Category Archives: Scotland

Articles & News, Scotland

Brother of dead pilot accuses MoD of “disrespect” for failing to mark 30th anniversary of RAF Chinook crash with official memorial event

Families being invited to attend church-led service on Mull of Kintyre which local minister hopes will “provide comfort, respect and recognition.”

The brother of one of the two pilots killed in the 1994 RAF Chinook crash on the Mull of Kintyre has today expressed his disappointment at the Ministry of Defence for its “continued unacceptable lack of recognition or respect” for the 29 people who died, and for failing to organise an official memorial service to mark the 30th anniversary.

Airline pilot Chris Cook, brother of Richard

RAF’s worst peacetime loss of life

Some of the families involved, along with campaigners, have already expressed their anger at the failure of the MoD to organise an official event with invitations sent to all families to mark this key anniversary of the tragedy.

It was the RAF’s worst peacetime loss of life. All 25 passengers and four crew were killed when RAF Chinook ZD576 crashed on June 2nd 1994. On board were some of the most senior counter terrorism officers working in Northern Ireland at the time.

The two dead pilots, Flight Lieutenants Richard Cook and Jonathan Tapper, were wrongly accused of gross negligence. It was only after a 17-year campaign for justice by the families that the UK Government finally overturned the verdict.

 

Chris Cook, brother of Flight Lieutenant Richard Cook, said today: “I find it extremely disappointing that the families and loved ones of the 29 passengers and crew continue to be treated with such disrespect by the Ministry of Defence.

“Irrespective of the controversy that followed this disaster and the subsequent long campaign that both my and the Tapper family went through to get justice for the two deceased pilots, there is a continued unacceptable lack of recognition or respect by the MOD of the service that each of these 29 brave individuals gave to their country.”

Chris Cook with wife Nicky and son Richard at the cairn on Mull of Kintyre in 2014

Church-led Remembrance Service to be held on Mull of Kintyre

Mr Cook and other families are now planning to travel to the Mull of Kintyre on the anniversary of the crash next month for a church-led remembrance service at 12:30pm on June 2nd organised by the local parish minister, Rev. Steven Sass, who has been liaising with an army chaplain in Northern Ireland.

Rev. Roddy McNidder, who was the parish minister at the time of the crash in 1994, will deliver the sermon.

 

Rev. Steven Sass

Rev. Steven Sass, Minister of Southend Parish Church said:“We hope that as many of the families as possible will join us. We want them to feel welcome and supported and we hope that this act of remembrance will give them the support which they need on this important anniversary.

“I understand that some of the families feel upset about the lack of an official military-led memorial service, but we hope that the church can offer the comfort, respect, and recognition that is deserved. After the church service which starts at 12:30pm we will travel to the memorial cairn at the crash site for a special act of remembrance at 3pm.”

Dr Susan Phoenix, whose husband Ian was also killed in the accident, will also be attending the church service with her son, Niven

Also attending will be Dr Susan Phoenix, along with her son Niven, a former military and now commercial pilot whose father, senior RUC officer Ian Phoenix was one of those killed.

They and other campaigners believe there is a continuing cover up by the MoD over the real cause of the accident and they point to last week’s erroneous claims by the MoD about the findings of an independent review conducted in 2010.

 

David Hill, a retired aeronautical engineer who worked at the Ministry of Defence for more than 30 years, and who has examined and written extensively on this and various other RAF accidents, is angry at the response of the MoD.  He is the author of “Their Greatest Disgrace,” which examines the incident.

David HIll’s Book cover – Image Credit- Amazon

David Hill said:

“Last week, the MoD claimed the findings of the Mull of Kintyre review were fully accepted and that no safety issues with the Chinook Mark 2 were raised in the report. The findings were not fully accepted by MoD and they continue to trot out this nonsense. The entirety of Section 7 of the report relates to safety and the failing airworthiness culture, culminating in the worst failure imaginable.

“’We know from a Boscombe Down report that there were airworthiness concerns, and that the aircraft should not have been ‘operated in any way that places any reliance whatsoever on the proper functioning of this equipment’.”

