The Press and Journal and Evening Express’ newspaper delivery team scooped the Special 2020 Award for the dedication of their 750-strong home delivery network.

Throughout the Coronavirus pandemic, they surpassed all expectations delivering an increased number of papers as people were forced to stay at home.

From writing letters of support to running errands, the delivery team served their communities proud, and they have now been recognised with this prestigious award.

Head of newspaper sales and marketing, Neil Mackland, said: “The coronavirus pandemic challenged us all in 2020.

“But for the girls and boys who make up our home delivery network, it brought out the very best of them.

“We were faced with challenges at the start of lockdown, however we received strong support from parents and customers as they could see we were doing absolutely everything we could to ensure safe working conditions with no impact on our delivery service.

“We started receiving letters and calls of thanks from our readers, passing on their appreciation for the amazing work by our very own home delivery heroes.

“We also witnessed many examples of our newsboys and girls offering to collect shopping, take out bins and run errands for our most vulnerable customers.

“We are proud to be associated with them.”

Press and Journal editor-in-chief, Frank O’Donnell, added: “We rightly saluted our frontline workers who kept the country going during lockdown.

“But perhaps one group that went unheralded were the paper boys and girls, who brought trusted local news on the pandemic directly to people’s doors.

“A daily newspaper written by professional journalists was so important to people across the north and north-east, especially in those early stages of Covid-19, when misinformation and rumour were common.

“Not only did these youngsters keep delivering, they offered to help those who couldn’t leave their homes by bringing vital supplies and running errands.

“This says so much about the strength of our communities, the future of our region and the big heart of our young people. I am proud to know them.”

The Courier and two of our journalists also came away with successes at the awards, announced on Thursday 16^th September.

The Courier came highly commended in the Daily Newspaper of the Year (above 400,000 monthly reach) category.

Dale Haslam was highly commended in the Specialist Writer/Impact Journalist of the Year category, while Lesley-Anne Kelly was also highly commended in the Data Journalist of the Year category.

For the full list of winners visit the Society of Editors online.

 

 

Beano’s comic strips have been styled by Radley London into expertly crafted, collectable designs. Illustrations of Dennis, Gnasher, Minnie and Radley’s Scottie dog create mischief across bags, card holders and purses.  The rebellious collection will be available exclusively in Radley’s London and Glasgow stores, selected concessions and online from 4^th October.​​​​​​​

Dennis’s iconic black and red stripes are referenced throughout the collection, including the ‘Breaking Rules’ Book Street bag, which features screen prints and foil embossing on luxurious leather.  The large black tote has appliqué badges of the Beano characters and slogans and includes a detachable striped Scottie dog key fob who dons his very own red and black striped jumper.  The collection also includes a highly collectible leather card holder which features the iconic Dennis and Gnasher fan club logo.  The Dennis fan club was originally created in 1976 and this is the first time it has been brought to life in a licensed deal.

Vanessa Andreis, Franchise Planning and Partnerships Director, Beano Studios says, “In this momentous year for Dennis we’ve chosen iconic partnerships to commemorate his 70 years. Bringing a bit of Dennis’s loveable mischief to Radley London will be a special part of Dennis history and thanks to their incredible craftsmen we’re sure these collectible products will still be around for the next 70 years of this iconic character.”

Radley London is an official partner of Beano: The Art of Breaking the Rules – a major exhibition at Somerset House.  Radley’s rebellious collection of Beano-inspired handbags and accessories will be available to buy within a special pop-up shop at Somerset House during the exhibition, which runs from 21 October 2021 until 6 March 2022.

Jackie Hay, Radley London, Chief Product Officer comments, “We are so delighted to join with Beano and Dennis in this very special year.  Our Design Team had enormous fun creating a playful collection which brings Dennis and his friends into our world.  The exclusive Picture Bag designs are made by hand by our artisan craftsmen – including cutting, dying, stitching and printing – and we can’t wait to see our collection run riot this Autumn on our handbags, purses and of course our very own Dennis fan club card wallet.” ​​​​​​​

The landmark exhibition, Beano: The Art of Breaking the Rules at Somerset House will explore the relationship between Beano and contemporary art pieces with unruliness and irreverence, through the eyes of the artists who embody the Beano sensibility of rebellion.

The major exhibition will feature original comic drawings, never previously seen in public, selected across its 4,000-plus editions (to date) and rare archive artefacts, alongside works from leading artists and designers, imbued with the same Beano spirit of breaking the rules. Recently announced contributors include artists Nicola Lane and Peter Leversidge and editorial cartoonist Martin Rowson.

Beano was first published by DC Thomson in July 1938 and is still put together in its original Dundee headquarters and printed in the UK each week. Beano has an ABC of 54,800 – an increase of 9.0% YOY. The brand reaches over 5m kids a month on its digital network, centred around multi-award winning Beano.com and fans in more than 100 countries across the world can watch Dennis & Gnasher: Unleashed!, the Emmy nominated TV series.

DC Thomson Media has received an incredible 36 nominations at the UK Regional Press Awards and the Scottish Press Awards. 

The Sunday Post, The Courier, The Press and Journal, Evening Telegraph, Evening Express and Energy Voice have all been shortlisted across a number of categories. 

Several members of the editorial team also received individual nominations including journalists Dale Haslam and Lesley-Anne Kelly and photographer Mhairi Edwards who have all been nominated at both the UK and Scottish awards. 

Richard Neville, head of news brands at DC Thomson, said: “This is fantastic recognition of the hard work and talent of our editorial teams. 

“It has been a year of transformational change in our newsrooms, with the additional challenge of getting our newspapers and magazines out each day during a global pandemic. But our journalists, specialist writers, photographers, columnists and production staff stepped up to ensure our loyal readers stayed informed and entertained throughout. 

“It is particularly pleasing to see the Aberdeen Home Delivery team recognised in the Special Award for 2020 category for their incredible work getting papers out to our readers during lockdown.” 

The UK Regional Press Awards are taking place virtually on September 16 and the Scottish Press Awards will be held in Glasgow on September 29. 

A full list of the nominations available below. 

https://www.scotns.org.uk/awards/ 

https://www.societyofeditors.org/events/regional-press-awards-for-2020/shortlist/ 

On Thursday 1st July, Royal Mail announced the launch of a new set of stamps celebrating 70 years of the British comic character Dennis.

Six stamps look back at Dennis through the ages; from his first ever black-and-white comic strip in 1951, to important events in his life, including meeting his baby sister, Bea, adopting Gnasher, and even finding out that his dad is a grown-up version of Dennis from the 1980s. These stamps are based on original strips from Beano comics of the time.

A further four stamps, exclusively illustrated by the current Dennis artist, Nigel Parkinson, show the culmination of an exclusive comic strip. The strip, written especially for Royal Mail is featured in the Presentation Pack. The story focuses on Dennis’s birthday celebrations and includes a brief ‘history of Menaces’. The light-hearted episodes end with a birthday surprise, with the final comic strip frame revealing the four new stamps.

Natasha Ayivor, Royal Mail said: ”For seven decades Dennis has been entertaining children by getting into all manner of mischief and mayhem. Generations have experienced the excitement and anticipation of reading about Dennis’s latest prank. Royal Mail is delighted to be honouring Dennis and Gnasher with a set of stamps as the ultimate birthday present.”

Mike Stirling, Editorial Director of Beano Studios said: “Dennis has stamped his personality across first class laughs and mischief for generations of children. We believe everyone has a little bit of the Dennis spirit within them, so can’t wait for fans big and small to take delivery of this amazing piece of Dennis history. This incredible stamp collection really pushes the envelope of philately flattery for our hero.”

Royal Mail collaborated with Beano Studios on selecting all the stamps and associated imagery featured in the issue.

Dennis through the years:

Dennis – ‘the world’s wildest boy’ – was first brought to life in a pencil sketch on the back of a cigarette packet in January 1951. Seventy years later, his mischievous pranks and cheeky grin have not only earned him a place in the hearts of readers of all ages but also ensured that he remains one of Beano’s most famous creations.

Dennis made his first appeared in issue no. 452 of Beano, dated 17 March 1951. It would be another few weeks before he donned his legendary red and black striped jumper, but in this half-page strip, illustrated by artist David Law, readers were offered their first glimpse of the cheeky schoolboy in action as he ignored signs to ‘keep off the grass’ at a local park with hilarious results.

Prior to 1954, Dennis’s strip appeared either in black and white – as per his very first appearance – or supplemented with red, but in February of that year, ‘the world’s wildest boy’ went on his first full-colour adventure on Beano’s back page. Of course, full colour only heightened the mischief, and as Dennis embarked on a day of trainspotting, he not only tricked the train station staff to get onto the platform but ultimately found himself driving the train.

In August 1968, Dennis’s life changed forever when he met a stray Abyssinian wire-haired tripe hound whom he decided to name Gnasher. In the first story featuring the now infamous duo, Gnasher proved that he was just as much of a prankster as his human pal when he swiped a bone from one of the ‘pampered pooches’ at a local dog show – and a fight ensued. Gnasher would go on to star in his own strip from 1977.

After 26 years on the cover of Beano, Biffo the Bear was finally ousted from the front page by Dennis in September 1974. It was a change that had been hinted at two years previously, when Dennis announced his desire to star on the front cover while featuring in a Biffo strip, and it is one that, over the years, has proved incredibly successful – Dennis has appeared on the front cover of almost every issue of the Beano since.

Dennis first met his porcine chum Rasher in May 1979, when he spotted the ‘fine porker’ jumping on his trough at Wurzle Farm. After Dennis agreed to take Rasher off the farmer’s hands, the pig further endeared himself to Dennis when they ran into Walter Brown and he pushed over Dennis’s arch-nemesis, breaking his piggy bank. In 1984, thanks to his popularity with readers, Rasher was given his own strip, which ran regularly in Beano until 1988.

Shortly after Beano celebrated its 60th anniversary in 1998, Dennis’s mum and dad had a big surprise in store for Dennis: his mum was pregnant! In the 19 September issue, Dennis’s little sister – Bea – arrived. Although Dennis was initially hesitant at the prospect of having a girl in the family, it turned out that Bea was not unlike her big brother when it came to causing mischief.

In May 2015, Dennis fans were left gobsmacked when Beano revealed that Dennis’s dad was in fact Dennis 30 years earlier. In the strip, footage was unearthed of Dennis Senior as a boy in which the youngster – dressed as Dennis from older editions of the comic – could be seen engaging in a variety of pranks that, in the present, suitably impressed his young son.

The stamps and range of collectible products are available from here.

DC Thomson is closely monitoring the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and the impact it is having.  We are doing all we can to ensure we are able to continue to provide services for our consumers whilst also protecting our people and the public. The health, wellbeing and safety of our employees, customers and our wider stakeholder community is of our highest priority and we continue to follow guidance and advice from the Scottish and UK Governments, the NHS and the World Health Organisation.

We have been pro-active and measured in our approach and continue to take actions in line with Government guidance.

We appreciate your understanding and co-operation during this period and would like to reassure all customers and partners that we continue to monitor the situation closely.  We will keep you informed of any changes to our plans as the situation develops.

If you require any additional information or have any questions in relation to any of the above, then please don’t hesitate to contact us at

communications@dcthomson.co.uk

The much-anticipated winning comic strip of the Beano Guinness World Record ’Finish the Comic Strip’ competition has been unveiled in the Thomson Learning Centre at V&A Dundee.

Prize winner ten-year-old Louise Taylor from Newport-on-Tay, across the water from V&A Dundee, watched the museum emerge at the waterfront from her bedroom window and was inspired to enter the competition.

Louise and her mum, Kathryn, visited Beano HQ at Meadowside, Dundee to work with the Beano team on the strip, which is based on her original competition entry.

 

Mike Stirling, Editorial Director of Beano Studios and Global Ambassador for Dundee said, “Louise visited us in Beano Studios and led an editorial conference where she quickly proved her winning entry was indicative of her amazing creative skills. We couldn’t believe it when Louise revealed she’d actually watched V&A Dundee grow from her own bedroom window.

“This grew into a brilliant Beano comic strip story, illustrated by Nigel Parkinson, our star artist. I hope everyone enjoys reading Louise’s story for years to come – it’s another awesome reason for folks to visit V&A Dundee.”

 

Craig Glenday, Editor-in-Chief at Guinness World Records, said: “As a records adjudicator and a Dundonian, I’m honoured to have worked alongside our friends at Beano to make Louise’s vision become a reality. It just goes to show the power of creative and inventive thinking, and how we should all indulge our inner artist. I can’t wait to get back to the V&A Dundee to see Louise’s mirror for myself. I’m sure it will be Officially Amazing!”

 

Visitors to V&A Dundee’s opening weekend 3D Festival in September 2018 were challenged to complete a bespoke eight-page V&A Dundee-inspired comic strip, starring beloved Beano characters including Dennis and Gnasher, Minnie the Minx and The Bash Street Kids.

The iconic British children’s entertainment brand received almost 800 entries in the competition, in a bid to achieve the Guinness World Record title for largest ‘Finish the Comic Strip’ competition.

In the comic strip, pupils of Bash Street School were invited to the opening of V&A Dundee, where they met the museum’s architect Kengo Kuma and Director Philip Long.

The final panel challenged entrants to draw something they think should be on display in V&A Dundee. Louise’s winning comic strip designed a mirror which made anyone look like V&A Dundee’s striking exterior, with its horizontal lines and leaning walls.

The winning entry was personally chosen by Philip Long, Director of Scotland’s first design museum, from the hundreds of entries received.

The completed strip also features a guest appearance from long-time Beano fan and fashion designer Eunice Olumide MBE, who is also one of the museum’s Design Champions, modelling a unique V&A Dundee-styled dress.

 

Eunice Olumide MBE said: “I am thrilled to be featured in a Beano comic strip inspired by Louise’s amazing young imagination and now on show in Scotland’s first design museum.

“It was brilliant to meet her and hear more about how Beano and V&A Dundee have both inspired her creativity.”

 

Philip Long, Director of V&A Dundee, said: “The opening of V&A Dundee was an incredible moment and we were so proud to work with Beano and everyone at DC Thomson to achieve a new Guinness World Record.

“Louise’s idea for mirrors which turn people into the shape of V&A Dundee was the clear winner. It perfectly fits the humour and mischief of Beano, and it’s very fitting that a new Beano comic strip inspired by her design idea is now on display in our museum.”

 

The finished comic strip is now on display in The Thomson Learning Centre in V&A Dundee and can be seen at the museum’s next Young People’s Design Day on Saturday 8 February.

 

Leading British and Irish family history website, Findmypast, is proud to announce a new online collection spanning nearly five centuries of Dundee and Angus history. Published in association with Leisure and Culture Dundee, University of St Andrews Library and DC Thomson, this vast archive of historical documents and original photographs provides researchers worldwide with the opportunity to discover their connections to the City of Discovery in unprecedented detail, for the first time online.

Dundee based Findmypast has scanned in full colour from paper originals where possible, and created a full name index.  This new release brings together millions of complementary records from multiple institutions, which, when placed alongside existing Findmypast Scottish collections, forms one of the most comprehensive collections of genealogical records from any area of the UK online.

These records give names, dates, residences, occupations and document life events of the people of Dundee and Angus, also including photographic records of streets and people, a goldmine for social and family historians alike. They contain some of the oldest photographs in existence, taken in the 1840s and showing parts of the city long since lost to redevelopment. 

A particular highlight is a set of 50 images of ‘Dundee Old & New’ commissioned by the Dundee Police after the Improvement Act of 1871. This photographic album illustrates the changing landscape of a Victorian burgh in the firm grip of the Industrial Revolution through a unique ‘then and now’ perspective even at that time. When used alongside tenancy and electoral records of the people who lived in these streets released at the same time and going back to as early as 1823, a detailed picture of the people of Dundee can be seen, rich and fertile ground for tracing ancestors who stood on those cobblestones.

These exciting new records include:

• Fully indexed images of more than 23,600 Obituaries from local Dundee newspapers ranging from 1869-2018, added to a national Scottish collection of over 600,000.
• 2 million Valuation Rolls 1823-1938 for the county of Dundee & Angus 
• Almost 4 million Dundee & Forfarshire (Angus) Electoral Registers 1857-1939
• Hundreds of thousands of indexed records of baptism, marriage & burial from across Dundee & Angus 1562-1855.
• Portrait photographs of 318 male and female employees of DC Thomson who enlisted during the Second World War.
• Over 5,000 comprehensively indexed original photographs of Dundee & Angus dating 1844-2010.

Myko Clelland, Scottish Licensing Manager at Findmypast said ‘As a company with strong local roots, we’re thrilled to be working with partners to create one of the most comprehensive record collections for any area in the UK. We’re bringing so many different records together to give a detailed picture of the changing face of Dundee and Angus through its most transformative centuries, for the first time online. This is a unique chance to discover for ourselves the role that our ancestors played in history, allowing those connected to the area to uncover new stories, wherever they are in the world.’

Dr Erin Farley, Library & Information Officer at Leisure and Culture Dundee said ‘The Local History Centre at Dundee Libraries has been committed to helping people from Dundee and further afield discover their family histories for decades, and we are excited to offer library members access to this brilliant range of records, and new ways to search genealogical collections. We’re looking forward to hearing the stories that our members discover about their families, and finding out how our collections connect to others in Dundee and Angus.’

Rachel Nordstrom, Photographic Collections Manager of the University of St Andrews Library said ‘As the Home of Scottish Photography St Andrews played host to many great photographers over the past 180 years, and the University archives does indeed hold a great number of photographic images from across Scotland which we could draw from for this exciting and engaging initiative. We’re delighted to bring our collections to a new audience and give them new life through Findmypast for their local, national and international family heritage researchers. The images shared through this project are from some of the most notable photographers of the 19th century, and their portrayal of local life, landscape and architecture complements these newly published records while giving a view of what life was like for our forebears.’

David Powell, Archive Manager at DC Thomson said ‘DC Thomson share our Dundee Headquarters with Findmypast and we’re excited that holdings from our own corporate archives can contribute to such a comprehensive online collection. It’s fitting that the names and faces of those who walked through these same Meadowside doors are now having part of their own stories told online for researchers to link with other available records to broaden their knowledge.’

By improving access to these rich documents and making them searchable for the first time, Findmypast provides family historians from around the world with even more opportunities to discover their Dundee & Angus ancestors. Researchers can now uncover details of their families past and add new generations to their family tree with greater ease than ever before.

With today’s release building on existing records from The National Archives, Scottish Catholic Archives, British Library, Tay Valley Family History Society, and more from the area, together with the publication of almost 10 million records from Scotland since January, (many exclusive and nowhere else online), Findmypast is cementing their reputation as the home of British & Irish family history, creating one of the most useful genealogical resources online for Scottish research

DC Thomson Media has launched an exciting new station – Pure Radio.

Pure Radio is broadcast on DAB Radio and is available to nearly 3 million adults across Central Scotland.  Listeners can also tune in on the app, at pureradioscotland.com, or on smart speaker.  Pure Radio officially burst onto the airwaves on Wednesday 27^th November at 8.00am.

Led by the legendary Robin Galloway, who heads up the breakfast show, the station’s remit is to bring back the spirit of local radio to the nation and reverse the trend of networked radio shows from England.

Where Pure Radio differs from the competition though, is that there will be no hourly news bulletins and less adverts interrupting the shows. Pure Radio will not repeatedly churn out news like other stations, instead will only talk about news if they know it is of interest to their listeners. At Pure Radio, No News Is Good News.

Fun, cheeky and irreverent – that’s the tone that Galloway was famous for and that’s exactly what to expect from this new station on the airwaves and it’s not just going to come from the veteran DJ, with Lynne Hoggan and Paul Harper following him in the same style each day.

It’s a station by Scots, for Scots. The heavy emphasis on music will see major airplay for everyone from Gerry Cinnamon and Lewis Capaldi to Simple Minds, Eurythmics and Deacon Blue.

As well as presenting the Robin Galloway Breakfast Show every weekday morning from 6am -10am, Galloway is also Pure Radio’s boss and he couldn’t be more excited to get back to doing what he does best.

He said: “DC Thomson Media assured me they wouldn’t interfere with my show. So I said okay – prove it – make me the boss. So they did! Radio in Scotland needs open heart surgery or in the next few years, it’ll be given its last rights. I’m going to resuscitate it and bring it back to life.

Remember when radio used to be fun? It was risky, edgy, flew by the seat of its pants and surprised its listeners. It’s been sterilised. When was the last time you heard something that made you utter the phrase ‘Did they actually just say that….?’ You didn’t. Because it didn’t happen. It will on Pure Radio.”

Breakthrough Dundee has become an accredited Living Wage employer, with the announcement being made as part of Living Wage Week (11th – 15th November).

The Dundee based charity, started in 2017, work in partnership with the City Council and all of Dundee’s secondary schools. They currently employ 12 people, eight of whom are based full time in the city’s schools. Their programme of work is primarily aimed at S1-S6 young people with experience of the care system or who are facing significant challenges.

Breakthrough believes that every young person, regardless of their background, social circumstances or personal challenges, should have the opportunity to achieve their full potential, the same life chances and the same fulfilment as their peers.

 

Jenny Paterson, CEO of Breakthrough Dundee, said: “Breakthrough has always been a Living Wage employer and we are delighted to be have this formally recognised through the accreditation process and I would encourage other local organisations to sign up.”

 

Ellis Watson, Chief Executive, Breakthrough Dundee, said: “Being a successful employer depends on having a healthy and happy workforce. Employees will only be truly engaged if they are treated fairly and that’s got to start with paying them a fair wage.

Whilst Breakthrough Dundee has been a Living Wage employer since it’s inception, it is wonderful that it has received formal acknowledgement in the incredibly important Living Wage programme.”

 

This is the first Living Wage Week since Dundee became the first Living Wage City in the UK earlier this year.

In March 2019, over 50 Dundee employers voluntarily committed to ensure all their staff and subcontracted staff received the real Living Wage. These employers, who included major local business such as Dundee City Council, Dundee Voluntary Action, Dundee & Angus College, Xplore Dundee and Dundee & Angus Chamber of Commerce, totalled more than a quarter of the workforce in the city.

 

Jack Evans, Living Wage Scotland Manager, said, “We are delighted to welcome Breakthrough to the Living Wage movement.

We are a movement of over 1600 Scottish employers who together want to go further than the government minimum to make sure that all their staff earn enough to live on. We have lots of smaller employers as well as larger and iconic Scottish employers like SSE, Standard Life, Barrs, Mackies, ScotRail, DC Thomson and many more.

These businesses recognise that the Living Wage accreditation is the mark of a responsible employer and they, like Breakthrough join us, because they too believe that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay.”

 

Peter Kelly, Director of the Poverty Alliance, said, “The real Living Wage is one of the key tools at our disposal to help make an impact on levels of in-work poverty in Scotland.

The Living Wage accreditation of Breakthrough signals to both their staff and the people they support that they are a values-led employer, and that they believe in paying their staff enough to afford basic living costs.

There is a strong business case for paying the real Living Wage; but crucially it allows those in work to become more included in society, better provide for their families, and feel that their value and hard work is recognised by their employer. Congratulations to Breakthrough on becoming accredited”

 

On Monday, in conjunction with Living Wage Week, it was announced that the real Living Wage had been increased from £9.00 to £9.30 per hour.

The Living Wage is calculated to reflect the cost of living, the rate is set at what workers should earn in order to cover the cost of living in the UK.

More than 6,000 employers in the UK are estimated to be paying the real Living Wage rate, with over 1,600 based in Scotland.

Beano has today launched “Beano Booktopia” – a new book subscription service for kids offering newly published books across a wide range of authors and genres.

