Scottish catering and hospitality news in Scotland

One Devonshire Gardens, which was put up for sale last month by Citrus Hotels, has been bought by Malmaison Holdings for £9m. It will be rebranded and operate within the group's Hotel du Vin stable.

One Devonshire Gardens, which occupies a series of Victorian townhouses in Glasgow's west end, was bought over in 2002 by Citrus Hotels, the London-based property company headed by two English millionaires.

Under its ownership, One Devonshire won a host of awards, including Conde Nast Most Excellent City Hotel 2005 and Glasgow Hotel of the Year 2005.

Citrus spent £2m on an extensive refurbishment programme at One Devonshire to offer 35 deluxe bedrooms. In tandem, it launched one of Scotland's largest and most luxurious suites - the £1000-a-night duplex Mews Suite.

April's unsettled weather has lead to gloomy hotel performance during the month, especially outside of London, according to figures from hotel consultant PKF.

Regional hotels increased revenue per available room (revpar) by just 0.5% to £48.45 in April, compared with the 8.2% boost recorded in March. This stagnant performance stemmed from a fall in occupancy of 0.1 percentage points to 71.4%, which barely offset a 0.6% improvement in average room rate to £67.82.

Revpar in London hotels grew by 2.8% to £80.59, significantly down on the 14.4% rise achieved in March. Although occupancy rose by 5.6 percentage points to 79.2%, average room rate declined by 4.5% to £101.75.

The number of overseas tourists to London from North America and Japan dropped by 3.7% and 28.1% respectively, although those from Western Europe grew by 3.6%. Domestic tourism to the capital was 5.5% below April 2005.

New rules mean restaurant tips will no longer be taxed, as long as restaurant managers play no part in collecting or dishing them out to employees.

HM Revenue and Customs calculates that tips and service charges can make up almost 10% of a restaurant's turnover. Until recently National Insurance had to be paid on all tips given to employees.

Now, however, as long as the employer plays no part in deciding how tips are shared among employees and there are no mandatory service charges, then no National Insurance contributions will be due.

Martin Johnson, a member of the hotels and restaurants sector at national accountancy group UHY Hacker Young, says: "This is great news for businesses and their staff. Provided the tip is given straight to the employee, then no National Insurance will be due. This will mean a massive cost saving for both employers and employees.

"Tips can also be collected and shared by employees as long as the employer is not involved in the process. The Revenue was keen to argue that all tips were liable for National Insurance so this is a major turnaround. However, the Revenue will come down hard on managers found to be benefiting from tips themselves."

Beanscene - the fast growing coffee and music house chain spreading throughout the neighbourhoods of Scotland's main towns and cities - open its 13th store in Haymarket, Edinburgh today.

The new 1900 sq ft Haymarket Beanscene can accommodate 70 customers and is situated at 2 Grosvenor Street on the corner of Haymarket Cross, just across from Haymarket train station.

Gordon Richardson, Beanscene CEO, said, 'Haymarket is exactly the right location for Beanscene and we've been keen to open here for some time. Now that we've found such a prime location, we're looking forward to welcoming new customers to Beanscene at Haymarket.'

The new Haymarket store will open from 6.30am - the earliest of all Beanscenes - in order to serve the morning rush hour of early bird commuters looking to kick-start the working day with a fresh cup of coffee.

The new store joins three other Edinburgh Beanscenes at Parkgate, South Bridge and Edinburgh Quay while another five outlets are scheduled to open in the capital this year at South Gyle, Broughton, Morningside, Stockbridge and Commercial Quay, Leith.

Beanscene offers a broad selection of coffees, soft drinks and accompanying muffins, baguettes, sandwiches and pastries and its food offering extends to soups, salads, vegan stews, tapas, pizza and paella available all day - with healthy options for kids - and it operates a Bring Your Own Bottle policy too.

Six years from start-up, Beanscene has already started to evolve into a broader-based lifestyle business targeted at 25-50 year olds whilst remaining true to its original ethos. This evolution has been achieved through the launch of record label Luna and a regular schedule of live acoustic in-store performances. Meanwhile, the Scene is Beanscene's unique triple A (Alternative, Adult, Album) format in-store and internet radio station, designed to ensure that whether you're at work, rest or play, Beanscene can continue to provide the perfect soundtrack to your life.

