Two years working in Italy in my twenties introduced me to great tasting coffee. So I know my coffee and it was with anticipation I awaited the opening of Epulum. I had heard that the coffee was going to be great following the owner's training in Italy with Illy.
And the coffee hasn't disappointed me. In my opinion Epulum has the best coffee for miles and miles. It was while my husband and I were in enjoying the coffee one day that we spied the poster for the Valentine's Feast. So we booked - hoping that the meal would be as good as the coffee. To read more, click here
|
 One of the EKJN team spent part of the Christams break in Brussels, and was impressed by the Christmas lights in the market square. There's a fantastic display there every year using free-standing light boxes and lighting projectors.
The light boxes pulse with festive colours in time to the festive music, and the lighting projectors play out multicoloured festive scenes on the facades of the buildings. To read more, click here. |
|
Look out for the next members in May - details to follow
Office Bearers Meeting
Wed 11th March
Business Gateway
Interactive workshop with measurable outcomes
Wed 4 Mar:Trading Electronically
Wed 1 April: Time Management
(e-mail: Laura Maltman)
Mentoring Mondays
Mon 2nd March at Donaldsons School at 5pm. Click here for more details.
Networking Evening
Thurs 12th March 5.30pm-7.30pm at Hillcroft Hotel. Click here for more details. |
|
ARCHITECTS ARE A STRANGE BUNCH |
Architects are a strange bunch. Offer them a flat, featureless piece of land, an unlimited budget, and tell them to design any building they wish, and you'll find that all their creativity comes to a shuddering halt. It's like writer's block; that lack of inspiration that comes from staring at a blank piece of paper. By contrast, the site that EKJN have chosen for their new eco-office provides plenty of inspiration.
To read more, click here. |
How about promoting your business by hosting an LBA Meeting at your premises?
Contact Elodie at the Language Room:
e:Elodie; tel: 670009
| |
|
|
|
Welcome to the February issue of the LBA newsletter!
Spring is in the air and maybe it's a good time for businesses to "spring clean" their plans and ideas for the coming year. With the initial flush of "New Year Resolutions" fading fast this is the time to take a long hard look at what you will do to promote and protect your business in what could be unusually trying times.
The Business Association will continue to work with West Lothian Chamber of Commerce to promote their Group Mentoring programme and with Business Gateway and Alan McColm to provide productive interactive workshops designed to get you thinking and planning effectively.
Looking further ahead, to building Linlithgow's longer term future, the first phase of Linlithgow Aspires is now underway and on course to report at the end of March.
Many thanks to everyone who helped organise the Farmhouse Breakfast at Belsyde Farm - especially Nan Hay and her team. Once again, it was a superb event thoroughly enjoyed and fully appreciated by all who were able to attend. Thanks again to Nan, Beth, Jim and Margaret
In this issue look out for:
- Linlithgow Aspires, new business article: Hyndberry
- Comment on the postal service, architects and Christmas Lights!
- Grab a chance to help promote Celebrate Linlithgow and your business .............and much more!
| |
The Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism, Jim Mather MSP, facilitated an interactive session with a wide community audience in autumn of last year on the subject of achieving the best economic, environmental and social future for Linlithgow. Since then a series of strategic partnership meetings have been held to analyse findings from the event, and initiate further action.
Next steps announced following Minister's address at Linlithgow Stakeholder Event
The next stage is to involve the wider community. Funds have been allocated to deliver the first step of this wider community engagement that will lead to the establishment of an Executive Group to oversee the creation of a 20 year vision for Linlithgow. This vision will ensure that all projects are co-ordinated to enhance each other and maximise the benefit of any undertakings and spending of funds within Linlithgow. To read more, click here.
|
|
LBA BREAKFAST BRINGS BURGH INITIATIVE TO THE TABLE |
|
Nan Hay, owner of Belsyde Farm Guest House, hosted a "Farmhouse Breakfast" for members of the Linlithgow Business Association on Shrove Tuesday. Guests included David Tait, the Association's chairman, who announced the launch of www.linlithgowaspires.co.uk - the website dedicated to the LBA initiative for the future advancement of the royal burgh.