The tailor-made programme will include fiction and non-fiction books specifically chosen by Beano experts based on the individual child’s given interests and reading ability.

Booktopia encourages children to expand their reading horizons with new books that fans of the Beano will love. The books selected for the Booktopia service follow the winning Beano formula that has won over children for three generations by combining spot-on humour, captivating stories, relatable characters and amazing visual storytelling.

How Booktopia works

1. Pick a plan

Choose one of Beano Booktopia subscriptions with a book arriving every month for either 3, 6, 12 or 24 months – starting from £24.99f5f

2. Name a kid

Name the lucky kid who will become part of Beano’s Booktopia club

3. Booktopia quiz

Children answer a few simple questions outlining their interests. What do they love? Fact or fiction? Adventure or mystery? Books with pictures as well as text?

4. The adventure begins

Beano masterminds hand-pick a book a month to match each kid’s passions and reading ability

Multiple studies have shown that children who read for enjoyment do significantly better at school than their peers and make more progress in maths, vocabulary and spelling, making reading for pleasure one of the most effective ways of helping children to reach their full potential.

Emma Scott, CEO of Beano Studios, said: “Beano has been making kids laugh for over 80 years whilst all the while secretly helping them on the first crucial step on their reading journey. Thousands of parents tell us “Beano is the only thing my kids will read” and we’re constantly awed by the British creative icons who credit the Beano with getting them reading, writing, drawing and even standing up on stage! Beano Booktopia offers kids a monthly chance to immerse themselves independently in amazing stories with the Beano seal of approval to help launch a lifetime love of reading.”

For more information on Beano Booktopia and to purchase a subscription visit https://beanobooktopia.com/

Brightsolid, the Scottish managed hybrid cloud services company, has appointed a new client engagement manager to further strengthen the company’s client focus and support sales and client acquisition operations.

Danni Croan, who brings 25 years of sales experience, has previously held positions at BT and CGI, where she focused on securing new business and supporting clients within the public sector.

With 12 years of experience working in IT business development across Scotland and Australia, Danni has operated in a wide variety of account and project management roles, specialising in cloud computing, disaster recovery and business continuity. Her focus will now be placed upon growing Brightsolid’s client portfolio, particularly with governmental departments and organisations.

Malcolm Smith, chief sales officer at Brightsolid, said: “We’re continuing to strengthen our advisory and managed services for businesses looking to drive business value from cloud environments. We’ve seen an increase in public sector organisations modernising their hosting strategies and our ability to consult and offer services, including hybrid and public cloud, will support their digital transformation.

“Danni’s experience in IT sales and cloud computing, combined with her understanding of the public sector will be pivotal for Brightsolid’s strategy as we aim to grow our portfolio and strengthen business relationships. She will provide a great boost to our team and play a crucial role in the acquisition and retention of clients.”

Danni added: “I’m delighted to be given the responsibility of growing the client portfolio of a business which offers such comprehensive managed hybrid cloud services. My aim is to provide our clients with cost appropriate and future-proof managed cloud solutions to ensure that they discover the full benefits of our service offering.

“The opportunity to influence the trajectory of a privately-owned Scottish company was a great attraction towards Brightsolid. Having worked within a similar business environment in Australia, I believe my skills and experience will allow me to contribute greatly within the role. I pride myself on developing good business relationships and client rapport and look forward to implementing this approach to help bolster Brightsolid’s growth strategy and the of our clients.”

Following the announcement that current Editor, Catriona MacInnes, is retiring, DC Thomson Media has appointed David Clegg to the role and he will take up the position in the Autumn.

David will be re-joining the business having previously worked for the media organisation as Political Editor at The Courier, leaving in 2012.

Richard Neville, Head of Newspapers at DC Thomson Media, said, “We’re delighted to have David joining us as Editor of The Courier.  He is one of the stars of Scottish journalism and has a proven track record in both regional and national newspapers. He will be a fantastic leader for the The Courier team and will bring a new perspective to a title he knows very well.”

David will join DC Thomson Media in October, from his current position as Assistant Editor of the Daily Record.  David was named Journalist of the Year at the Scottish Press Awards in April this year and has previously been awarded the Political Journalist of the Year title four times.

Speaking of the appointment, David said, “I am delighted to be ‘coming home’ to DC Thomson Media at such an exciting time for business and the wider Courier Country.

“I cannot wait to get back to work with the talented team at The Courier and play my part in telling the region’s fantastic story.”

Catriona MacInnes, current Editor of The Courier, said, “I’m delighted to be passing the baton to an esteemed former colleague.  David has a great knowledge of the paper and its readers, and I’m confident he will be a great leader of a great team.”

David will take on the role of Editor in October.

Brightsolid, the Scottish colocation and cloud solutions company, has been named as an approved supplier for the Scottish Government’s cloud services framework.

From 1^st August the tech firm will provide its full range of cloud services to support government organisations in Scotland with their digital strategies.

The cloud services framework replaces the former hosting services framework, which expired in May 2019. As a supplier of the previous framework, Brightsolid has extensive experience in providing government and public sector organisations with cloud hosting services.

Under the new two-year framework which can extend to four years – as there is the option to extend twice for further one-year periods – Brightsolid will offer enterprise, private, public and hybrid cloud solutions and associated services, working collaboratively with organisations to meet their IT needs.

Elaine Maddison, CEO at Brightsolid, said: “We are pleased to offer our continued support to the Scottish Government following three years of successfully working with Scottish public sector organisations under the hosting services framework. The strong portfolio of cloud services we offer customers provides them with future-proof infrastructures to support digital transformation whilst considering the long-term financial implications – a testament to the feedback we have since received.”

“Often, there are more hurdles for public sector organisations to overcome than their private equivalent – whether restricted by the supply chain, cost or security. Therefore, our ability to offer a variety of cloud solutions, including hybrid cloud, fits extremely well within this sector, as it offers a balance of performance and cost optimisation. The hybrid approach also allows businesses to use the right cloud for the right workload, combining on-premise, colocation and cloud provider solutions from Brightsolid and our market leading partners, including Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure.”

Malcolm Smith, chief sales officer at Brightsolid, added: “Brightsolid provides cloud services to a wide range of government organisations and has significant experience in supporting this sector with digitalisation. Our place on the former hosting services framework enabled us to establish long-term customer relationships with Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire councils. The Scottish Procurement cloud services framework will enable us to offer real business benefits to public sector organisations under the protective umbrella of the framework and will continue to enhance our experience and customer portfolio in this area.”

Brightsolid, the Scottish colocation and cloud solutions company, has been announced as an approved GCloud 11 supplier by the UK Government. This marks the third consecutive year that the company has been included in the framework.

As of today (2^nd July), the tech firm will provide its full range of cloud solutions to support government organisations in Scotland in their migration to the cloud.

As part of the hosting category within the framework, Brightsolid will offer clients enterprise, private and public cloud solutions through the framework, working collaboratively with them to meet their IT needs. The firm will showcase multi and hybrid clouds as simpler solutions, providing organisations with flexibility and agility throughout the transition, under the streamlined GCloud 11 procurement process.

Vicky Glynn, product manager at Brightsolid, said: “The GCloud framework is perfect for organisations looking to adopt multi or hybrid cloud solutions. For public sector organisations in   Scotland it combines the benefits of ‘shopping local’, having data near to their users and having experienced support to embrace and optimise their infrastructure with solutions from Brightsolid and our market leading partners including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, VMware and Veeam.”

Malcolm Smith, chief sales officer at Brightsolid, added: “Continuing to be part of the GCloud framework provides a win-win scenario for all parties involved. Organisations who purchase through the framework are afforded financial and regulatory protection, and those who sell through it can experience a faster and more agile tender process.  Brightsolid provides cloud services to a wide range of government organisations and has significant experience in supporting their digital transformation. GCloud 11 allows us to deliver cloud solutions which offer real business benefits to Scottish public sector organisations under the protective umbrella of the framework.”

Her Royal Highness has officially launched Oor Wullie’s BIG Bucket Trail, the first of its kind,  which sees five of Scotland’s major cities unite for 11 weeks, with 200 life-sized Oor Wullie sculptures taking to the streets in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness supporting children’s hospital charities and celebrating Scotland’s favourite and forever young son, Oor Wullie.

Scotland’s children’s hospital charities (Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity, The ARCHIE Foundation and Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity) have joined forces with international arts events company, Wild in Art, and DC Thomson Media, custodians of Oor Wullie, to create the trail.  The project aims to significantly boost Scotland’s provision for children and young people in hospital by raising essential funds through the trail and associated events and sculpture auctions. This is the first time that all of Scotland’s children’s hospital charities have united for the same worthy cause.  Her Royal Highness will meet children from across Scotland who have benefitted from the work of the charities.

The trail across Scotland comprises of 200 life-sized, bespoke designed Oor Wullie sculptures across 700 miles. From June to September, the trail is expected to attract over one million members of the public who will be encouraged to explore the country with free maps and a downloadable app, in order to ‘spot’ all sculptures in the trail.  A further 350 ‘wee’ sculptures decorated by local schools, youth and community groups will accompany the main trail, forming mini trails in local libraries, art galleries, shopping centres and public spaces where families can take part in fun activities.

In September, when the trail has ended, all sculptures will be brought together in their respective cities and exhibited as part of a Farewell Weekend.  The culmination of the campaign will be a series of regional auctions to raise significant funds for each of the charities involved.

The trail aims to raise awareness for Scotland’s children’s hospital charities, which work in partnership with the NHS to provide care for a combined half a million babies, children and young people each year.  Money raised by the charity goes towards hospital equipment, family support services, research, staff, training and play and recreation spaces.

Each life-sized Oor Wullie sculpture is unique, reflecting many aspects of Scotland’s cultural identity, and has been individually designed by 200 commissioned artists. For the past eight months the three charities have been working with local businesses and organisations to sponsor the Oor Wullie sculptures, which are now placed at iconic and interesting locations throughout the five trail cities.

By joining artists, businesses, communities, and schools together through Oor Wullie’s BIG Bucket Trail the project aims to bring lots of activities for the public and visitors to enjoy throughout the summer. There will also be an opportunity for schools and communities to play a significant part in the trail.  A schools programme will run alongside the event with every school in Scotland being invited to take part in the trail and receive a wee Oor Wullie sculpture of their own. Fun runs, apps, and a number of associated events will encourage local communities to get involved.

The Press & Journal has revealed Aberdeen’s new £333 million event complex will officially be named P&J Live.

DC Thomson Media, which owns The Press & Journal and Evening Express, has agreed a deal with the venue’s operator SMG Europe to become the inaugural naming-rights sponsor for the state-of-the-art concert, exhibition, conference and banqueting venue due to open this summer.

The outstanding facility, developed by Aberdeen City Council and development partner Henry Boot Developments (HBD), will bring some of the biggest stars in music and entertainment to the Granite City, as well as conferences and exhibitions with attendees from across the globe.

P&J Live will provide a world-class venue for Scotland, boasting 48,000 sqm of event space and12,500-capacity main arena, making it one of the biggest event venues in the UK. It is expected to bring an additional 4.5 million visitors to the city with an additional visitor spend of £113 million.  P&J Live will also result in the creation of over 350 jobs.

Alan McCabe, Editor-in-Chief of The Press & Journal, said, “DC Thomson Media is delighted to be making a significant investment in the future of Aberdeen and the North-east by supporting this truly phenomenal venue.

“There’s a lot to be positive about in Aberdeen right now and we see this as big vote of confidence for the region. P&J Live will provide a visitor experience far beyond anything seen in the city and will attract visitors from far and wide and give us all an opportunity to shout about what a great place this is to live, work and play.”

Events already lined up for the impressive venue include Lewis Capaldi, Elton John, Russell Howard and Game Con, with more set to be announced. SPE Offshore Europe – which generates more than £53 million for the north-east across four days – will also be held at P&J Live in September, the complex’s first exhibition.

Nick Waight, Managing Director at P&J Live said “We are thrilled to welcome P&J Live as our official naming rights partner.  Having a brand which has strong roots in Aberdeen is incredibly important to us and being part of DC Thomson Media is hugely positive for our business and pivotal to the success of this transformational project.  We look forward to a strong partnership and bringing P&J Live to life, delivering on a fantastic new venue for entertainment, conferencing and exhibitions for Aberdeen and the North East of Scotland.”

Aberdeen City Council Co Leader councillor, Douglas Lumsden said, “It is great that our multi-million-pound new venue has a naming rights sponsor in the form of one of the most well-known local media companies and they will play a big part in the future of TECA.

“The P&J Live partnership will ensure the fantastic acts, conferences and events will be known throughout the north of Scotland and beyond which fits in with our Regional Economic Strategy with internationalisation at its heart.

“We want to attract major artists and events to the north-east to ensure the area competes on a global scale and it will be fantastic to watch how the P&J Live partnership will contribute towards that.”

Brightsolid, a Scottish colocation and cloud solutions company, has partnered with RingCentral UK, Ltd., a leading provider of global enterprise cloud communications, collaboration, and contact centre solutions and a wholly owned subsidiary of RingCentral, Inc. (NYSE: RNG), to deliver RingCentral’s market leading enterprise cloud communications solutions alongside its own products to its Scottish customer base.

The agreement establishes a new capability for Brightsolid, which has to date focused on providing colocation services, managed cloud solutions, and consultancy. The move has resulted from extensive analysis by Brightsolid, which identified a market opportunity where clients are looking for a broad range of technology that can grow as they grow. With an increased desire from employees to work more flexibly—and, in many cases, on the go—Brightsolid wanted to offer its customers a reliable communications solution that would drive greater productivity. This means that when staff are working, they can be contacted using their business identity, whether by instant message, phone, or video.

RingCentral’s open cloud platform enables deep integrations with other leading cloud business applications, such as Microsoft Office 365, Google G Suite, and Salesforce. These integration capabilities ensure that organisations can leverage RingCentral in the other business apps they use on a daily basis, enabling seamless workflows.

Elaine Maddison, CEO of Brightsolid, commented: “RingCentral has a strong product portfolio and has made a significant splash in the unified communications as a service (UCaaS) market in a short period of time. As our customers adopt cloud solutions that allow them to innovate, they are recognising how they collaborate and communicate is as important to the success of their digital strategies as their IT infrastructure. As we extend our strategy to support our customers’ success journey, RingCentral’s solutions will add a great deal of value complementing the service we provide.”

Robinder Koura, head of channel sales EMEA at RingCentral, added: “With RingCentral’s market leading cloud solutions and Brightsolid’s experience and established network within Scotland, this partnership will enable us to extend our reach across the country and augment our offering. Brightsolid has established itself as a reliable and trusted partner to its customers over the last 20 years and adding UCaaS to their portfolio shows their responsiveness to the needs of their customers. Through our Channel Harmony® partner program, where we support our partners with our own subject-matter experts on every opportunity, I’m confident we will have a successful partnership with Brightsolid in the Scottish market.”

Today sees the re-launch of Shortlist.com, a radical re-working of the brand into a digital-only proposition for men and women, with significant global ambitions.

The new Shortlist.com has a new mission, a new platform, a new revenue model and a new team. However, it remains focused on areas such as entertainment, technology, style, food, drink, home, health and fitness, but does so by helping its global audience order their world, find the best of everything, and make the right buying decisions.

Shortlist.com returns to one of its core founding principles of listing products, services, places and things, but with a clear vision to be the future of reviews sites. It will deliver this through comparative, real world testing of products, while continuing to be hugely accessible and always ensuring users have a voice.

The core revenue model is affiliate-led. This means that, where possible, buy links to products or services will be included so that users can click through and purchase from a trusted retailer.

The new Shortlist.com also has a brand new team, led by Paul Cunliffe who joins as General Manager and Director of Affiliate. Paul joins from TI Media (formerly Time Inc) where he was Director of Affiliates. Paul has also worked in senior affiliate roles at Future publishing, PhotoBox and AndroidPit.

Marc Chacksfield joins as Editor in Chief, following 12 years at Future publishing where he was Global Editor in Chief at Techradar and latterly Editor in Chief at Toms Guide, Toms Hardware and Digital Camera World.

Check out the new Shortlist.com here.

 

It was a successful night for DC Thomson Media at the Scottish Press Awards on Thursday 25th April, with a fantastic 4 wins and 4 runners up for the event’s awards.

The evening saw the Evening Express’s Callum Law win Local/Weekly Sports Writer of the Year, Graham Huband from The Courier win Financial/Business Journalist of the Year, Dale Haslam from the Evening Express win Local/Weekly Reporter of the Year and the Sunday Post scooped Campaign of the Year for their ‘Mesh Campaign’.

Runners up on the evening were Adele Merson from the Evening Express for Political Journalist of the Year and Local/Weekly Reporter of the Year, Mandy Rhodes from the Sunday Post for Columnist of the Year, and the Sunday Post’s Marion Scott for the Nicola Barry Award.

The Scottish Press Awards have quickly become the top awards for the newspaper industry, in both print and digital formats, and have flourished into a prestigious event in the diary of every journalist. The awards are a wonderful showcase for the best journalistic talent in Scotland.

Richard Neville, Head of Newspapers at DC Thomson Media, said, “We are delighted with our success in the Scottish Press Awards. All those who have won and all those who were nominated have done some incredible work over the last year which deserves all the recognition it can get. It shows the breadth of talent we have at DC Thomson Media.”

Beano Studios is teaming up with award-winning production company Selladoor to create an all new musical stage production based on hit TV show Dennis & Gnasher: Unleashed!

The family friendly show, which is being developed by Selladoor – the company behind hits including Madagascar the Musical and Avenue Q – will launch in 2020 on a year-long tour of 40+ theatres and venues across the UK and Ireland.

BAFTA-winning writer/producer-director Will Brenton is on board to write the show which will feature Dennis and Gnasher’s hallmark slapstick comedy and ageless humour delivered with a repertoire of songs.

The stage production follows on from the success of Beano Studios’ international Emmy-nominated TV series Dennis & Gnasher: Unleashed! The TV show stars Beano’s irrepressible hero Dennis (voiced by Freddie Fox), his dogged side kick Gnasher and fearless mates including Rubi, JJ, Pieface and his pet potato Paul. Together they cook up crazy plans, get in all sorts of scrapes and take on every challenge, no matter how big.

The hit TV show recently secured its second series (52 x 11min episodes) on CBBC and has been sold in over 24 countries and airs on the biggest broadcasters including Super RTL in Germany, Rai in Italy and France Télévision to name a few.

Emma Scott, CEO of Beano Studios said: “Following the success of Dennis & Gnasher Unleashed around the world, bringing our gang to life on stage is the perfect next step. Selladoor are the ideal team to take on the exciting challenge of bringing the iconic characters to life in a show to entertain all ages.”

David Hutchinson, CEO of Selladoor said: “Selladoor are delighted to be working with Beano Studios to bring the iconic Dennis and Gnasher to the stage for the first time with a really exciting creative team, led by Will Brenton under Anna Fox’s dramaturgical eye.

Selladoor recently launched Selladoor Creation, our development wing focused entirely on commissioning new stories for the stage. We are delighted to have been entrusted by Beano Studios with their well-loved characters who have endured for generations, and now finally leap from the page to the stage. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to bring one of the Nation’s favourite rebels to life so everyone can join in on the mischief and adventures. Keep your eyes peeled for Dennis and the gang hitting a theatre near you!”

DC Thomson Media has confirmed the acquisition of PSP Media, a Glasgow based publisher and event specialist.

Following the announcement of radio growth in March, DC Thomson Media’s acquisition of PSP Media is another key step in transforming the business from traditional publisher to modern media creator.

Having bought No.1 magazine from PSP Media in 2015, a number of adjacencies and synergies were identified between the two businesses. This acquisition enters DC Thomson Media in to new markets including both B2B and B2C events and exhibitions of scale, and contract publishing.

Mike Watson, Chief Executive Officer at DC Thomson Media, said, “I’m thrilled to have Paul, Tom and the PSP team join the business. At DC Thomson Media we are working to protect our core newspaper and magazine business whilst achieving sustainable business growth. The diversification into new sectors that PSP Media brings is an exciting opportunity for everyone involved.”

PSP Media will continue to operate from Speirs Wharf in Glasgow.

Paul Grant, Managing Director of PSP, said, “My fellow director Tom Lovering and I are delighted that our company, formed 23 years ago in order to launch bunkered magazine, is now part of an institution as great as DC Thomson Media. This acquisition is an extremely exciting opportunity for the company, our staff and our ever-increasing stable of events and publications. Both Tom and I are very much looking forward to continuing to grow the PSP portfolio with the support being part of DC Thomson Media brings.”

Following the acquisition the focus for DC Thomson Media is to ensure a smooth integration of the businesses, and to continue to deliver the highest quality publications and events to their consumers.

DC Thomson Media has confirmed the acquisition of two of Scotland’s biggest commercial radio stations, Kingdom FM and Original 106.

This adds to existing DC Thomson Media radio interests following the purchase of Wave FM in 2017.

Mike Watson, Chief Executive Officer for DC Thomson Media, said, “These acquisitions firmly position us as the largest Scottish owned radio group.  We’re excited to have brought these two great stations in to our radio portfolio and look forward to working with the teams there to strengthen the offering to listeners, and provide them with quality local news content.”

These acquisitions are another strong step in DC Thomson Media’s strategy to protect, launch and diversify.  With Original and Kingdom joining the radio business, DC Thomson Media’s radio reach will now top 150,000 listeners, stretching from Aberdeenshire to Fife.

This extended reach means that even more people across Scotland will have access to locally reported news from DC Thomson Media, through the newspaper portfolio including The Press and Journal and The Courier, and widespread radio reach of Original, Wave and Kingdom.

Adam Findlay, Managing Director of Original, will join DC Thomson Media as Head of Radio and has said, “Both John Quinn and I have thoroughly enjoyed being part of the Original 106 success story and recognise that for the station to enjoy continued growth and further expansion, it needs to become part of something bigger. DC Thomson Media is the best place for this to happen.

“The Original 106 team are amongst the best in the business and this coupled with the strength and talents of the DC Thomson Media team will make for a strong and progressive partnership with the ultimate aim of delivering the very best client solutions”.

As Head of Radio for DC Thomson Media, Adam will oversee all aspects of the radio operation across the DC Thomson Media radio portfolio of Original, Wave, and Kingdom.

Kingdom FM Chairman Robert Kilgour, who is choosing to step away from radio, said, “DC Thomson Media are the ideal buyers for the station as they clearly have an understanding of the market in which Kingdom operates, and can take the station to the next level. We believe that this acquisition is good for the Kingdom’s listening audience, for our advertisers and shareholders, and our very hardworking staff.”

The focus of the DC Thomson Media radio business over the coming months will be to maintain local, passionate teams delivering quality radio, whilst harnessing the power and strength being part of a larger group brings.

Stylist launched its first ever Remarkable Women Awards in partnership with well-being brand philosophy this week and they celebrated remarkable women as only Stylist can. From Annie Lennox picking up her icon award to Deborah Frances-White hosting the night, the awards honoured those who have worked tirelessly to help make sure the world hears every female voice.

Winners included Killing Eve’s Jodie Comer, The Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick, Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Anne-Marie, Jameela Jamil, and the legendary Annie Lennox. Guests included Edith Bowman, Maya Jama, Sara Pascoe, Katherine Ryan, and BAFTA winner Georgina Campbell. We also hosted performance poet, Sophia Thakur and musical theatre group Suffrageddon.

Take a look at some of the wonderful pictures from the evening held at Rosewood London below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brightsolid, the Scottish colocation and cloud solutions company, has found that almost three quarters (71%) of businesses across Scotland have adopted cloud computing, with 43% of this group considering their cloud journey as mature or mainstream.

