IN THE context of the constitutional debate about Scotland’s future, the major public institutions are being re-examined and evaluated, and important questions are being asked.

So what about the Scottish universities? Do we really understand what they are, what they do, and how they can bring further benefits?

Just over two years ago I was asked by the Scottish Government to chair a review of higher education governance. One of the very interesting aspects of the work we undertook was the dialogue we had with various stakeholders, representing the universities themselves, students, staff and trade unions, industry, state agencies and interested members of the public. Almost everyone agreed that Scotland’s universities played a vital role in the country’s development, and that overall they were hugely successful.

But beyond that consensus there were some complex and varied views of what we as a society expect universities to deliver. We want them to teach students, but that’s not the whole story. We want them to be successful at hosting new inventions and discoveries; we want them to be a magnet for investment and employment; we want them to promote the arts and culture; we want them to stimulate debate; we want them to address social exclusion and discrimination; we want them to be good employers; we want them to be successful exporters of high value services; we want them to be developers of high quality and aesthetically pleasing buildings and facilities. And we want them to do all of this for free, or at least without being an excessive drain on public money.

It seems clear to me that if we want all of these benefits from our higher education system, we need to look more closely at the institutions themselves and what roles they can play. They are not all the same. They have varied origins and histories, and have come into the system with different missions. Some are very old, and some are quite new. Some are relatively big, and some quite small. Some have a very wide portfolio of subjects, programmes and activities, while others are more specialised (and in a small number of cases, very specialised).

Co-ordinated cluster of higher education

The diversity of the Scottish system is not unique or even unusual. Our neighbours in England have it also, and in the United States there is an amazing array of institutions with different strategies, different local or regional or international engagements, different target populations for the student body, and so forth.

Scotland is a small country, however, with a much more integrated society. It needs diversity, but a diversity that is more networked than it would need to be in a larger country. In order to present itself as a knowledge-intensive country, Scotland needs to see its universities not as a set of institutions divided into groups pursuing different objectives, but as a co-ordinated cluster of higher education institutions, with a diversity of missions but an overall unity of purpose.

For that to succeed, universities need to collaborate closely where that is appropriate, but also need to be accorded parity of esteem and support. We are too small to have an elite circle of institutions from which some universities are excluded. We can and should compete with each other as we pursue excellence, but we should not have to compete for support and approval by government or its agencies.

Ensuring Scotland benefits from the skills of graduates

One of the interesting, and positive, aspects of Scottish higher education is that the so-called “mission groups” (like the Russell Group, the University Alliance, and so forth), while having members in Scotland, have not really carried much weight, nor have they created divisions in inter-university relations. On the other hand, the view is sometimes expressed that there are some “elite” universities, with the obvious implication that others are less important or influential. As a country we cannot afford that, and should resist it.

My own strategic priority for my university, Robert Gordon University, is that we will seek to lead public debate about higher education, and lead in those fields in which we have or can gather special expertise. In partnership with others, we shall ensure that Scotland benefits from the quality and skills of our graduates, from our ambitious development of intellectual property and scholarship that changes lives, from our ability to stimulate economic and cultural development, and from our capacity to pursue constant innovation. For Scotland to thrive, all universities should be encouraged to be leaders, so that this country will be recognised as the home of educational renewal innovative excellence. That should be everyone’s mission.

• Professor Ferdinand von Prondzynski is principal and vice-chancellor of Robert Gordon University, www.rgu.ac.uk

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Discussion over the role of universities has thrown up some creative ideas on how to meet the highest standards, writes Alastair Sim

The past few months have seen much discussion about universities and their place in public life. That has been a challenging but ultimately fruitful debate, which I believe has consolidated understanding of the role of autonomous universities, which are fully responsible for their effective use of public money, in our public life.

This debate has taken several forms. Some of it has taken place around the passage of the Post-16 Education (Scotland)Bill. This provided a focus for discussion of some important issues. For instance, the bill as originally drafted raised challenging issues about whether ministers should have a role in determining the governance and management of universities. After constructive and creative debate, the Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament’s answer was “no”. They recognised that the government had a legitimate interest in ensuring that public money went to institutions which were well-governed, but that it was not politicians’ job to define the standards of governance and management.

“responsible autonomy”

Similarly, there was a robust debate about the role of ministers and the Scottish Funding Council in determining how many universities Scotland should have and what courses they should provide. That debate reached a constructive conclusion, with a recognition that the Scottish Government, the Scottish Funding Council and the governing bodies of institutions have collective responsibility for the effective use of public money, within the overall framework of universities’ “responsible autonomy” to determine how best to meet society’s expectations.

We have been on a parallel journey with the development of new governance standards for Scottish universities, where another lively debate about the role of government and stakeholders has prompted serious consideration of how to continue to secure the good governance of Scottish universities. Again, the outcome of that debate has been a recognition that autonomous universities are best able to deliver success for Scotland, but that they need to adhere to the highest possible standards of transparency and inclusiveness, which will be given effect in a new and stretching code of good governance.

We have also been through a period of intense exploration of how to widen access to university. As this debate has progressed it has increased the recognition of a shared imperative where universities are, rightly, accountable for progress but where diverse institutions are best able to decide how they can contribute to achieving that progress. It has also increased collective understanding of the need to move forward in a way which is informed by evidence of what works to promote wide access.

I believe we are coming to the end of an extraordinarily intense period of debate, which has had some creative outcomes. So where are we now? At the political level, there is a stronger recognition that autonomous universities are best able to have the flexibility and entrepreneurship to respond to society’s expectations.

I think this period has strongly reinforced universities’ recognition of the very high level of trust and expectation which they bear for the social, economic and cultural health of our nation, and the need for the very highest standards of accountability in meeting those expectations.

That is an exceptionally strong platform for the future. What we need now is to be given the space to get on and deliver for Scotland.

Keeping Scotland at the forefront of innovation

We look forward to doing this in a way which makes sure that a university education is open to men and women of talent, whatever their social and economic background, building on the commitment which every institution has made to driving further progress in widening access and the retention of students from challenged backgrounds.

We look forward to further discoveries which will transform people’s lives and keep Scotland at the forefront of innovation, building on examples such as very recent breakthroughs in the development of synthetic blood, the treatment of diabetes and a potential vaccine for malaria, as well as universities’ role in keeping Scotland at the forefront of renewable energy technology.

We look forward to drawing the best international talent and the most innovative businesses to Scotland, building on recent investments from companies such as Avaloq, Daktari, Samsung and Enstratius.

We look forward to working closely with Scottish business in the development of new products, processes and training needs for companies as diverse as Clyde Blowers, Highland Galvanizers and Whitmore Organics.

Scotland’s universities are an astonishing success story, and a key part of our nation’s identity as an innovative, outward-looking, socially inclusive and economically vibrant nation. Given the importance of our role it is right that the place of universities in public life has been the subject of intense debate. As that debate concludes, let’s get down to business.