'What sets Beanscene apart from all the other coffee houses and music retailers out there is that we bring our passion for music and the constant pursuit of the ultimate caffeine kick together at each and every store,' said Richardson. 'When you visit Beanscene, you can sit down with wired java, latte, cappuccino, espresso or the rest, choose from a mouth-watering selection of freshly made sandwiches and pastries and tune in to the 'sound of the scene'.

That coffee and music combo has proved incredibly popular with Scots. There are currently 13 Beanscenes spread throughout Scotland and the business will officially 'come of age' by the year end when there will be 21 stores. Beanscene's turnover is currently £4.2 million and it employs some 200 staff.

On Thursday 18th May, competitive enthusiasts turned out in force for Hospitality Action's 5th annual 'It's a Knockout event - a worthy outing for fun, games and team spirit, all whilst giving something back to the industry. The event took place in Kensington's Holland Park and attracted in the region of 230 guests with 18 teams taking part to raise over £18,000 for the hospitality industry's benevolent organisation.


Despite the threat of showers, sunshine prevailed as the teams competed in eight different fun packed games, which demanded a range of skills and effective teamwork. The afternoon commenced with giant chicken costumes, a supersize air-filled dartboard and demolition ball and splashed into the afternoon with plenty of water, foam and giant inflatables.

Once the scores were tallied up, BaxterStorey's 'BS Bandits' were named 'It's a Knockout' champions for 2006. Second place went to 'Rocco Rocks' from Rocco Forte Hotels, with Caterer & Hotelkeeper's 'Press Gang' and Dewberry Redpoint's 'Cost Sector Cardiacs' taking joint third position.

The event was sponsored once again by William Murray PR and Jellybean Creative, who both entered teams in the competition. Food, drink and supplies for the afternoon were kindly donated by 3663 First for Foodservice, Abbeywell Water, HP Foodservices, Kitchen Range Foods, P&G Professional, Premier Foods, Restaurant Associates, Tchibo, Unilever Foodsolutions and Westler Foods.

The Winners of the CiS Excellence Awards for 2006

Healthy Eating Award
Sponsored by Joseph Mitchell (Letham) Ltd.

Michael Ball
Almond Catering, Quarrywood Court, Livingston, EH54 6AX.


Contract Catering Chef of the Year
Sponsored by Major International

Robbie Robertson
ESS Support Services Worldwide, 13 Carden Place, Aberdeen, AB10 1UR


Restaurant Newcomer of the Year
Sponsored by Unilever Foodsolutions

Michael Caines Restaurant at Abode
129 Bath Street, Glasgow


Innovation in Training
Sponsored by Chess Partnership

Bernard Murphy, Compass Group Managed Services
RBS Gogarburn, PO Box 1000, Edinburgh EH10 1HQ


Food Tourism Award
Sponsored by Host Contract Management

Alastair Dobson, A Taste of Arran
Market Road, Brodick, Isle of Arran, KA27 8AV


Independent Event Caterer of the Year
Sponsored by ASA International & Ceramic Tile Distributors

Wilde Thyme Ltd
Unit 3, Tomperran, Comrie, Perthshire, PH6 2LS


Chef of the Year
Sponsored by BaxterStorey Ltd

Willie Pike
Costley & Costley Hotels


Culinary Excellence Restaurant of the Year
Sponsored by Almond Catering Ltd

The Three Chimneys
Mr & Mrs E Spear, Colbust, Dunvegan, Isle of Skye, IV55 8ZT


Restaurant Manager of the Year
Sponsored by Avenance

Gary Quinn
Number one Restaurant, The Balmoral, 1 Princes Street, Edinburgh, EH2 2EQ


The Development Chef Award
Sponsored by Charlton House Catering Services Ltd

Robbie Gleave
Heritage Portfolio, 49a North Fort Street, Edinburgh EH6 4HJ


Hotel of the Year
Sponsored by ARAMARK

The Westin Turnberry Resort
Stewart Selbie, General Manager


The CIS Lifetime Excellence Award
Sponsored by Braehead Foods Ltd

Fergus Chambers

A varied programme of music, song and dance ensured success for the 22nd annual Strichen Festival.

Competitors from all parts of the north-east and as far away as Perth delighted big crowds of spectators at the different events.

A pre-festival dance on Friday at the Ritchie Hall, featuring Jennifer Forrest and her Scottish dance band, set the scene for the competitions on Saturday. These included story telling, Doric verse and ballad and bothy ballad singing from entrants of all ages.