Releasing results from its 2019 Cloud State of the Nation survey, the firm also found that 45% of the respondents are looking to implement a hybrid cloud strategy into their business, with 53% already investigating ‘best fit’ approaches over ‘cloud first’ and ‘cloud only’.

Elaine Maddison, CEO at Brightsolid, said: “This research validates our business positioning in offering the best fit hybrid solutions to our clients. It’s challenging to make one type of IT infrastructure fulfil the different performance, price and functionality requirements of a business; therefore, a mix of on-premise, private cloud and public cloud services is becoming more prevalent.

“IT infrastructure is intrinsic to delivering real business value and CTOs are ever more on the hook to justify technology through business outcomes. Hybrid cloud solutions therefore need to ensure that IT teams can obtain and share real-time management intelligence that allows them to demonstrate business value – not just simply orchestration, but true operational integration.”

According to Gartner, 90% of organisations will have moved to hybrid cloud infrastructure by 2020. Hybrid cloud offers a mix of on-premise, specialised and public cloud services with a management or orchestration layer. It encompasses holistic thinking on how cloud can fit into current IT infrastructure, including colocated environments and legacy kit, as well as licensing and support agreements.

However, despite the openness to the cloud, Brightsolid’s survey also reported that 40% of the respondents believe the top barrier to cloud is cost and recovering return of investment, followed by culture and skills at 30%, with focus on defining a cloud strategy, technical architecture, optimisation and compliance.

Elaine added: “While it is encouraging to see how advanced businesses in Scotland are on their cloud journey, there is still some way to go to achieve cloud nirvana. For example, our research also found that over a fifth (23%) of Scottish businesses remain unsure as to which type of cloud they will adopt in the future. It is therefore ours and the industry’s responsibility to ensure that organisations are clear on the financial benefits the cloud will afford them and ensure they have access to the skills and training needed to maintain their journey.”

The world’s longest-running weekly women’s magazine celebrated 150 years of continuous publication in January. First published on January 13 1869 from an office in Bank Street, Dundee, The People’s Friend set out to “instruct and entertain” its readers. A century and half and thousands of issues later it continues to do just that.

With a current weekly readership of 400,000, the magazine is known, loved and trusted around the world. As well as its UK readers, around 20,000 copies are exported each week to recipients as far afield as Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Canada.

Carrying around 600 short stories each year across the weekly magazine, the three weekly special and the annual, The People’s Friend is the biggest publisher of magazine fiction in the UK and adheres to its founding intention that the publication would have “Nothing admitted into its columns having the slightest tendency to corrupt the morals either of old or young”.

To mark the anniversary a symposium on The People’s Friend will take place in April at Glasgow’s Mitchell Library in conjunction with the University of Strathclyde with a day of talks about the magazine’s place in publishing history.

In May, the Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh will mount an exhibition of original cover art and run a series of events. Later that month, The People’s Friend will host a readers’ weekend at Alvaston Hall, Crewe to meet the team behind the magazine, hear about the history of the publication and take part in “Friend” activities.

Later in the year, a further series of talks will take place at the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh. There are also plans for short story writing workshops during the anniversary year.

Angela Gilchrist, Editor-in-Chief of The People’s Friend since 2007, said: “We’re proud to have maintained the founding values of the magazine. They are embedded into the ethos of the magazine – this is what The Friend is about and what it stands for.

“The famous founding statement which was in the first issue talks about ‘Nothing in the columns intended to corrupt the morals of young or old’ and that is very much the principle of the magazine. There will be nothing to upset or offend. The Friend is all about entertainment so people feel better for reading it, not saddened, upset or frightened in any way.

“I think that regardless of how up to date you are with what’s happening in the world around, there are moments when you just want to step back and have a bit of escapism and that’s really what we offer.

“Reaching this milestone is amazing and is proof of the relationship we have with our readers. No other magazine can come close to this. And that more than anything is what has made it flourish for 150 years.

“Readers tell me how much they look forward to the magazine coming though their door every week. They say it’s like welcoming a friend in to their home.

“It’s not unusual for people to read The Friend every single day for 40, 50 or even 60 years. Or for one, two or even three generations of the same family to pass on the habit of reading The Friend.

“In its 150-year history The People’s Friend has survived massive social upheaval, world wars, strikes and natural disasters, and through it all, it’s continued, dispensing entertainment, comfort and good cheer, acting as a true friend to its readers in good times and in bad.”

Brightsolid, the Scottish colocation and cloud solutions company, has kick-started the year with the appointment of a new chief executive and chief technology officer.

Elaine Maddison will fill the role as CEO and Bryan Lambe will join the company as CTO.
David Thomson, Executive Chairman of Brightsolid, commented on the new appointments: “Today’s pace of change is exponential. Cloud is the most disruptive force in technology in decades, and Brightsolid’s role in helping organisations realise the benefit of cloud has never been more important. Elaine’s vision, strategy and execution track record, supplemented by Bryan’s technology expertise, are exactly what Brightsolid needs as we enter our next chapter, which I am confident will be even more impactful and exciting than our last.”

Elaine Maddison, CEO at Brightsolid
Elaine has spent 20 years in the UK financial services industry and has experience across a range of disciplines including IT, operations, risk management, strategy and M&A activities. Elaine has previously experienced Brightsolid as a customer during her time working with Alliance Trust Savings. With a track record of successfully leading diverse business functions through transformational change, Elaine will lead the ongoing transformation of Brightsolid’s technology and service delivery offerings.

Speaking about her appointment, Elaine said: “I am thrilled to have been offered the opportunity to lead Brightsolid at such an important time in its development. The company is well positioned for growth in this evolving market as the demand for cloud and colocation solutions continues to rise.
I am looking forward to building on our credibility and success for the future whilst simultaneously ensuring we remain focused on delivering the very best quality service to our customers.”

Bryan Lambe, CTO at Brightsolid
Bryan joins Brightsolid after 12 years of working for Microsoft’s Middle East and Africa operations. Throughout his time at the technology giant, he led digital change projects, including defining cloud and IT strategies for clients and supporting the development and modernisation of data centres. Bryan will be responsible for the technical strategy and end-to-end design and delivery of the company’s technology-based services, working collaboratively with clients to meet their IT needs.
Bryan said: “It is an exciting time to return to Scotland as demand for cloud solutions is on the increase. Brightsolid is in a strong position to support this growing demand and become a major player in the Scottish cloud and colocation landscape. I very much look forward to shaping and supporting the company’s technology offerings throughout this journey.”

Brightsolid is Scotland’s only dedicated and complete colocation and managed cloud solutions company. Brightsolid’s location, connectivity and credibility, combined with 20 years of industry experience, means they are trusted advisors to help their clients realise the full potential of the cloud. Brightsolid has a diverse portfolio of clients across all sectors including Alliance Trust Savings, Aberdeen City Council, TOTAL and many more.

Beano Studios is launching Beano for Brands, a kid-first consultancy for brands wanting to engage with older kids, Generation Alpha and their parents.
Beano for Brands will solve client briefs using unrivalled kids’ insight and market testing gleaned from exclusive qualitative and online research, content creation, and brand partnerships across the multichannel Beano portfolio or white-labelled for their brand’s own use.

Iain Sawbridge, Beano Studios’ Chief Content & Digital Officer, who will head-up Beano for Brands, said “Making the move from kids media owner to a kid-first consultancy is a natural next step for Beano Studios, which in just two years has reinvented the 80-year-old brand from a comic to an international multimedia studio; winning 14 major industry awards, an International Emmy nomination and launching Beano.com, now the UK’s fastest growing kids’ site with a monthly network reach of 5 million”.

Hayley Granston, Managing Director, Commercial at Beano, added: “Understanding kids is at the heart of everything we do because we listen to them every day. We can help brands tap into the changing rules of today’s kids’ behaviours, and their role in the household, both in their native digital landscape and everyday life. We will help clients who need to engage with this unique audience by enabling them to ‘think more kid’.”
Sawbridge continued: “We’re working with a range of brilliant brands who came to us to tap into our content creation abilities – and were then intrigued by just how much more we could offer them because of our wealth of insight and award winning creative and technical skills”

Beano Studios has already delivered a string of successful brand partnerships, from Stella McCartney and Ted Baker, to David Walliams/Harper Collins and with YoungMinds; the UK’s leading charity fighting for children and young people’s mental health. This bold creative partnership saw Beano myth busting videos and quizzes about dealing with anxiety and starting secondary school for 11-12 year olds as well as character focused comic strips all focused on reaching the charity’s target audience in a fresh tone of voice.

Granston said “Beano for Brands will continue to work with brands that are obviously in the kids’ space – such as toys, gaming, publishing, and film – but increasingly we want to work with less obvious family brands that need to understand today’s kids to drive success with families, including everything from financial services, to technology, sustainability and cultural institutions.”

As part of Stylist’s Visible Women campaign, we brought together three leading female MPs to discuss women in politics… and what they’d really like to do to Boris Johnson.

Question: would you rather go on a canal holiday in Norfolk with Boris Johnson or Jacob Rees-Mogg? That was the dilemma we posed to three of Britain’s leading female MPs when they came together for Stylist’s brand new political TV show, Women of the House.
“I would pick Jacob any day of the week, because I would fear for Boris’ safety if he was left on a canal boat with me,” says Jess Phillips, Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley. “I mean, I literally cannot stand him. He is a charlatan.”
Rees-Mogg at least holds his arch-Conservative beliefs sincerely, Phillips says. “He is who he is. You might not like that, but I find that much more appealing than spending a week with somebody who’s a fake.”
It’s not your average political conversation, but this isn’t your average political TV show. In a media first, we at Stylist have developed a new series that only invites female MPs to the table to discuss the biggest issues of the day. After years of listening to men talk on behalf – or if they’re really good, over – their female counterparts, we wanted to create a “safe space” for Britain’s leading female MPs to share their thoughts on sexism in parliament, Brexit and living with their Twitter trolls.

In the first episode of Women of the House, Phillips, Kemi Badenoch (Conservative, Saffron Walden) and Hannah Bardell (SNP, Livingston) sit down with broadcaster Isabel Webster and reveal the impact that Brexit is having on women’s rights.

Phillips says that several examples of legislation that would have benefited or protected women have fallen through “because of Brexit taking up all the time”. She cites the example of a law that would have stopped violent perpetrators of domestic abuse being able to cross-examine victims in family courts.
“We had worked incredibly hard on it for over a year, getting cross-party consensus, and it all just fell away,” she says. “And when you ask about when that’s going to come back round to the government they say, ‘There isn’t the time because of Brexit.’”
The Labour MP is sceptical that all of the politicians fighting for Brexit truly believe in leaving the EU. “What we see in the cabinet is people using Brexit as a proxy to get what they want – and power,” she says. “It’s absolutely nothing to do with Brexit. Bless, it’s just boys playing a game.”

Bardell adds that women need to “be leaders in our own right”, and actively work to shape other women’s perspectives of politics. When she first stood for election in 2015, she says, she was running against four men.
“They were all really good candidates and credible in their own right, but I thought: there’s not anybody there that I feel looks or sounds like me,” she says. “As parliamentarians we have to challenge that, look at how we can do better, and also work together on a cross-party basis.”
Men often “find that difficult,” Bardell continues. “They take joy out of opposing each other… whereas I think as women, we’ve got a different approach.”

The new TV series, Women of the House, was launched to tie into the centenary of women being able to stand for parliament. On 21 November 1918 the Parliament (Qualification of Women) Act was passed, which gave all women over the age of 21 the right to stand as MPs. Constance Markievicz was the first woman to be elected to parliament in the December 1918 general election – but as an Irish nationalist, she refused to take her seat in Westminster. The Commons remained a boys’ club until November 1919, when Nancy Astor was elected MP for Plymouth South.
Much has changed for women in the UK since then, not least that we have our second female Prime Minister in place, holding down the top job. But in 100 years, Westminster has not matured into a place of gender parity.
Less than a third of current MPs are women, and male politicians make up more than 80% of our female Prime Minister’s cabinet. Overall, Britain has had just 456 female MPs since 1918 – only two more than the number of male MPs currently sitting in the Commons. Now, that’s not what we’d call true representation… despite Theresa May’s leadership.
Why does this matter? On a basic level, we know democracy functions best when those in power truly understand the needs and experiences of the people they represent – and research has repeatedly shown that female politicians are more likely to focus on issues that matter to women.
Hell, even Afghanistan, voted the world’s most dangerous place to be female, has quotas in place that mean 50% of appointees to the upper house must be women. At just 48th (that’s 48th!) in the world for female parliamentary representation, we are embarrassingly behind. Yet the vast majority of UK women say they would never consider standing for election.

Perhaps this is not surprising. A report by a cross-party group of MPs published earlier this year found that Westminster still has a sexual harassment problem, while other research has confirmed that women politicians are vastly more likely than their male counterparts to face sexist online abuse.
Add to that the fact that parliament is still not set up to accommodate the needs of politicians who also happen to be parents (MPs are not entitled to paid maternity or paternity leave, and archaic voting systems can be almost impossible for pregnant or breastfeeding women to navigate) then you can understand why a career in politics looks increasingly undesirable to the average woman.
But if we want the UK to become a better place for women, we need more women in power. And despite its problems, Phillips says Westminster is improving in terms of gender politics.
“I think it has got much better,” she says. “It’s still not perfect and you feel that there aren’t that many women… But it’s getting better, and it feels different.”

Stylist’s Visible Women campaign aims to raise the profiles of women in politics – and inspire future generations to follow their lead. See more Visible Women stories here.

Bath based gifting company Wild & Wolf is excited to announce the launch of its first direct-to-consumer (D2C) website: https://store.wildandwolf.co.uk/.

Building upon its highly successful wholesale business, launched in 2005, this is Wild & Wolf’s first foray into a commercial route straight to end consumers. The platform will help to raise brand awareness across digital channels, both for Wild & Wolf, and for its popular in-house brands such as Gentlemen’s Hardware, Ridley’s Games, Yes Studio and Petit Collage. In addition to featuring a selection of products from its in-house brands, the site also offers a number of lines from Wild & Wolf’s licensed gifting ranges for Ted Baker and Orla Kiely.

The Shopify site, built in partnership with eCommerce and Retail specialists OsbornChapple, provides a convenient shopping solution for those looking for thoughtful gifts for all occasions, enabling the user to shop by brand, by product type, by gift recipient or by price. The platform will also allow Wild & Wolf to engage directly with consumers for the first time, and gain valuable insight into customer behavior and customer needs.

A spokesperson at Wild & Wolf said “E-commerce is one of the fastest growing sales platforms in Wild & Wolf’s global business. The rise of D2C brands over the past few years marks the seismic shift in the way products are being sold to consumers. With the launch of our own D2C platform, we aim to leverage the growth opportunities within e-commerce and provide Wild & Wolf with another channel for driving both sales and a direct connection with our consumers.”

Products on the site will be sold at RRP and orders will be fulfilled from Wild & Wolf’s new, larger warehouse based in Salisbury, UK.

This follows a very exciting time for Wild & Wolf with their win of The Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade 2018 that was recently celebrated with an official awards ceremony at their Bath headquarters. HM Lord Lieutenant Anne Maw presented Wild & Wolf with the trophy that signified recognition of the substantial international growth in overseas earnings and commercial success within its sector.

Shortlist Media today announces that Mike Soutar, one of the original co-founders of the company in 2007, is to step down as Chairman, a part-time role he has held since 2016. He will leave the Board at the end of November 2018.

Ellis Watson, Executive Chairman of DC Thomson Media, is to take the role and will work with Chief Executive Ella Dolphin and her team. This will be Ellis’ second term as Chairman; he previously chaired Shortlist Media following DC Thomson’s acquisition of the business.

Mike says: “I’ve been so lucky to have worked with so many amazing people during my time at Shortlist Media. The challenges we’ve tackled and the success that we have shared over the last 11 years is more than I ever could have possibly dreamed at the start. I’m also grateful to Ellis and the Directors of DC Thomson for their support over the years. I wish the business and its talented leadership team, led by CEO Ella Dolphin, every success in future.”

Shortlist Media is a pioneer of freemium media – with powerful, multi-award-winning brands spanning print, digital, email, social media and large scale live events. The business operates in the UK and in joint venture with Groupe Marie Claire in France.

Mike has been building a portfolio of other business interests over the last two years. He comments: “My passion is working with start-ups to help them get off the ground and grow. I look forward to continuing this work, as well as developing one or two new ventures in which I plan to take a more central role.”

Mike is also a Board member of IPSO, the UK’s Independent Press Standards Organisation, the regulatory body which oversees the majority of British newspapers and magazines.

Ellis comments: “It goes without saying that Mike has been an incredible driving force at Shortlist Media, turning an idea into a globally recognised brand. I am personally very pleased to be returning to the saddle and look forward to working with the team.”

Brightsolid, the Scottish colocation and cloud solutions company, has appointed a senior client engagement manager to support the business’ revitalised sales strategy.

Darren Anderson, who has over 20 years’ experience in sales and account management, has been appointed to the company’s sales team as it drives forward its cloud computing offering. He has held previous consultative positions with NCC Group, Dell Secureworks and SAP, based within the UK and across Europe.

With a decade’s experience in information security, penetration testing and cyber security; Darren will apply his knowledge and expertise to supporting Brightsolid’s clients with their data storage and security requirements. His focus will be supporting the company’s public sector portfolio, working collaboratively with clients to identify the right cloud solution for them.

Malcolm Smith, chief sales officer at Brightsolid, said: “Digital transformation is a top priority in businesses, particularly within the public sector with its continued need to improve services. As services become more innovative and digitally-powerful, firms are revising their data hosting strategies to ensure optimum storage and security solutions. With the increasing demand for cloud migration, Darren’s appointment and the expansion of our sales team is crucial in supporting clients on this journey.”

Darren added: “I’m pleased to be joining a forward-thinking team that places cloud technology at the core of its service offering. At a time when cloud computing is driving transformational change in public organisations, clients are looking for a cost-effective, managed service by a reputable company. Being part of the DC Thomson group reinforces Brightsolid’s credibility, security and ability to innovate, which will be beneficial in maintaining its healthy growth strategy.”

As part of Brightsolid’s revitalised strategy and restructure to align with the markets shift toward cloud computing, the company plans to make further key appointments in the coming months.

DC Thomson Media has announced the acquisition of Aceville Publications, a Colchester based magazine publisher.

This is the largest acquisition within the Media business for a number of years and will materially change the landscape for DC Thomson Media.

Headquartered in Dundee, DC Thomson Media has been publishing for over 100 years and has a portfolio of more than 20 magazines, including the much-loved brands The People’s Friend and Beano.

Aceville Publications is one of the fastest-growing publishing houses in the UK and home to over 40 in-house brands including the leading UK-based craft titles to gardening, health and food publications.  This is complemented by a growing B2B and business portfolio including What Franchise, Speciality Food and Craft Business.

Chief Executive Officer at DC Thomson Media, Mike Watson, said, “We’re excited to have acquired Aceville and are looking forward to working together.  The team at Aceville, and their portfolio, are a great fit for our business and this collaboration opens up a host of opportunities for both businesses.  This is a hugely exciting time for everyone at DC Thomson Media and Aceville.”

Effective immediately, the acquisition of Aceville by DC Thomson Media will bring a combined portfolio of around 70 magazines as well as a number of digital properties and events.  This acquisition firmly establishes DC Thomson Media as one of the top 5 consumer magazine publishers in the UK.

Mike continues, “This acquisition will materially change our landscape and is a key step in our Protect, Launch, Diversify strategy.”

Matthew Tudor, Managing Director at Aceville, said, “We’re thrilled to be joining DC Thomson Media.  They have great heritage and credibility in the publishing industry and I’m looking forward to working together to strengthen the combined portfolio.

“DC Thomson Media holds some brilliant brands and I’m confident the Aceville titles and expertise will complement this.  The portfolios align brilliantly and bring real opportunity to improve content for all of our readers.”

Following the acquisition, the focus for DC Thomson Media is to increase market share and continue to transform from traditional magazine publishers to multimedia content creators and distributors.

SKY KIDS has taken further steps to establish itself as the premier destination for Kids entertainment by announcing a new deal with Beano Studios to produce a brand-new TV show ‘SO Beano!’; inspired by the rebellious and anarchic ethos of Beano.com, the multi award-winning digital kids platform.

Filmed at Sky’s state of the art facilities – and to be available for customers on Sky, the SKY KIDS app and NOW TV kids platform – the new presenter-led entertainment show is inspired by the hottest trends and most loved content on Beano.com – from mad dance crazes and LOL-tastic comedy sketches to guest challenges and fresh new cartoons.

26x15min episodes, aimed at 8-11-year olds, showcase brilliant, young, diverse UK creatives both in front of and behind the camera. The show includes eight unique sketch acts and fresh talent in the form of presenters, animators, comedy writers and performers.

The show is hosted by rising YouTuber Joe Tasker, comedy actress Nimisha Odedra, online fan favourite Emma Shaw and Joseph Robinson who makes his debut TV appearance .

Showrunner George Sawyer (writer for Emmy Award winning ‘Horrible Histories’ and BAFTA nominated Disney animation ‘Counterfeit Cat’) brings his directing and producing expertise to Beano Studios’ flagship entertainment show.

SO Beano! marks the continued evolution of Beano Studios from a much-loved comic to a highly innovative, multi-platform entertainment producer and digital network, engaging kids across all screens with long and short form content.

Emma Scott, CEO of Beano Studios’ said: “It’s so great to work with the highly innovative, creative team at Sky Kids and bring the very best of our riotous daily Beano digital mayhem to its audiences! We’re really excited to showcase new, young and unsung UK digital talent with such a well known broadcaster. This new TV show embodies our kid-led mentality by bringing their loves and obsessions to screens across the land in a festival of hyper-relevant mayhem! ”

Head of Sky Kids, Lucy Murphy added: “We can’t wait to bring a bit of mischief to Sky Kids this autumn! This show really celebrates all the humour, mayhem and irreverence that kids (and their parents) love from the Beano.. There isn’t a kids show out there like it and it promises to bring something fresh to our screens that taps into everything kids love.”

After nearly two months of posting to IGTV, Instagram’s longer-form video hub, female-focused publisher Stylist is pulling back from the platform to focus its efforts on Apple News, which has a more proven monetization model.

Stylist began posting to IGTV when it launched at the end of June. Since then, it has published seven videos under three minutes each with views rarely scaling 5,000. According to Owen Wyatt, managing director at parent company Shortlist Media, this is 5 percent of the views it gets on the platform’s more low-fi video hub, Instagram Stories.

“IGTV has been a similar process to every new video product development from Facebook and Instagram: Built without consideration of a revenue share ad model,” said Wyatt. “I can’t be the only managing director getting tired of trialing products without a proper revenue share behind them. That’s why last week I pulled resource out of IGTV.” Instead, that resource is being directed to Instagram Stories — which delivers referral traffic — and Apple News.

Apple News, where Stylist gets video views in the hundreds of thousands, which it monetizes through pre-roll, according to Wyatt, is the title’s highest platform referral traffic driver. Direct traffic and SEO are the top traffic sources. Each quarter, the publisher sits down with editorial and commercial leads from Apple News to discuss where the platform’s product updates align with the publisher’s editorial focus.

V&A Dundee has named its suite of world-class learning studios The Thomson Learning Centre, in recognition of the key support the Dundee media company and the Thomson family has given the new museum.

Publishers DC Thomson, founded in the city in 1905, and The Northwood Charitable Trust, the Thomson family’s private charitable trust, have gifted significant funds towards the development of V&A Dundee. Their continued support will now help the new museum become a leader in design education with an original and exciting learning programme that is open to everyone.

