Edinburgh, Scotland -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/02/2012 -- A recycling charity that helps some of the most vulnerable people in Fife has been given a major cash boost by the Scottish Government. Castle Furniture Project, set up 20 years ago in Cupar, has been awarded £164,273 from the Enterprise Growth Fund to help promote recycling across Fife, Perth and Kinross. The money will be used to develop the project's household doorstep collection, repair, refurbishment and re-use of heavy domestic appliances such as cookers, washing machines and fridges as well as enable it to open a new centre in Perth.

Managing Director of ThinkMarketing, an Edinburgh-based sales and marketing company, who said, "It's a fantastic choice to use the money. Recycling is incredibly important, especially with large household appliances like these, which take up so much space if they're just dumped."

Each year in Fife alone, over 9500 heavy domestic appliances are dumped, amounting to almost 440 tonnes of potential waste going to landfill. Only a fraction of broken, unwanted or abandoned cookers, fridge freezers, dishwashers, dryers and other appliances are being recycled, repaired and re-used. Last year, Castle piloted a small-scale experiment, which recycled 652 heavy domestic appliances and resold them, generating over £28,000.

Towards the end of last year, in a bid to reduce the number of appliances destined for landfill and promote increased re-use, the project launched its household doorstep domestic appliances collection service with the help of funding from the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE), which was set up by manufacturers.

"It's important to deal with this type of waste," said a source at ThinkMarketing, "and this project is doing it in a responsible way, creating jobs and benefiting the economy at the same time."

Castle's project manager Silv Ingram said: "Our experiences from last year's pilots demonstrate a willingness among the general public to promote the recycling and re-use of unwanted appliances when doing so is made as simple as making a single telephone call. This year we aim to increase the number of broken, unwanted or abandoned appliances available for re-use to over 3000, a 400 per cent increase on last year's pilot. This means that almost 150 tonnes of domestic appliances will no longer potentially end up in landfill."

The funding will also enable Castle to open a 10,000 sq ft recycling and re-use centre in Perth, which will provide an additional sales outlet for unwanted furniture, refurbished domestic appliances and recycled paint as well as a 'one stop shop' information point to the general public on all aspects of recycling and re-use.

Our source at ThinkMarketing said, "It's important to raise public awareness of schemes like this, because there's still that inbuilt tradition of just taking things to the dump and forgetting about them. When recycling the items is just as easy, if not easier than that, then you get to the point where people are just doing it the old way out of habit. But we can't keep doing that forever."

http://www.fifetoday.co.uk/news/charity-wins-164-000-funding-boost-1-2190290

http://www.prlog.org/11831234-thinkmarketing-examines-this-years-successes-stories-and-style-at-the-oscars.html

http://www.facebook.com/pages/ThinkMarketing/277743275580208

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Edinburgh, Scotland -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/27/2012 -- Last week those at ThinkMarketing's office in central Edinburgh looked up to see what has been described as a 'fireball' flying through the skies. There were reports of a 'bright light' and 'orange glow' travelling from northern Scotland to southern England at about 21:40 GMT. This prompted fears that a plane was crashing and even talk of UFOs as people took to social media sites to discuss the phenomenon. The police were contacted throughout Scotland. Grampian Police said many people had reported seeing a 'flare or a bright object with a tail', while Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary said it had received reports of a 'large ball of fire in the sky'. Strathclyde Police said it had been inundated with calls, while Lothian and Borders Police also reported taking a number of calls. Durham Police said air traffic control had confirmed there had not been any incidents of aircraft in difficulties.

The Met Office calmed fears by tweeting 'Hi All, for anyone seeing something in the night sky, we believe it was a meteorite.' Meteors are particles from space that burn up as they plummet through Earth's atmosphere, sometimes emitting light, creating a "fireball" effect. Meteorites are larger, more durable objects that survive heating in the atmosphere and land on Earth. Dr David Whitehouse, a science writer, said 'Occasionally you get a very big piece of debris coming into the Earth's atmosphere and this causes a fireball.' He explained that what you see when you spot a meteor is the fireball breaking up, and the 'wreckage of a planet that couldn't form properly when the solar system was young'. He stated that the fireball was actually bit of rock that had been orbiting the Sun for perhaps thousands of millions of years. A source from ThinkMarketing stated 'It was an incredible sight and one I feel very privileged to have seen'.