 

Flight Lt Richard Cook a year before the accident

Chris Cook, a commercial pilot himself, adds: “It appears from the MoD’s statement that they still don’t accept, after all this time and after all the reports including the official Mull of Kintyre Review, that there could have been any safety issues with the Chinook Mark 2 going into service, which I find staggering. Especially as it’s been proven that Boscombe Down had grounded it because there were known safety issues with the aircraft.

““The fact that the MOD have had the official files on this crash locked away for 100 years, till 2094, does raise serious questions regarding a cover up. Since this came to light many of the bereaved families are now very concerned that a cover up has occurred.”

Headstone of Pilot Richard David Cook, who, along with 28 of his colleagues, will be remembered at Southend Parish church, Mull of Kintyre on the 30th anniversary of the crash.

—

References

  1. Regarding the MoD’s claims of “no safety issues”: Please see the following paragraph in the Mull of Kintyre Review report
  • 7.1.8  At the same time the mid-life upgrade of the Chinook was marred by the malfunctions we have described. A lack of understanding of the cause of these malfunctions led shortly before the accident to a decision by Boscombe Down to cease flying the HC-2. In that situation those in command required to balance the risk to service personnel created by ground troop movements against the risk of flying an aircraft with a history of malfunctions which was comparatively unfamiliar to aircrew. The introduction of the HC-2 could not be halted and on 30 May 1994 it was deployed to Northern Ireland. That decision was taken on the basis of the operational imperative existing at the time and we are not in a position to criticise it.
  1. The BBC’s documentary is available on BBC iPlayer here
  2. A copy of David Hill’s latest expert summary is available to download here.

 

Header image: RAF Chinook ZD576 in service

Climate Politics, Construction, News, Scotland, Sustainability, Tradesmen

SNIPEF responds to High Court ruling on Government’s climate action plan

In response to a High Court ruling that mandates a revision of the UK government’s climate action plan, Stephanie Lowe, Deputy Chief Executive of the Scottish and Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers’ Federation (SNIPEF), has called for the urgent development of a more robust, fair, and actionable climate strategy.

“The High Court’s ruling, which requires the government to revisit its climate action plan, underscores the urgent need for realistic and achievable climate goals,” said Lowe. “This decision aligns with our longstanding call for government strategies that are ambitious yet grounded in the practical realities and expert insights from industries at the forefront of implementing these technologies.”

Lowe added, “Incorporating detailed, industry-informed pathways is crucial to ensure the targets set are not merely aspirational but truly achievable. It is essential that future climate policies adopt a balanced approach that includes all sectors and communities.”

The ruling highlights the challenges in current government plans, which have been criticised for their lack of detail on achieving proposed emission cuts. As noted by environmental groups and the recent judicial review, the plans require a more comprehensive framework that genuinely aligns with the UK’s net-zero ambitions.

“We urge the government to use this opportunity to engage more constructively with industry experts and stakeholders to craft a plan that is both comprehensive and feasible,” Lowe stated. “SNIPEF is committed to supporting a transition to low-carbon technologies and looks forward to participating in a dialogue that moves us closer to our shared environmental goals.”

News, Scotland, Travel

10am check-out times scrapped by Scottish holiday park group as part of a trial

Largo Leisure Parks are offering their guests the chance to check out at whatever time they like as part of a trial on 2-night weekend breaks in May and June at all six of their holiday parks in Scotland.

Forget the traditional holiday park check out time of 10am, guests who book a lodge or cabin for a 2-night stay arriving on a Friday in May and June, can keep their accommodation for the entire day of departure. As long as they have left by the stroke of midnight, there is no extra charge.

Rachel Mabbs, Commercial Director for Largo Leisure Parks said: “The downside to enjoying a weekend break is having to get up early on the last day in time to pack up and vacate your holiday accommodation by 10am. That’s why we have decided to give our lodge and cabin guests a well-deserved lay in and the full day to use their accommodation and have more fun before heading home.”

The offer is available for stays at Loch Tay Highland Lodges and Cruachan Farm in Perthshire, Braidhaugh Holiday Park in Crieff, Letham Feus Holiday Park in Fife, Campsie Glen between Campsie Fells and Fintry Hills and Sauchope Links near Crail.

Breaks

Loch Tay Highland Lodges –

1 Bedroom Cabin at Loch Tay

Stay on Friday 17th May for 2-nights with no early checkout offer at Loch Tay Highland Lodges in a Signature 2-bedroom Lodge (sleeps 4) from £111 per person per night (based on 4 people sharing).