The Thomson Learning Centre, which sits on the upper floor of the museum near the gallery spaces, is a creative hub which will be the centre of the museum’s day-to-day activities.

It comprises two fully equipped learning studios to deliver practical design workshops, an auditorium space which can accommodate more than 150 people, and a design residency studio connecting visitors to exciting contemporary designers.

The activities on offer will be inspired and influenced by the Scottish Design Galleries and exhibitions as well as the architecture of V&A Dundee, the first UK building designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma.

The Thomson Learning Centre will be the home of the museum’s Schools Programme, co-designed by teachers and delivered by practising designers. The programme aims to support career choices in the creative sector, with themes ranging from graphic design and illustration to fashion, digital design and architecture.

The studios will also host regular weekend and holiday activities to encourage families to learn together and try out new skills as well as workshops and activities for all ages.

Andrew Thomson, Chairman of DC Thomson, said: “We are very proud to support V&A Dundee and incredibly pleased that our contribution is being recognised with the creation of The Thomson Learning Centre.

“Creativity and design are integral to our business and we are passionate about developing the creative talent of people of all ages in Dundee and beyond.

“We hope that many, many people will enjoy and benefit from the world-class facilities and inspired programme of events at The Thomson Learning Centre in the months and years ahead.”

Public workshops that will be held in The Thomson learning centre include:

• Designbusters, a free drop-in activity for families centred around solving a global design problem together in a fun and original way

• Toy Testers, a fun workshop for under-fives, giving children the chance to test and play with new toys from across with world

• The Stitch-Up, a chance to reinvigorate an old piece of clothing and learn new skills with the help of a textile expert

• A changing programme of free Lunchtime Talks hosted by curators, architects and designers

• A range of one-day courses, ranging from brand and social media awareness for businesses to pattern cutting for beginners.

Philip Long, Director of V&A Dundee, said: “We are delighted to announce that V&A Dundee’s suite of learning studios will be known as The Thomson Learning Centre, paying tribute to the substantial support the Thomson family has given V&A Dundee.

“The new museum has been made possible thanks to the generosity of funders, and we are extremely grateful for their continued support and commitment to inspiring creativity through design.

“The Thomson Learning Centre will be at the core of day-to-day life inside V&A Dundee. It will be a space open to everyone to enjoy and utilise, and a hub of learning, creativity and fun.”

Joanna Mawdsley, V&A Dundee’s Head of Learning, said: “The Thomson Learning Centre is a superb space that will allow us to inspire and delight future generations, as well as encourage people of all ages to get involved in and be curious about design.

“As well as an original and exiting programme for schools, there will also be workshops and opportunities for families and individuals who want learn new skills or further their understanding of design. Visitors can also look forward to being introduced to some of the country’s most influential contemporary designers.”

V&A Dundee opens on Saturday 15 September.

V&A Dundee

V&A Dundee will be an international centre for design, housed in a world-class building created by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma at the heart of Dundee’s revitalised waterfront. It will hold major exhibitions, celebrate design heritage, inspire and promote contemporary talent, and encourage future design innovation.

V&A Dundee is being delivered by Design Dundee Ltd, founded by the Victoria and Albert Museum – the world’s leading museum of art and design – Dundee City Council, the University of Dundee, Abertay University and Scottish Enterprise.

Key funders of the project to develop V&A Dundee include the Scottish Government, the Heritage Lottery Fund, Dundee City Council, the UK Government and Creative Scotland.

www.vandadundee.org @VADundee

• Beano relaunch the infamous Fan Club for fans in celebration of the brand’s 80th birthday
• Fasting growing kids website in the UK: 90,000 British children are viewing Beano content online every week (over 300,000 every month)
• A copy of the comic is sold every 17 seconds in the UK
• Ten facts you didn’t know about Beano

Long-standing comic Beano has turned 80 and remains the forefront of children’s entertainment, with latest figures revealing 90,000 British children are viewing Beano content online every week and a copy of the comic is sold every 17 seconds in the UK.

Since the launch of Beano.com in 2016, 2.5 million children have visited the website and unique monthly users have grown 44% since December last year.

1.86 million copies of Beano were sold in 2017 with latest figures showing a 7.9% year-on-year increase in sales, recording weekly sales figures of 37,542 copies. This increase in sales shows consistent long term growth for the title with three successive yearly increases posted.

On its 80th birthday Beano has revived the infamous ‘Dennis & Gnasher Fan Club’; membership is now free offering printable club badges and membership certificates. Fans now have access to an exclusive prank portal on the Beano app which can be accessed with a secret pin-code. The secret world of pranks, available through the ‘Gnasher’ icon, includes tutorials to D-I-Y pranks, prank video call hotline and Beanocam; which gives fans the chance to Beano-fy their snaps.
Initially launched in 1976, readers who joined the Fan Club would receive a Fan Club pack with special Dennis and Gnasher’s goodies.
The Fan Club ran for 22 years as the ‘Dennis the Menace Fan Club’ before becoming ‘The Beano Club’, which had members ranging from seven to 70 years-old.
At its height of fame, the fan club reached over 1.5 million followers and even had celebrities amongst its number including; Olympic Gold medallist Linford Christie, BBC Radio 2 host Chris Evans and Royals HRH Prince William and Harry.
Ten facts you didn’t know about Beano:
1. The word ‘Beano’ is a shortened version of ‘Bean feast’, meaning ‘a rowdy jollification.’
2. During the second world war paper shortages meant the comic was reduced to 12 pages every two weeks.
3. Dennis’ canine companion Gnasher is drawn using Dennis’ hair and adding legs
4. After the second world war, the Beano Editor’s name was discovered upon a Nazi assassination list for ‘gross disrespect’!
5. For the first few episodes of his story, Dennis DIDN’T wear his famous red and black hooped jumper. His mum was still knitting it.
6. For six weeks in 1986, Dennis’s famous Abyssinian Wire-Haired Tripe Hound, Gnasher went missing from the comic. He returned with six puppies.
7. Dennis was originally sketched on the back of a fag packet, in a pub!
8. There are only 20 surviving known copies of the first edition of Beano in the world
9. It takes about 25 people to make a Beano comic including: artists, writers, colourists and graphic designers
10. Lord Levison’s enquiry heard that ‘every newspaper apart from The Dandy and Beano’ was named in the investigation!

Emma Scott, CEO at Beano Studios, said: “We’re all super proud that Beano is 80 years old today; it has entertained legions of fans since the first comic was published in 1938. Beano has always encouraged kids (and many grown-ups!) to let their imagination and mischievousness run riot, and to celebrate we’ve relaunched the iconic Fan Club to reward a whole new generation of rebels. Here’s to another 80 years of LOLZ on our award-winning Beano.com, our TV shows and of course, in our amazing world-breaking comic, the Beano.”
To celebrate the birthday, members can also snap up Fan Club packs for £9.99* from the Beano shop. These include the infamous fluffy Gnasher badge and an Official Fan Club Membership Card, all embossed in silver foil with the Dennis and Gnasher Fan Club badge.

To find out more information and to sign up to the Beano Fan Club visit: https://www.beano.com/fanclub

3D Festival secures £250,000 sponsorship from 3 companies with close links to Dundee

V&A Dundee’s 3D Festival, a two-day celebration of design, music and performance to mark the opening of the new museum, has received £250,000 of sponsorship.

Three companies with close links to the city have pledged their support to the festival which is being co-designed by young people from across Dundee, working alongside promoter and events company DF Concerts and Events. A funding boost is also coming from the charity Arts & Business Scotland.

Up to 20,000 people from Dundee, Scotland and around the world are expected to attend the free festival, which will take place in Slessor Gardens at the centre of the Dundee waterfront.

Award-winning wealth managers Brewin Dolphin, which has an office in Dundee, is one of the firms backing V&A Dundee’s 3D Festival.

Ian MacDonald, Head of Brewin Dolphin’s Dundee office, said: “As proud supporters of V&A Dundee, Brewin Dolphin is delighted to be involved with the opening 3D Festival, which will be a spectacular and colourful event. The opening of the museum is a momentous occasion for Dundee and Scotland, and chimes with Brewin Dolphin’s desire to create a lasting legacy for future generations.”

DC Thomson, a leading media organisation headquartered in the city, is also supporting the two-day festival. The Northwood Charitable Trust, the Thomson family’s private charitable trust, and DC Thomson have both gifted significant funds for the development of the new museum.

Andrew Thomson, DC Thomson Chairman, said: “We’re delighted to support V&A Dundee and, in particular, look forward to the exciting opening of this international centre of design. We’re proud to be supporting our community in the form of this world-class attraction. It’s a positive time for the city and we’re very pleased to be playing our part.”

Further support has been pledged by NCR, a global supplier of self-service technology. The business, which employs 500 people in its Dundee Research and Development Centre of Excellence, designed and built its first ATM in the city more than 40 years ago.

Adam Crighton, Vice President of Hardware Engineering at NCR, said: “NCR has been part of the Dundee community since 1946, and continues to have a strong presence in the city today through the design and innovation advancements taking place in our Discovery R&D campus. Working with the V&A Dundee team and supporting the launch event gives NCR a great opportunity to be part of the exciting changes taking place across the city.”

Arts & Business Scotland, which promotes collaboration between Scotland’s business community and the arts and heritage sectors to deliver new cultural projects, is also providing match funding for NCR’s sponsorship of the 3D Festival via its Culture & Business Fund Scotland.

David Watt, Arts & Business Scotland Chief Executive, said: “Marking the launch of V&A Dundee this September, the 3D Festival will be a fantastic showcase for everything Dundee has to offer in this very special year for young people in Dundee and throughout Scotland. Bringing together three prominent local businesses to help make it happen, it’s also a perfect example of the substantial mutual benefits business and the cultural sector can achieve by working collaboratively together.”

V&A Dundee’s 3D Festival is a key event in Scotland’s Year of Young People 2018, a year-long programme of events and activities.

The additional £250,000 funding boost follows previously confirmed support from EventScotland, part of the VisitScotland Events Directorate, and from Scotland’s Year of Young People 2018 event fund.

The 3D Festival will open on the evening of Friday 14 September, the eve of the museum’s official opening, and will continue through the day on Saturday 15 September.

The full line-up will be announced soon so members of the public are encouraged to sign up to V&A Dundee’s e-news on www.vam.ac.uk/dundee for the latest news and updates and the chance to register for tickets when they are released.

3D Festival

The 3D Festival will run from Friday 14 September to Saturday 15 September to mark the official opening of V&A Dundee. It is being co-designed by V&A Dundee’s Young People’s Collective and managed by DF Concerts & Festivals on behalf of V&A Dundee. The two-day festival is a key event in the Year of Young People 2018.

The full festival line-up will be confirmed over the summer. The latest news and updates about the 3D Festival and how to register for tickets will be available to those signing up to V&A Dundee’s e-news on www.vam.ac.uk/dundee

V&A Dundee opens on Saturday 15 September 2018.

Bath based gifting company Wild & Wolf is proud to announce it has been awarded The Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade 2018.

The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are one of the UK’s most respected business awards. Judged solely on merit, the awards recognise and celebrate business excellence across the UK. First instigated by Royal Warrant in 1965, and now in their 52^nd year, the esteemed Queen’s Awards for Enterprise have a long history of recognising exceptional UK businesses.

The official announcement was made on Saturday 21^st April by Her Majesty The Queen, on her 92nd birthday.

Wild & Wolf has been recognised for its excellence in International Trade, demonstrating substantial international growth in overseas earnings and commercial success within its sector. It is one of 238 organisations nationwide to be presented with the prestigious accolade.

Founded in 2005, and now employing 150 people globally, Wild & Wolf creates design-led gifts and lifestyle products across a wide portfolio of popular licensed and own IP brands. From homewares to stationery, and toys and games, their innovative product collections combine form and function with exceptional design.

Paul Taylor, CEO at Wild & Wolf said “It is a great honour to have been awarded the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade. We’ve experienced tremendous growth in our international trade, particularly in the last 3 years. Once a predominantly UK driven business, by the end of 2018 two thirds of our business will be outside of the UK, with the USA being our single biggest market. We hope that winning this award will further drive prosperous international growth in markets such as Asia and in the EU. This coveted award is testament to the fantastic team we have here at Wild & Wolf, and we’re proud of our contribution in raising the global profile of great British design.”

This award comes at an exciting time for Wild & Wolf, who in January, relocated its head office to a unique, tailor-made office space in the centre of Bath, on Manvers Street, designed to inspire creativity and innovation. The Bath-born company has enjoyed global success over the past 12 years; with its products now sold in over 60 countries worldwide through premium, specialty, mid-tier and department stores as well as over 5000 independent destination lifestyle stores.

Wild & Wolf will celebrate its award during a royal reception for Queen’s Awards winners in the summer. A trophy will also be presented by royal appointment later in the year at their Manvers Street office.

Book company Parragon has announced its intention to enter into consultation about the potential closure of the business (27^th February 2018).

The Bath-based book business has been challenged, underperforming for a number of years due to difficult market conditions and severe pressure on margins.

Announcements were made to employees in the company’s offices in the UK, Germany and the US yesterday (26^th) and to colleagues in all the other Parragon offices around the world this morning (27^th), including Hong Kong and Australia.

The proposal means up to 245 jobs are at risk of redundancy globally.  In the UK, the business will enter a 45-day collective consultation process with employees. In other territories, the company will follow the respective processes.

CEO Mike Symons said, “Early last year, the new management team joined and undertook a strategic review of the company, implementing some immediate changes which improved the company position.

“Under their guidance, the whole team made really significant progress over and above the expectations of the shareholders, but the market has gone against us further than anticipated, so today we are announcing that it is the strategic decision of DC Thomson to exit from Parragon operations worldwide.”

Over recent months, Parragon and DC Thomson have committed significant resource and investment to analyse all options for the future commercial viability of the business.  The company is still exploring whether a sale of all or part of Parragon would be possible.

David Thomson, Director of DC Thomson said, “Whilst we are still open to offers and expressions of interest for the business, DC Thomson is unable to run this process indefinitely.  Therefore, the company has made the decision to enter into a consultation process.  This decision has not been entered into lightly and, as owners of the business for more than a decade, we are very disappointed to be making this announcement today.

“No other parts of the DC Thomson group are affected by this and DC Thomson is fully committed to supporting Parragon throughout this process.

“We would like to thank everyone involved in the Parragon business for their continued hard work and support.  We will work with all individuals to support the best possible outcome during this period, providing employees with details of opportunities elsewhere across the group where possible.”

BREAKTHROUGH Dundee is delighted to announce that Jenny Paterson has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO).  She will take up the role on 19^th March.

Most recently, Jenny served as Director of the National Autistic Society Scotland.  Jenny has spent her 20-year career in the third sector and has held leadership positions in some of the largest, most respected and complex charities in Scotland.  She has led the work of the National Autistic Society in Scotland since 2014.

As CEO at BREAKTHROUGH, Jenny will have responsibility for leading the Dundee mentoring project, developed to boost the life chances of secondary-aged young people who are vulnerable or have experienced care. She will manage the mentoring programme, taking over from previous CEO Susan Duncan who will continue her involvement by becoming a Trustee.

Ellis Watson, Chairman of BREAKTHROUGH Dundee and Executive Chairman of DC Thomson Media said, “With the momentum we have, it’s clear that we’ve one of the most powerful youth projects in Scotland. That means we were able to attract interests from the very best applicants for this empowering exciting CEO role.

“We’re particularly pleased to welcome Jenny on board.  Her values, skills and expertise in the third sector, together with her fantastic leadership qualities ensure she will be an excellent fit with the team.

“BREAKTHROUGH Dundee is in an exciting period of development and so Jenny joins at a crucial time. I’d like to publically thank Susan Duncan for all her good work from concept to fruition and am delighted that we’ll continue to benefit from her involvement as she becomes a Trustee.”

Shortlist chairman Mike Soutar has been named as the very first inductee to the PPA Scotland Hall of Fame.

The honour was bestowed at the annual PPA Scottish Magazine Awards, the premier celebration of talent within the Scottish magazine industry, in the EICC in Edinburgh on Thursday 23rd November.

PPA Scotland chair, and editor of The Big Issue, Paul McNamee said, “The PPA Scotland Hall of Fame allows us to recognise individuals who have really moved the dial in a significant way, having a huge impact on the magazine industry. We will recognise people who have come out of Scotland and gone on to have an impact on the world.”

Presenting the award to Soutar, to whom he gave his first journalism job in London, PPA CEO Barry McIheney said: “It is impossible to think of anyone else who could be a more fitting debutant member of the PPA Scotland Hall of Fame.”

brightsolid has announced the appointment of new CEO Elaine Van Der Berg who will be joining the business in January 2018.

Elaine has a wealth of experience in senior leadership positions spanning Europe, Asia Pacific and Australia and over 20 years of experience in the IT sector.

Prior to being appointed as the new CEO of brightsolid, Elaine was a Managing Director for Capita looking after their business simulation and transformation group, G2G3.  Elaine was previously Director of Business Operations for Optus, a large Telco in Australia, and also held a number of senior positions within DELL across its UK and Asia Pacific and Japan functions.

Elaine takes the helm at brightsolid at an exciting time for the business.

Ellis Watson, Chairman of brightsolid said, “Elaine will help us to build on the productivity, efficiency and dynamism of brightsolid. Our bright and solid team is on a mission to surpass expectations and it’s a genuine pleasure to have strengthened the team for the next exciting phase with the appointment of such an experienced leader.”

After 25 years working in London, Singapore and Sydney, Elaine is thoroughly enjoying being based back in Scotland and settling her family in their new home in Fife.

Puzzler Media works with dementia specialists Unforgettable to launch a bespoke magazine to engage, stimulate and occupy people living with dementia and their carers.

Puzzles & Pastimes is a new and innovative magazine produced by the UK’s leading creator of puzzles, Puzzler Media, incorporating the expertise of dementia specialists Unforgettable.

This pioneering format is specifically designed to engage people living with dementia and help those who continually strive to give their loved ones a better quality of life. Puzzles & Pastimes magazine includes a range of activities to suit those living with dementia – both in early and mid-stages. The specially designed content includes entertaining puzzles, colouring and other activities, alongside nostalgic images and easy recipes designed to stimulate the mind and in turn spark memories and conversations. There’s also a detachable booklet for carers containing practical tips and advice on how to get the most out of the puzzles and other activities that will allow them keep their loved one engaged.

In 2017, The Lancet reported that dementia is the greatest global challenge for health and social care in the 21st century: around 50 million people worldwide have dementia and this number is predicted to triple by 2050. Research has shown that the over 50s are now more concerned about developing dementia than getting cancer.

Publishing Manager, Mark Whiteway, talks about why Puzzler Media decided to team up with the experts at Unforgettable.

“We have over 45 years of experience in making puzzles of all types and levels of difficulty, and we know that our readers value puzzles as a way of exercising mind and memory, as well as for their pure entertainment value. Some readers resort to children’s puzzles as their sight and memory deteriorate, so we wanted to produce a dedicated magazine that would allow solvers to enjoy the benefits of puzzles for as long as possible, whether alone or in the company of a carer.

“To ensure we provided the most appropriate content and design, it was essential to seek the professional guidance of James Ashwell and his team at Unforgettable. Their advice was invaluable in compiling this unique mix of activities and puzzles of varying levels.”

Unforgettable.org was founded by James Ashwell, who, having cared for this mother with dementia for five years, wanted to help others living with the condition. He launched Unforgettable – a world-leading source of life-changing products and services for people with dementia, and set up a charitable foundation. He says, “Our mission is to create a world where people with dementia live the best possible life. People are living longer and family members have high awareness of needs so are actively seeking products to help give a better quality of life to their loved ones.

“There are very few printed products designed to engage, stimulate and occupy those living with the condition so we were delighted to team up with Puzzler Media in order to produce this high-quality yet affordable publication.”

On sale November 8

Price RRP £5.99

PUZZLES & PASTIMES is available from: WHSmith, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and all good newsagents.

Publishing has been at the heart of DC Thomson since 1905. Today, the DC Thomson Group has expanded and diversified to include international businesses ranging from premium gifting business Wild & Wolf to genealogy business Findmypast.

To reflect the transformation from traditional publisher to modern media creator and distributor, the publishing arm of the business is rebranding as DC Thomson Media (www.dctmedia.co.uk).

With a portfolio of over 25 newspapers and magazines, print publishing is still a core offering and this now sits alongside other teams able to adapt to a changing marketplace environment, including events, e-commerce and digital.

Mike Watson, Managing Director of DC Thomson Media, said, “We’ve long been referred to as publishing and while this is still at the heart of our business, we are continually developing and growing.

“A recent example of this is our acquisition of Fifth Ring, a B2B Marketing agency based in Aberdeen. This acquisition allows us to enhance our existing offering to advertisers for example, but also opens up new market sectors.”

DC Thomson Media will build upon the many strong brands it has, such as The People’s Friend, The Press and Journal and Beano, developing these through associated revenue streams that complement the existing business.

Director of DC Thomson, David Thomson said, “As the DC Thomson Group has grown, so has a need for the newspapers and magazines business to develop a separate identity. The rebranding of our publishing business to become DC Thomson Media is representative of our ambitious and innovative goals.

“We have a strong family of businesses covering a variety of sectors, and it is important to us that we continue to evolve and adapt to support the needs of our customers in all areas. I’m confident that DC Thomson Media will be well placed to do that.”

Further diversification across sectors will help the business take advantage of strong connections with international partners, expanding their network and opportunity for growth.

Mike concluded, “Exceptional editorial content is at the heart of what we do – whether that’s print, digital or supporting that with great events, products and activities.  We have hugely talented and creative teams within the business and when we harness this power this opportunities are endless.”

DC Thomson, one of the largest private media organisations in the UK, is partnering with Electronic Research Interchange (ERIC) to develop its bespoke investment research offering for the post-MiFID II world. This transaction will see DC Thomson acquire a material stake in ERIC.

The partnership will enable ERIC to create tailored research solutions for both investment managers and research providers, using DC Thomson’s digital publishing experience to source and deliver quality research content that caters to their specific needs. ERIC has chosen a non-financial services industry partner to retain the independence of its proposition and to benefit from DC Thomson’s indexing technology and expertise. As a new industry of investment research platforms emerges, ERIC’s business model will enable its users to trade information securely.

With the MiFID II implementation deadline fast approaching, a number of DC Thomson’s staff will work on the ERIC platform to implement specific, individual manager and research provider requirements. The deal will provide the functionality to create advanced search solutions for a library of content capable of adding more than 200,000 research documents on a daily basis, allowing ERIC to manage the efficient processing of the research output of the world’s largest research providers.

The project will benefit from further technical resource from DC Thomson Group businesses including Findmypast, the online genealogy service which has searchable indexes of billions of records.

Russell Napier, co-founder of ERIC, says: “We are delighted to partner with DC Thomson to bring both buyers and sellers of investment research world class digital publishing expertise. DC Thomson’s support allows ERIC to retain a vital independence of ownership in a marketplace where transactions need to be highly confidential. This partnership allows ERIC to offer both off the shelf and bespoke solutions for an industry needing to become MIFID II ready.’

Christopher Thomson, Deputy Chairman of DC Thomson: “ERIC has forged an excellent position as a hub for unbundled investment research. We want to take the platform to the next level with our experience in search, payments and document processing. We look forward to working together to build the ERIC marketplace as the number one destination for the buyers and sellers of research in the move to be MIFID II ready.”

Malcolm Dobson, Group Chief Technology Officer at DC Thomson: “The investment research marketplace is a dynamic space that will undergo significant transformation over the next twelve months. Technology will underpin the solutions that enable investment managers to improve the quality of investment information they access. We are excited to provide the technical support to underpin ERIC’s specialist understanding of the research marketplace.”