Hundreds of people across the country tweeted about what they had seen and the Kielder Observatory, in Northumberland, described it as a 'huge fireball' travelling from north to south over the county. Gary Fildes, observatory director, who was with a group of about 40 people when they spotted the meteor, said 'We got an incredible view. It was phenomenal. They went absolutely mental. I was getting questions about what it is and is it going to end life on Earth? Mr Fildes, who has been an astronomer for 30 years, said he had never seen anything like it and described the experience as 'one I'll never forget as long as I live'.

ThinkMarketing's Managing Director said 'It really makes you think about how mind-boggling space and the universe is, and how much is out there'.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-17248959

http://www.meteorwatch.org/2012/03/04/fireball-witnessed-over-uk-3rd-march-2012/

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2012/03/04/meteor-sightings-across-scotland-leaves-police-forces-inundated-with-calls-86908-23774918/

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Edinburgh, Scotland -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/27/2012 -- This week, those at Think Marketing's Edinburgh office have been discussing the 84th Annual Academy Awards – commonly known as the Oscars! Despite being shown late at night in the UK, several people stayed up to watch this star-studded event, or caught up with the highlights over the weekend.

The much-hyped silent movie 'The Artist' triumphed as predicted, winning five awards on the night including best picture, best director and best actor for Jean Dujardin. A source from ThinkMarketing said 'It really was an amazing film, which evoked all the wonder of the silent film age but was also fresh and funny. Everyone loved the dog too!' Director Michel Hazanavicius, who won his first ever nomination, thanked the now-famous dog Uggie, who appears in the film, but added: 'I don't think he cares.' The film also won the Oscars for best original score and best costumes. 1929 was the last year that a silent movie won an Oscar. Also winning five Oscars was Martin Scorsese's 'Hugo', mainly in the technical categories.

Meryl Streep was another success story, winning best actress for her portrayal of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 'The Iron Lady' - her 17th Oscar nomination and third Oscar win. She thanked the Academy 'for this inexplicably wonderful career'.

Canadian actor Christopher Plummer became the oldest Oscar winner at 82 by taking the best supporting actor prize. Plummer thanked his wife who, he said, deserved 'the Nobel Peace Prize for coming to my rescue every day'. The best supporting actress prize was won by Octavia Spencer for 'The Help', who gave an emotional acceptance speech which received a standing ovation from the audience.

It wouldn't be the Oscars without some controversy and Sasha Baron Cohen can always be relied on for this! On the red carpet, the British comedy actor turned up dressed in a white military uniform and sporting a beard and sunglasses, promoting his upcoming film The Dictator. Cohen arrived holding an urn he jokingly claimed contained the ashes of Kim Jong Il, the late leader of North Korea. Cohen then tipped the container on to American Idol host Ryan Seacrest before being escorted off by security.

Other than this, there was the usual fascination with the dress choices made by the stars, with particular attention being paid to Angelina Jolie. However, many have said that the Oscars this year offered no surprises and that everything that happened was fairly predictable. 'It is always glamorous and star-studded' stated a source from ThinkMarketing, 'But this year was not the most exciting or unexpected ceremony'.

Nevertheless, the appeal of the Oscars for many lies in seeing their favourite stars on the red carpet, rather than who wins the awards and in that aspect the Oscars did not disappoint!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17174678

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/mar/01/oscars-2012

http://oscar.go.com/oscar-buzz

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Edinburgh, Scotland -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/27/2012 -- Public funding for Edinburgh's festival programmes has increased to 3.2 million pounds and part of this £3.2m funding, 2.25m the government will be providing. The money will help World Dance Feste, the first ever World Fringe Congress, a World Jazz Orchestra, and The Edinburgh World Writers' Conference 2012. The Scottish government, Edinburgh City Council, Event Scotland and Creative Scotland, have combined forces to boost the city's 12 major festivals. Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said "Edinburgh's festivals are known all over the world and provide a platform to showcase our rich culture and exceptional creative talent, as well as raise the international profile of Scotland." A source for Think Marketing has said "This is a big boost to the economy and to the people of Edinburgh, this money will help broadcast what Edinburgh festivals has to offer"