Stay on Friday 31st May for 2-nights with no early check out offer at Loch Tay Highland Lodges in a 1-bedroom cabin (sleeps 2 adults & 2 children up to 12 years old) from £85 per person per night.

Letham Feus Park–

Letham Feus – Forth View Lodge

Stay on Friday 17th May for 2-nights with no early check out offer at Letham Feus in a Traditional 2-bedroom Lodge with Hot Tub (sleeps 4) from £61 per person per night.
Stay on Friday 7th June for 2-nights with no early check out offer at Letham Feus in a Retreat 1-bedroom Lodge with Hot Tub (sleeps 4) from £60 per person per night.

Braidhaugh Holiday Park –

Braidhaugh Contemporary Lodge

Stay on Friday 31st May for 2-nights with no early check out offer at Braidhaugh in a Riverside 1-bedroom Lodge with Hot Tub (sleeps 4) from £77 per person per night.
Stay on Friday 14th June for 2-nights with no early check out offer at Braidhaugh in a 2-bedroom Caravan (sleeps 4) from £62 per person per night.

To book a no early check out 2-night break, visit Largo Leisure Holidays

 

 

Family, News, Scotland, Travel

Stay and play breaks for mums and tots in Scotland

A rising number of friendship and support groups for mums along with their tots, are grabbing the chance to enjoy the ultimate playdate together by booking a weekend or weekday getaway.

Loch Tay Highland Lodges in Perthshire, Scotland is the perfect place for a small group of mums along with their pre-school aged children to get away together and stay in a luxurious multi bedroom house.

Becoming a mum is a joyous and rewarding experience, but it can be hard work and isolating, so leaving the daily chores behind and having a few days away with other like-minded mums and their pre-school aged little ones is becoming increasingly popular.

Mill House is a truly stunning place to relax and unwind. It has 4-bedrooms and sleeps up to 8 people. It has a hot-tub, wood burner, private upper-level wrap around deck, outside firepit and a waterfall view as well as safety gates on the stairs. It is pure luxury and secluded from the rest of the park.  See it for yourself in the video below:

Meanwhile, Loch Tay House has 5-bedrooms and sleeps up to 10 people. It comes with its own secluded private garden comprised providing lots of space for the little ones to run around and explore. It has 10-person electric hot tub and private parking for four or five cars, perfect for bringing all the things you need when traveling with a little person.  Check out the video below:

Once settled in your private house there is plenty to do on park. You can set off on a bug hunt, paddle in the Loch, play in the park, or take a nice walk in the surrounding countryside and villages, the choices are guaranteed to keep the toddlers entertained until nap time, when the mums can sit back and relax in the comfort of one of the impressive houses while enjoying the tranquillity and amazing views from the large loch facing windows.

Both holiday houses are the ultimate retreat for groups of mums with tots, complete with a private hot tub for ultimate relaxation or for the little ones to make a splash. Enjoy all the modern amenities and features while spending days by the Loch or exploring the stunning surroundings. At the end of a fun filled day indulge in a delicious meal at The Boathouse Bar & Kitchen, where the little ones can enjoy a fantastic kid’s menu.

Whichever property you choose, you won’t be disappointed.

 

Mill House Breaks – 4 Bedrooms, Hot Tub, sleeps 8

Monday 13th May staying at Mill House for 4-nights – from £2130.

Monday 3rd June staying at Mill House for 4-nights – from £2130.

Monday 9th September staying at Mill House for 4-nights – from £2272.

*Other dates available*

Loch Tay House, 5 Bedrooms, Hot Tub, Private Garden, Sleeps 10

A luxury cottage complete with hot tub – perfect for relaxing

 

Private Garden with Loch Views

Monday 13th May staying at Loch Tay House for 4-nights – from £1570.

Monday 10th June staying at Loch Tay House for 4-nights – from £1570.

Monday 24th June staying at Loch Tay House for 4-nights – from £1674.

Monday 23rd September staying at Loch Tay House for 4-nights – from £1674.

