UPDATE RE TENANTS’ FORUM 28 JULY

We held our monthly Tenants’ Forum on Teams on 28 July.  Thanks to all those who attended.

MONTHLY UPDATE: Craig Renton, Chief Operating Officer at The Crichton Trust welcomed tenants and partners to the meeting including Andy Todman who provided an insight into the work of The Scotland 5G Centre.

UPDATE FROM OUR TENANTS/PARTNERS

By Andy Todman, Business Engagement Manager from The Scotland 5G Centre

Key points of interest:

• What is 5G? Andy described 5G as the 5^th generation of mobile wireless technology. 5G is an enabling technology which will, in the future, give organisations the ability to have their own private 5G sim network where they can hold data on their own secure domain. Added advantage of being able to transfer a high capacity of data in almost real time.
• About The Scotland 5G Centre: The Scottish Government commissioned a report to inform their Digital Strategy. The report outlined the potential benefits of 5G technology on GDP, jobs and the future economy in Scotland, and while England had already established a regional response to 5G, the Scottish Government was keen to form a national response and so set up The Scotland 5G Centre in partnership with The Scottish Futures Trust, the University of Strathclyde (host) and University of Glasgow. The Scotland 5G Centre has a small team of staff and is governed by a non-executive Board and an Advisory Board and is tasked with delivering the Scottish Government’s Digital Strategy for 5G.
• A Scotland 5G Connect Programme has already been set up with regional hubs already in Dundee, Forth Valley and most recently the first rural 5G Hub at The Crichton in Dumfries covering the South of Scotland. Each regional hub has a sector-specific focus.
• About The 5G Connect Hub in Dumfries: Based at Crichton Central, the Dumfries hub is expected to go live in October 2021. It will provide a 5G Test Bed where rural businesses and public sector organisations across the South of Scotland can develop and test new products and solve problems with the help of 5G technology. The Dumfries Hub will specialise in sectors such as Health and Social Care, Agri Tech and Agri Food as well as Infrastructure/Roads and the improving Digital Skills in the South of Scotland.
• Andy Todman: Andy has recently been appointed as the Business Engagement Manager for the 5G Connect Hub in Dumfries. Andy has a background in housing, health and social care. He worked with the Loreburne Housing Association for 17 years and was the former CEO of Age UK. In his new role with The Scotland 5G Centre, Andy has a remit to raise awareness, increase engagement and help facilitate and commercialise test bed cases/projects in the South of Scotland with the support of colleagues and partners. Initially, Andy is keen to hear about the challenges faced by rural businesses and will help identify projects that might benefit from being part of the 5G test bed at The Crichton.Discussion:
• Gwilym Gibbons reported that the test bed at Crichton Central is just the beginning and that over the next year or so 5G will be more readily available across the estate due to the investment in the Boiler House and Fibre on site as well. This will benefit existing tenants and is already attracting interest from potential new tenants.
• What sectors do the other regional hubs specialise in? Dundee – Gaming Technology and Forth Valley – Environmental/Net Zero/Green.
• If D&G businesses are not involved in the local areas of specialism or are not based at The Crichton are they prohibited from getting involved? No, if for example a local gaming business wanted to get involved, we could connect them up with colleagues and partners in the Dundee Hub. The idea is to share knowledge and expertise across areas in Scotland. Businesses across the South of Scotland can benefit from access to the 5G test bed at The Crichton to test their products, but they don’t necessarily need 5G technology to develop their products.
• How do businesses and guests tap into the 5G network? Once the testbed is live, individuals and organisations working with the 5G Centre to test out 5G capabilities will be given a 5G sim from Andy at the 5G Centre to gain discrete access to the 5G testbed. It won’t be available to the public during the early stages of the project, but in the future there will be opportunities for those with dual sim devices to access The Crichton 5G network.

Anyone interested in finding out more or working with Andy and The Scotland 5G Centre can follow these links: Management Team – The Scotland 5G Centre, Events – The Scotland 5G Centre, sign up to the newsletter or email Andy: andy.todman@scotland5gcentre.org

Craig thanked Andy for his update.