Highlights announced today include the world premiere of a new work by James MacMillan; a series of major public art commissions in the New Town; a World Dance Feste; the first ever World Fringe Congress; a World Jazz Orchestra directed by Joe Temperley; and The Edinburgh World Writers' Conference 2012. Lady Susan Rice, chair of the Festivals Forum, said: "This announcement is a wonderful recognition from our public funders of the value of Edinburgh's Festivals." A source for Think Marketing has said "Previous reports had reported non stop about the financial crisis that was putting the future of the festival at risk, so this is a nice change to see members of the public helping out in every way they can and getting the recognition they deserve"

Lady Susan Rice said "Internationalism, excellence and the nurturing of talent are at the core of Edinburgh's Festivals, as they are in the Olympic and Paralympic Games and we are committed to capitalising our enormous global value for the benefit of Scotland, in this The Year of Creative Scotland and in the years to come." Our source for Think Marketing said "Edinburgh's festivals are a way of showing the wide culture that runs through Edinburgh, It is also community based in allowing the community to work together." Steve Cardownie, Edinburgh City Council's festival and events champion, said: "Edinburgh has an enviable international reputation as a festival city and supporting the cultural ambitions of the festivals in this unique year makes perfect sense given the proven positive impact they have on the people and economy of the city.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-17298930

http://www.thedrum.co.uk/news/2012/03/08/public-funders-edinburgh-s-festivals-agree-increased-investment-32m

http://twitter.com/#!/1ThinkMarketing

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Edinburgh, Scotland -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/23/2012 -- Plans are in place to improve the management of Edinburgh's World Heritage Site, including Signs welcoming visitors to the historic heart of Edinburgh, more maps and information showing points of interest in the city centre and new smartphone apps, highlighting often overlooked attractions. Clear boundaries marking the UNESCO area and better information for visitors will help address concerns the city is not making the most of the site. Council chiefs and Historic Scotland will also work to cut down the impact of traffic and encourage walking and cycling in the World Heritage Site. "It's fantastic to see attention being paid to this issue," said a source from ThinkMarketing, an Edinburgh-based sales and marketing company, "Recent news has shown us that visitors to Edinburgh may not be getting the most of the city, and it's a real shame because there's so much actually going on."

The move comes after criticism by Professor Charles McKean, the recently departed chairman of Edinburgh World Heritage, who suggested there was little in the site to reveal its historic significance. "If you are curious about something here, there is nothing to tell you what it is," he said, adding that aspects of the visitor experience were "among the worst in Europe".

Councillor Jim Lowrie, city council planning leader, said the five-year action plan sets out how the site will be conserved and promoted. "Edinburgh's World Heritage Site status is extremely important to the city," he said, "as shown by over 250,000 Tripadvisor users last year who voted it the fifth most-recommended site in the world. So this focusing of resources in the Old and New Town areas will ensure the internationally-renowned appeal of Scotland's capital city will continue to be enjoyed by future generations."

Originally released in autumn, the document has been redrafted after a consultation with residents, heritage bodies and business groups. "They've really put the research into it, and consulted the local community," said our contact at ThinkMarketing.

Adam Wilkinson, director of Edinburgh World Heritage, said the site was "crucial to the success of Edinburgh, attracting over four million visitors a year, as well as supporting the city's quality of life and encouraging inward investment." He added, "This action plan lays out the key priorities for the next five years, to ensure we conserve, promote and enhance the site effectively."

Our source at ThinkMarketing noted that Edinburgh is a city that thrives on its tourism, and that "investing in the heritage of Edinburgh is something that really benefits all business in the city.

http://www.scotsman.com/edinburgh-evening-news/politics/five_year_plan_to_promote_city_s_heritage_site_1_2141261

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Edinburgh, Scotland -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/22/2012 -- In spite of heavy rain and hailstones, around 800 runners, some in fancy dress, turned up to brave the bad weather on Sunday, for the Meadows Marathon. Organisers are hoping the event will be able to break last year's fundraising total of £40,000. The event was set up in 2007 by Edinburgh University students, and includes a full marathon, along with a half marathon and 5km events. The runners completed laps of the Meadows but were hit by a shower of rain and hail at about 3pm while many were still on the course. We spoke to a source from ThinkMarketing, an Edinburgh-based sales and marketing company, who said, "It's really impressive the amount of money that's being raised for charity and that they're just out there doing it, and not being put off."