On the music front, visitors enjoyed fiddle, accordion, piano and recorder performances.

The Ritchie Hall was the venue for an open-air concert on Saturday followed by the prizewinners show compered by Robbie Shepherd and a ceilidh featuring Fine Blend with Bill Brian.

The festival drew to a close yesterday afternoon with a ceilidh at the British Legion hall.

THE Scotch whisky industry is to invest £2m in an upgrade of its Edinburgh tourism centre. In 2005 the Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre made a pre-tax profit of £400,000 on a turnover of £3m.

The first phase of the project at the Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre will include a £400,000 upgrade of the frontage that will include building a glass cylinder that will open out on to Castle Wynd. The visitor tour is set to be improved in 2007.

Due to continued success north of the border Clear Image, a fire and security solutions provider, have announced the appointment of Neil Alexander in the role of Regional Manager Scotland. Neil brings with him nearly 10 years industry specific experience having worked throughout Scotland.

In recent years Clear Image has expanded their customer base in Scotland to such a size that it became apparent that a local Management structure is required.

Looking forward, Clear Image plan to give more focus to Scotland and grow the business organically, utilising the same work ethics and excellent customer service that have seen the rapid expansion of the business since humble beginnings in 1997.

When asked for comment Neil said "With the company focus on customer service and the real sense of being a security partner, Clear Image are now in a position to offer a real alternative within the Scottish Security marketplace to the usual suspects. I am relishing the challenge and believe that, being one of the few independent national companies, we can offer a completely unbiased consultative service ensuring that our customers truly have the right company and equipment for the job."

Clear Image is a dynamic integrated fire and security solutions provider specialising in the installation, service and maintenance of a range of electronic and physical fire and security solutions including: Intruder Alarms, CCTV, Remote Monitoring, Perimeter and Fire Protection, Access Control, Asset Protection & Personnel Tracking systems.

Contact Clear Image on 0800 731 0335 or at www.clearimage.co.uk

Hoteliers, caterers, restaurateurs, landlords, and managers of leisure facilities and recreational clubs across the UK are being urged to shout about their recycling successes in the National Recycling Awards 2006.

The category for Best Retail Recycling Initiative, introduced last year, recognises businesses and organisations in the leisure and retail sector that have introduced programmes to boost recycling and waste reduction both in-store and to the general public. The winner will be presented with their award at a glamorous black-tie awards ceremony to be held at the Bournemouth International Centre on 15 November 2006.

Now in their eighth year, the National Recycling Awards organised by Materials Recycling Week are widely acknowledged as the stamp of excellence in the recycling industry. Entries should cover the period 1 January 2005 to 25 August 2006. Guidelines can be found on www.nationalrecyclingawards.com and the closing date for entries is 25 August 2006.

Jane Rayner, chair of the judges and group editor for Materials Recycling Week said: "The Awards are aimed at rewarding good practice and creativity, as well as developing a network of people who can provide advice to others who may be adopting similar initiatives. Past winners have been contacted frequently by others keen to gain their knowledge on specific projects, and have found that the recognition of winning a National Recycling Award has helped in attaining funding for future development and winning tenders, as well as providing a well- earned boost to staff."

Closed Loop London (CLL) and Marks & Spencer's (M&S) won Best Retail Recycling Initiative 2005, for their achievements in the food and drink plastic packaging area. Packaging for the M&S Good to Go and produce ranges now has a recycled content of between 30 and 50%. M&S has also removed all plastic sandwich trays from its stores, saving a total of 200 tonnes of plastic a year. CLL project manager Olivia Tait said: "The award acts as an endorsement for the initiative taken in the area of retail recycling, and provides positive reinforcement to companies within the retail sector that this is way forward."

JD Wetherspoon was highly commended for its company-wide recycling initiative which recovered 1,700 tonnes of recyclable materials from its 640 pubs in nine months and sent its cooking oil for reprocessing into biodiesel.

The entries to the 2006 National Recycling Awards will be judged in September by a panel of industry professionals including Lee Marshall, chairman, Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee; Dr Jane Gilbert, chief executive, Composting Association; Andrew Braund, head of health and safety, Confederation of Paper Industries; Trevor Hay, inspector, waste management and recycling section, Health and Safety Executive; Cam Matheson, project manager, East London Community Recycling Partnership and Michael Philpott, president, Chartered Institution of Wastes Management.