*Other dates available*

 

To book the perfect Mums and Tots break, visit Largo Leisure Holidays

 

Holidays, News, Pet Friendly Rentals, Scotland, Travel

Bargain Breaks! May Bank Holiday weekend getaways from £300 for the whole family

Rosneath Castle Park are offering guests the chance to experience the magic of Scotland this May Bank Holiday with amazing discounts of up to 54% off your stay.

The park is offering all grades of accommodation at one fixed price, meaning the usual price differences between the higher and lower grades have been scrapped and everyone pays the same. 2-bedroom (sleeps 6), 3-bedroom (sleeps 8), and pet-friendly caravans are all included in the offer. The sooner you book the better grade you secure.

The park also has a special offer of 25% off water sport equipment hire at their on-site water sports centre, so guests can add even more excitement to their Scottish adventure.

Stay at Rosneath Castle on Friday 3rd May for 3 nights in any grade and berth for £300.

To book one of these fantastic May Bank Holiday Bargains, visit www.rosneathcastle.co.uk

Nestled on the banks of an idyllic loch, Rosneath Castle Park is a truly stunning setting for caravan holidays in Scotland. Located near Helensburgh in Argyll on Scotland’s West Coast, our quiet holiday park is the perfect destination for discovering nearby Loch Lomond, the copper-coloured hills of Argyll and the Scottish Highlands. After a day conquering the waters, exploring our surroundings, or enjoying the local attractions, you’ll find a tasty meal and drinks served up in our bar and restaurant, and live entertainment taking place on many evenings. www.rosneathcastle.co.uk

AI, News, Scotland, Technology

smartR AI Unveils SCOTi – Scotland’s Powerful, Private, and Most Loyal AI Assistant

smartR AI™, a pioneering artificial intelligence company based in Scotland, today announced the launch of SCOTi™ AI, a cutting-edge private language model tailored for enterprise needs. SCOTi is a robust and versatile AI companion designed to enhance productivity, drive insights, and streamline operations for organizations across industries.

Developed by Scotland’s brightest minds in AI, SCOTi harnesses the power of large language models prioritizing privacy, security, and compliance, whilst encompassing a green approach.

As a fully customizable solution, each instance of SCOTi is meticulously trained to meet the unique requirements of individual clients, delivering tailored and high-quality results.

“We are thrilled to introduce SCOTi, our homegrown AI dynamo, to the world,” said Oliver King-Smith, founder and CEO at smartR AI. “With its unparalleled capabilities and unwavering commitment to privacy, SCOTi is poised to revolutionize how businesses leverage AI to gain a competitive edge.”

 

SCOTi’s extensive suite of features empowers organizations to automate workflows, analyze data, generate insights, and streamline processes with unprecedented ease. Key capabilities include:

  • Data Organization and Information Retrieval: SCOTi can sniff out, collect, structure, and organize data from various sources, making it readily accessible for analysis and decision-making.
  • Data Analyst: By understanding and responding to plain English queries, SCOTi provides straightforward and comprehensible insights, eliminating the need for complex data queries.
  • Report Generation: SCOTi can compile comprehensive reports based on an organization’s data, adhering to specific formatting requirements, and writing styles.
  • Customized Training: Each instance of SCOTi is rigorously trained on the client’s proprietary data and objectives, ensuring maximum relevance and accuracy.

 

Designed with a steadfast commitment to privacy and data protection, SCOTi operates within the secure confines of an organization’s ecosystem, safeguarding sensitive information and preserving confidentiality. Adding to the security aspect of SCOTi, smartR AI transfers ownership of each custom model to the client.

 

“At smartR AI, we believe that AI should empower, not replace, human intelligence,” Oliver added. “SCOTi is a trustworthy partner that augments human capabilities, enabling organizations to unlock new frontiers of productivity and innovation. With a SCOTi we can all act, think and work smarter.”

SCOTi is now available for enterprise deployments. For more information or to schedule a demo, please visit www.smartrai.com.

 

About smartR AI

smartR AI is a leading artificial intelligence company headquartered in Edinburgh, Scotland. With a team of world-class researchers and engineers, smartR AI develops cutting-edge AI solutions tailored for enterprise needs, with a strong emphasis on privacy, security, and ethical AI practices, augmenting clients’ team with AI expertise.