ShortList, the men’s magazine that redefined print media in the UK, has unveiled a collectors’ edition to celebrate the 10th anniversary of its launch.

Featuring 10 commemorative front covers with 10 high-profile cover stars: Anthony Joshua, Niall Horan, Jack Whitehall, Jeremy Corbyn, Craig David, Chris Froome, Jamie Vardy, Rami Malek, KSI (aka Olajide Olatunji) and Jamie Bell, the striking covers depict each star holding a distinctively different photo of them from 10 years ago, highlighting what a difference a decade makes.

The magazine that has always had its finger on the pulse of contemporary masculinity, ShortList’s anniversary issue features interviews with each of its 10 cover stars. It also showcases ShortList’s trademark agenda-setting journalism, with an essay from editor Joe Mackertich on the evolution of the British male.

When it launched in 2007, ShortList introduced a revolutionary new business model to UK publishing – built on the insight that all print is not created equal. Freedom from the newsstand meant that it could experiment with covers and feature ideas that would target its ‘Met Set’ audience, delivered via a unique creative template that continues to be entirely different to traditional magazines. The scale of distribution, coupled with its unique creative freedom allowed it to develop its credentials as a highly effective way for brands to engage a hard-toreach male audience, and inspire action.

Over the past 10 years, its publisher Shortlist Media has built on the success of the freemium publishing model it spearheaded at launch, introducing the hugely successful Stylist, shifting core revenue towards content partnerships with brands, and limiting its reliance on traditional display advertising. Family, the content studio from Shortlist Media, launched last November to connect advertisers with in-house expertise, and branded content revenues are now over 50% of the business – up from 37% at launch 12 months ago.

Ella Dolphin, CEO of Shortlist Media, said: ‘This is an incredibly exciting time for our business. 10 years of Shortlist Media has seen rapid and successful evolution across our print portfolio as we continue to transform our approach to accommodate the increasing demand for big, conceptual pieces that cut through with imaginative executions. The launch of Family last year is just one example of that, and as we continue into the second decade for our business, our ambition continues to be to create memorable content on every platform and channel that will surprise, thrill and engage the metropolitan audience we reach every single day.’

Joe Mackertich, editor of ShortList, said: ‘The brilliantly bright and talented team here at ShortList is the reason why the magazine has enjoyed such impressive growth and incredible success over the past decade. Our Anniversary Issue is designed to celebrate this as we look to the next 10 years of ShortList – with the 10 celebrity cover features aiming to showcase what a difference a decade can really make, both personally but also for a magazine that’s so in sync with the evolution of its metropolitan audience.’

 

 

Launching in October and featuring different content each month, This Is is a series of magazines designed to cover topics that are trending and popular with kids right now.

Maria Welch, Head of Publishing for Magazines at DC Thomson Media said, “We have a wealth of talent in our magazine teams who are passionate about creating content to engage and inspire kids and we’ll channel all of that expertise into making This Is an unmissable magazine.”

Issue One is This Is Halloween, a spook-tacular magazine packed full of everything kids need to get ready for Halloween.  Inside you’ll find monstrous makes, creepy comics, foul facts and heaps of games, quizzes, puzzles and jokes!

This Is Halloween comes complete with four free gifts that will horror-ify your costume!

Gareth Whelan, Children’s Publisher for Magazines at DC Thomson Media said, “We’ve seen the popularity of Halloween boom in the UK in recent years. Children are really embracing the tradition and This Is Halloween encapsulates the spirit of the celebration with brilliant jokes, stories and more.”

This Is Halloween is on-sale from 4th October at all truly terrifying supermarkets and newsagents priced £3.99.

Diana, An Intimate Portrait, is a commemorative bookazine celebrating the life of the late Princess Diana.

The collector’s edition 100-page glossy magazine includes exclusive articles by royal correspondent Ian Lloyd, who shares memories of the Diana he knew and examines the legacy she left behind. The seven-part biography plots the influences that shaped Diana from a childhood that combined great privilege with sadness to a fairy-tale marriage that descended into heartbreak.

A collection of the most striking images remind us how Diana changed the image of the Royal Family forever, from sweet to chic, then stepping out in the ‘revenge dress’.

Maria Welch, Head of Publishing for Magazines at DC Thomson said, “To commemorate 20 years since her death, we have produced a beautiful collectable tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales.  This magazine will evoke many fond memories of the transformation of Princess Diana, and is also a reminder of her amazing charity work.  A legacy not to be forgotten.”

Diana – An Intimate Portrait is on sale now priced at £5.99.

Juniper, a 132-page magazine, is on sale now and it’s full of all things gin.

Juniper takes readers on a whistle-stop voyage around the world in 80 incredible gins (with a quick detour to the moon), and details its scandalous history.  Discover the best distillery tours, the greatest gin joints in the UK, and find out where to go in Europe if all you want to do is drink G&T.

There are also interviews with some of the industry’s most interesting movers and shakers, from Emma Stokes (aka the Gin Monkey) to small-batch distillers making the gin world even more delicious.

Thirsty? The cocktail edit has 23 gin-based creations, and even shows you how to make your own gin at home – as well as testing the best tonics, botanicals and garnishes to pair with your tipple. There’s also a gin safari, gin cruise and a whole year of gin up for grabs!

Maria Welch, Head of Publishing for Magazines at DC Thomson, said, “Juniper magazine contains all the ingredients of a delicious gin cocktail. It’s fun, fruity and a delight to the senses. It contains fascinating articles on the entrepreneurial spirit of today’s craft gin makers alongside engaging lifestyle content. It’s a new and stimulating addition to the magazine market.”

Juniper magazine is complemented by the GinKin – an online destination for gin lovers in Scotland and beyond.

As part of The GinKin family, users can learn about, buy and enjoy their favourite spirit.  The website offers product reviews, cocktail recipes, e-newsletters and an affiliate shop.

Juniper, a refreshing summer read, is on sale now priced at £4.99.

Beano Studios reveals that the kids of Britain are more clued up on politics than you might think

• 40% of British kids believe politicians to be liars
• 50% of kids call for the voting age to be lowered
• Two thirds of children know what Brexit means
• Kids admit they’d rather be a YouTuber than a politician
• 65% of kids recognise Theresa May compared to only 39% for Jeremy Corbyn

May 2017, with the General Election a few days away, the nation’s political outcome is a talking point across the country and it’s not just those of voting age that want to have their say. Beano Studios, the experts in all things trending with kids, have polled their audience and conducted research¹ into what the children of Britain (aged 6-12 years old) really think about the upcoming election, politicians and even Brexit.

Research carried out by Beano Studios revealed that nearly half of kids (40%) think that politicians are “more likely to lie” than other professions.  More so than business people, celebrities and even their teachers!

Kids were also asked why they thought politicians might tell a lie and a whopping 51% believed it was ‘to get their own way’, so it’s not surprising that when asked ‘what would you most like to be when you grow up?’ Prime Minister came bottom of the table.  Becoming a footballer is the top scoring career choice for boys, and a YouTuber is the dream job for most girls.  Sorry Theresa May!

Beano, synonymous with everyday rebellion for kids everywhere, is well versed with mocking generations of political leaders, celebrities and the like, and this election is no different.

The eponymous Beano comic has been running a three part election storyline over the last few weeks, pitting the villainous Walter against the girl who’s tougher than all the boys, Minnie the Minx, in a battle to win the school’s election for class president in Beanotown.  The story will culminate this week with Minnie the Minx winning the vote over Walter and being crowned class president in the comic’s own election race.

In the pursuit of fun amongst all of the grown up seriousness surrounding the election, the kids of Beano.com have been invited to vote on the most important topics to them in order to create their very own crowdsourced Beano Manifesto.  The results of the Beano vote are now live on Beano.com and policies from the newly formed Beano Party include:

1. Drone racing to be made a national event!
2. National minimum pocket money of £5 a day!
3. No teachers on Fridays!
4. No stairs in homes, only slides!
5. Transport by hover board for all!

And in a surprise wake up for British politicians, it’s worth knowing that Donald Trump is more recognisable to kids of Britain than their own Prime Minister, with over two thirds (68%) recognising him as a political figure in a list that included the leaders of the UK’s own political parties.

Chief Executive of Beano Studios, Emma Scott, commented:  “I’m not sure I’d want to be a politician in ten years’ time when this sparky, switched on generation of kids comes of age to vote…  That said, it’s brilliant to know that our Beano audience are so clued up about the world they live in, and better still to know that they can see the funny side of life in these turbulent times.  We at Beano want children to stay young for as long as possible – so here’s to a manifesto that calls for £5 per week national minimum pocket money!”

Check out www.beano.com now for your daily feed of fun.

 

 

1. Research carried out by Beano Studios via One Poll 2017. Survey of 1,000 British children between 6 – 12 years old.
2. Our own Prime Minister Theresa May was the most recognised politician from the UK with 65% of kids knowing she is in politics.  Other politicians in the line-up included Jeremy Corbyn who, interestingly as the leader of the opposition, is as equally recognised as a politician by kids as current Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and former US president Barrack Obama. 39% recognise each of them.
3. Perhaps it’s their understanding of political issues that gives kids the urge to have their say in the coming election. Half of kids think that the voting age should be lowered to 16 or under.
4. Another hot topic for British children, in the run up to the election is still, Brexit. It appears British kids are far more clued up on what the means for the future of the country than you might expect.  Nearly two thirds of children know what Brexit means and nearly half of those surveyed can specifically identify that as a result, Britain will leave the EU.

DC Thomson has completed the renovation of its Dundee headquarters in the heart of the city centre.

Over the past few weeks, a huge operation has been underway to decant the DC Thomson business from the company’s Kingsway site to the refurbished Meadowside building.

Nearly 600 staff members who work in Newspapers, Magazines, Digital Media and across the DC Thomson group of companies are based in the renovated open plan office spaces. It’s a return to the HQ built for DC Thomson in the early 1900s, originally opened in 1906.

David Thomson, Director and Chief Operating Officer said, “It’s fantastic to be back in the heart of Dundee where we belong, in the centre of a city with such an exciting future. The original opening of this building 111 years ago was a major vote of confidence in a flourishing business and a clear statement to the city that DC Thomson was here to stay in Dundee. I think the same could be safely said on our return here today.”

A project team has overcome engineering challenges throughout the Meadowside transformation to maintain the listed building which has been completely renovated to provide a bright and flexible office environment.

Meadowside has a number of installations and systems designed to reduce the impact of the building on the environment: rainwater harvesting, low energy LED lighting with movement sensors, solar panels on the roof and a heat recovery system to maximise energy efficiency.

DC Thomson has made a significant investment in the re-development and refurbishment project, working with Sir Robert McAlpine and local architects and trades, including McGill, The Lindsay Gray Alan Beaton Partnership and Nicoll Russell Studios.

Newspaper production continues to be from Kingsway, using the upgraded press, mailroom, computer to plate (CTP) equipment and technology that was installed in 2013.

The Production and Archives teams will remain at Kingsway and the future use of the remainder of the Kingsway building is still being investigated.

David Thomson continued, “It’s a positive time for the city as we see the impressive V&A Museum of Design Dundee emerging on the waterfront, creating an international centre of design for Scotland. Many creative and commercial opportunities are being developed in Dundee, such as the Dundee Design Festival in our former print works at West Ward. We’re proud to be supporting many of these initiatives in one way or another.

“It’s great to be back and we’re proud to be playing our part in the resurgence of Dundee and its city centre.”

A project to regenerate West Ward, DC Thomson’s former book and annual print works in Dundee, is now underway.

A charitable trust will be established shortly to develop the building as a cultural and creative hub, exploring a range of possible uses of the space as a cultural venue, business incubator and innovation centre.

It follows a period of successful research and analysis, led by Bryan Beattie of Creative Services, to establish the potential redevelopment of the West Ward building and its uses.

David Cook has been appointed as Project Director to lead the development. He said: “I’m delighted to have been appointed to this very exciting project, which will build on Dundee’s incredible track record of design-led regeneration.

“West Ward has huge potential and, at 200,000 square feet, could become one of the largest, permanent creative spaces in the UK. The next phase of its development will begin a process of redeveloping the site to realise its potential economic, social and cultural impacts for the city and beyond. ”

Previously Chief Executive of Wasps Artists’ Studios for 23 years, David brings a wealth of experience in culture-led regeneration and reinventing historic and listed buildings, including the £6.8m redevelopment of the Briggait, and the RIAS Andrew Doolan award winning South Block in Glasgow.

It is planned to raise funds and invest in the building over the next 10 years from a wide range of partners and investors. Fundraising for the venture is in progress and the project was recently accepted into the Tay Cities Deal Programme.

In the coming weeks, a Chair and Board members will be recruited by the charitable trust to deliver the project.

DC Thomson Director and Chief Operating Officer, David Thomson said: “We’re delighted to be investigating opportunities for the future use of West Ward.

“DC Thomson is fully supportive of Dundee’s Cultural development, including the V&A Dundee project, and we’re keen to contribute to further arts facilities for the city. We’ve been exploring ideas for the potential revitalisation of our West Ward building as a cultural space with initiatives like the Dundee Design Festival which will take place again in 2017.

“Other former industrial spaces and jute mills have been successfully redeveloped for the creative communities. This project will help us to understand the potential for our building in Guthrie Street and to develop proposals for the costs, funding and financial viability of the project.”

To mark Dundee becoming the UK’s first UNESCO City of Design the building played host to the inaugural Dundee Design Festival in May 2016, attracting over 7000 visitors to the space to participate in design focused workshops, exhibitions and talks. The Design Festival returns to West Ward Works for an extended five-day run in May 2017 following the theme of ‘Factory Floor’ celebrating makers and their machines.

The redevelopment project will be delivered in phases with occupation of the building commencing later this year.

‎Stewart Murdoch, Director of Leisure and Communities at Dundee City Council, said: “Over the last eighteen months Leisure & Culture Dundee has worked with DC Thomson and partners in the city to bring West Ward back to life.

“West Ward played a key role in delivering the UNESCO City of Design programme when it was used to host Dundee’s first Design Festival. It’s been a challenging and hugely rewarding experience. We look forward to supporting this next phase of the development and remaining a part of its story.”

To be kept up to date with developments, or to find out how you can get involved, please email david@cookcreativelimited.com

 

Puzzler Media have produced the Official Souvenir Special to celebrate Dame Vera Lynn’s centenary this month with the blessing of her family. This beautiful, glossy one-off 100-page bookazine celebrates the life of one of the nation’s most iconic figures, ‘Forces’ Sweetheart’ Dame Vera Lynn, as she celebrates her 100th birthday. Filled with photographs taken throughout her life, this wonderful souvenir includes a background to her career, using exclusive, unseen images from family archives. This special edition also highlights her devoted support for children under 5 with cerebral palsy. In this special centenary year, Puzzler Media Ltd will be donating 50p from each copy sold of the beautiful, specially produced bookazine to the Dame Vera Lynn Children’s Charity.

Vera Lynn was born in London’s East End on 20 March 1917 and captured the British public’s hearts. Most famed for her songs We’ll Meet Again and The White Cliffs of Dover, Vera Lynn became known as The Forces’ Sweetheart after a newspaper poll named her as British servicemen’s favourite musical performer. She was made a Dame in 1975.

The Dame Vera Lynn Celebration Issue is on sale on sale now, priced £7.99. Available here.

**

For further information please contact Rebecca Moncrieff on rmoncrieff@dcthomson.co.uk or 01382 575697.

 

 

 

 

 

 

READY, FREDDIE, GO! FREDDIE FOX ANNOUNCED AS VOICE OF BEANO’S DENNIS FOR NEW CBBC SHOW

CBBC and Beano Studios today reveal that actor Freddie Fox has been cast as the voice of the comic’s  much – loved mischief maker, Dennis, in the all new CBBC series Dennis and Gnasher: Unleashed, set to hit screens in late 2017.

Freddie [The Mystery of Edwin Drood; The Three Musketeers; Worried About The Boy] makes his animated CGI debut as the 10-year-old rascal in Beano Town with his best friend, Gnasher, by his side.

A behind-the-scenes clip released today shows Freddie getting into character as the spikey haired scamp at a voice record.

The much anticipated 52-part TV adventure will showcase a brand new look and feel using CGI 3D techniques to bring Dennis bang up to date for the next generation of fans.

Dennis & Gnasher: Unleashed will follow the daring duo and a gang of friends as they get into scrapes in a world full of action packed adventure where rules just get in the way. There will be lots of high energy humour and Dennis’ trade mark inimitable sense of fun where imagination knows no bounds.

The gang, which includes familiar friends alongside some brand new faces, will battle with the boring conventions of the adult world, not least Dennis’ life-long adversary, Walter, who is forever trying to ruin their fun.

Freddie says: “As a life-long fan of Dennis, I am honoured to voice him for a new generation. I am so excited to be carrying on the red and black striped legacy of a character adored for his mischievousness, energy, live in the moment attitude and full-on imagination. To borrow Dennis’ catchphrase, ‘this is going to be BLAM!’”

Dennis & Gnasher: Unleashed is produced by Beano Studios and is Executive Produced by Michael Elson alongside Jo Allen, Executive Producer for CBBC.

 

DC Thomson is launching Sweet, a new magazine for primary girls who love collectables, shopping and all things cute.

The 36 page monthly magazine is a new launch aimed at girls aged six to 10.  Content will cover all of the latest trends for girls, packed with stationery, accessories and cool, funny content.  Puzzles and make-its will sit alongside current crazes such as collectables.

Sweet is a trend focussed magazine that features brands that are current and in the readers’ lives.  This ensures the magazine evolves with the reader and contains the best and most popular brands and packages.  Confirmed creative content includes Trolls, Squinkies ’Do Drops, Shopkins, Animal Jam, Num Noms, and Santoro’s Kori Kumi. Exclusive covermounts on Issue 1 are an Animal Jam in-game unlock for every reader, Shopkins trading cards, and a cute collectable trio of fruity lip-glosses.

General Manager, Mike Watson, said, “We’re thrilled to be launching in the primary girls’ market and expanding our portfolio.  The magazine sector is not one to stand still, much like trends in children’s lives.  This magazine is a great opportunity to capture everything current and popular, and pull it together for readers to enjoy.”

Maria Welch, Head of Publishing for Magazines at DC Thomson, said, “We have an enviable track record of launching successful magazines in this constantly evolving market and are delighted to extend our award-winning, primary girls’ portfolio with Sweet. We’re confident that combining the hottest licensed brands with the experience and passion of our editorial team will produce an exciting and engaging magazine.”

Sweet launches this Spring.  Issue one comes with six free gifts.

If it’s in their life, it’s in Sweet!

 

 

The Evening Telegraph, Dundee’s best-selling paper, is celebrating its 140^th birthday.

The Tully, as it is affectionately known to generations of Dundonians, first published on March 13, 1877 under the auspices of publisher John Leng.

Some 42,848 issues later, the paper marked the anniversary on Monday with the publication of a souvenir magazine recounting its history.

The edition also went out with its current masthead replaced by that of the first Evening Telegraph back in 1877.

Editor Steven Bell said: “We’re proud to be the go-to source for people wanting to know what’s happening in Dundee and beyond, just as we have been for the past 140 years.

“The city has changed a lot in that time, and continues to evolve today with the £1billion transformation of the Waterfront, the creation of the new V&A Museum and so much more.

“We look forward to continuing to chronicle these developments and everything else that’s going on in Dundee.”

The Evening Telegraph is part of the DC Thomson stable, which also includes The Courier, The Press and Journal, Evening Express and Sunday Post.

It publishes six nights a week following the launch of a Weekend edition last August.

The staff of the newspaper will soon be transferring from their current Kingsway base to new state-of-the-art offices at Meadowside in the city centre.

The editor added: “Although this is a rare chance to look back, the Tully is very much focused on the future.

“With our new Weekend edition, strong performance in print and digital, and the forthcoming Meadowside move, these are really exciting times for the paper.”

This weekend the Sunday Post launches a four-part magazine series, showcasing what the beautiful and vibrant country of Scotland has to offer.

Scotland’s Gems is your essential region-by-region guide to hundreds of top attractions as well as quirkier little-known venues.

From the majesty of Edinburgh Castle to the splendour of the West Highland Way; from wonderful walks to breath-taking views; from the best of Scottish food, hospitality and accommodation to must-sees and must-dos you’ll be desperate to discover, Scotland’s Gems will let you in on all the secrets.

This four-part guide – packed with recommendations from readers – will highlight the array of fantastic experiences each area has to offer.

This weekend Scotland’s Gems features Tayside, Angus & Fife, with other regions including Glasgow, the West & Central Scotland; Aberdeen, North East and the Highlands & Islands; and Edinburgh, the Lothians & Borders – in following weeks.

This series of special supplements will culminate in a giant fold-out map of Scotland – free with the paper on April 2^nd – detailing all of the Gems featured in the magazines.

Scotland’s Gems, part one, is free inside this week’s Sunday Post.

Weekly comic, the Beano, has reported sales of 34,778, its second consecutive year-on-year ABC increase.  The period January to December 2016 has seen a 3.2% increase on 2015.

Mike Watson, General Manager of DC Thomson Publishing, said, “We’re delighted with these results.  This ABC figure shows a substantial increase in sales, particularly through subscriptions which have grown to just under 18,000 in the last 12 months.” 

Also in the boys’ market, 110% Gaming, a magazine aimed at eight to 12 year-old kids focused on multi-platform gaming and entertainment, has seen a year-on-year increase of 8.1%.  Sales have increased to 26,139 – a strong performance in the boys’ market.

My Weekly is up 1.5% period-on-period with recorded sales of 101,835.  The title continues to outperform the mature woman’s market.

Regional Scottish titles No.1 and The Scots Magazine have also recorded strong figures.

In the first full period of DC Thomson’s ownership of No.1, the magazine has seen an increase in sales to 15,449.  This is a year-on-year increase of 3.6%.  Editor, Nadine Hawkins, said, “I’m delighted with this result.  We’ve introduced new features for our readers including ‘Humble Abode’, a monthly feature that enhances our interiors offering, and bringing in Jackie Bird as our new star columnist.”

The Scots Magazine has also continued to deliver a solid performance in a challenged market,  recording an average issue sale of 24,349, up  0.1% year-on-year.  The title won two awards at the PPA Scottish Magazine Awards.  Robert Wight was named Consumer Magazine Editor of the Year, and the magazine also won the award for Online Presence (scotsmagazine.com).

General Manager, Mike Watson, concluded, “In our magazine business we’ve driven circulation through new launches of both licensed titles and our own IP.  110% Gaming’s recorded 8.1% growth is a great example of how successful new launches can be, even in the competitive children’s market.  This, alongside continued success of existing titles such as My Weekly and the Beano, show the strength of our magazine stable.

“We’ll continue to see significant new launches and will look to add to our portfolio where we can, both through our own and external IP.”

In Spring 2017 DC Thomson Publishing is returning to its Meadowside headquarters in Dundee after an extensive renovation.

ENDS

For further information please contact Rebecca Moncrieff on 07802 690213 or rmoncrieff@dcthomson.co.uk.

Notes to Editors:

DC THOMSON

DC Thomson & Co Ltd is a private company and one of the leading publishing houses in the UK.  The company’s headquarters is in Dundee, Scotland, with a London base in Fleet Street.  DC Thomson publishes newspapers, magazines, comics and books.  The company also has interests in radio, printing, retailing and online services.

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This brand new, glossy magazine shines a spotlight on the thriving caravan and motorhome scene.

Every issue features live-in road tests of all the latest models and reviews of parks throughout Scotland and the North of England by respected industry insiders – plus the latest news and what’s on guides.