THE CRICHTON TRUST UPDATE:

By Craig Renton, Chief Operating Officer, The Crichton Trust

Key points of interest:  

• Doonhame Festival: Unfortunately, the Doomhame Festival due to be held this weekend at The Crichton has now been cancelled. Changes to restrictions a few weeks ago, made it impossible for the organisers to continue with their plans.
• Venues Update: Sadly, we had to close Easterbrook Bistro at short notice last month due to staff/chef shortages and recruitment challenges, but we are in the process of recruiting staff now and we hope to make an announcement to reopen in early August. We also hope to open the swimming pool asap and this will be confirmed following the next round of guidance and the need for social distancing. The Lawn, Terrace and Lounge at Crichton Central are open and the outdoor spaces have been very popular due to the recent spell of warm weather. Look out for details of our membership packages coming soon. Events at Easterbrook Hall are being assessed on an individual basis as we continue to adhere to guidelines and to address the ventilation of the main hall.
• Living Wage Employer: The Crichton Trust has recently been accredited as a Living Wage Employer in recognition of our commitment to pay the real living wage.
• City of Culture Bid: Gwilym Gibbons, CEO of The Crichton Trust, has been involved in early discussions with partners around the South of Scotland City of Culture bid.
• Defibrillator Campaign: The Crichton Trust is continuing to deliver a Defibrillator Campaign which includes offers for tenants/partners who might want to buy a defibrillator for their place of work and/or offer training courses on the use of CPR/AED. The Trust is also fundraising for another publicly accessible defibrillator or The Crichton. More information can be found on The Crichton blog: https://www.crichton.co.uk/prepare-to-save-a-life/
• The Crichton Magazine: The latest issue of The Crichton Magazine was published online last week and can be found of The Crichton website: https://www.crichton.co.uk/magazine/
• Business Community Engagement Manager: The Crichton Trust has appointed a Business Community Engagement Manager this week. Details of this appointment will be announced soon.
• Tenants and Buildings: We continue to welcome and attract interest from new and potential tenants to The Crichton. To accommodate demand, The Crichton Trust is continuing to renovate properties and will soon be relocating their offices from the ground floor of Grierson House to the upper floor.

Q&A/Other Updates:

• House Meetings – The Holywood Trust requested that The Crichton Trust facilitate a House Meeting for all existing and new tenants in Hestan House. With recent changes, it would be beneficial to have a representative from each organisation to both welcome new tenants and to discuss the practicalities of shared spaces and access to the building. 
• Defib Campaign – A further discussion took place around the Defib Campaign and the location of Defibs on site. The Trust is aware of defibs at UWS, UoG, SOSE, Easterbrook Hall (now outside), the Veterans Garden and two new ones; Crichton Central and Holiday Inn Dumfries. Tenants have been invited to let us know if they have a defib and to make sure it is registered and maintained. The Boyd Group is also running AED/CPR and Emergency First Aid at Work courses for The Crichton Trust in August and September. Tenants have been informed and invited to send staff along to any of these courses for a fee/head rather than booking a full course. Details are on the blog: https://www.crichton.co.uk/prepare-to-save-a-life/
• The Holywood Trust – Helen Turner advised that The Holywood Trust have made provisional plans to return to the office (blended approach) from 9^th August (pending restrictions).

REMINDER TO ALL TENANTS:

Find out more about all tenants on The Crichton Directory – www.crichton.co.uk

If you are a tenant at The Crichton, please remember to keep your profile updated on The Crichton Directory – complete the form at the top of the page or email: news@crichton.co.uk

Please encourage your colleagues to sign up to The Crichton Trust Newsletter which is accessible in the footer of our website and to browse The Crichton Magazine.

If you would like to provide an update at future meetings, please get in touch – news@crichton.co.uk

The next Tenants’ Forum will take place on Wednesday 25 August at 11am.  As usual, tenants will receive an email invitation from The Crichton Trust with joining details.  Please note future meetings will take place on Teams. Any queries please contact the office on 01387 247544.

The next Crichton Briefing (now quarterly) will take place on Tuesday 7 September at 4pm. Details will be shared on social media. All welcome.

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