• Alastair Sim is director of Universities Scotland, {http://www.universities-scotland.ac.uk|http://www.universities-scotland.ac.uk|http://www.universities-scotland.ac.uk}

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Despite record-breaking sales and virtual beatification in the eyes of her fans, Susan Boyle remains largely untried as a live performer.

Susan Boyle - SECC, Glasgow

* * *

Her emotional fragility is no secret – and is arguably part of her appeal as a singer – so here she was gingerly testing the touring ground on home territory.

Entering to a grand orchestral flourish with a regal wave, she immediately exploded the diva pretensions with a mischievous re-run of her opening exchange with Simon Cowell at that life-changing Britain’s Got Talent audition.

There was an inevitable awkwardness to her stilted moves and scripted links but Boyle was able to have fun at her own expense with some deliberately comical hand-jiving and tush-shaking and even 
had a poke at the BGT judging panel.

The more intriguing curveball song selections on her albums by acts such as Depeche Mode, Tears For Fears and Lou Reed sadly stayed under wraps in favour of an old-fashioned diet of standards and showtunes, including a couple of duets with Strictly Come Dancing’s Lance Ellington.

Boyle was too buttoned up for the jazzy That Ole Devil Called Love but it was clear from the way she took her time and settled into The Way We Were that she had been singing it her whole life, and the lovely clarity of her voice suited the hopeful innocence of Somewhere Over The Rainbow and the girlish Answer Me.

But the crowd particularly loved the overwrought ballads such as Unchained Melody, As Long As He Needs Me and, of course, I Dreamed A Dream, introduced as “the song that got me into a lot of trouble” and sung with the Royal Conservatoire choir, numbers on which she could really pack an emotional punch with those powerful soaring top notes.

FOR centuries the Netherbow Port was the main entrance into the medieval city of Edinburgh and acted as one of the key gateways for its trade.

The impressive Netherbow Port acted as the principal gateway into the old city of Edinburgh. It is mentioned as early as 1369 but a more elaborate version was conceived along with the Flodden Wall in 1513. This followed the disastrous Battle of Flodden Field where the Scots suffered a resounding defeat at the hands of the English. The port became an integral part of the city’s medieval defences from this point onwards.

The large gateway with its commanding array of turreted towers was situated on a prominent spot roughly half the way down the Royal Mile close to where present-day Jeffrey Street meets St. Mary’s Street. It was one of five other gateways dotted along the Flodden Wall but its location at the end of the High Street marked it out as the most important. The gates and wall enclosed the city in its entirety and were designed to provide Edinburgh with a formidable outer fortification in order to deter invading armies. Unfortunately the defences seldom offered the desired protection and were breached on a number of occasions. Despite their defensive limitations, the gateways and walls still served the city well by efficiently controlling trade in and out of the city. All visitors and inhabitants wishing to enter the city were required to pay a toll. Interestingly, this left many poorer residents effectively trapped within the compact burgh for most of their lives due to the high cost of regularly regaining entry. Except for merchants and traders, most of those who lived in the nearby Canongate area on the other side of the Netherbow Port would have rarely visited Edinburgh as it was a separate burgh during this time and would not be officially absorbed into the city until 1856. The gateway soon became known as ‘the World’s End’ as to many of the confined residents of Edinburgh this was precisely the end of their known world. The name ‘World’s End’ survives in the popular pub located on the corner of St. Mary’s Street and the High Street today.

The Netherbow Port was badly damaged during an invasion in 1544. The gateway was subsequently rebuilt and remodelled 50 yards further down the High Street in 1606. Its distinctive two-storey spired tower above its main arched gateway featured an elegantly crafted clock. The new design was infinitely more decorative and elaborate than what had gone before. The Netherbow Port was now truly one of the finest structures in Edinburgh and certainly the most attractive of all its gates. However, this did not stop the city’s lawmakers from using the Netherbow Port as a distinctly medieval crime-deterrent. The heads of those found guilty of committing serious crimes were often exhibited above the gate of the Netherbow. Whether or not the practice was effective remains a mystery but it would surely have created quite an impression on first time visitors to the city.

The demolition of the Netherbow Port was undertaken in 1764 by order of the city magistrates. In the post-Culloden era it was no longer required as a defensive structure and was widely regarded as an obstruction to the flow of traffic and as an out-dated restriction on free trade. The Netherbow Port was swept away along with much of the city walls. The loss of the gateway was lamented by many in the years after its removal. It had been a landmark feature of the city for hundreds of years and was not easily forgotten. During the grand 1886 International Exhibition, a stunning replica of the Netherbow Port was created within a reconstruction of a typical medieval Edinburgh street. Today the old gateway has long since disappeared from living memory but brass cobbles at the junction of the High Street, St. Mary’s Street and Jeffery Street mark the location where it once proudly stood. Relic-wise the Netherbow Port has left behind little evidence. The clock that once adorned its two-storey tower was salvaged and can be found atop the main pediment of the Dean Gallery. The old port bell dating from 1621 and a plaque from 1606 are to be found within the Storytelling Centre on the High Street. The preservation of these fascinating artifacts has thankfully ensured that part of the essence of the ancient Netherbow Port is still alive today within Scotland’s capital.

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A REVOLUTIONARY passenger plane took off from Glasgow airport this morning after it was delayed for several weeks when aviation regulators grounded the global fleet.

Glasgow is the only Scottish airport chosen by Thomson Airways to operate the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, which will take holidaymakers on weekly flights to Cancun in Mexico, and Sanford in Florida.

However, the Dreamliner introduction was delayed by two months after all 50 of the aircraft in service with eight airlines across the world were grounded in January after fires caused by battery faults forced an emergency landing in Japan. They were allowed to fly again in April.

And today, the plane made its maiden flight from Glasgow to Mexico - six years to the day after the Boeing 787 Dreamliner was first unveiled to the public - taking off around 9:40am with a maximum capacity of 291 passengers on board.

The Dreamliners can fly at heights of up to 38,000ft.

Boeing claimed that a combination of lighter materials and brand new Rolls Royce engines would enable the aircraft to be 60 per cent quieter, and around 20 per cent more fuel efficient.

Read more on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner

• Boeing 787 Dreamliner makes first Scottish appearance

• Safety fears over battery leak ground all 50 of world’s Boeing Dreamliner aircraft

• Uncertainty for Scots over Thomson Dreamliner plan

Isle of Arran Distillers has toasted its 18th anniversary with record sales and profits despite a fall in visitors to the island.

The malt whisky maker, which celebrated its coming of age at the end of June, said success last year was driven by exports as its brand becomes known among Scotch drinkers around the world.

Pre-tax profits reached £348,000 in 2012, up 40 per cent on the previous year, while sales passed the £3.5 million mark for the first time.

Turnover was £3.6m, against £3.1m in 2011. The rise came despite poor weather that hit the island’s tourist industry hard.

The company said tourist numbers on Arran were down by 15 per cent in 2012 but the distillery visitor centre in Lochranza “more than held its own”, with just a slight drop in turnover.

