and some of us came back pretty battered. Most of it is fixable, though.’

Tell us about some of those challenges.

Mike has to think for a bit. ‘There

were quite a few of them, you understand,’ he says ruefully. ‘For me, I guess, it was the mental challenge of constantly thinking about doing the right things… getting the right calorie intake (about 6,000 calories a day), making sure our clothing, especially the wind suits were secure and strangely, not getting too hot.’

This caused us to raise our eyebrows because Mike had told us of coping with temperatures as low as minus fifty five degrees centigrade, with the wind chill.

‘The cold doesn’t matter so much,’ explains Mike. ‘The sheer effort of walking to the Pole, towing a heavy sled puts a physical strain on your body, which gets hot and you sweat… and believe me, sweating in the polar regions is not good.’

So what about that physical challenge?

Mike shrugs slightly. ‘I’m pretty fit,’ he says, ‘but you can never be prepared for how physically draining the wind and the walking is.

Luckily, though, all our fuel was on my sled so it got lighter as the trip went on.’

He pauses to laugh. ‘I pitied the poor guy who had the refuse sled – his load just got heavier and heavier!’

But Mike had sent us some pretty graphic pictures of a foot injury. ‘Yes, I did suffer from some pretty major blisters, which turned quite nasty! Walking was agony for a while.’

If you’d like to learn more about Mike and his adventures you can visit his website www. jockandthebeanstalk.com.

If you’d like Mike to speak at an event then call him on 07733 337711.

www.jockandthebeanstalk.com www.thehub-community.com

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www.thehub-community.com

For advertising and features - 0131 603 5290 / info@thehub-community.com