Scotch distiller Loch Lomond Whiskies has agreed a new partnership with the European Tour, becoming the first official partner of the innovative new UK Swing.
The partnership with the European Tour means that the distiller's innovative and exciting range of Single Malt Scotch Whiskies will become “The Spirit of the Tour” throughout the duration of the UK Swing.
As part of the new relationship, Loch Lomond Whiskies' hand sanitiser will be available on every tee during each of the six UK tournaments when the European Tour returns to action in July.
Loch Lomond Group were one of the first spirits companies in the world to utilise their existing resources and infrastructure to make hand sanitiser, so as to help and support those in need across the country throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
As the European Tour resumes, Loch Lomond Whiskies will help ensure good hygiene at all six UK tournaments as part of the European Tour's comprehensive Health Strategy.
As an Official Partner of the European Tour's UK Swing, Loch Lomond Whiskies will also support the launch of the new Golf for Good initiative, which will underpin all European Tour events in 2020 by making a positive impact in the communities where the European Tour plays - and the wider world of golf - rewarding heroes of the pandemic such as frontline workers, and promoting the many health benefits that golf offers to everyone.
Colin Matthews, chief executive of Loch Lomond Group, said: "The European Tour is one of the most internationally recognised and respected golf bodies in the world and we are delighted to become a key partner of the UK Swing.
"This new association further extends our already very successful association with the game of golf through our existing sponsorship agreement with The R&A - for both The Open and The Women's British Open - and The PGA, and allows us to support the launch of the European Tour's excellent Golf for Good initiative."
Max Hamilton, the European Tour's head of commercial partnerships, said: "This innovative stretch of six events marks the start of our new Golf for Good initiative, enabling us to give back during these unprecedented times.
"Our health strategy is vital to this and Loch Lomond Whiskies will also contribute to that through the provision of hand sanitiser. This is a great example of how brands can work together in different ways at the moment."
Following the suspension of the season due to the global coronavirus pandemic, the European Tour will return to action initially behind closed doors in July with two events in Austria - the Austrian Open and Euram Bank Open - immediately followed by the UK Swing. The first tournament in the UK Swing is the Betfred British Masters hosted by Lee Westwood, which will be played at Close House, from Wednesday July 22nd to Saturday July 25th.
Founded in 1814, Loch Lomond Whiskies can trace its roots back to the Littlemill distillery, which was established in 1772 and is thought to be one of the oldest in the world. Its current malt and grain distilleries, in Alexandria, Dunbartonshire, were built in the 1960s and are among only a few in the industry to maintain an onsite cooperage.
MORE than 300 jobs are at risk as Menzies Aviation workers face redundancy at Edinburgh and Glasgow Airports.
Unite the union said 160 workers based at Glasgow Airport out of nearly 300 employed by Menzies Aviation, and around 150 workers at Edinburgh Airport out of 300 face redundancy following the end of a 45-day consultation period.
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The redundancies at Scotland’s largest airports comes despite the company publicly calling for an extension in the UK Government’s Job Retention Scheme (JRS) to avert mass job losses. In March, the firm announced it planned to cut more than 17,500 jobs worldwide.
Pat McIlvogue, Unite regional industrial officer, said: “Unite has been informed that more than half of Menzies Aviation’s workforce based in Glasgow Airport are at risk of imminent redundancy.
“We are deeply frustrated and angry that despite the company calling for the job retention scheme to be extended so that job losses could be avoided they have still forged ahead with this announcement.
“Unite fully understands the situation facing the civil aviation industry, which is why we have been calling for a coordinated national response so that we can safeguard thousands of Scottish jobs.”
Giles Wilson, chief executive of Menzies, said: "It is with great sadness we have taken the difficult decision to enter into consultation with our employees and unions to reduce the size of our airport teams in the UK & Ireland.
"This has been the most challenging period the UK aviation sector has ever seen and whilst a small number of flights have started operating again, we do not expect volumes to return to pre-Covid-19 levels in the near future.
"We’re left with no choice therefore but to take action to match our workforce to the volumes we anticipate through the winter and well into 2021 to ensure Menzies is sustainable now and fit for the future.
“We recognise the significant impact this will have on our colleagues who will be leaving us and throughout this process we’ll do everything we can to minimise the number of job losses across the network.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been urged to give a "cast-iron guarantee" hundreds of Scottish jobs will be safe after he announced the scrapping of the Department for International Development (Dfid).
The PM said it is "outdated" to keep Dfid - which has a base in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire - as a separate department.
He has revealed it is being merged with the Foreign Office.
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Mr Johnson said: "We must now strengthen our position in an intensely competitive world by making sensible changes.
"And so I have decided to merge Dfid with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to create a new department, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office."
The move sparked an angry reaction from opposition politicians in the House of Commons, including SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford.
He said: "Dfid employs around 600 people at its East Kilbride base - one of the biggest footprints of any Whitehall department in Scotland.
"The Prime Minister must deliver a cast-iron guarantee that all of these jobs are secure and that they will stay in East Kilbride."
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