Managing director Euan Mitchell said the business was going from strength to strength.

“We are developing a portfolio of products to match any distillery which is reflected by the growing interest for The Arran Malt around the world,” he said.

“We are in the ideal place to benefit from the increasing global awareness and taste for premium Scotch malt whisky.”

The company said its export sales increased by 20 per cent year-on-year, well ahead of the total whisky market which saw growth of just 1 per cent in 2012. Exports now account for nine tenths of its branded sales.

In accounts for the year, chairman Michael Peirce said the increase in the value of brand sales could be attributed “largely to the soaring demand for high-margin limited editions of The Arran Malt.”

A special release of The Arran Malt titled “The Devil’s Punch Bowl”, named after a glacial hollow on the island, became the firm’s fastest selling tipple following its release last June.

The company’s 14-year-old malt also gained traction across key markets, Peirce said, while a re-launch of the Robert Burns range in new packaging was also well-received.

The distillery recently launched its oldest malt to date withRhe Arran Malt 16-Year-Old, with plans to release an 18-year-old next spring.

In response to its growing sales, the distillery has upped production to 400,000 litres of pure alcohol a year and built a new warehouse which gives the business capacity to mature 12,000 casks at a time.

This year the firm plans to add new destinations to the 35 countries it already exports to.

The whisky industry noted a rise in demand for single malts and more expensive blends globally last year, which helped the value of exports grow to almost £4.3 billion despite a fall in the number of bottles sold.

Sales in emerging markets such as Russia and Latin America are soaring, helping to offset the effects of economic woes in traditional whisky-drinking countries such as Greece, France and Spain.

Born: 27 January, 1954, in Stirling. Died: 4 July 2013, in Glasgow, aged 59.

Iain McColl left school with no qualifications, worked on the rigs offshore and started off in showbusiness as a roadie and a stripper, before going on to become one of the most familiar faces in Scottish television comedy.

In the 1980s and early 1990s he played Big Tam in the Glasgow sitcom City Lights, with Gerard Kelly and Andy Gray. And he was Rab’s none-too-bright drinking buddy Dodie in around 40 episodes of the BBC’s hugely successful comedy Rab C Nesbitt, with Gregor Fisher as the Govan anti-hero, in the 1990s.

On screen McColl could bring new depth and passion to the whole concept of glaikit. His heartfelt rendition of A Wee Cock Sparra, for Scottish Television’s Hogmanay special in 1990, invited and stood comparison with the great Duncan Macrae.

McColl was also a gifted mimic and his impression of Tommy Cooper was legendary. And he shared something of Cooper’s slightly different take on reality.

But it was not all funny ha-ha. He played a condemned man, awaiting the hangman’s noose, in Martin Scorsese’s epic Gangs of New York in 2002, alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, Gary Lewis and various other Scottish actors.

And his brushes with the law were not confined to the screen. McColl struggled with drink and drug problems and had convictions for drink-driving and assault. He spent several months in jail in 2005 for repeated drink-driving.

While many screen stars seem to shrink in the flesh, McColl was the opposite – a larger-than-life character who left an indelible impression wherever he went.

His City Lights co-star Andy Gray described him as “slightly bonkers”, recalling how McColl once went to an audition, wearing a fez, and did his usual perfect impression of the late Tommy Cooper – despite the fact that the role had absolutely nothing to do with Tommy Cooper.

There was a time, while he was making Rab C Nesbitt, that he had no home and was living in his car – although it was a Rolls-Royce, a story that reflects both a certain degree of success and of disorganisation in his life.

His parents met while working on the Glasgow trams. Iain Patrick McColl was born in Stirling in 1954, but grew up largely in the Kinning Park district – pretty much home territory for Rab and Dodie.

His parents were keen theatre goers and took McColl to the theatre regularly as a boy. However, he had little thought of a career on stage or screen when he left school and he worked as a roustabout on rigs in the North Sea and the Persian Gulf.

Subsequently McColl worked as a roadie and he made his stage debut, more or less by accident, when a stripper failed to turn up for an engagement and he offered to take his place.

“I borrowed a suit and an umbrella and went down a bomb as Mr Executive,” he later recalled.

Encouraged by Jim Kerr of Simple Minds to think about acting as a career, McColl auditioned for and got into the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow and proved to be an outstanding student.

He saw his future in comedy and perfected a number of impressions, employing a fez for Tommy Cooper and pulling a black stocking over his face to add a touch of authenticity to his Ray Charles.

He was lucky that the BBC’s Comedy Unit in Glasgow was just beginning to make its mark under producer Colin Gilbert, and McColl became part of the regular troupe.

He featured on City Lights, in which Gerard Kelly was a teller at the fictional Strathclyde Savings Bank and McColl was one of his friends. And he was a regular on the sketch show Laugh??? I Nearly Paid My Licence Fee, with Robbie Coltrane and John Sessions.

City Lights was one of the Comedy Unit’s big early hits. There were six series and a couple of theatre productions. McColl reprised his character on stage at the King’s Theatres in Glasgow and Edinburgh and on tour. Rab C Nesbitt was an even bigger hit, with its colourful cast of characters acquiring a cult following throughout the UK.

The success of City Lights and Rab C Nesbitt provided McColl with regular employment throughout much of the 1980s and 1990s, but he also took on a number of other projects, both on screen and in the theatre.

He was back at the King’s in Glasgow in the 1990-91 pantomime Babes in the Wood, with Gerard Kelly, Rikki Fulton and Una McLean. He appeared in several Borderline Theatre Company productions and in 1997-98 he was reunited with Rab C Nesbitt co-star Brian Pettifer in London’s West End, in John Byrne’s adaptation of Gogol’s The Government Inspector.

On television McColl also had recurring roles on the Comedy Unit’s Atletico Partick and on the fondly remembered Hamish Macbeth, in which Robert Carlyle played the eponymous laid-back Scottish Highland policeman and McColl was “Neil the Bus”.

He also had one-off roles on various other television series, including The Tales of Para Handy, The Crow Road, The Book Group, Taggart and Still Game. In 2008 he revealed he had been diagnosed with cancer, but it looked as if treatment had been successful. Rab C Nesbitt was revived that same year, and McColl returned to the role of Dodie in several episodes in 2011.

He was also linked a few years ago with plans for a film about the Scottish boxing champion Benny Lynch. McColl was to have played Lynch’s trainer, but the film fell through.

McColl was divorced and is survived by three children Rhianan, Ciaran and Maurice.

MORE than 600,000 Scottish homes will benefit from a £264 million high-speed broadband investment aimed at improving speeds in rural areas, which has been hailed as one of the most ambitious in Europe.

Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced the programme, which aims to ensure 85 per cent of properties have access to fibre broadband by the end of 2015.

The total should rise to 95 per cent by the end of 2017, she said.