We work closely with all stakeholders to drive enterprise-wide implementation of AI, streamlining workflows.  At smartR AI, we spend the time to learn about your business and collaborate closely with your teams to develop a customized AI solution unique to you. Our smartR team has years of experience adapting AI solutions to real world needs. We’ve developed proprietary model building blocks to accelerate the development of your project.

  • For business applications we have SCOTi – your loyal AI pal.
  • For medical, health and wellbeing applications, we have alertR – a behavioral intelligence-based alerting system.

We specialize in providing safe private models, that manage risk, while providing high reward.  As our models are specifical trained for you, they work naturally with people to enhance and optimize productivity, and reveal previously unseen insights from your vast data pools. But most importantly, smartR AI is committed to providing safe AI programs within your own secure and private ecosystems.

We invent tomorrow’s products today by breaking free from pre-programmed rules. As intelligence moves to the edge of the network, smartR AI is all about doing things the smartest way. smartR AI improves your life intelligently by empowering your workforce with actionable insights.

 

News, Scotland

Stirling Distillery launch spirit-themed Easter hunt

Stirling Distillery, situated in the shadow of Stirling Castle, is hosting a fun twist on the traditional Easter egg hunt this weekend with a spirit-themed hunt around the city.

Showing that Easter hunts aren’t just for children, the distillery team have hidden a series of clues (A4 posters) around iconic locations in Stirling which can all be redeemed for gin or whisky miniatures in the distillery when found. The distillery are encouraging visitors and locals to take a stroll around the beautiful, historic city over the Easter break and search for clues at the same time.

Once participants have found any or all of their hidden posters, they must take a selfie with them, then pop along to the distillery to claim their prize(s). They can choose a gin or whisky mini of their choice by showing one of the distillery’s tour guides their selfie. It’s as easy as that! Although dogs and under 18’s cannot participate, the distillery will have plenty of treats and chocolate on hand for them to enjoy for joining in the fun.

Visitors are encouraged to book into one of Stirling Distillery’s award-winning gin or whisky experiences at the end of the Easter hunt to try out their range of spirits before selecting their prizes.

*T&C’s: Prizes are until stock lasts, one mini per person, per location. A maximum of four mini’s per person, with the validation of prizes at the discretion of the distillery manager.

 

Stirling Distillery is a small family-run business creating hand-crafted spirits in the historic ‘Old Smiddy’, Stirling’s first legal distillery on the castle rock. Distilled, bottled and labelled in the distillery, the team have been offering daily gin and whisky tastings, distillery tours and gin school since 2019. Known for their award-winning London dry gin, made with foraged Stirlingshire nettles, Stirling Distillery expanded into whisky in 2023. Their range of products celebrate local history and folklore, such as their Battle Strength gin which commemorates the Battle of Stirling Bridge and features custom artwork from Scottish artist Ritchie Collins.

Voted Visitor Attraction of the Year at the Stirling Business Awards in 2023, and awarded a coveted 2023 Travellers’ Choice Award for the third year in a row from online travel website TripAdvisor, Stirling Distillery is listed as the number one thing to do in Stirling on TripAdvisor’s website. The team have received over 900 five-star reviews for their gin and whisky experiences and is recognised as a top tourist destination in the city. With over 24,000 visitors to the Old Smiddy during 2023, the distillery has welcomed guests from across the world.

Visit https://stirlingdistillery.com/ for more information.

 

About Stirling Distillery

Stirling Distillery, established in 2015, is steeped in Scottish history. Located in the shadow of Stirling Castle, Central Scotland, it is the city’s first legal distillery. Offering a range of gins and whiskies, all with historic relevance, the distillery is open daily for gin experiences, tastings and gin school.

Menopause, Menopause at work, News, Scotland

Glasgow Clyde College is awarded the Menopause Friendly Accreditation

Glasgow Clyde College – one of the largest Further Education providers in Scotland with three campuses at Anniesland, Cardonald and Langside – is the first college in Scotland to be awarded The Menopause Friendly Accreditation.

Being menopause friendly is important to Glasgow Clyde College (GCC) as it supports employee wellbeing during a significant life transition that brings many changes for its colleagues. Over 60% of its staff are women, with 50% of those over the age of 50.  As menopause affects such a significant number of people, GCC wanted to do all it could to support and retain its valuable talent and the experience they bring.