Whether deciding which caravan or motorhome to buy, looking for the ideal park to visit or browsing for new gear to enhance the touring experience, Scottish Caravans & Motorhomes is the perfect companion for travels throughout Scotland and the North of England.

Editor Robert Wight, who is also Editor of the Scots Magazine, said “I’m excited to be involved in this fabulous new magazine.  I’m passionate about Scotland, and Scottish Caravans & Motorhomes shines a spotlight on great parks and places to stay whilst exploring the great outdoors.”

Scotland’s ‘Mr Caravan’, Bob Mather, is a consultant and roving reporter for Scottish Caravans & Motorhomes, and in Issue 1 reviews a new holiday park near Fraserburgh.

The Scottish Caravans & Motorhomes team will be at the Scottish Caravan, Motorhome and Holiday Home Show at the SECC, 2-5 February.  Get a free copy of Scottish Caravans and Motorhomes Magazine, worth £3.95 at the show. Visit stand P450 to claim your copy (subject to availability).

Scottish Caravans and Motorhomes is published quarterly, and available from selected holiday parks and high street retailers.

Glasgow, Scotland 11^th January 2017 – Scottish Wedding Directory has today announced the results of The Scottish Wedding Census 2016.

In its third year, the Scottish Wedding Census is annually commissioned by DC Thomson publication, Scottish Wedding Directory, to give an in-depth insight into the trends and spends of the Scottish wedding industry.

Among the results from over 1,900 bride and groom respondents, it was found the average cost of a Scottish wedding in 2015/16 came in at £29,904.

The census found 74% of couples made a budget for their big day, with 53% managing to stick to their financial plan and 8% coming in under their set budget. Within their budget was the bride’s dress, with the average Scottish bride-to-be splashing out £1,389 on her dream gown.

For the I Do’s, humanist ceremonies overtook the popularity of religious ceremonies in 2016 for the first time in Scottish wedding history, reflected in the census stats with 38% humanist to 33% religious ceremonies.

Chris Phin, Head of Scottish Wedding Directory, said: “I’m proud of the rigor with which the Insight team conducted this survey, and of the context and expertise my team can put around the raw data. Stats like these are always there to inform rather than to override your gut instincts, but nobody else is doing this research into the wedding market in Scotland, and I can’t wait to see what companies do once armed with our full briefing on spends and trends from to-be-weds.”

Carol Prest, Head of Insight and Commercial Development at DC Thomson said: ““For each of the last three years, to-be-weds from all around Scotland have responded in their droves to the Scottish Wedding Census. Along with all the information on expenditure, we glean personal insights into each big day – from the desire to be married in any venue with a turret to the challenges of a bride with allergies to wool. For any wedding industry supplier this is a robust and valuable view of the market upon which to plan and respond to trends.”

More information on the Scottish Wedding Census is available in the Winter 2017 issue of Scottish Wedding Directory, on sale now (£4.95).

The Sunday Post published for the first time on a Saturday since 1917 when it launched a Christmas Special that went on sale on December 24th.

Following a successful launch in October 2014, 110% Gaming has become an established authority on gaming in the primary boys’ market.  This launch is their very first spin-off title, focusing on the worldwide phenomenon that is Pokémon.

Editor, Lucy Galloway, said, “In sharing age-appropriate content to an emerging generation of core gamers, 110% Gaming has proved to be a huge success for us since launch.  We’re thrilled to be building on this success with our first ever brand extension all about Pokémon.  We know our readers are huge Pokémon fans and with tips and facts, all your favourite YouTubers and lots more, we’re confident that kids and their parents will love this mag!”

Utilising the expertise and experience of the 110% Gaming editorial team, this magazine is designed to appeal to the masses caught up in the buzz around Pokémon Go.

The 52 page unofficial magazine includes Pokémon gamer tips, previews, facts, puzzles, competitions and prizes.

It also includes previews on the new Pokémon Sun and Moon console games (launching November 2016) as well as retro and spin-off Pokémon games.

110% Gaming Presents – Pokémon Special is on sale now, priced £3.99. Click here to purchase online.

 

• Beano Studios’ first commission
• First ever CGI Dennis & Gnasher
• 52 x 11 min episodes on CBBC

Beano Studios, the business behind the relaunch of the Beano as a global entertainment network, is announcing its first TV commission, with the Dennis & Gnasher: Unleashed series (52 x 11 minute episodes) due to air on CBBC in late 2017.

Ordered for CBBC by Channel Controller Cheryl Taylor, the format will showcase a new-look and feel CGI Dennis for TV. In a world full of comedy and action-packed adventure, Dennis, Gnasher and his crew are set to bring their high energy humour and inimitable sense of fun to CBBC in 2017.

As the first commission for Beano Studios, the series marks the start of great things for the newly founded production arm of the business, which already produces mischievous short-form Beano Originals shorts, which appear on YouTube and Beano.com.

Dennis & Gnasher: Unleashed is being produced by Beano Studios, and the new series is Executive Produced by Michael Elson for Beano Studios, former COO at Moving Picture Company, alongside Jo Allen, Executive Producer for CBBC.

Emma Scott CEO of Beano Studios commented “We’re thrilled to be working with CBBC on the new series, which will see us bring Dennis to life and bang up to date in CGI for the next generation of Beano fans.”

Chery Taylor, CBBC controller also said “Dennis and Gnasher have been unleashing their own particular brand of mischief on CBBC for many years and their ardent fans will be delighted by this wonderful new series from two of the UK’s most notorious rascals.”

Working with BAFTA and Emmy award winning animators Jellyfish Pictures, the series is directed by Boris Hiestand whose credits include the Harry Potter films, Asterix and the Vikings, The Angry Birds Movie and Pirates.

No.1 Magazine has surveyed over 1000 women in Scotland to find out how they feel they are treated in the workplace.

The survey polled opinion of treatment of new mums, comments on appearance, and the women vs. men pay gap.

Nadine Hawkins, Editor, said, “Our survey revealed that women in Scotland are still facing a huge number of challenges in the workplace and although there is progress being made in many sectors, we still have some way to go before we can achieve not only true equality, but also improved conditions for women returning to work after childbirth and for those with caring responsibilities.”

The survey responses suggest that despite women’s rights campaigns and equal pay legislation – women still feel discriminated against in Scotland.

These exclusive survey results revealed that;
• 62% of respondents don’t think enough is being done to help women achieve a more senior role in the workplace
• 1 in 4 have been discriminated because of age
• 59% said new mums aren’t given enough support
• 74% said carers do not get enough support
• 1 in 4 have experience sexual harassment in the workplace

No.1 teamed up with Glasgow based Close the Gap for this initiative, a project working on women’s participation in the labour market. They work with employees, employers and policy makers to enable and encourage action to address the causes of women’s inequality at work

In issue 172 of No.1 they have highlighted ‘Scotland’s Trailblazers’ and have exclusive interviews with Lieutenant Colonel Gill Wilkinson, The world’s first female Master Blender, Rachel Barrie, Television Superstar, Lorraine Kelly and First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon.

Lorraine Kelly said, “Companies could do much, much more. Nurseries are really expensive and that’s where employers and the government could do so much more.”

Political pioneer, Nicola Sturgeon, talks through her experience of women in the workplace, and says, “Gender equality is one of the greatest economic opportunities of this century.

“It’s not right for society to underuse the talent of over 5% of our population.”

No.1 Magazine is on sale Thursday 29th September, priced £1.75.

Beano is celebrating its biggest transformation since it introduced Dennis the Menace in 1951.

Menaces and Minxes of the world, all hail the brand new Beano! On Sunday 25th September, the iconic British brand unleashes a boredom-busting assault on the WORLD with a Beano-inspired digital feed for kids.

Not only this, Beano is unveiling an awesome new look across the comic, annual and Beano products, and promising a shed load of rib-tickling fun stuff to follow.

Building on its much-loved comic roots, Beano’s new digital “Ultimate Feed of Awesome” is jam-packed with original videos, along with the best bits of YouTube, games, pics, quizzes and interactive fun to help imaginations run riot and keep kids (and even some grown-up ones…) giggling for hours.  It will be updated daily so the fun never ends…

PLEASE NOTE: BEANO STUDIOS RUNS 100% ON NATURAL LAUGHS

Everything on the feed has the rebellious, irreverent Beano spirit, and comes fresh from the mischievous brainiacs at Beano Studios.

It launches with lots of original videos, Beano Originals, including brand new cartoons like The Invention of Football (by dinosaurs…), brand new “how to” vids for making cool stuff, and silly jokes delivered by the “Little Squelchies”, all sitting along with great entertainment from  Dennis, Gnasher, Minnie and the whole gang.

And the great news for parents is that Beano.com is designed to protect kids – there’s no messaging functionality, no collection of personal information without parental say so, and no sharing of marketing data with 3^rd parties.

In fact, it’s so awesome, you can’t put a price on it.  So we haven’t.  Beano.com is all FREE! With no sneaky charges and no in-app purchases.

And what about this new look you ask? It’s a mischievous mix of Beano’s proud comic roots with its big new ambitions, and it looks mega. The awesome new logo won’t just be on the Beano feed, there’ll be epic new T-shirts, hoodies and school accessories.  And of course, there’ll be a refreshed version of the world’s longest running Comic and the Annual – still the UK’s bestseller.

Boss of Beano Studios Emma Scott mentioned “We’ve spent the last three months blue sky thinking in a thought shower, touching base, singing from the same hymn sheet and pushing the envelope… until we realised that was BORING NONSENSE, and we just needed REALLY FUNNY STUFF.”

But this is just the beginning. Beano Studios will be cranking up the mayhem generator with a top secret announcement this autumn… lips are tightly sealed, but whispers abound around the new look TV series…

You can get involved by checking out Beano.com, coming soon on Apple and Android apps, and across Youtube and PopJam. To subscribe to the Comic & Annual and cover yourself head-to-toe in our new threads visit shop.beano.com

DC Thomson newspaper title, The Courier, today celebrates its bicentenary.

The Courier newspaper launched on 20^th September 1816, and in its bicentenary year secured the accolade of UK Regional Newspaper of the Year.

Throughout its 200 year history, The Courier has served the community of Dundee and has always been printed in its home city.  The paper now has multiple regional editions covering Angus & The Mearns, Perth & Kinross, and Fife.

Richard Neville, Editor, said, “What has remained constant throughout the last 200 years is the papers role as a seeker of information and news from its communities, and it is they who have shaped the content of The Courier.

“As a team we are immensely proud to be able to produce a special supplement today to mark the bicentenary and the paper is in good health to continue forward for the next 200 years.”

This special 48-page supplement marking the milestone was given away in today’s birthday edition, and a book detailing the history of the newspaper has also been published to mark the event.

Artefacts illustrating the 200-year story of the newspaper will be displayed at the AK Bell Library in Perth from this weekend. The exhibition, running until November, will bring together 200 years of archives and take the paper’s story from the inky ‘hot-metal’ days of past centuries to the leading edge of today’s publishing industry.

The Courier is on sale Monday to Saturday, priced at 85p.

Limelight Sports Group welcomes the investment of DC Thomson Ventures

Limelight Sports Group, the leading global participation sport agency has agreed and received an investment boost from one of the UK’s leading media groups.

DC Thomson (DCT) Ventures is the investment arm of leading media owner DC Thomson. In recent years the company has expanded into new sectors although this is its first investment in the sports sector.

The investment will enable Limelight Sports Group to continue to execute its global growth strategy in the Active World. Limelight Sports has been creating and organising participation sports campaigns for over 25 years. The Group has offices in Melbourne, Australia and last year opened offices in Dubai. Limelight Sports’ clients include a wide variety of renowned international brands such as Nike, Royal Bank of Canada and Wiggle. The agency has created and runs a wide variety of major participation sport campaigns such as Swimathon, Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Mile, J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge, The Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon, and Active City Sports Melbourne.

Additionally, the agency owns properties including two major London based events which take place this week. The London Duathlon, the world’s largest duathlon takes place this week end and Royal Bank of Canada V Series, an inter-company Italian pursuit cycling event which takes place on a closed road circuit in Canary Wharf on Thursday night.

Commenting on the investment, Limelight Sports CEO, Craig Dews said, “We are delighted to attract DCT Ventures as a partner in Limelight Sports Group.  The significant investment from DCT Ventures will enable us to meet and increase our plans for expansion over the next few years.  It will undoubtedly help us to further establish our position in our existing markets and accelerate our growth in new territories to capitalise on the insatiable demand for professionally organised participation sports campaigns.”

This deal marks the first transaction for DCT Ventures since moving its investment focus from early stage businesses to larger growth capital and buy-out opportunities. DCT Ventures seeks to invest between £2m and £10m in UK headquartered companies that are led by first class management teams, have robust business models and have the potential for substantial growth.

James Robson, Head of DCT Ventures, said, “We are delighted to have invested in Limelight Sports. We have been highly impressed by the company’s management team who have built a leading business in the international participation sports sector with a portfolio of globally renowned brand partners. We are looking forward to working with Craig Dews and his team to create value within Limelight Sports and support the business with its growth plans.”

The World’s BIGGEST dot-to-dot comes to life!

Relaxing puzzles for adults have gone dotty! The UK’s leading puzzle publisher Puzzler Media launched the monthly magazine CREATIVE DOT-TO-DOT in June and already it’s one of their most successful titles.

To show how creative a dot-to-dot can be they’ve made what is thought to be the world’s biggest line and point puzzle, recreating a classic image from Roald Dahl’s BFG. Dahl’s books often encourage adults to learn from children and embrace the idea of play. It’s a maxim that fans of Puzzler magazines will know well as they take time out from the hustle and bustle of modern life.

Everything about the BFG is big, so this puzzle had to be huge. A specially-created 1,000-dot puzzle was commissioned featuring Sophie and the BFG. This was then filled out by hand in the gardens of Surrey’s Botleys Mansion as a giant projector beamed the process live onto the side of the stately home, which is 12m high by 25m wide. It is believed to be the largest-scale dot-to-dot puzzle ever created.

The brilliantly intricate homage to one of the country’s greatest storytellers took an hour to complete on the hottest night of the year, a few days before the UK release of Steven Spielberg’s big screen adaptation of Roald Dahl’s much-loved fantasy tale.

Mark Whiteway, Publishing Manager of Puzzler Media said: “We’ve been publishing dot-to-dots in our magazines for over four decades but in the last year we’ve seen requests for this kind of puzzle go dotty. So we came up with CREATIVE DOT-TO-DOT, a magazine dedicated to this jollysome, stress-fizzling pastime.

“Adult puzzlers have taken a leaf out of Dahl’s books by embracing this carefree childhood activity. So it seemed fitting to celebrate the life of one of the most imaginative, magical and best-loved storytellers with a dot-to-dot that’s giant in every way. We had a huge amount of fun solving it and we hope you do too.”

Fans of CREATIVE DOT-TO-DOT will be able have their own go at completing the phizz-whizzing puzzle as it will be included in a special double-page feature of the September issue of the magazine.

Click here to see the gloriumptious dot to dot puzzle come to life.

 

DC Thomson has launched Danger Mouse magazine, a four-weekly magazine aimed at primary kids.

Danger Mouse magazine is based on the hit CBBC show that sees Danger Mouse saving London, saving the world and, most importantly, saving Penfold in fantastically absurd adventures.

After winning a fantastic 3.6 million viewers in its first six weeks on CBBC, the all-new TV series of Danger Mouse has been a massive ratings triumph.  Ready to replicate this, Danger Mouse Magazine is here.  Danger Mouse Magazine is loaded with laugh out loud jokes, tech-defying gadgets, mind-blowing missions, giant spiders and erm… megalomaniac toilets.

Designed to propel the humour and fun off the screen, the magazine is highly interactive and engaging and will keep kids entertained until the next action-packed episode.  There is no better way to start the day than with a twenty-six mile jog, one thousand light sofa push-ups and a read through of Danger Mouse Magazine.

Gareth Whelan, Editor in Chief, said, “We’re delighted to announce the arrival of the world’s greatest super-secret agent Danger Mouse and his sidekick Penfold in the all-new Danger Mouse Magazine.  DC Thomson has a proven track record for successful magazine publishing and our vast experience in the children’s market is backed by commitment, enthusiasm and passion for providing fun, age-appropriate content.  Working alongside FremantleMedia Kids & Family, we are confident that we will deliver a highly interactive and engaging magazine that replicates the fast-paced rollercoaster ride the TV series provides.”

Danger Mouse magazine is on sale from Wednesday 20^th July priced £3.99.  Issue one comes with a Danger Mouse eye patch and invsi-pen.

 

 

Musomic have announced a partnership with British Comic legends and established family favourites DC Thomson, giving Commando fans the ability to create and narrate their own comics!

Original artwork from the Commando series is now available on the Musomic Store, offering fans new ways to engage and interact with the hugely iconic graphic novel. Fans can now use original imagery from classic Commando comics, to create their own stories and share with comic fans across the globe. With Musomic, you can also use a whole host of sound effects, beats & melodies to really bring everything to life!

There will be 3 separate Air, Land and Sea series, with 3 content packs in each released over the coming months with some awesome competitions to come, but best of all, the first pack in each series is free!

DC Thomson, renowned for publishing, amongst others, The Beano and Commando, said of the partnership “We’re really happy to be working with Musomic to allow fans of Commando the opportunity to use these iconic artworks in some new and incredibly exciting ways! We’re looking forward to seeing what fans can come up with and can’t wait to announce our competitions soon!”

Ian Crawford, Director of Musomic said “Partnering with forward thinking companies like DC Thomson is exactly where we want to be taking Musomic in the future. Enabling fans of Commando, as well as Musomics’ existing user base, to engage with such well loved, iconic brands is exactly how we want to encourage creative and exciting writing!”

You can download Musomic for free here and see it in action here.

DC Thomson has announced it will publish a magazine based on the new DreamWorks Animation television series Noddy, Toyland Detective.

Noddy magazine will follow Noddy, Toyland Detective, now airing on Channel 5’s Milkshake, which sees Noddy and his famous car, Revs and dog Bumpy in the brand new role of Toyland Detective, solving mysteries and encountering Toyland friends old and new.

The magazine will empower kids to create, explore and play.  It will be packed full of their favourite activities like colouring, sticking, stories and puzzles to encourage independent thought and help to build confidence.

Noddy magazine is designed for children aged three to six and will feature a covermount gift linked to the key editorial pillars of the magazine; Problem solving, exploration, friendship, humour and creativity.

Maria Welch, Head of Children’s Publishing at DC Thomson, said, “We’re thrilled to be publishing Noddy magazine.   Noddy has been a staple of childhood entertainment for many years and our experienced editorial team are passionate about creating a magazine to engage and inspire this new generation of Noddy fans.”

Harriet Murphy, Head of Publishing for DreamWorks Animation said, “We are so excited to see Noddy’s return to television accompanied by a wonderful magazine from DC Thomson. As young fans are getting to know the newly expanded world of Toyland onscreen, we’ll be presenting loads of exciting opportunities to keep the fun going on the pages of Noddy magazine.”

Vicky Hill, Licensing Manager at DreamWorks’ UK publishing agent Bulldog Licensing, said, “We’re delighted to be working with DreamWorks Animation and DC Thomson on the new Noddy magazine. DC Thomson produce fantastic content, and we look forward to the new title hitting shelves and giving Noddy fans a new way to interact with the brand.”

Noddy magazine will launch in summer 2016.  DreamWorks’ Noddy, Toyland Detective airs every weekday at 7:50am on Channel 5’s Milkshake.

 

DC Thomson has announced that the first Maw Broon’s Kitchen will open in Dundee city centre next year.

Following the retail launch of a range of Maw Broon’s Kitchen-branded food products, the publishing company has worked with a selected Licensee to bring an actual Maw Broon’s Kitchen to life.  The kitchen will offer Scottish staples from mince ‘n’ tatties to “efternoon tea” alongside lighter bites and Daphne’s deli for those in a hurry.

The venue will aim to capture the essence of The Broons family, who are celebrating the 80^th anniversary of their first appearance in the Sunday Post in 1936, by merging old-fashioned notions of hospitality and comfort with good honest food and excellent customer service.

Victoria Tait, a Marketing and Business Development professional is leading the licensing project to bring the kitchen to fruition.

She said, “I’m really excited about Maw Broon’s Kitchen.  My family has been in the food industry for over 20 years so it has always been a passion of mine.  I grew up with The Broons and have a real affection for them so I feel extremely privileged to be part of this project.  My family and I are looking forward to bringing such an iconic brand to life right here in DC Thomson’s home city of Dundee.

“We want Maw Broon’s Kitchen to feel like home and offer good food – just like Maw use to make.  Our aim is that everyone leaves Maw Broon’s Kitchen feeling like they’ve had a big hug fae Maw!”

The concept was tested with a pop-up at The Eat, Drink, Discover Food Festival at Ingliston in September 2014 and received an overwhelmingly positive response.

Victoria continued, “People just loved it.  It created a real sense of nostalgia because everyone was talking about their memories of The Broons.  I’m sure those feelings of warmth will carry through.”

The kitchen will offer a range of fresh locally sourced produce with something to tempt everyone’s taste buds for breakfast, lunch and tea.

Martin Lindsay, Licensing Manager for Consumer Products at DC Thomson, said, “The launch of a Maw Broon’s Kitchen in Dundee, the spiritual home of The Broons, is a very exciting development for the Maw Broon’s Kitchen Licensing Programme.

“This is a vision of bringing to life a treasured brand that is built on tradition and old fashioned values.  We see Dundee as being the first step on a Maw Broon’s Kitchen roll-out across Scotland within 5 years.’’

In addition to the food offering, it’s planned that the Dundee venue will host regular events and activities, such as ‘baking wi’ the bairns’, storytelling and live Scottish entertainment, to ensure that Maw Broon’s Kitchen offers something for everyone.

 

ENDS

The Broons
The family is made up of Paw and Maw Broon who are parents to eight children! Maw is the homemaker in charge of all household affairs. The Broons family features two older sons, Hen and Joe, and two grown-up daughters, Daphne and Maggie.  The younger children are Horace, who is the brains of the family, and the Twins (identical boys) plus the Bairn, a cut down version of Maw and wiser than her years. Last, but by no means least, is the roguish Granpaw Broon. Granpaw and the Bairn form a formidable partnership that can usually outsmart the other members of the family.  The marvellous artwork and well observed storylines means that everyone recognises a little of themselves in these classic tales. The strips often feature celebrity appearances and the famous faces that appear in The Broons see it as a great honour.

In 2016, The Broons celebrate the 80^th anniversary of their first appearance in the Sunday Post.  The Broons family, Scotland’s happy family that makes every family happy, live at 10 Glebe Street in the fictional Scottish town of Auchentogle.

The Scots Magazine (the oldest magazine in the world still in production!) has been nominated for Best Twitter Feed at The Drum’s Online Media Awards.

The Online Media Awards ‘identify the cleverest, boldest and most original purveyors of news and views from around the world’ and have shortlisted @ScotsMagazine for Best Twitter Feed alongside five others including @BBCBreaking and @Indy100.

Over recent years The Scots Magazine team has undertaken an editorial overhaul – in print and online – to reposition the magazine for a contemporary readership.  The Scots Magazine Twitter feed has been used to cement the brand’s place at the heart of Scotland’s cultural life.   Twitter has been integral to establishing an online “personality” for the magazine. The account is now recognised as one of the most authoritative on Scottish culture.

The Scots Magazine has been using Twitter to not only promote relevant content, but also to encourage interaction between followers.  In September 2014, The Scots Magazine had 6,000 Twitter followers. Their digital strategy has doubled that figure – organically – in 18 months, creating a highly-engaged social media community, with monthly impressions of between 175,000 and 225,000.