Early priority will be given to rural small and medium-sized businesses to encourage economic growth in “hard-to-reach” areas. It builds on previous commitments across the Highlands and Islands.

“Today’s announcement signals the start of one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects in the whole of Europe,” Ms Sturgeon said.

“It will connect communities across rural and urban areas, providing a platform for future economic development and regeneration.

“Next-generation broadband enables businesses to compete on the international stage. It has the potential to transform the way in which we educate our children, provide health and social care and deliver our public services. “

The project will be delivered by BT, which is investing £106.7m, and is being led by the Scottish Government and councils, plus the UK government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Ms Sturgeon announced the plan at a BT exchange building in Pitt Street, Glasgow, where the contract was signed.

Bill Murphy, BT managing director of Next Generation Access, said: “We believe that access to a reliable, high-speed broadband service can shape lives for the better and so this is an important moment in the evolution of Scotland’s communications story.

“We’ll create a platform to support Scotland’s economic and social prosperity well into the future. It will stimulate growth in its thriving small business and social enterprise culture, helping the country compete in an increasingly digital world.

“Bringing fibre broadband to another 600,000-plus Scottish homes and businesses is a huge civil engineering challenge. We’re looking forward to rolling up our sleeves and starting work straight away to deliver an outstanding, transformational project.”

David O’Neill, president of the Convention of Scottish Local

Authorities, added: “Communities, especially in rural areas, have been uniformly clear that better accessibility to higher-speed broadband services was a top priority and for that reason all 32 Scottish councils agreed to pool over £90m to deliver this project alongside European Union funding of over £20m.”

Former prime minister Gordon Brown is demanding the Ministry of Defence “owns up” and takes responsibility for radioactive contamination at a beach.

The MP will lead a Commons debate tonight, highlighting a letter which he says proves the ministry had already accepted blame.

The memo shows the MoD was willing to take action as early as 1990 for contamination at Dalgety Bay in Fife.

Mr Brown, MP for the area, said: “This letter shows that the ministry must now own up, clean up, pay up and hurry up.

“The MoD must undo the damage done by months of vacillation, half-truths and outright denials that sadden me and undermine the credibility of its position on radiation contamination across former MoD sites in the UK.

Arrogant

“In 1990, the ministry was prepared to accept their responsibility. It is arrogant beyond advice and dogmatic beyond belief for the MoD to refuse to accept responsibility now. This is a damning indictment of the Ministry of Defence.”

Contamination is thought to stem from residue of radium-coated instrument panels used on military aircraft which were incinerated and put in landfill in the bay area at the end of the Second World War.

The letter, exchanged between the MoD and Scottish Office minister Lord James Douglas Hamilton, states that about 800 aircraft, containing radium-coated equipment, were scrapped in the area.

“This information, together with the nature of the contaminated debris which has been found, leaves little doubt as to the origins of the contamination and it is likely that there is more material buried in the area inland from the beach,” the letter states.

It continues: “MoD appear to have experience dealing with similar problems and I am glad to report that they seem willing to help both with further monitoring and with any remedial action which may be necessary.”

Buried

Last week, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency concluded the MoD deposited a large amount of ash and clinker on the coast before the town of Dalgety Bay was developed. It said significant amounts of material remain buried on the coast and continue to erode and re-contaminate the area.

But the MoD said it has concerns over the “adequacy and validity” of Sepa’s approach to the report.

Mr Brown fears Sepa will have to declare Dalgety Bay a radiation-contaminated area, the first such site in the UK.

“It would be extraordinary that in a Britain that has nuclear storage sites, nuclear processing sites, nuclear weapons and nuclear waste, the beautiful beach at Dalgety Bay would stand out as the first and only radiation-contaminated site in the country,” he said.

“No one wants a radiation-contaminated beach on their doorstep and it is time for the MoD to accept they are the polluter of Dalgety Bay.”

Validity

Responding to Sepa’s findings last week, a spokesman said: “MoD will consider the report findings in detail and respond to Sepa in due course, but has concerns over the adequacy and validity of both Sepa’s risk assessment and its approach to the appropriate persons report. We will seek an early meeting with Sepa at senior official level to raise these concerns and discuss the way forward.

“MoD has demonstrated a serious commitment to voluntarily assisting Sepa, the Scottish Government and the Dalgety Bay Forum in dealing with the situation at Dalgety Bay.

“The department continues to work with Sepa to identify the likelihood and scale of the residual risks and the requirement for remedial action. MoD continues to fund, at its own cost, monitoring arrangements at Dalgety Bay in line with previous commitments.”

Marks & Spencer boss Marc Bolland highlighted his fashion-focused turnaround plan with a catwalk show at the firm’s annual meeting after reporting an eighth successive quarter of clothing sales decline.

The chief executive hailed a leap in online sales and said his plan to transform the British chain into “an international, multi-channel retailer” was making good progress.

But as he faced shareholders at the company’s annual meeting at Wembley Stadium, he admitted he was still not happy with the clothing division.

“I want to be very candid and honest that this is still unsatisfactory,” he said. “We’ve got a very clear plan in place to address it.”

The group said like-for-like sales of “general merchandise” in the UK declined by 1.6 per cent in the 13 weeks to 29 June, compared to the same period last year.

Figures from other divisions made lighter reading for investors. Food sales were up 1.8 per cent on a same-space basis, overseas stores saw an 8.7 per cent rise in takings and purchases from the firm’s website leapt by almost 30 per cent.

Bolland said: “Our general merchandise business showed some improvement this quarter and the food business delivered another excellent performance, continuing the strong underlying trend.

“Our international business also performed well during the quarter and M&S.com sales were very strong.”

The company said that its outlook remained cautious given challenging trading conditions. Bolland said that consumer optimism was steady rather than improving, though there had been a pick-up among older customers.

The retailer’s autumn clothing range, which has been well received by industry experts, will hit the shelves the end of this month, although the main marketing push will not begin until September.

Its launch is being seen as the key test for senior figures such as John Dixon, the new head of general merchandise brought over from the successful food division, and style director Belinda Earl, the former Jaeger and Debenhams boss. Analysts view the launch as a crucial test of the company’s ability to win back disgruntled customers.

Sheridan Admans, investment research manager at the Share Centre, said: “We continue to believe Marks & Spencer is tackling the problems in its women’s wear and general merchandise operations and recommend investors ‘buy’ as the retailer recovers. We believe that the new management and recent results indicate that there are more positive changes to come from the group.”

But Freddie George, a retail analyst at Cantor Fitzgerald, said M&S’ pre-tax profits had stagnated and clothing sales declined despite significant capital expenditure on refurbishing the stores.

“We do not see underlying earnings rebounding over the next two years despite the significant investment in multi-channel,” he said.

“The visual changes made to womenswear appear to be underwhelming to date despite the management changes in September.”

Galliford Try has won two contracts as part of the first phase of the £41.8m redevelopment of the Royal Edinburgh Hospital.