Toby Jones, a 22-year old student from Edinburgh University, was part of a fundraising team who all dressed as tigers for the run. "I'm very pleased as I thought I would take over two hours," he said, "I had done no training at all so 1 hour 38 minutes for the half marathon wasn't bad. Five of us were running to raise money for EGP, a student-led charity. We're trying to raise £11,000 to build a community centre in Tanzania. The five of us are hoping to raise £2500."

"There's an absolute ton of worthy charities which people are running for," said our source at ThinkMarketing, "It ranges from high profile charities like Make-A-Wish and Oxfam, all the way down to student-led small charities, and all of them benefit from the money raised."

Joe Shaw, 19, an Edinburgh University student who lives in Pollock Halls, was dressed in a pink dress and blonde wig for the run. He said: "I was running to raise money for Edinburgh Students Charities Appeal, which raises money for many good causes." He added, "There wasn't any particular reason for my outfit. It was just a good excuse to dress up as a woman!"

George Ward, press officer for the event, said: "We had 100 people sign up on the day for the fun run event, which was great, and overall it's been a real success. It was a shame about the rain but you can't do much about that in Edinburgh. We're really pleased with the turn-out and hope we can build on that for next year. We'll have the fundraising total in the next seven days and we hope to equal or better last year's figure of £40,000."

"I'm sure with all the coverage the event has got this year we'll see even more people turning out next year," said our source at ThinkMarketing, "Which is great, because the event is a whole lot of fun, as well as being a great fundraising opportunity."

http://www.scotsman.com/edinburgh-evening-news/edinburgh/800-brave-bad-weather-for-meadows-marathon-1-2154172

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Edinburgh, Scotland -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/22/2012 -- For thirty-five years the start of Edinburgh's festival season was heralded by an impressive Cavalcade – a procession of bands and floats which gave revellers a taster of performances being held across the city. But last year, following the sudden departure of the Cavalcade's main organiser, the event was dropped.

This year the Cavalcade is set for an encore after bosses at the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival relented to public opinion and decided to return the event to Princes Street.

"That is fantastic news," said the Managing Director of ThinkMarketing, a marketing firm based in the Scottish capital. "This city loves its festivals, and the Cavalcade was the perfect opening salvo of the amazing run of entertainment, music and comedy that is the Edinburgh festival season."

But there's a twist. The colourful extravaganza, normally held on the first Sunday of the Fringe, will now take place nearly two weeks before the opening night – on July 22nd to be exact, the first Sunday of the jazz festival.

Brian Fallon, chairman of the Jazz and Blues Festival, said in a statement published on Scottish news website thescotsman.com: "We envisage it being a parade led by Harley-Davidsons, and we have a number of bands from the UK, as well as international; street bands and brass bands, as well as samba bands.

"It will not be an Edinburgh jazz festival parade, but a parade to open Edinburgh's summer festivals."

The board of the jazz festival will be chief organisers of the event, with council officials providing assistance.

ThinkMarketing's MD believes the slight changes to the event may be a breath of fresh air; "Apparently the Cavalcade will no longer have the familiar floats which used to carry festival performers. The Harley-Davidsons will be the only vehicles in the parade. It should make for an interesting take on the traditional event."

Previous cavalcades have attracted in excess of 150,000 spectators and so it remains to be seen whether this new approach garner as much attention.

For the last two years the Cavalcade had been held at Holyrood Park due to tram works on Princes Street, so this revamped parade will be its first return to Edinburgh's busiest thoroughfare since 2008. Steve Cardownie, the city's festivals and events champion, said; "I've always felt that the parade was devalued when it left Princes Street . . ." adding that, "there is nothing like seeing the street throbbing with people."

The MD at ThinkMarketing echoed Mr Cardownie's enthusiasm; "I can't tell you how thrilled I am that they're bringing the Cavalcade back.

Okay, it's had a facelift and a slight shift in the calendar, but different doesn't always have to mean bad and I feel confident that visitors to the city will be in for a treat if they make their way to Princes Street on July 22nd."

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm