Our People

Spotlight On ...

This issue our staff spotlight falls on Rebecca Payne

Name: Rebecca Payne

Job title: Strategic Assets Graduate Intern

Background: After I left school in the West of Glasgow, I spent a couple of years studying and working to find a career path that balanced both the art and technical skills that I was keen to pursue. After completing an NC in advanced art and a 2 year HND in Interior Design, I moved to Edinburgh where I graduated in July 2018 with a first class honours in Interior Design from The University of Edinburgh. My university course was very much a combination of creative concept and artistic skills blended with structured and technical skills that are central to interior architecture and building renovation. During my studies I worked on live projects and was employed as a design consultant for Danish design company BoConcept which allowed me to develop my design skills in a professional environment.

How long have you been with the council? I’ve been with the council since the end of July so just over 6 months.

Who do you work with? I work in the Strategic Asset & Capital Plan Management department with a team of interior designers, architects, quantity surveyors and engineering services.

What is your typical day to day routine? Every day is very different because we work on such a broad range of projects from new-build schools or school extensions to council offices, collaborative projects with the police and every day moves and changes within council owned buildings. I spend quite a lot of time out of office meeting people across the council and community to discuss projects or on building sites which is something I really enjoy about working with East Lothian Council.

Any interesting projects you are working on? I’m currently working with my colleague, Helen Campbell on the interior for the new Wallyford Primary School. I’ve also been working recently on the redesign of the Outdoor Centre in Innerwick and various council offices to implement new ways of working concepts. I find the diversity within the projects really interesting, as a graduate it allows me to experience a wide range of work and develop skills in a lot of different areas.

Plans for the future? I plan to embrace opportunities within the industry to expand on my skills and experience. I’d love to find work that allowed me to continue working on a wide range of projects, as this internship has allowed me to.

What do you enjoy outside of the office? Outside of work I like to go for long walks with my partner and our Romanian rescue dog Teddy. I enjoy going to the gym, spending time with family and friends, visiting restaurants, markets and local events.

Gica's voluntary work at Samos

Gica Loening, of our Arts Service, was recently working as a volunteer at the Samos Refugee Camp where nearly 5000 people, including families and young children, have been living in makeshift tents and tarpaulins in freezing temperatures. Samos is one of the EU frontline Greek islands nearest to Turkey, and has been a hotspot for thousands of refugees escaping wartorn and impoverished countries, but under reported in the media. Gica

In the past 6 months the refugee population has grown to between 4000 to 5000 people. The official capacity for the camp, set up by the Greek Army was for 750, but most live in ‘the jungle’ spillover, with no sanitation or running water, and queues for food lasting five hours. With the asylum process taking from a few months to 2 years, people are desperate, in limbo, and with limited access to human rights and the freedom to move off the island.

Gica’s six day a week timetable included helping out in the vital laundry service (you could expect to get your clothes and bedding washed every 5 months), being 'bouncer' on the door of the community centre, where more than 500 people a day flooded in to take shelter, play board games, learn a language or use a sewing machine. As a musician she led music and song sessions for the camp children, including 300 unaccompanied minors and at the Saturday women’s sessions and guitar group. Gica is left in photo with her fiddle.

Gica said: "The passion and skill for musicmaking and singing amongst many of the refugees was impressive and moving, and was a reminder that music and the arts can have a powerful effect amongst all the hardship and injustice.. It was an unforgettable and tough but amazing experience that will stay with me."

You can find out more about Samos Volunteers and the refugee situation HERE or read Gica’s blog .

Amy's Appetisers!

If only you could fast-forward these cold early months to the spring. Who’s with me? Fortunately, winter gives us the chance to try out some hearty and warming recipes such as a Beef and Lentil Cottage Pie.

Ingredients

400g Potatoes (peeled)
1 large Parsnip (peeled)
1 large Onion
Carrot
1 clove Garlic
200g Mince (Support local produce and get your mince from a local traditional butcher, such as North Berwick's Anderson Quality Butcher or the family run online butcher John Gilmour.)
5ml Smoked Paprika
5ml Mixed Herbs
250ml Beef Stock
80g Lentils
20ml Chopped Tomatoes
15ml Tomato Puree
25g Butter
50ml Milk
10ml Horseradish Sauce

Method

Preheat oven to 200°C or Gas Mark 6.
Cut the potatoes and parsnips into even sized pieces and then place into boiling salted water; boil the veg for approximately 15-20 minutes, until soft.
Finely chop the onion, crush the garlic and evenly dice the carrot.
Brown the mince in a hot pan and then add the onion and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes with lid on. Add the smoked paprika and cook for 1 minute.
Remove from heat. Add carrot, lentils, mixed herbs, tomatoes, beef stock and tomato puree. Stir well, return to the heat.
Bring to the boil, reduce heat and stew for 25 minutes. (No time for a cuppa though, still lots to do!)
Drain potatoes and return briefly to heat and carefully dry them.
Then mash both the potatoes and parsnips with butter, 30ml of milk and horseradish sauce. Season potato to your taste.
Pour the mince mixture into the bottom of a large oven-proof dish and cover neatly with the potato mixture. Glaze with milk.
Place in oven until potato is golden brown on the top.
Serve, garnished with finely chopped parsley sprinkled over the top.
Job done! Bon appétit!

Could Alan be a national Apprentice of the Year?

Congratulations to apprentice joiner Alan Smith who has been shortlisted as a Second Year Trade apprentice in the national APSE Scottish Building and Housing Apprentice of the Year 2019 Awards.

APSE (The Association for Public Service Excellence) is a not-for-profit local government body working with over 300 councils throughout the UK promoting excellence in public services.

Apprentices submit a portfolio which includes examples of work tasks including photos, references from supervisors and college lecturers and any major achievements. The portfolio is scored by judges, with the highest scoring apprentices invited to take part in the final stage of the awards process.

Alan will be interviewed about the award in early February and the winners will be announced shortly afterwards so he doesn’t have too long to wait to find out if he’s scooped first place!

Being announced as a finalist in this national award comes hot on the heels of Alan being announced as Edinburgh College Apprentice of the Year 2018.

Gemma and Irene - the faces behind the East Lothian giftcard!

The brand new East Lothian Gift card officially launched in November and proved popular as a Christmas gift with sales totalling an incredible £13k in the short run-up to the festive season.

The next key time for promoting the gift card is the upcoming Easter school holidays when we anticipate that not only shops, but restaurants and attractions, will be very busy with families visiting East Lothian or local residents taking their children for a day out locally. Giftcard team Irene (left) and Gemma

Business Development Assistant Gemma Slight and Business Support Administrator Irene Ramsay from the economic development team are working hard to bring even more businesses on board. The giftcard has a double benefit – increasing sales by those who are given a card as a gift and at the same time giving businesses an advertising boost through the giftcard website.

Gemma said: “We introduced the giftcard as a follow on from the council’s popular Christmas Shop Local Scheme. The giftcard retains the same aims of supporting our town centres and local businesses and boosting East Lothian’s economy but it’s much easier for businesses and customers to use as there is no paperwork, no need to return competition entries or keep receipts. It’s just much easier and faster.

Irene added: We have a range of businesses already on board, including shops and beauty therapists as well as restaurants and attractions all being able to take part in the scheme at no cost, with the only requirement being their business is able to take Mastercard credit card payments.”

EnjoyLeisure have also signed up meaning the card can be used at their sports centres across East Lothian. As Gemma and Irene pointed out, by giving a giftcard, you are ‘giving the gift of choice’ as the recipient can use it to buy themselves a treat from a local shop or put it towards a day or a night out – or even to get started on a health kick at a local gym.

Anyone buying a giftcard does so online by loading their card with their chosen amount. The behind the scenes administration and distribution of the cards is all handled by Gemma and Irene and they deal with setting up businesses to accept the payments too so it’s been a particularly busy time for them!

The card works as a gift for any special occasion as well as being a great corporate gift for example as a reward for staff. There are almost 130 businesses taking part at the moment and we expect more and more will come on board as there’s really no limit to how many people can get involved in the gift card scheme. All the participating businesses will be listed on the gift card website and will display in their premises that the East Lothian Gift Card is accepted there.