The housebuilding and construction group said its Scottish business, Morrison Construction, has been appointed preferred phase one contractor by hub South East Scotland on behalf of NHS Lothian for the first phase of the redevelopment.

In addition, Galliford Try’s facilities management business was made preferred bidder to provide ongoing hard facilities maintenance and lifecycle management in a contract worth about £18m over the 25 year concession period.

Morrison will build a state-of-the-art mental health facility on the west edge of the existing campus in Morningside, Edinburgh. When operational the facility will provide services for the adult acute mental health inpatient service, intensive psychiatric care, national brain injury unit, mental health rehabilitation and older people’s mental health assessment and treatment services.

Galliford Try chief executive Greg Fitzgerald said: “This appointment demonstrates the strength of our business across our construction, facilities management and investments teams and we look forward to working with hub and NHS Lothian to create the top class facilities the local public deserve.”

Britvic poured cold water on plans for a £1.4 billion merger with Scottish rival AG Barr as the soft drinks firms reacted to news that the Competition Commission had officially sanctioned their union.

Irn-Bru maker Barr had been set to carry off an audacious reverse takeover of the larger firm until the watchdog intervened in February.

Britvic chairman Gerald Corbett said his company had changed since the tie-up was agreed last summer, and it now enjoyed “bright prospects” on its own.

Cumbernauld-based Barr must now table a fresh offer by the end of the month under takeover rules, and analysts said the terms would have to be renegotiated.

The commission gave the move a provisional thumbs up last month but it was already evident that the deal had lost its fizz in the eyes of Britvic’s new management.

After the official decision was released, Corbett further distanced Britvic’s management from the old deal.

He said: “Britvic is in a very different position to last summer when the merger was agreed. We have a new chief executive in Simon Litherland, who has done a fantastic job in implementing his new plan for Britvic. The board is confident of driving £30 million of cost savings over the next three years and of the enhanced international expansion opportunities.

“In addition, performance has improved, the merger benefits are materially less than they were and our share price is almost twice the level it was. Britvic’s prospects as a stand-alone company are bright.”

In its own statement Barr hailed the commission’s ruling as a “significant positive step” and said it would “actively reconsider a potential merger with Britvic”.

It added that, other than Britvic’s recently announced short-term cost saving plan, little has changed to alter its conviction that a merger represents “a unique opportunity for value creation for both sets of shareholders in the short, medium and long term”.

The original plan would have seen Britvic shareholders owning 63 per cent of the enlarged group, with Barr investors holding the remaining 37 per cent and the Scottish firm’s chief executive in charge.

Analyst Phil Carroll, at Shore capital, said there was still a case to be made for the merger but Barr shareholders would have to give some ground. He said the latest market valuations suggested a deal ratio of 67 to 33.

He said: “We believe a merger would deliver just over 10 per cent incremental shareholder value based on the synergy guidance given so far – this is despite Britvic utilising £15m of the £35m of cost synergies that were originally presented to the market.

“To our minds, a figure of over 10 per cent is just about enough to warrant a deal.”

But Wayne Brown, at Canaccord Genuity, said there was a danger that Britvic’s attempt to renegotiate terms in its favour could scupper a deal despite the need for consolidation in the sector.

He said: “We remain of the view that a merger is in the interest of both parties. This rationale is not purely based on cost savings, as some would let you believe, but has much more to do with global consolidation, long-term commodity cost pressures, a heightened UK competitive environment and lacklustre UK growth dynamics.”

AN OIL industry veteran who has risen through the ranks during three decades at Royal Dutch Shell has been named the company’s next chief executive.

Downstream director Ben van Beurden will succeed Peter Voser, 55, who is leaving the company next year.

Dutch national van Beurden, 55, beat off competition from internal and external candidates to land the post, which he will take up on 1 January.

The appointment surprised analysts who expected chief financial officer Simon Henry to take the top job, leading to speculation he might consider his position having been passed over. Peter Hutton, an analyst with RBC Capital Markets, said van Beurden, who joined the Anglo-Dutch group in 1983 and is a member of Shell’s executive committee, was considered to be “balanced and clear in thinking”. And although his role at the company’s chemical division is “not normally seen as a route to the top”, van Beurden’s appointment was welcomed as “positive”, Hutton added.

Chairman Jorma Ollila said: “Ben has deep knowledge of the industry and proven executive experience across a range of Shell businesses.”

Voser, who has been chief executive of Shell since July 2009, told staff in May that he was leaving to spend more time with his family.

The announcement came as Shell posted profits of just under $8 billion (£5.1bn) for the first quarter of the year, an increase of 4 per cent on a year ago and beating City forecasts. The firm has weathered a recent drop in oil prices with improved profits from refining and trading.

THE number of homes being sold in the Lothians over the past two months is at its highest level for five years.

House sales rose by 13.4 per cent year on year, but prices continued to fall in most areas.

Throughout the city as a whole, average house prices fell 4.6 per cent. In the city centre itself property prices fell by an average of almost ten per cent over the same time last year.

But there was better news in the suburbs where average prices rose in some areas by around 6.4 per cent.

The city’s property hot spot was the Stockbridge/Comely Bank area, where prices rocketed 15 per cent over the last 12 months.

The figures are released today by the Edinburgh Solicitors Property Centre.

House sales across Edinburgh, the Lothians rose by 13.4 per cent annually and by 26.1 per cent from between April and June in 2011. Overall, the number of homes sold was at its highest level for five years.

There was also a notable rise in activity amongst sellers, with the number of homes coming on to the market between April and June up 9.7 per cent annually.

The improvement in activity has allowed sellers coming to the market this year to enjoy greater success in finding buyers. Seventeen per cent of properties brought to the market in June this year were under offer by the end of the month – up from 12 per cent on last year.

Whilst the number of homes selling has risen, the average house price in most areas is lower than was the case last year. In Edinburgh, for example, the average selling price of a property in the three months to June was £216,006, down from £226,367 last year – an annual fall of 4.6 per cent.

East Lothian saw a sharper fall in the average price, with a 13.7 per cent decline bringing the average price in the area to £195,899. The decrease in the average was largely driven by a rise in the proportion of smaller properties selling. One-bedroom homes accounted for 11.1 per cent of sales in the second quarter this year compared with just 5.7 per cent of all homes sold in the area during the second quarter of 2012.

David Marshall, business analyst with ESPC, said:“It is encouraging to see early indication that the market is starting to recover. Although early days, we are seeing signs that sales are increasing which is bringing more home to market.

“For the majority of people house prices are relative. If the value of our current home rises, it means the price we’ll have to pay for our next home will also be higher and vice versa. Ultimately what matters to most of us is that when we’re looking to move, we can find someone to buy our current property and a new home that meets our needs, so it’s encouraging to see that activity among buyers and sellers is on the increase.

“There has been a slight increase in the number of sales where the original Home Report valuation is achieved – up from 31.5 per cent last year to 34.4 per cent this year.”

TWO police patrol cars were completely destroyed after being set on fire by mindless yobs as officers attended an incident in Niddrie.

• Youths ‘smashed windows before torching vehicles’

• Emergency alert issued for patrol cars to support embattled officers.

Youths torched the fully-equipped vehicles, estimated to be worth £40,000 each, while they were left unattended in the street.

Police detained two men but later released them pending further inquiries.

Sources said youths pelted the two vehicles with rocks before setting them on fire as officers attended an incident in Niddrie House Park at around 8.30pm last night.

Sources claim officers had tried to enter a house where there had been “concern for the occupant” and had called for a back-up vehicle carrying a battering ram before the cars came under siege.

Youths were said to have smashed the police cars’ windows before torching the vehicles in a what has been described as a “co-ordinated attack”.

Batons

It is claimed police produced batons in response to missiles being thrown by a crowd that had gathered as an emergency alert was issued for patrol cars to support the embattled officers.

A source said: “Police remained at the scene protecting the vehicles until a roadside recovery team collected them but were taking lots of abuse from crowds that gathered. There were things thrown at the police who had to pull out their batons.”

A police spokesman said they had no record of missiles being thrown or officers drawing their batons.

A video of the incident has been posted online and shows one of the cars engulfed in flames bellowing thick clouds of smoke into the blue summer sky.

Residents are seen watching it burn and joking about uploading the images on to Facebook.

One woman is heard to say: “Those two police officers don’t know what to do,” before a voice off-screen asks if anyone has a fire extinguisher.

A police spokesman said: “Police Scotland can confirm that two marked police vehicles that were responding to a call in Niddrie House Park sustained significant damage after being set alight on Monday evening.

“Two males were detained and have been released pending further inquiries.

Investigation

“Anyone with information that can assist police with their investigation is asked to come forward immediately.”

In a separate incident, police are hunting fireraisers who set alight three cars parked in the street. The vehicles were torched in the Saughton Mains area late on Friday night.

Police received a call about the incidents at around 12.10am on Saturday.

Officers said that the fires were being treated as “suspicious” as the investigation continues.

Police Scotland appealed for witnesses to the attacks.

A police spokesman said: “Three cars were set alight while parked in street.

“We are appealing to anyone who has information on these incidents to contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

WELCOME to scotsman.com’s Scottish Business Briefing. Every morning we bring you a comprehensive round-up of all news affecting business in Scotland today.

ECONOMICS

Reports signal Scottish property market recovery

There was a glimmer of hope for Scotland’s beleaguered property market as reports signalled hints of a recovery. There is a “sustained demand” for new properties, the Royal Institute for Chartered Surveyors (Rics) Scotland said. Regional property groups also celebrated good news ({http://www.scotsman.com/emarket/property-news/reports-signal-scottish-property-market-recovery-1-2993114|Scotsman|scotsman}).

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FOOD, DRINK & AGRICULTURE

Record figures for Isle of Arran whisky maker

Isle of Arran Distillers has toasted its 18th anniversary with record sales and profits despite a fall in visitors to the island. The malt whisky maker, which celebrated its coming of age at the end of June, said success last year was driven by exports as its brand becomes known among Scotch drinkers around the world ({http://www.scotsman.com/business/food-drink-and-agriculture/record-figures-for-isle-of-arran-whisky-maker-1-2993270|Scotsman|Scotsman}).

Entrepreneur in bid to sell ‘waiter calling’ device

A SCOTTISH entrepreneur is in talks with a number of businesses about a management tool that he initially designed to help restaurants provide better customer service. Ron Hounsell, who runs bottled water cooler distributor Cameron Water in Bellshill, has spent more than two years and £250,000 developing the Utellme device and its software in his spare time ({http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/company-news/entrepreneur-in-bid-to-sell-waiter-calling-device.21556094|Herald|Herald}).

{http://www.scotsman.com/business/food-drink-and-agriculture|Read all today’s food, drink and agriculture news from scotsman.com|Read all today’s food, drink and agriculture news from scotsman.com}

SCOTSMAN CONFERENCE

Scottish Food & Drink: Keeping it in the family – 10 Sept, Edinburgh

20% Early bird discount until 19 July

Join us as we examine the success of Scottish family food and drink business. Hear experts share their strategies for growth and how to avoid pitfalls along the way. If you have an interest in the sector, whether as a producer, policy maker or someone setting up a new business, you can’t afford to miss this event. ({http://scotsmanconferences.com|The Scotsman Conferences|TSC})

INDUSTRY

Raynesway lands £2.5m deal for heliport

A construction firm has won a £2.5 million contract to build a new heliport that could be used by stars visiting the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre in Glasgow. Raynesway Construction has been appointed by SECC to design and build a new heliport and support facilities in Govan south of the Clyde ({http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/company-news/raynesway-lands-25m-deal-for-heliport.21553729|Herald|Herald}).

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MANAGEMENT

Brodies says growth due to its ‘focus on Scotland’

LAW firm Brodies said yesterday it was continuing to reap the benefits of its focus on the Scottish market as it announced a third consecutive year of revenue and profit growth. The firm, the largest in terms of turnover and partners based in Scotland, said substantial investment across the business as part of a three-year strategic plan was paying dividends ({http://www.scotsman.com/business/brodies-says-growth-due-to-its-focus-on-scotland-1-2993263|Scotsman|Scotsman}).

{http://www.scotsman.com/business/management|Read all today’s management news from scotsman.com|Read all today’s management news from scotsman.com}

RETAIL

Murray fever gives retailers reason to cheer as sales rise

BRITAIN’s shopkeepers are hoping a combination of Andy Murray fever, the return of blue skies and an imminent royal baby will create a feelgood factor and encourage consumers to return to the high street. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said today that June had witnessed a “strong performance” with growth across all categories, led by fashion sales as the weather warmed up ({http://www.scotsman.com/business/retail/murray-fever-gives-retailers-reason-to-cheer-as-sales-rise-1-2993261|Scotsman|Scotsman}).

{http://www.scotsman.com/business/retail|Read all today’s retail news from scotsman.com|Read all today’s retail news from scotsman.com}

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THE son of a woman whose dismembered body was discovered in a shallow grave on Corstorphine Hill in Edinburgh has been charged in connection with her death.

James Dunleavy, 39, made a brief appearance in private before Sheriff Richard Clark charged with murder yesterday. He made no plea or declaration and was remanded in custody.

Dunleavy is due to appear in court at a later date and the case was yesterday continued for further inquiries.

Remains found at Corstorphine Hill Nature Reserve last month were identified yesterday as those of Phyllis Dunleavy, 66, from Dublin.

Her body was discovered by a cyclist on 6 June, sparking a murder investigation.

Officers previously said her body had been dismembered before being transported to the reserve where it was dumped.

Experts from Dundee University constructed a virtual image of the victim, which was released last week and circulated to police forces across Europe.

A member of Mrs Dunleavy’s family in Ireland recognised the picture on Friday and it is understood that Dunleavy, from Balgreen, west Edinburgh, was arrested on Sunday night.