The National Recycling Awards 2006 are sponsored by Cleanaway, Grosvenor,
REPIC, Valpak, Veolia Environmental Services, Viridor and www.mrw.co.uk

Whisky's days as the UK's favourite spirit are numbered, according to market analyst Datamonitor.

Although Whisky remains the largest category of the UK spirits market, accounting for 38% of total sales worth £3.7b, its growth has stagnated while vodka's popularity is soaring.

Datamonitor predicts Vodka, which is the second largest category presently, will enjoy growth of 21% to £3.8b in 2010. Unflavoured vodka accounts for 90% of sales. Whisky will manage only 5% growth to £3.9b during this time. Scotch Whisky contributes the lion?s share of volume, at 70% of sales.

The UK spirits market is one of the biggest in Europe, worth £9.6b in 2005. The average Brit drinks 3.8 litres of spirits a year and spends £160. By 2010 the UK spirit market is expected to be worth £10.7b, with growth of around 2.3% each year.

Glasgow based Chardon Management has revealed a multi-million expansion programme. The Scottish hotel chain, which has more than half its hotels in Scotland, is to embark on a £31m plan to finance five new businesses throughout the UK.

Nicola Taylor, the marketing director, revealed the plans which will see the company expand from managing 12 hotels to 17 across the UK. Chardon was set up by Nicola's father Maurice Taylor after trips to the US where he witnessed the franchise system of hotel ownership and management.

The Chardon Hotel growth fund will own the hotels and Chardon Management will operate the businesses and employ the staff. It is the latest expansion of the business after last year it acquired seven Hilton Hotels in Scotland and England in a £111m deal and rebranded five of them as Holiday Inns.

Scottish chef Tom Kitchin is opening a new restaurant on the waterfront in Leith, showcasing the skills he has learned from more than a decade of working alongside such culinary superstars as Pierre Koffman, Alain Ducasse and Guy Savoy.

The Kitchin, owned and operated by Tom Kitchin and his fiancée Michaela Berselius, features a menu emphasising the freshest, seasonal produce, locally sourced wherever possible. "'From nature to plate' is how you could sum up our philosophy," Kitchin says.

After serving his apprenticeship at Gleneagles Hotel, Edinburgh-born Kitchin developed his skills by working in the kitchens of some of the world's most famous chefs. He spent nearly five years working for the legendary Pierre Koffman in the three-Michelin-starred La Tante Claire in London, during which time Koffman became both a friend and mentor. Kitchin also worked at the three star Restaurant Guy Savoy in Paris, and spent two years at Alain Ducasse's renowned three star Louis XV restaurant in Monte Carlo.

Those experiences and skills have marked Kitchin out as one of the rising stars of his generation of chefs, and when he and Berselius decided to open their own restaurant, they chose Leith's Commercial Quay as the location.

"I am very proud of my French training," Kitchin says. "Not many chefs anywhere have had the kind of experiences and training I have had, and particularly for a Scot it is very rare. However, what I am going to be doing is bringing these French techniques to bear on Scottish produce in a way which is approachable, appealing and not at all stuffy."

The couple have created a restaurant with two completely distinct and complementary areas. At the front, facing across the water to the Scottish Executive building, is an airy, conservatory-like bar. Comfortable chairs and a sweeping curve of bar make it a comfortable oasis for a drink and light bar snacks. Follow the curve of the bar around and a short passageway walled with a glass-fronted wine cellar leads through to the dining room, where above a slightly raised platform is a touch of pure theatre: a large glass window opens directly onto Kitchin's brightly lit work space, framing his activities as if on a stage.

Kitchin says that placing himself on centre stage is a way of emphasising that everything that is served is freshly prepared by him. "This is a chef's restaurant, and anyone coming here for a meal has a right to expect it will have been prepared by the chef."

The restaurant features the plates and cutlery from La Tante Claire, sold to Kitchin by Pierre Koffman at a "friendly price" after he retired and closed the famous restaurant three years ago.

Berselius - who has an equally impressive background in restaurant and hotel management including several years at the ultra-luxury Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai - is in charge of all aspects of front-of-house. She says creating the separate bar area was part of a conscious effort to limit the number of covers served each night, so that they could concentrate on the quality of the food.

"We are very conscious of the need to pay attention to all the details, of both the food and the service. The restaurant will be informal, welcoming and the food will match that atmosphere."