Robert Wight, Editor of The Scots Magazine, said, “This nomination is quite an honour and I’m very proud of our whole team – this is fantastic recognition of their hard work.  There’s something very pleasing in the oldest magazine in the world being nominated in a new media category – it’s really symbolic of the journey we’ve made over the last couple of years.

“Our team has completely reinvented the title, reaching a new digital audience around the world while cementing our place as an engaging, authoritative and fun voice at the heart of Scotland’s cultural life.”

DC Thomson walked away with a clean sweep at last night’s newsawards in London.

Nominated for three awards at the event, which celebrates the best in news media print, technology and business innovation, DC Thomson won in all three categories.

Discovery Print won Regional Newspaper Printer of the Year and Printed Innovation of the Year while The Courier was named Regional Newspaper of the Year.  The Press and Journal was recognised as runner up in the same category.

Ellis Watson, CEO of DC Thomson Publishing, said, “These awards just go to show that the Discovery Print team are fully utilising the amazing capability of our printing presses.  Whilst judging the Regional Newspaper category, the judges commented on The Courier’s consistent quality and excellent production values which is again a nod to our dedicated production team.  It’s also a brilliant achievement by the editorial team responsible for The Courier, I’m thrilled for all of those who were recognised.”

ENDS

For further information please contact the DC Thomson Press Office on 01382 575697 / communications@dcthomson.co.uk.

 

There were wins for DC Thomson newspapers and magazines last night at two separate award ceremonies.

Hosted by Tam Cowan, the 37^th Scottish Press Awards were held at the Radisson BLU in Glasgow.  Erikka Askeland from The Press and Journal won Financial/Business Journalist of the Year.

The Scottish Press Innovation Award was awarded to the Evening Telegraph for their ‘Merry Christmas Loyal Customer’ campaign which utilised the digital print head on the state-of-the-art printing presses of Discovery Print, DC Thomson’s contract printing arm.

Separately, there was reason to celebrate for The Beano last night.  The Dorchester in London was the setting for the ACE Press Awards, the highest accolade in British publishing and circulation.  The comic came out on top of their category and won the award for Circulation Excellence for a Weekly magazine.

Ellis Watson, CEO of DC Thomson Publishing, said, “”It’s cracking to see the hard work and ingenuity of the team has been recognised in this slew of awards.  The Beano’s sale direction and profitability is in the best shape for over a decade.

The Evening Telegraph winning shows that the digital print head has added great creative sale and marketing solutions for our newspapers and advertisers alike, and I’m especially proud of Erikka who interviewed me a decade ago in such a way as to make me sweat!  I’m glad her award demonstrates she’s still adding her great journalistic skills for The P&J’s readers.”

At the Scottish Press Awards, The Press and Journal were runners up in the Campaign of the year category for their Apprentice of the Year campaign, and were also recognised by judges, alongside The Courier,  as stellar performers in the Newspaper of the Year category.

The Sunday Post was also runner up in Front Page of the Year for their ‘Oor Charlie’ cover, which supported the Je Suis Charlie movement following the terror attacks in Paris last year.

Discovery Print, the contract printing arm of DC Thomson, is celebrating a run of success having recently won two new newspaper printing contracts and been shortlisted for a number of awards.

The two contract wins will see Discovery Print increase production on the Goss CPS presses and producing a further 30 Scottish weekly regional titles.  The result of this increase in production is that every region is Scotland will have a newspaper that is printed by Discovery Print.

Head of Operations, Guy Forester, said “I’m delighted that Discovery Print has secured two weekly Scottish portfolios.  The production facility in Dundee is the most recent newspaper press installation in the UK with state of the art printing and finishing capabilities.

“We are keen to grow our contract print portfolio and with added value offerings such as stitch & trim, insertion and variable data digital printing, we are in a strong position to do so.“

The company has also been shortlisted for three awards at the Production Journal awards, which take place on Wednesday 27^th April.

Production Journal awards nominations for Discovery Print

Regional Daily Newspaper of the year

• The Courier
• The Press and Journal

Regional Newspaper Printer of the year

• Discovery Print (The Courier, The Press and Journal)

Printed Innovation of the year (UK and International)

• Discovery Print – Hybrid print initiative (Digital head)

Reach of Discovery Print in Scotland:

https://infogr.am/discovery_print_publications_heatmap

 

DC Thomson has announced changes to the management team of Scottish Wedding Directory (SWD).  Managing Editor, Lorna Leckie, is leaving and Christopher Phin will take up the position of Head of SWD.

Lorna founded Scottish Wedding Directory in 1995.  She said, “From setting up SWD to developing the magazine’s content and online presence, I’ve loved being part of what is now Scotland’s leading wedding magazine and website.  However, the time has come for me to indulge in some time with my family and I wish the team every success in taking the business even further.”

Christopher Phin will join DC Thomson as Head of SWD on 18^th April. He studied graphic design at Duncan of Jordanstone, in Dundee, before moving to London to join MacUser, and then quickly rose to become Editor-in-Chief of MacFormat, Mac|Life and iPad User.  During his career Christopher has managed and built successful teams and developed strong digital and commercial platforms.

He is also an Associate Lecturer on the London College of Communication’s Magazine Publishing course.

Ellis Watson, Chief Executive for DC Thomson Publishing, said of the changes, “The team at DC Thomson will miss Lorna and her passion, drive and enthusiasm.  She has made a fantastic contribution and leaves Scottish Wedding Directory in great shape with a brilliant Commercial and Editorial team.

“Christopher will take the helm and has extensive experience in the editorial, digital and commercial aspects of magazine publishing, and we look forward to him joining the team and developing and expanding new ideas, to ensure SWD remains first choice for both advertisers and readers.”

In the role of Head of SWD, Christopher will optimise business decisions and manage current business relationships to build on SWD’s market position as a high-end publication that accurately predicts and reflects the wedding market place in Scotland.  He will work alongside existing Sales Director, Craig Carson.

 

The Broons Awards took place last night (Thursday 10^th March) at The Grand Central Hotel in Glasgow, hosted by Lorraine Kelly.

The evening celebrated families and individuals who share and demonstrate the same values as the Sunday Post newspaper, home of The Broons, – honesty, decency, integrity, fairness, warmth – and who go above and beyond to make a difference.

300 guests enjoyed dinner at The Grand Central Hotel before the awards ceremony began.  Eleven awards were presented on the night, with the ultimate accolade of The Broons Family of the Year going to the Trueman family.  The Trueman family were recognised with this special award following the triumphant campaign the late Jak Trueman undertook during his battle with cancer.  Jak raised an amazing £60,000 for leukaemia and lymphoma charities while fighting the disease, and raised awareness of his plight across Scotland.  The Trueman family have continued Jak’s legacy and accelerated fundraising to an incredible £180,000.

The evening included entertainment from the Bay City Rollers, Dirty Harry and Clanadonia.  There was even a Surprise Surprise moment!  Winner of the Family Heroes Award, Andrew Robertson, was joined on stage by some of his long lost family after the Sunday Post tracked them down and invited them to the ceremony.

Editor of the Sunday Post, Richard Prest, said, “The Broons have featured in the Sunday Post every week since 1936 and The Broons Awards was a fitting tribute to Scotland’s best-loved family that makes every family smile.  We enjoyed a brilliant evening celebrating the courage and love shown by all sorts of families and individuals across the country – I’m pretty sure there wasn’t a dry eye in the house!”

Full details of all of the winners, their stories and photos from the event will be in this weekend’s Sunday Post.

AWARD WINNERS
FOSTER FAMILIES – Betty & Ian Falconer

COMMUNITY FAMILIES Supported by Royal Bank of Scotland – Bourtreehill Drop in Centre

FAMILY HEROES Supported by Scotmid – Andrew Robertson

SPECIAL FAMILY PETS – Milo with Dad Scott

FAMILY BUSINESS – Henderson’s of Edinburgh

CHILDREN OF COURAGE – The late Jak Trueman

CARER OF THE YEAR – Elizabeth Seaton

SPORTING FAMILIES Supported by Stirfresh – Joe McCafferty

INSPIRING SENIORS Supported by Barrhead Travel – Jim Gillies

INSPIRATIONAL FAMILIES Supported by Semichem – Jennifer & Andy Gill – Love Oliver

THE BROONS FAMILY OF THE YEAR – The Trueman Family

SUNDAY POST

Scotland’s favourite family newspaper since 1914.  The title is on sale every Sunday across the circulation area of Scotland and the north of England.

Over the last few years, the paper has undergone significant change, with improved layout and better coverage of news and sport. The team of news reporters has received recognition at UK level for investigative journalism and The Raw Deal team take on our readers’ complaints, fighting on their behalf.

THE BROONS
The family is made up of Paw and Maw Broon who are parents to eight children! Maw is the homemaker in charge of all household affairs. The Broons family features two older sons, Hen and Joe, and two grown-up daughters, Daphne and Maggie.  The younger children are Horace, who is the brains of the family, and the Twins (identical boys) plus the Bairn, a cut down version of Maw and wiser than her years. Last, but by no means least, is the roguish Granpaw Broon. Granpaw and the Bairn form a formidable partnership that can usually outsmart the other members of the family.  The marvellous artwork and well observed storylines means that everyone recognises a little of themselves in these classic tales. The strips often feature celebrity appearances and the famous faces that appear in The Broons see it as a great honour.

In 2016, The Broons celebrate the 80^th anniversary of their first appearance in the Sunday Post.  The Broons family, Scotland’s happy family that makes every family happy, live at 10 Glebe Street in the fictional Scottish town of Auchentogle.

Fans of the global hit game franchise, Candy Crush, can now take the fun off-screen and apply their skills to the page in a brand-new, magazine, Candy Crush Puzzles, on sale 16^th March 2016.

Lovers of the game will enjoy completing the irresistible puzzles, involving many of the iconic characters, as the reader is taken on an adventure through the vibrant Candy Kingdom. To add to the fun they can score points for the puzzles they solve. However, no knowledge of Candy Crush is required so everyone can engage with the characters and relish the triumph of completing the puzzles.

Produced by the UK’s leading creator of puzzles, Puzzler Media, in conjunction with King, the creator of the Candy Crush franchise, the new magazine replicates the fun of the game by combining authentic images and striking colours with all-new puzzle challenges.

Neil Flockhart, Managing Director at Puzzler Media, knew the puzzles had to do justice to one of the most successful gaming brands on the planet. He says, “We know the millions of Candy Crush fans across the globe love puzzles so we’ve used the best brains in the business to create some unique, never-seen-before puzzles exclusively for this magazine.”

King’s Licensing Director, Claes Kalborg, recognised the remarkable leap from digital to print “It perhaps bucks a trend for technology to be reversed this way, but it makes a lot of sense for these two worlds to come together and we’re excited about taking Candy Crush to the UK in printed form”.

The Candy Crush games are phenomenally popular and Puzzler’s Sales & Marketing Director, Lynda Newland, talks about teaming up with the creators of the Candy Crush franchise.

“King want to secure the best-in-class licensing partnerships and it’s a tremendous honour that they have entrusted us to deliver a complementary product to be proud of. We have an army of puzzle enthusiasts who are committed to pen and paper and we’re confident that we’ve captured the fun challenges of the wondrous Candy Kingdom.”

The magazine has a huge variety of easily understandable puzzle types including visual favourites such as spot the difference and mazes, all set in the Candy Kingdom.

Oor Wullie, Scotland’s Favourite Son, has been immortalised in Dundee, the city of his “birth” in the year of his 80^th anniversary.

The young scamp, who lives in the fictional town of Auchenshoogle, has been cast in a 4ft-tall bronze sculpture unveiled to invited guests and onlookers on Saturday. (5^th March)

Sitting on the wall outside The McManus Galleries, Oor Wullie is aiming his pea shooter at a nearby statue of Robert Burns.  Behind Oor Wullie on the wall are bronze replicas of his trusty satchel containing his pet mouse, Jeemy, as well as a catapult and a bag of peas to refill his pea shooter.  Beside him is a poem “Tae Rabbie Burns”. (See below)

Former Editor Morris Heggie said, “The adventures of Oor Wullie have delighted Scots for eight decades. In that time the mischievous scamp has become a much-loved national treasure.

“We are used to seeing Wullie in the black and white world of print but here he is in 3D – in his own fabulous bronze statue.  A magnificent tribute to Dundee’s cheeriest son.  Oor Wullie himself would be delighted that the bronze catches him about to embark on his legendary capers.”

A life-size version of Oor Wullie’s famous upturned bucket sits beside him, allowing fans of the comic character to pose with him.

The latest Oor Wullie strip, which has featured in the Sunday Post every week since 1936, shows him turning himself in to a bronze statue to mark the occasion.

Editor of the Sunday Post and The Weekly News, Richard Prest said, “The whole team at the Sunday Post is delighted that Oor Wullie has been recognised and brought to life in this way.  It’s a fitting tribute to mark the 80^th anniversary of Oor Wullie’s first appearance in the Sunday Post – an outstanding achievement.”

The sculpture is the work of Scottish artist Malcolm Robertson and has been funded by private and public sources.

Mr Robertson said, “My artwork is all about making inspiring connections with people and places that hopefully will stand the test of time.

“Collaborating with the staff of DC Thomson, Powderhall Bronze Foundry, Dundee’s Planning Department and the McManus Galleries to create a portrait of Scotland’s favourite son has been one of the most enjoyable and fun projects I have ever undertaken since becoming a public artist way back in the 1970’s.

“Creating a public portrait of Oor Wullie has been a privilege and a pleasure, I only hope Wullie likes it, and doesn’t aim his pea shooter at me the moment my back’s turned!”

 

Product recall

DC Thomson – 110% Gaming Issue #18
Price: £3.99
Barcode: 9772056777014 18

What’s happened?
Customer feedback has brought to our attention an issue with the quality of the cover mount snap-band gift from 110% Gaming Issue #18. In a small number of cases the plastic covering of the snap-band appears to have become separated from the inner of the product, resulting in exposed metal.

The product has been thoroughly tested and found compliant with all relevant legislation, including European Regulation (EC) No.1907/2006 and BSI EN71.

However, as a precautionary measure we are recalling the affected product.

What you should do?
If you have purchased issue #18 of 110% Gaming and are in possession of the snap-band, please remove the product from reach of children.

You can return any snap-bands from issue #18 by requesting a pre-paid, stamped addressed envelope from DC Thomson. We will re-issue you with an alternative cover mount gift.

Address: 110% Gaming
DC Thomson
80 Kingsway East
Dundee
DD4 8SL

Email: communications@dcthomson.co.uk

Telephone: 01382 575697

Please be assured that we take our readers’ safety very seriously. DC Thomson will not be providing snap-bands as gifts on any magazine title in the future.

 

West Ward Works, the former home of DC Thomson’s annuals in Dundee, will host the first Dundee Design Festival this year.

From 25^th to 28^th May 2016, the former industrial building, one of Dundee’s most important historic centres for magazine and book production, will play host to a range of designers, businesses and design collectives for the Dundee Design Festival.

The festival is a four-day celebration of design, marking the city’s first full year as the UK’s UNESCO City of Design. The festival will showcase design from Dundee, Scotland and internationally, through a large exhibition, talks, demonstrations and workshops.

DC Thomson Director and Chief Operating Officer, David Thomson said, “We’re delighted to be able to work in partnership with the UNESCO City of Design Dundee team to host the first international design festival.  It’s an opportunity to celebrate the heritage of the building whilst also looking forward to the exciting redevelopment of the city.

“Our company is fully supportive of Dundee’s Cultural development, including the V&A Dundee project, and we’re keen to contribute to the development of further arts facilities for the city. We’ve been exploring ideas for the potential revitalisation of our West Ward building as a cultural space and this seemed like an ideal opportunity to try it out! Other former jute mills and industrial spaces have been successfully redeveloped and so we hope that this temporary upgrade for West Ward will help us to understand whether there is an appetite for an arts space at our building in Guthrie Street.”

As the major destination for the local, national and international design exhibitions, West Ward will showcase an exciting programme of events during the Festival.  Forums, talks and practical workshops led by designers will allow visitors to experience a diversity of design excellence and innovation.

UNESCO City of Design Dundee’s Festival Producer Siôn Parkinson will launch the full programme of activities and events in April 2016.  The open call for designers keen to get involved closes at 5pm tomorrow (FEB 26) and the City of Design team is excited by the many, varied submissions received already.

Anna Day, Manager of UNESCO City of Design, Dundee, said, “We are delighted to be working with DC Thomson to bring this building back to life. It’s a hugely important part of the city’s heritage and it will be exciting to welcome people in to see the exhibition which will highlight the best design of the future from Dundee and across Scotland.”

To keep up to date, please visit www.dundeedesignfestival.com

ENDS

Notes to Picture Editors:

For images of West Ward Works – both current and archive – please contact Fiona Armstrong on 01382 575604 or communications@dcthomson.co.uk

Notes to Editors:

About DC Thomson:

DC Thomson & Co Ltd is a private company and one of the leading publishing houses in the UK.  The company’s headquarters is in Dundee, Scotland, with a London base in Fleet Street.  DC Thomson publishes newspapers, magazines, comics and books.  The company also has interests in radio, printing, retailing and online services. www.dcthomson.co.uk @dc_thomson

About UNESCO City of Design, Dundee:

Dundee was designated a UNESCO City of Design in November 2014, the only one in the UK. We are now part of a global design network that includes cities such as Helsinki, Berlin, Beijing, Graz, Shanghai and 16 others.
As a City of Design, Dundee will:

• use design as a cornerstone in addressing both social inequalities and opportunities that exist in the city;
• share experiences and knowledge about digital design, including links between game design and the arts and sciences as well as contemporary art and design;
• set up collaborative projects on interdisciplinary design, combining multiple design approaches to solve social challenges;
• focus on social design, redesigning public service and community engagement; and
• foster public discourse on the place and contribution of design in contemporary society.

www.dundeedesignfestival.com @designdundeewww.facebook.com/dundeecityofdesign

DC Thomson has announced the appointment of Mike Barclay to the role of Head of Advertising for its Newspaper business.

As Head of Advertising (Newspapers) Mike will be responsible for leading the advertising teams based across Dundee, Aberdeen, Elgin and Inverness. He will work to increase revenue generation through newspaper advertising, both in print and digitally, whilst investigating new opportunities to ensure revenue growth.

Mike started his career in newspapers with The Press and Journal in the early 2000’s before joining the Scotsman as Digital Sales Manager then laterally Regional Digital Commercial Manager with Johnston Press for over 10 years.

Mike will be joining DC Thomson from Newsquest, following their acquisition of the Romanes Media Group, where he held the position of Group Commercial Director for the last two years.
DC Thomson’s Head of Commercial (Newspapers) Denise West said, “I’m thrilled Mike is joining our newspaper senior management team. He brings with him a wealth of experience and knowledge and I look forward to working with him to develop advertising solutions across the DC Thomson portfolio.”

Mike said of his move, “I’m delighted to be joining DC Thomson and am looking forward to driving revenues with such a dynamic media company. DC Thomson produces some of the top regional titles in the country and I’m thrilled to be joining such a great team”

Mike Barclay will join DC Thomson on 1st March 2016.

 

In the week that sees The People’s Friend celebrate its 147th birthday, the ‘Friend’ team have found who they believe could be their longest standing reader 101-year-old Jean McLeod.
Jean’s daughter Isobel got in touch with The People’s Friend to tell the team about her mum, who has been a loyal reader of the magazine since the 1920s. Jean was introduced to The People’s Friend by her granny and recalls going to her grandparents’ house in Girvan, Scotland, and reading articles in the magazine that stood out to her. Isobel told the ‘Friend’ team, “She and her mother loved to use the knitting patterns. I order Mum’s ‘Friend’ online and for years she has only let me order six months at a time in case she didn’t last the full year!”

The People’s Friend Editor-in-Chief Angela Gilchrist said, “The ‘Friend’ is famous for its heart-warming stories and this is a real-life heart-warmer! We’re delighted that Jean has enjoyed the magazine for so long and we look forward to continuing to entertain her, and hopefully many more generations, for years to come.”

If you know anyone who has been reading the ‘Friend’ for more than 93 years the team would love to hear from you! Contact them on peoplesfriend@dcthomson.co.uk.

Read more about Jean in The People’s Friend January 2nd issue, which goes on sale Wednesday 30th January.

The Courier Business Awards, in association with Henderson Loggie, has crowned local business winners in front of a sold out crowd at the Fairmont, St Andrews.

The awards, now in their third year, took place on Friday 27th November with over 570 guests enjoying an evening of entertainment and awards, hosted by Nick Hewer.

Awards were presented to a number of categories, including new awards for this year; Apprentice of the Year and Deal of the Year. A Local Matters category was also introduced this year, which was divided into four subcategories to celebrate the best local business in Perthshire, Fife, Dundee and Angus.

The Courier Editor Richard Neville said, “Despite the occasional hurdles that all economies face, the local business scene is thriving. We are seeing inward investment on the back of major infrastructure projects and our established local companies are showing they have the ability to move with the times.
“This year’s nominations contained so many inspiring stories of dedication, innovation and achievement making judging a truly difficult job.”

The 2015 judging panel was chaired by Clydesdale Bank Chairman Jim Pettigrew.

The Courier Business Awards 2015 winners:
Apprentice of the Year Alastair McLean – Fife Council
Deal of the Year
Bank of Scotland and John St Properties
Digital Business of the Year
Blue2 Digital
Family Business of the Year
Wood Leisure
Growth Business of the Year
CXR Biosciences Ltd
Manufacturing Business of the Year
Rockwell Solutions Ltd
Retail Business of the Year
Jannettas Gelateria
Rural Business of the Year
Stirfresh
Science and Technology Business of the Year
CXR Biosciences Ltd
Services Business of the Year
Beam Orthodontics
Small Business of the Year
Gowrie Contracts Ltd
Social Impact Business of the Year
Dovetail Enterprises
Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality Business of the Year
Forbes of Kingennie Country Resort
Young Business of the Year
Synergy Fabrication Ltd
Local Matters Angus
Rossie Young People’s Trust
Local Matters Dundee
Hillcrest Group of Companies
Local Matters Fife
Ivan Wood & Sons Ltd
Local Matters Perthshire
Pitlochry Festival Theatre
Business of the Year
CXR Biosciences Ltd
Outstanding Contribution
Stephen Leckie – CEO, Crieff Hydro

DC Thomson has signed a deal with DHX Brands to secure the magazine publishing rights to Twirlywoos, the hit CBeebies show that follows Great BigHoo, Toodloo, Chickedy and Chick seeking adventure wherever they go.

Twirlywoos, is a brand new preschool TV series devised and produced by Ragdoll Productions’ Anne Wood, with lead creative and writer Steve Roberts and producer Chris Wood. Twirlywoos combines stop-frame animation and live action sequences set in the real world. The series is produced in association with DHX Media, which also handles global distribution, merchandising, brand management and marketing.

Maria Welch, Head of Children’s Publishing at DC Thomson, said, “We are delighted to be working with DHX Brands to publish such a creative, delightful new magazine. Our editorial team are considering every element to enhance pre-school development, be visually stimulating but most importantly to make our pre-schoolers laugh out loud.”

The magazine is based on the key values of the show silly, fun and full of surprises. Each issue of Twirlywoos will be themed around an episode and these episodes are based on Professor Cathy Nutbrown, educational consultant on Twirlywoos, schemas. Schemas are patterns of play that children repeat as they grow and develop. A high quality covermount gift linked to the theme and content in the magazine will be given away with each issue.