Police had also circulated photographs of distinctive rings found on the remains, including a claddagh ring, said to be popular among Irish Catholics.

Detectives released details of extensive dental surgery – amounting to £10,000-£15,000 of work carried out over up to 15 visits – in dentists’ trade magazines in an attempt to solve the mystery.

Police Scotland said the investigation team received more than 30 calls from the general public from as far away as Israel after releasing the reconstruction image. The force had a dedicated team of 50 working on the case at one stage.

The image was created by cranial identification experts at Dundee, led by forensic anthropologist Professor Sue Black. They used CT scans to build an image of the victim using similar techniques to those used to help produce a 3D image of King Richard III after his skull was found recently buried under a Leicestershire car park.

Last night, neighbours of Dunleavy spoke of their surprise at the charges against him.

Dunleavy, who is said to have converted to Islam last year, lives in a flat above a post office in the city’s Balgreen Road.

Tariq Razaq, 39, who works in the Post Office, said he met Mrs Dunleavy when she was in Edinburgh in late April. She was married with two other children, a son and a daughter, he added.

He said he had known Dunleavy – whom he knew as Seamus – for some time.

“The last time I saw him was in May at some time”, he said. “He’s a good guy with a kind heart. I’ve known him for a while as a customer, but I became friends with Seamus in about November when he converted to Islam.”

Craig Thomson, 28, who lives in the same stair as Dunleavy, said: “Seamus is one if my neighbours – he’s a really friendly guy with a heart of gold that would help out all the neighbours.

“He would come out to the back when we are having barbecues in the garden.

“He recently converted to Islam. I’m just really shocked, I can’t believe it.”

Pawel Gorlet, who also lives in the same block, said: “He [Seamus Dunleavy] is very friendly. We have played chess many, many times.”

Police Scotland said: “A 39-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with the murder of a woman whose body was found on Corstorphine Hill.”

World renowned band Red Hot Chilli Pipers have been left shocked and angered after a prized USA Fender Telecaster belonging to guitarist Nick Hawryliw arrived in Milan smashed up, because it had been driven over at Edinburgh airport.

Band members were left reeling as Nick’s smashed guitar case containing his £2000 instrument appeared on the baggage belt just six hours before a headline performance at a Celtic music festival.

Their anger then reached a crescendo upon learning that the £600 worth of damage had been caused by an Edinburgh baggage handler driving over it whilst on the runway.

The band had flown out of the Capital on board an Easyjet flight early on Friday ahead of a headline performance at the Celtica Music Festival in Aosta.

But instead of making their way to their soundcheck, they had to fret about replacing the treasured guitar.

Since winning top prize on talent show When Will I Be Famous? six years ago, the Chilli Pipers – including Haddington-based band leader Kevin Macdonald – have become worldwide stars performing at far-flung shores from Melbourne to Milwaukee.

Kevin said: “It really is incredible. We fully understand that accidents can happen but to load it on the plane without even informing us of the accident is incredibly cheeky.

“Instead of concentrating on heading to the gig we were left arguing with Italian airport officials for over an hour about what had happened.

“After a lot of to-ing and fro-ing and people passing the buck, Easyjet eventually held their hands up and admitted it had fallen off a baggage cart in Edinburgh and been run over.”

The band ended up having to fork out 530 Euros for a replacement guitar to ensure the Italian show went ahead.

Kevin added: “Thankfully it wasn’t one of our bagpipes as I doubt we’d have sourced one of them in Italy at short notice.

“We’ve travelled all over the world and the lack of care and attention which baggage handlers show for musical instruments is incredible – we’re constantly paying for repairs.”

Easyjet has now offered to fully compensate the band for the damage and an investigation has been launched into exactly what happened with baggage handlers Menzies.

A spokeswoman for the airline said: “EasyJet has apologised to the Red Hot Chilli Pipers for the damage caused to the guitar by our ground handlers and is in the process of fully compensating the band for this.

“We have launched a full investigation to establish how the damage occurred and why the customer was not immediately informed. EasyJet has been in close contact with the band since the incident to resolve the issue and ensure lessons are learned.”

A spokesperson for Edinburgh Airport said: “We’re very disappointed that this incident occurred and are currently working with Easyjet and their handling agent Menzies to investigate it further. We apologise unreservedly and hope it does not impact on the Red Hot Chilli Pipers’ tour.”

TRAM workers have been blasted for treating a fenced-off city centre road as a private car park amid criticism that it “rubs salt in the wounds” of hard-hit businesses.

Furious traders have revealed how contractors’ family cars have been parking within a sealed compound on West Maitland Street for around ten days – despite being blasted last summer for the same offence.

They claim up to 15 vehicles unrelated to the tram project have been using the huge stretch of cordoned-off tarmac each day and are now demanding a crackdown on the “laughable abuse of position”.

It comes one year after city chiefs vowed action against tram staff parking their own cars behind temporary fencing on Princes Street.

The News previously reported how parking attendants had dished out more than 21,000 tickets over the last two years in George Street alone generating around £650,000 for the city coffers. Today, transport chief Lesley Hinds pledged to end the unfair practice and said it was “unacceptable” for tram employees to dodge parking fees.

Shopowner Grant McKeeman, who owns Copymade on West Maitland Street, said the episode was even more galling because of a recent contractor error on the road.

“It particularly frustrating because they are re-doing this bit at the moment following a contractor blunder when laying the concrete,” he said. “There doesn’t even seem to be any work going here which has lead to more and more cars parking in it.

“There have been up to 15 a day here which is ridiculous and taking the mickey. Our customers can’t get anywhere near Haymarket in their cars and here’s these guys driving in and parking cars right at their work which we would all love to do. It’s a laughable abuse of position and an absolute shambles given the way the whole project has been handled.”

Shadow transport convener Joanna Mowat, of the Scottish Conservatives, said traders were “dog tired and bone weary” of disruption caused by the tram works. She said: “They have had to watch their businesses lose money. Shandwick Place has really had it bad because contractors have been in and out and did it up so many times – this is like rubbing salt into the wounds.”

Transport chief Lesley Hinds said: “I was there on Friday morning and reported this parking to the site manager and he was going to deal with this issue. It is in their compound but it is unacceptable for a free car park to be provided for staff/visitors on this project when all other staff who work in this area have to pay. I will continue to bring this unacceptable parking to the attention of the contractor.”

A spokesperson for Edinburgh City Council said: “The council is clear that any vehicles parked within the site compound should have a legitimate reason for being there. We have asked the contractor to ensure that this is the case.”

THE creation of a major indoor tennis centre in Edinburgh is the top spending priority to capitalise on Andy Murray’s historic Wimbledon triumph, according to one of Scotland’s leading coaches.

Marcel du Coudray, head of coaching at Merchiston-based Tennis Academy Scotland, estimated it would cost between £5-15 million to build a enclosed stadium suitable for training the country’s next generation of champions.