Over breakfast, David Tait told the thirty guests that everyone's needs and views will be represented by Linlithgow Aspires. "We have launched a campaign to secure representation from all community members and organisations. To read more, click here.
|
|
LINLITHGOW BUSINESS WORKSHOPS
|
|
Business Gateway West Lothian in association with Linlithgow Business Association is pleased to invite you to two evening workshops. The March and April workshops will be led once again by local business coach Alan McColm, and will build on the highly successful meeting led by Alan in February.
The sessions will focus on the following areas:
- Identifying a Target Market
- Clarifying your 'Unique Selling Proposition
- Increased Lead Generation
- Client retention
 Both workshops will take place at Donaldson's School in Linlithgow, starting at 18:00 on: Wed 4 March & Wed 1 April.
|
|
CELEBRATE LINLITHGOW ARTS FESTIVAL 2009 |
|
PROMOTION OPPORTUNITY FOR LINLITHGOW BUSINESSES
The 4th "Celebrate Linlithgow" arts festival will take place over 4 weekends in October 2009. Hurrah! As usual the festival will be funded by a variety of different grants and donations, but this year the organising committee, the Linlithgow Community Arts Association, are offering 10 lucky Linlithgow Businesses the chance to get involved with a serious bit of self-promotion.
This is your chance to have your logo included on the 16,000 leaflets that are distributed across the Central Belt, on the huge poster that will be at the railway station in August and September, on the 'Celebrate Linlithgow' website and on each of the 10 foot-long banners that will be located in various places around the town. To read more click here. |
|
 MAKING MONEY FOR YOU
LBA committee member Simon Walton, of the Utility Warehouse, the discount club that reduces costs on basic services for home and business, tells members of ways to tighten your belt, without feeling the pinch.
SAVING YOUR SAVINGS
Wouldn't it be nice to read, just once, a story that says "here's some money in your pocket"? This then, is the feature you've been waiting for. Utility Warehouse is not just about cutting costs - it's about making money for you too.
These days, you can't pick up a newspaper without reading advice about how to make ends meet when times are tough. However, to take advantage of the majority of these cunning plans, you'd already have to be as ecologically profligate as a posse of riders of the carbon apocalypse. So here are some ideas that can change your life, without changing your lifestyle (click here to read more).
|
Is it just me or does Linlithgow have the worst postal service in Scotland?
Over the past couple of years I've lost count of the number of packages that have mysteriously gone 'missing'. Obviously there are the regular "Oh didn't you get the cheque? It must have got lost in the post" excuses that we're all used to, but I'm actually starting to believe them! In particular I find large envelopes containing half a dozen drawings regularly disappear into the black hole that passes for a sorting office. It's as though the large packages are just too much bother for the posties to deal with. I'm certain that at least one of the posties must have a skip instead of a delivery van. To read more, click here.
|
Hyndberry is a new catering company set up by Catriona Staddon, former chef and proprietor of Marynka in Linlithgow. The company buys fresh ingredients from local producers and cooks to order for private and corporate events, and for ready-cooked dishes to reheat at home - ie. ready meals. In addition to catering, Catriona offers lessons in basic cooking skills. Check out our website.
From simple sandwiches to fabulous feasts, Hyndberry caters for all sorts of events, both private (christenings, weddings, anniversaries, birthdays) and corporate (receptions, lunches, boardroom meetings, conferences). Each event is unique and receives the best personal attention.
The ready-meals delivery service offers delicious seasonal meals in single and multi-portion sizes which are ordered from the website and delivered every week to customers within the Edinburgh and Lothian area. This service will be fully operational by the end of March. To read more click here.
To get in touch please phone 01506 467132 or 07500 837125, email us or visit our website. | |
|
Do you want to use the newsletter to promote your business?
An article?
A member's offer?
An event?
A free service to LBA members!
| |
|