She says: "We see the waterfront area as having a great deal of potential. We are very confident that people in Edinburgh will travel for good food, and Leith is only 15 minutes away from most parts of the city. Martin Wishart is showing that Leith is a venue for very fine food, and while our restaurant is more informal and relaxed, the food we offer is of that quality."

Paul Hart, Head Chef at Cringletie House Hotel in Peebles has been awarded Hotel Chef of the Year at the Scottish Chef Awards 2006. This is the first time such an award has been presented to a Chef in the Borders region.

The award, which was presented at the tenth anniversary gala dinner of the Scottish Chef Awards in Glasgow on Sunday 7 May, follows Paul's recent highly commended award from Hotel Review Scotland as 'The Scottish Hotel Chef of the Year'.

Paul has been at Cringletie House since 2004. His classical French training has been gained at Michelin star restaurants including Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons in Oxfordshire and The Moody Goose in Bath where he worked as Sous Chef prior to joining the team at Cringletie House. Paul said: 'I am delighted to have been presented with this prestigious award and am really grateful to my team for their support'.

Cringletie House is set in 28 acres of gardens and situated in the heart of the Scottish Borders only 40 minutes drive from Edinburgh. This romantic baronial mansion was also recently awarded three red stars from the AA, making it the only hotel in the Scottish Borders with such an accolade and is listed amongst the AA's Top 200 hotels in Great Britain and Ireland with its restaurant retaining two AA rosettes since 2003.

In the recent Hotel Review Scotland Awards Cringletie House was very highly commended in 'The Scottish Country House Hotel of the Year' and 'The Scottish Hotel Chef of the Year' categories. It was also a finalist in the 'Scottish Hotel of the Year Award 2006'.

The 9th Annual Skills for Chefs Conference 26-27 June in Sheffield puts a whole host of leading chefs under the spotlight.

We expect over 300 chefs representing all sectors of the industry will attend this year and we are delighted with the support we have received from all the chef associations who have endorsed the conference.

In addition to the conference providing a platform for presenting chefs to showcase their culinary talents the opportunity to debate issues affecting the industry are not to be missed.

One of the key sessions at the conference is entitled "Current Affairs" and this will be chaired by David Mulachy, Vice President of the Craft Guild of Chefs. A panel of industry key figures is promised and the agenda will focus on the new craft qualifications offered by City and Guilds, ethical purchasing, a dietary vision of the future,management skills for chefs plus other items that may become topical over the coming weeks. Outcomes of these panel sessions are communicated to senior influential figures, politicians and trade bodies.

The conference this year will be opened by Brian Turner CBE who will give an insight into his career and at the same time comment on matters affecting the modern chef. Brian is a great ambassador for all things British and we can be assured he will be encouraging delegates to think likewise.

The finale of the conference is the Gala Dinner and this is being created by a team that includes Andrew Bennett Executive Chef of The Sheraton Park Lane Hotel, Ralph Porciani Executive Chef of The Westin Turnberry Resort, Mick Burke Senior Lecturer at The Sheffield College and The University of Sheffield Culinary team led by Tracy Carr.

Lindley Catering and Heathcotes Outside have merged to create a sports stadium and events catering specialist with a turnover of £40m.

Heathcote's Outside was created 10 years ago by Michelin-starred chef/restaurateur Paul Heathcote, who becomes an executive director at Lindley as part of the deal.

Lindley Catering, which was set up 38 years ago, operates more than 50 contracts for cricket, football and rugby clubs as well as leisure groups such as the Malvern Theatre Group and the Royal Agricultural Showground in Stoneleigh, Warwickshire.

A new free phone service has launched in Glasgow pubs in a bid to combat drink driving.

Backed by the Scottish Executive, Road Safety Scotland and insurer Direct Line, the new initiative has seen free phones installed in 14 pubs as part of the initial scheme pilot.

Installed in pubs in both city centre and suburban areas, the free phones connect punters directly to the nearest taxi cab company in the area.

A deadline has been set for investors looking to take over one of Scotland's most prestigious hotels. Offers for One Devonshire Gardens in Glasgow's West End will be accepted until midday on Friday May 19.

The firm handling the sale says the response from interested parties has already been "outstanding" with almost 20 viewings taking place during its first week on the market. The luxury Victorian property was put up for sale at offers over £8m last month by its owner, the Citrus Hotels group.

The London-based property company, which acquired the hotel in 2002, has spent £2m on an extensive refurbishment programme at One Devonshire, to offer 35 de luxe bedrooms. It also boasts its own restaurant, No 5.

Citrus recently acquired number four Devonshire Gardens for a sum understood to be in the region of £500,000. The purchase means that, for the first time in its 20 year history, One Devonshire now occupies a terrace of five Victorian townhouses.

Hot weather and G8 protests led to a drop in visitors to Scotland's top attractions last year. Figures from VisitScotland reveal that more than 18 million people visited 700 popular destinations, generating £4.4 billion.

But while insisting overall figures for Scotland looked encouraging, tourism leaders admitted that major attractions, such as Edinburgh or Stirling castles, saw visitor number numbers fall because of the protests at the height of the G8 summit in July.

The country's No1 attraction, Edinburgh Castle, saw 1,187,342 visitors in 2005, against 1,243,570 in 2004.

Indoor venues, such as Our Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh, lost out because of the hot weather.

Space Solutions have been appointed by CCK Bars Ltd to create a new style bar which is planned to open within the next three months in central Edinburgh.

Extending to just over 2,000 sq ft, the lower ground floor of the bar will have a minimalist feel but will incorporate motifs with the feel of the Arts & Crafts movement and will use strategic mood changing lighting to create different ambiences throughout the day and evening.

Callum Mackinnon, a Director of CCK Bars Ltd, commented: "We are extremely excited about the prospect of opening our first style bar within Edinburgh city centre. Frederick Street is one of the best known locations within the city centre linking George Street and Princes Street and we expect to be open for business by June 2006."

Radisson SAS Hotel, Glasgow's leading five star award winning 250 bedroomed city centre hotel, is delighted to announce that David Allan, Food & Beverage Manager, has been presented with an Acorn Award at the recent ceremony at the Lowry Hotel, Manchester.

The Caterer & Hotelkeeper Acorn Awards, now in their 20th year, are one of the hospitality industry's most prestigious accolades, presented to 30 outstanding achievers under the age of 30 who have continued to exceed expectations.

Philip Mahoney, General Manager of the Radisson SAS Hotel said: "I am thrilled to see David's hard work and dedication has received the recognition it deserves. David joined the hotel when it first opened in 2002 as Restaurant Manager and quickly established himself as a valuable member of the team. He attended the Radisson SAS 6 month Management Development Programme (mdp) STAR - committed to developing managers of the future and encouraging talented career people with a passion for the industry.

This is a detailed Management Development Programme focussing on training and coaching for managers along with managing teams and their performances as well as leading for tomorrow. He was promoted to Food & Beverage Manager in December 2004 and looks after two restaurants, three bars and conference facilities for up to 800 guests. He is also actively involved in the Glasgow Restaurateurs' Association."

David comments: "I am delighted to be awarded such a high accolade within the industry but I couldn't have achieved this without the help and support of the Radisson. I am very much looking forward to being part of the Acorn Club and giving something back to the industry."

Ten students from the Adam Smith College, Fife have hit the big time after each receiving a prestigious scholarship award.

For the fifth year running the Hospitality Industry Trust for Scotland (HIT Scotland) has been extremely impressed with the dedication and high standards of the College's students that they have donated a very generous £5000 to be shared equally among the ten recipients.


The scholarships were awarded to the students by Dr Craig Thomson, Principal of the Adam Smith College, Fife at a special presentation held recently at the College's St. Brycedale campus in Kirkcaldy.

Award winners from the Kirkcaldy area include: Leeann Whyte, Claire Forrest and Alice Allan from Kirkcaldy, Fiona Hogwood from Cardenden, and Tracy McColl from Auchtertool.

HIT Scotland encourage students with a bright future into the Scottish Hospitality and Tourism Industry with the aim of continuing to make Scotland an internationally renowned and quality destination. The students were delighted to be recognised by an organisation that is known around the world and to receive their awards from the Principal.

The scholarships were judged on academic achievement, financial need and the students' commitment to studies and tourism in Scotland. As well as supporting the students financially the scholarships also recognise individual achievement and help to build student confidence.

Other students who were awarded HIT Scotland awards were Corina Clark, Mary Damner, Kimberley Brock and Kimberley Marshall from Glenrothes and Deborah Cummins from Markinch.