Tennis courts have been included in the designs for a proposed National Performance Centre for Sport at 
Heriot-Watt University. And as a call was put out to make tennis more widely available to people from all backgrounds, he said the Lothians needed as many as 30 covered courts across multiple indoor venues to allow juniors to develop their games all year round.

The comments came as the Scottish Government’s sports agency announced a £5.8m investment in improving tennis facilities and widening access to the sport, in the wake of Murray’s historic win.

Sportscotland and Tennis Scotland, the sport’s governing body, announced the four-year investment stream to grow participation rates, increase the sport’s accessibility, and provide suitable environments to develop athletes to performance levels.

Mr du Coudray, who has coached former world no.3 Nikolay Davydenko, said: “One of the visions for the next few years is to build an indoor centre.

“It’s in the formative stage, but Sportscotland and other role players are looking at certain venues. We have a lot of courts, but people don’t want to play in the rain or when it’s dark. They need to be covered.

“If we can get another five to eight indoor centres that would be absolutely spot on, with one of those dedicated to performance. It’s ambitious, but why not dream big?”

City culture and sport convener Councillor Richard Lewis said the council was preparing a tennis strategy to create a better pathway for talented players. And Tennis Scotland is planning to write to all clubs across the Lothians encouraging them to open their doors to new members, particularly youngsters.

Spokesman Dave McDermott said: “We want to really try and seize the opportunity by making tennis accessible to all because we’re never going to have a better chance.”

About 250 courts exist across Edinburgh and the Lothians, with more than 90 of them available to the public.

The Lawn Tennis Association identified Edinburgh as a priority area for investment earlier this year. Scotland’s premier tennis authority confirmed three new hard courts were being built at Leith Links starting this month. The new facility is expected to be 
finished by late September.

Three replacement courts are also being created at Liberton High School to form a community tennis park that will be open to local residents. Floodlights are on track to be installed at the Meadows tennis facility later this year, while new or improved courts for Musselburgh, Tranent and Haddington are in the pipeline.

Mark Gaffney, co-organiser of the week-long East Lothian Open Tennis Tournament, said clubs across the Lothians needed to shed the sport’s elitist stigma and actively seek out talented junior players to capitalise on Murray mania.

He said more slow-surface courts were also needed, adding: “A lot of it tends to be artificial grass, which is very fast and maybe in the developmental stages of the game can be quite tricky for kids. They’re not getting many opportunities to play more rallies, more shots.”

Since 2008, Tennis Scotland’s membership has increased from 32,715 to 47,657 – a rise of over 45 per cent.

The new Sportscotland investment is designed to improve tennis facilities in Scotland, both in clubs and courts in public parks, and increase the sport’s accessibility for those looking to emulate Scotland’s Wimbledon champion. In addition, the new money is aimed at enhancing the regional development team at Tennis Scotland, which will work to further increase participation, develop closer links between schools and places to play tennis, opening up better pathways for the sport, and work with local authorities to prioritise the rejuvenation of park courts.

Speaking at the Gannochy National Tennis Centre at the University of Stirling, Sports Minister Shona Robison said: “Andy’s win was an emotional moment for Scotland and the whole country has been inspired by his brilliant 
performance.

“We want to see more people playing tennis and having access to top quality facilities to get fit, try something new, and have fun.

“This money is all about making sure the right facilities are there to help people get more active, as well as helping to create the tennis stars of the future to keep those Wimbledon wins coming.”

Stewart Harris, chief executive of sportscotland, said: “Andy’s Wimbledon victory was a defining moment for Scottish sport, and we are working collectively to capitalise on his incredible success.

“Today’s announcement will make it more accessible for people in Scotland to play tennis in improving facilities.

“It’s important that we take this unique chance to help grow the game in Scotland by providing more and better opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to play, and to assist the young players of today to emulate their hero from Dunblane.”

Chief executive of Tennis Scotland, David Marshall, said: “Never in the history of the game has tennis enjoyed such a level of profile in this country, and today’s announcement greatly enhances Tennis Scotland’s ability to take advantage of what is a huge opportunity to significantly increase levels of participation throughout the country.”

Roger Draper, chief executive of the Lawn Tennis Association, said: “Andy’s victory has inspired a nation, and this is a great opportunity to get more people playing tennis in Scotland.”

Andy Murray’s mother, Judy, has said that tennis should have been included in next year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, saying it would have been “huge” for the new Wimbledon champion to take part in his home country.

Centre has ace plan

THE club where Wimbledon champion Andy Murray regularly practised as a youngster will consider erecting a plaque or memorial in his honour.

Officials at Craiglockhart Tennis Centre, which is hosting the Aegon Junior International this week featuring Scotland’s best junior players, will investigate how best to pay tribute to Murray’s landmark success at SW19.

The Dunblane player trained on the centre’s tennis courts from the age of nine before travelling to Spain to develop his immense talent at the Sanchez-Casal Academy.

Anna Myatt, tennis development officer at Craiglockhart, said: “Murray’s win was well deserved. The important thing is to make sure that children are following in his footsteps.”

Andy a knight riser?

ANDY Murray deserves a knighthood after becoming the first Briton to win the Wimbledon men’s singles in 77 years, Prime Minister David Cameron has said.

The Scottish tennis star claimed the coveted title on Sunday after overpowering world No.1 Novak Djokovic, winning 6-4, 7-5, 6-4. And Mr Cameron made his view known on the two-time Grand Slam champion becoming Sir Murray, saying: “Honours are decided independently, but frankly I can’t think of anyone who deserves one more.”

Murray is expected to be given Freedom of the City of Stirling. First Minister Alex Salmond suggested a reception for the Olympic gold medallist could also be held in Stirling Castle, near Murray’s home town of Dunblane.

The new champion admitted he had only slept for about an hour on Sunday night, saying he feared going to sleep in case it all turned out to be a dream.

So Where were you?

As well as being roared on by the crowds on Centre Court at Wimbledon and on Henman Hill, Andy Murray’s history-making Men’s Singles Championship final against the world No.1, Serbian player Novak Djokovic, was seen by fans wherever they were around the world:

Kirsty Cameron: I was working but thankfully my manager allowed me to watch, never missed a Wimbledon final in years, and it was fantastic! Well done Andy Murray!

Lorraine Moorhead: “On holiday at the pool bar in Marmaris – we were on the edge of our seats – the entire place erupted – so well fought and so well deserved to our Scots man Andy.”

Julia Hope: “Butlins at Skegness – fantastic!!”

Elaine Faulds-Rankin: “Ward 27 in The Western General, we procured a TV!”

Stuart Pearson: “Festival square was fantastic, good day out.”

Ruby Fowler: “I watched it very late into the night way Down Under in Australia. may have been here 40 years

but once a Scot, always a Scot.”

Lorraine McKay: “I dragged my son away from his X Box at the last game I told him to come and watch history being made – he was glad he did lol.”