Tom Roe, Commercial Director at DHX Brands, said, “We are delighted to team up with DC Thomson on the launch of the official Twirlywoos magazine. The team at DC Thomson brings with-it great passion and enthusiasm and has truly understood the brand’s unique DNA. The magazine will allow our fans to fully immerse themselves into the fun world of Twirlywoos beyond the screen.”

Twirlywoos magazine will launch in 2016.

The People’s Friend, the world’s oldest women’s weekly magazine, has undergone a design and content refresh.

The People’s Friend has today unveiled an exciting makeover, bringing a fresh new look to the magazine, now in its 146th year.

The editorial team at The People’s Friend have used the feedback from an extensive reader research programme to develop a bright new look for the ‘Friend’. The reader-led research has seen the introduction of new features tailored to the interests of the readership that will sit alongside existing favourites. New genres of short stories and more varied illustration styles will further enhance the title’s reputation as the number one publisher of magazine fiction in the UK.
The People’s Friend Editor-in-Chief Angela Gilchrist said, “We know how much our readers love the ‘Friend’, and we’ve worked really hard to preserve all the elements that make the magazine unique while giving it a bright new look. All of the changes have been suggested by our readers and I’m confident they’ll love the new-look magazine.
“It was really important to me to keep the illustrated style of front cover which has been a mainstay of the front page of The People’s Friend since 1946. In addition, we’ve created a new bolder logo to give the magazine a higher profile on the magazine shelves.”
Reader focus groups and an extensive in-magazine questionnaire to gather feedback took place from May to August, 2015.
The refresh launches in the October 31st Issue, on sale October 28th.
ENDS
For further information please contact Rebecca Moncrieff, 01382 575697 rmoncrieff@dcthomson.co.uk
Notes to Editors:
THE PEOPLE’S FRIEND
The People’s Friend is a weekly women’s magazine out every Wednesday. Founded in 1869, the magazine is famous for its fiction and is packed with short stories, serial instalments, cookery, craft, puzzles, gardening, travel and health.
DC THOMSON
DC Thomson & Co Ltd is a private company and one of the leading publishing houses in the UK. The company’s headquarters is in Dundee, Scotland, with a London base in Fleet Street. DC Thomson publishes newspapers, magazines, comics and books. The company also has interests in radio, printing, retailing and online services.

DC Thomson has today released the official Thunderbirds Are Go Magazine to accompany ITV Studios and Pukeko Pictures’ action adventure series Thunderbirds Are Go.
Issue one, on sale today, is the first of a four-weekly magazine priced at £3.99 and aimed at children aged six to 12. Each issue of the magazine contains epic missions, mega make-its, jokes, comic adventures, Brains’ coolest gadgets and a Thunderbirds Are Go branded gift.
Head of Children’s Publishing, Maria Welch, said, “Thunderbirds is an iconic British brand and we’re delighted to have secured the magazine publishing rights for the new series Thunderbirds Are Go.
“DC Thomson has a proven track record for successful magazine publishing and our vast experience in the children’s market is backed by commitment, enthusiasm and passion for providing fun, age-appropriate content. We are completely confident that we will deliver the most F.A.B magazine ever.”
DC Thomson’s licensed titles in the children’s magazine market include WWE Kids and The Official Jacqueline Wilson Mag. The publishing arm of DC Thomson is continually looking at innovation opportunities and Thunderbirds Are Go is a major new launch for the company.
Alongside the magazine, DC Thomson also secured publishing rights for the annual which is now on sale. The annual gives readers the chance to check out Thunderbirds vehicle specs, explore Tracy Island and complete important missions.
“We’re delighted to have DC Thomson as our partner for Thunderbirds Are Go magazine and annual” adds Trudi Hayward, SVP Head of Global Merchandise at ITVS GE. “Their unwavering dedication, enthusiasm and commitment to the Thunderbirds Are Go brand is reflected in the excellent quality of products they’ve developed.
“DC Thomson has successfully brought the show’s key themes of action and adventure to life on the printed page, giving the show’s fan-base a fun and interesting way to engage with the series beyond its broadcast.”
In the year that Thunderbirds turns 50, ITV Studios and Pukeko Pictures have re-invented the hit show which sees the Tracy brothers piloting their incredible International Rescue vehicles around the world to save people in need, from their hidden island base in the South Pacific. New episodes will air this Autumn on CITV and ITV. ITV Studios Global Entertainment is the international distributor and licensor.
ENDS
PR contact details: For further information please contact Rebecca Moncrieff, DC Thomson – 01382 575697 rmoncrieff@dcthomson.co.uk
Notes to Editors:
DC Thomson
DC Thomson & Co Ltd is a private company and one of the leading publishing houses in the UK. The company’s headquarters is in Dundee, Scotland, with a London base in Fleet Street. DC Thomson publishes newspapers, magazines, comics and books. The company also has interests in radio, printing, retailing and online services.
Thunderbirds Are GoThunderbirds Are Go Magazine is a 36-page glossy magazine based on the hit CITV show, specially created for kids aged 6-12. Thunderbirds Are Go Magazine is on sale every four weeks and comes with an exclusive free gift.
Each issue also features awesome Thunderbirds Are Go make-its from the creative minds at junkcraft.com. With engaging missions in every issue the Tracy Brothers need a hero reader to help them save the day! When duty calls, Thunderbirds Are Go.
Thunderbirds Are Go annuals and magazine subscriptions are available from www.dcthomsonshop.co.uk

DC Thomson has acquired the cHeRries Awards from the Urquhart Partnership, to add to its growing portfolio of events.
The cHeRries Awards recognise excellence in the fields of Human Resources, Training and Recruitment in the North East of Scotland. In its 9th year, the 2016 ceremony will take place on 2nd June 2016 and will be managed by the in-house events team at DC Thomson Publishing.
The annual event features nine award categories and attracts over 500 attendees. The 2016 event is taking place at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre and provides a fantastic platform for showcasing the very best HR professionals and practices across the North East.
Head of Commercial for DC Thomson Publishing, Denise West, said “The cHeRries Awards are a brilliant celebration of the best in Human Resources, Recruitment and Training in the North East of Scotland. Our expert events team already run a wide range of events across Scotland and we’re excited to have taken over the management of the cHeRries Awards.
“We look forward to working with the Urquhart Partnership to ensure the cHeRries Awards remains the best HR awards ceremony in the North East of Scotland.”
The Urquhart Partnership launched the cHeRries Awards in 2008 and has grown the ceremony year-on-year.
Campbell Urquhart, Managing Director of the Urquhart Partnership said, “DC Thomson is well positioned to develop these awards in the North East. We’ve had eight successful years of the cHeRries Awards and we’re confident that DC Thomson will continue to celebrate excellence in the HR industry. The time is right for us to part with the cHeRries Awards and really focus on our core business.”
The DC Thomson Publishing portfolio of events includes, The Courier Business Awards, Evening Express Local Retailer Awards, Evening Telegraph Community Spirit Awards and The Press and Journal Energy Ball.

ENDS
For further information please contactRebecca Moncrieff 01382 575697 or rmoncrieff@dcthomson.co.uk
DC ThomsonDC Thomson & Co Ltd is a private company and one of the leading publishing houses in the UK. The company’s headquarters is in Dundee, Scotland, with a London base in Fleet Street. DC Thomson publishes newspapers, magazines, comics and books. The company also has interests in radio, printing, retailing and online services.

The Press and Journal is launching an exclusive apprenticeship campaign this week. Beginning in paper today, (Friday, September 4) the campaign will aim to attract local businesses to create 100 apprenticeships over 100 days.
The goal of the newspaper is to encourage companies of all trades to offer apprenticeships and traineeships across the north and north-east of Scotland, making a commitment to take on at least one extra person in 2016.
With backing from Scottish Government’s Secretary for Fair Work, Skills and Training, Roseanna Cunningham, alongside prominent figures like Sir Ian Wood, the former Chairman of energy giant Wood Group, and hotelier Stewart Spence, it is hoped that The P&J campaign will generate significant attention and at least one hundred new roles for young people in the north-east. Damian Bates, Editor in Chief of The Press and Journal, said, “We are delighted to launch Apprentice 100 to highlight an issue vital to the future of Scotland and its young people. We hope many organisations rally around in support to help us reach this amazing target.”
Starting today inside the 20-page “Your Jobs in Scotland” supplement, the campaign is running in association with North East Scotland College supported by Tullos Training. A roll of honour will be published in the paper during the campaign, marking all those businesses who have pledged support.
Damian continued, “We’ll be featuring some real-life experiences alongside pledges from our local businesses and councils, offering their support to the cause and generating new opportunities for young people.”
The “100 apprenticeships in 100 days” series will run from Friday 4th September 2015 in The Press and Journal. Details will be also be available on www.thepressandjournal.co.uk
ENDS

Notes to Editors:
For further information please contact the Press Office on 01382 575604 or communications@dcthomson.co.uk
The Press and Journal
The Press and Journal features six distinct and varied editions which are produced each day and circulated across the north and north-east of Scotland. Each edition reflects community activity and interests of the individual area. The newspaper’s aim is to remain local and relevant to its readers while providing Scottish, national and international news. The Press and Journal carries weekly supplements including Your Home, Your Car, Your Weekend and Your Life and a monthly Energy supplement. The Press and Journal also publishes occasional, quarterly and monthly supplements, including an Energy supplement.

DC Thomson DC Thomson & Co Ltd is a private company and one of the leading publishing houses in the UK. The company’s headquarters is in Dundee, Scotland, with a London base in Fleet Street. The company publishes newspapers, magazines, comics and books. It also has interests in radio, printing, retailing and online services.

DC Thomson has announced that a series of appointments will take place in the company’s Publishing business.
Donald Martin will become Head of Publishing for Consumer Entertainment (CE), moving in October from his current post as Editor-in-Chief of DC Thomson Newspapers, Editor of the Sunday Post and The Weekly News.
In the role of Head of Publishing, Donald will operate across the company’s magazine division, working with the Editorial teams to manage and develop its publications. Donald brings a wealth of experience to the role. As well as having been on the DC Thomson newspaper board for four years, Donald previously led The Herald, Evening Times, Evening Express and The NorthWest Evening Mail as well as a number of free weekly titles.
Neil O’Brien, who has held the position of Head of Publishing (CE) since 2012, is leaving the company to take up a new post as Publisher for a London-based specialist firm. Having had previous roles as MD at This England until and Business Development Director at Puzzler, he has worked as part of the DC Thomson Group since 2003.
Richard Prest, Editor of the Evening Telegraph, has been appointed Editor of the Sunday Post and The Weekly News. Richard will move to manage the company’s national weekly titles. He has been Editor of the Evening Telegraph and its associated website since 2010. Previously, Richard was Deputy Editor of the Evening Express.
Steven Bell, Deputy Editor of the Evening Telegraph, will be promoted to Editor of the paper to undertake his first editorship. Steven became Assistant Editor of the Dundee evening title in August 2012, moving to his current role in 2014. He has worked for the company for nearly twenty years.
Ellis Watson (right), CEO Publishing, said, “I’d like to welcome my new Magazine and Newspaper teams. Running a great business like ours allows me to pick talent from any of our competitors which is why it’s all the more exciting for me that we’ve found the very best talent for these openings in our own company. I look forward with eager anticipation to the next chapter as we work together to future-proof our Publishing division.”

ENDS
DC Thomson
DC Thomson & Co Ltd is a private company and one of the leading publishing houses in the UK. The company’s headquarters is in Dundee, Scotland, with a London base in Fleet Street. The company publishes newspapers, magazines, comics and books. It also has interests in radio, printing, retailing and online services.

Sanjeev, who was born in London and moved with his family to Scotland when he was six, is joining the cast of ‘Scottish Institution’ River City in the Autumn. “Continuing drama is a hard shift, and I look forward to flexing my acting muscles. Well finding them first” says Sanjeev.
The Scots Mag finds out that Sanjeev was approached through Twitter for his new role in Shooting Clerks – an upcoming feature that looks at the making of the cult film Clerks by independent moviemaker Kevin Smith. He also said “I’ve had some very interesting work out of Twitter usually unpaid, but interesting nonetheless.”
The comedian is a true multi-media entertainer with over 58,000 followers on Twitter. The Scots Magazine has picked some of his best tweets and features them in the article.

The September issue of The Scots Magazine goes on general sale today.
ENDS
THE SCOTS MAGAZINE
The Scots Magazine is a glossy, monthly magazine focussed on Scotland her People, Places, Culture and Leisure. It features some of the finest writing on all Scottish life plus stunning photography showcasing Scotland’s cities and wild spaces in all their glory.
Believed to be the oldest magazine still in publication, it was first published on 9th February 1739 (in 2014 the magazine celebrated its 250th anniversary), as a 48-page pamphlet, priced sixpence monthly. It was edited and printed in Edinburgh.
With a monthly average readership of over 200,000 The Scots Magazine is the world’s best-selling Scottish-interest publication. It boasts a very healthy subscription base, plus newsstand sales in Scotland, the wider UK and overseas.
Facebook – www.facebook.com/thescotsmagazineTwitter – twitter.com/ScotsMagazine

DC Thomson’s evening titles are offering a prize pot of more than £100,000 in two Golden Giveaway competitions this week.
Aberdeen newspaper, the Evening Express, begins their Golden Giveaway on Thursday 20th August with Dundee title the Evening Telegraph following suit on Friday 21stAugust.
A special Golden Masthead on the front page of the Evening Express will launch the Golden Giveaway. Every copy of the Evening Express and Evening Telegraph will be inserted with a free Golden Wallet with instant wins of Wispa Gold bars, or cash prizes ranging from £50 up to £10,000.
The wallet also contains a ‘match your weight in gold’ game card. Each day, readers will have the opportunity to win £250 simply by matching the weight of Gold on their game card to the weight that’s printed in the papers.
Group Marketing Manager Kirsty Matthews said, “I’m thrilled our readers have the chance to take part in this amazing giveaway. The total prize pot is £110,000, and there are two top prizes of £10,000. That’s a colossal sum which could make real difference to someone’s life.”
The Evening Express Golden Giveaway starts on Thursday 20thAugust, and the Evening Telegraph Golden Giveaway starts on Friday 21stAugust.
ENDS
For further information contact Rebecca Moncrieff, 01382 575697 /rmoncrieff@dcthomson.co.uk.
Notes to Editors:
EVENING EXPRESS
The Evening Express is published six days a week and reaches more readers across its circulation area than any other newspaper. Two editions are printed daily allowing the Evening Express to get breaking news on to the streets of Aberdeen on the day the news happens.
The newspaper covers the north-east of Scotland and the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood in Edinburgh. The Evening Express also features a portfolio of supplements across the week focussing on motors, property, jobs, eating out and entertainment as well as producing the free weekly newspaper the Aberdeen Citizen, picture pull-out The Aberdonian, the Green Final sports section and publishing the title’s websitewww.eveningexpress.co.uk.
Columnists include TV presenter Cat Cubie, Aberdeen Football Club legends Willie Miller and Joe Harper and Aberdeen’s former Lord Provost John Reynolds.
Facebook www.facebook.com/EveningExpressAberdeen
Twitter twitter.com/eveningexpress
EVENING TELEGRAPH
The Evening Telegraph has been delivering the news and fighting for its readers since 1877. The title has seen many changes including a redesign, had its pagination increased and seen the launch of its new website www.thetele.co.uk.
The Evening Telegraph provides unrivalled football coverage, from the latest news at Tannadice and Dens to kids’ Sunday kick-abouts.
Each Thursday TV presenter and author Martel Maxwell gives her opinions on a range of subjects from the latest celebrity gossip to the everyday issues affecting Dundee families.
Facebook www.facebook.com/eveningtele
Twitter -twitter.com/evening_tele
DC THOMSON
DC Thomson & Co Ltd is a private company and one of the leading publishing houses in the UK. The company’s headquarters is in Dundee, Scotland, with a London base in Fleet Street. DC Thomson publishes newspapers, magazines, comics and books. The company also has interests in radio, printing, retailing and online services.
Twitter -twitter.com/DC_Thomson

The Evening Telegraph is giving away a one-off 24-page magazine with the paper tomorrow, packed with all of the latest football news ahead of the new season.
The Tele’s Big Kick Off features exclusive player and manager interviews from both sides of Tannadice Street, as well as profiles of the players to watch.
There’s a pull-out full fixtures list for both Dundee and Dundee United for the Scottish Premiership season which starts this weekend.
Readers are also being given the chance to win one of 40 football canvasses through unique printing in every copy of the magazine.
Discovery Print, the printing arm of DC Thomson, has given every one of the 30,000 print run a unique player shirt name and number, and code. The winning printing combination will be revealed in Friday’s edition of the Tele.
Editor of the Evening Telegraph Richard Prest said “At the Tele we provide readers the best in local news, sport and events.
“The Big Kick Off gives every football fan the news they want as well as the chance to win a canvas of their team. Our sports writer’s verdicts on the stars to watch during the season, and the exclusive manager interviews shouldn’t be missed!”
Big Kick Off is free in the Evening Telegraph on Thursday 30th July.
ENDS
For further information contact Rebecca Moncrieff, 01382 575697 / rmoncrieff@dcthomson.co.uk.
Notes to Editors:
EVENING TELEGRAPHThe Evening Telegraph has been delivering the news and fighting for its readers since 1877. The title has seen many changes including a redesign, had its pagination increased and seen the launch of its new website www.thetele.co.uk.
The Evening Telegraph provides unrivalled football coverage, from the latest news at Tannadice and Dens to kids’ Sunday kick-abouts.
Each Thursday TV presenter and author Martel Maxwell gives her opinions on a range of subjects from the latest celebrity gossip to the everyday issues affecting Dundee families.
DC THOMSONDC Thomson & Co Ltd is a private company and one of the leading publishing houses in the UK. The company’s headquarters is in Dundee, Scotland, with a London base in Fleet Street. DC Thomson publishes newspapers, magazines, comics and books. The company also has interests in radio, printing, retailing and online services.

The Broons are making history in the Sunday Postthis weekend (26thJuly) in a special £10,000k instant giveaway competition strip, produced using cutting-edge digital printing.
Using new technology from DC Thomson’s Discovery Print arm in Dundee, an instant giveaway voucher will feature The Broons in a comic with bespoke competition codes and different endings to the story.
Up to 500 lucky readers of the Sunday Post’s in10 magazine will win cash. For those readers who don’t gain instant access to Maw Broon’s purse, there’ll be a further chance to win by entering a phone prize draw.
Discovery Print and DC Thomson Head of Operations (Newspapers), Guy Forester explained, “Our Kodak digital print head provides the ability to produce tailored marketing and advertising initiatives via uniquely printed numbers, barcodes, QR codes or even high end graphics.
“We’re one of only two newspaper printers in the UK with this technology, so as far as I’m aware The Broons cartoon strip is the first ever variable data strip that has been produced in the UK newspaper marketplace, possibly even the world! “
The technology produces one billion droplets of ink per second, allowing text and images to be changed without slowing down the printing press. The digital print head can produce unique content on each paper at a speed of 90,000 copies per hour.
The Sunday Post’s Editor-in-Chief Donald Martin said, “The digital print head offers exciting new capabilities and fresh ways to engage our readers and advertisers in Scotland and the North of England.
“It has been a genuine team effort with Editorial, our writers, artists and graphic designers, working alongside colleagues in Operations, Production, Marketing, Advertising and Enterprise to create this imaginative reader offer.
Further information on Discovery Print’s product range and current portfolio can be found at www.discoveryprint.co.uk.
ENDS

Notes to Editors:
For further information please call 01382 575604.
DC Thomson DC Thomson & Co Ltd is a private company and one of the leading publishing houses in the UK. The company’s headquarters is in Dundee, Scotland, with a London base in Fleet Street. The company publishes newspapers, magazines, comics and books. It also has interests in radio, printing, retailing and online services.

DC Thomson has teamed up with Aardman to bring Morph, the nation’s favourite clay character, to The Beano, everyone’s favourite comic.
Morph guest stars in The Beano, sharing the cover with Dennis the Menace and Gnasher, and appearing in a specially-commissioned comic strip, which sees Morph escape from Gnasher (who has mistaken him for a sausage) and help Dennis foil a dastardly scheme by Walter Brown his arch-enemy.
Peter Lord, Director at Aardman and creator of Morph, said, “As a huge fan of Dennis the Menace ever since I was a lad (and Gnasher was a pup), I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to see our creation Morph starring alongside Dennis in the pages of The Beano. It’s fantastic to see these two iconic British mischief-makers joining forces in my all-time favourite comic.”
The Beano’s Editor Craig Graham said, “We’re delighted Morph has joined Dennis and Gnasher in The Beano, although I’m not sure he knew what he was letting himself in for!
Like Dennis the Menace and The Beano, Morph connects brilliantly with people of all ages. We hope this special issue of The Beano will ignite fond childhood memories for older readers, while our younger audience will love bringing Morph to life with the amazing augmented reality cover.”
The Beano featuring guest star Morph goes on sale Thursday 9th July.
ENDS
For further information/press requests, please contact Rebecca Moncrieff, on rmoncrieff@dcthomson.co.uk or 01382 575697
Notes to Picture Editors: The cover and selected frames from the strip available via Dropbox HERE
Credit: DC Thomson & Co Ltd 2015
Notes to Editors DC ThomsonDC Thomson & Co Ltd is a private company and one of the leading publishing houses in the UK. The company’s headquarters is in Dundee, Scotland, with a London base in Fleet Street. DC Thomson publishes newspapers, magazines, comics and books. The company also has interests in radio, printing, retailing and online services.
The BeanoThe Beano is the quintessential British children’s comic, first published by DC Thomson in July 1938 and still printed weekly. It reaches hundreds of thousands* of children every week. The Beano is best known for its famed characters such as Dennis the Menace, Gnasher, The Bash Street Kids and Minnie the Minx. The spin-off BAFTA nominated animation series, Dennis and Gnasher is exported around the world and is one of the highest rated shows on CBBC.*TGI Youth Spring 2014, The Beano readership, 528,000.
AardmanAardman, based in Bristol (UK) co-founded and run by Peter Lord and David Sproxton, is a world leader in animation. It produces feature films, series, advertising and digital entertainment for both the domestic and international market. Their multi-award winning productions are novel, entertaining, brilliantly characterised and full of charm that reflects the unique talent, energy and personal commitment of the very special people who make up the Aardman team. The studio’s work is often imitated and yet the company continues to lead the field producing a rare brand of visually stunning and amusing independent and commercials productions.
Morph Morphis the animatedclay character who made his TV debut in 1977 in the children’s BBC programme Take Hart alongside the artist and presenter, Tony Hart. He was created and produced for theBBCbyAardman. Morph was a regular fixture on children’s television throughout the 70s and 80s, and received his own Blue Peter badge on 9th March 1981, when Blue Peter presenter Sarah Greene visited the Aardman studios. Almost 40 years after his TV debut, Morph is back in 15 new mini-adventures, animated in clay and funded by the public through the Kickstarter crowdfunding website. The episodes launched throughout 2014 on Morph’s dedicated YouTube channel and are now airing on CBBC.

The Beano features an augmented reality cover with an escaped Indominus Rex from Jurassic Park. Readers can make Indo stomp all over their copy of The Beano, roar, and even take a photo with him.
Issue dated 27th June tells the story of Dennis releasing the dinosaurs from the park only to be chased by them.
Dennis and Gnasher end up in a lab where they enlist Professor Von Nutter to help their fight against the esscaped dinsosaurs. Deciding to fight fire with fire, Professor Von Nutter creates a bigger and better dinosaur, a Gnashosaurus.
Pick up a copy of The Beano to find out what happens in Dennis’ dinosaur adventure.