The Menopause Friendly Accreditation, established by Henpicked: Menopause in the Workplace, recognises high standards and proven practices that embrace menopause in the workplace.  To achieve The Menopause Friendly Accreditation, employers are assessed by an independent panel and must demonstrate evidence of their effectiveness in six key areas:  culture, policies and practices, training, engagement, facilities and evaluation.

Three things of which the Glasgow Clyde College menopause friendly team are most proud in terms of the changes that have been implemented are:

  • Providing menopause training for all managers to make managers aware of signs and symptoms of menopause to encourage open and supportive discussions with their staff.
  • Establishing a monthly Menopause Forum where staff can chat freely and ask questions from others experiencing or affected by menopause.
  • Creating a more open and honest culture to help normalise menopause as a normal stage in life by showcasing stories and experiences of staff who are thriving and embracing life during and after menopause.

 

Lorraine McGaw, Assistant Principal: Human Resources  at GCC, said: “We’re delighted to have been awarded the Menopause Friendly Accreditation. Going through menopause can be a really challenging experience for many women, and it’s important that employers recognise this, raise awareness amongst colleagues and and offer support where possible.

“Being a menopause friendly employer means that we provide a welcoming working environment that allows women to bring their best selves to work. By actively supporting staff, listening to feedback, investing in training and putting practices in place that normalise menopause, we’ve created an open and honest culture where staff feel empowered and valued. It has very much been a team effort, and to be recognised with this accreditation is fantastic.”

Achieving The Menopause Friendly Accreditation helps show that Glasgow Clyde College will continue to foster an inclusive culture and promote employee wellbeing.  “When people feel supported, they are more likely to feel valued and respected, leading to improved mental health, job satisfaction and engagement,” explains Lorraine, who also has this advice for other organisations wanting to get started on becoming menopause friendly.

  • Do your homework! We liaised closely with Henpicked: Menopause In the Workplace and accessed their resources to guide our training and support
  • Create a bespoke menopause policy to highlight your commitment and support.
  • Conduct a staff survey to measure and gauge the level of understanding, support and commitment that is currently in place and what else needs to be done.

 

“Glasgow Clyde College impressed our independent panel with its dedication to supporting every member of the college’s workforce through life’s transitions, ensuring they feel valued, understood and empowered,” says Deborah Garlick, CEO and Founder of Henpicked: Menopause in the Workplace. “Their approach has created a supportive and inclusive working culture which nurtures good health, wellbeing and inclusivity.”

 

News, Scotland

Slough and Aberdeen councils top the table for slashing playground spend

Slough and Aberdeenshire councils are the local authorities to have made the biggest cuts to spending on playgrounds in the past five years – slashing funding by 150 per cent, a new report has found.

The Play Gap Report, commissioned by ESP Play, has revealed a postcode lottery meaning children in some parts of the country have little access to high quality outdoor play.

Data gathered from Freedom of Information requests showed that some councils had made significant cuts to spending, with councils in Slough (156 per cent) and Aberdeenshire (149 per cent) the top two.

Glasgow came in third with a 102 per cent cut with the London boroughs of Bexley and Hillingdon finishing the top five with 116 per cent and 98 per cent respectively.

The cities of York and Manchester had made cuts of 84 per cent and 73 per cent with another London borough, Richmond, reducing its spend by 70 per cent up to 2023.

Finishing up the top ten were Hartlepool with a 59 per cent drop and Gateshead who made cuts of 53 per cent over the five-year period.

The report also showed disparities between regions, and found that average annual council spending on playgrounds varied wildly – from more than £600,000 in Yorkshire and Humberside – to £197,000 in the North East.

East Midlands and West Midlands, South West and North West made up the rest of the bottom half of the table.

The report concluded that the lack of outdoor play provision can be detrimental to childrens’ mental and physical health and that government, councils and developers all need to do more to ensure that safe, high quality playgrounds are available for children.

Andrew Wood, from playground specialist ESP Play, said: “Ensuring equitable access to quality play spaces is crucial for nurturing healthy, resilient communities. We have long campaigned for more funding for play spaces as we know how vital they are for the health and development of children.

“We are calling on the government, local authorities and property developers to pay more attention to this essential part of the lives of our young people and to commit to making comparatively small changes to make a huge difference to the lives of children.”

Professor Helen Dodd, of Play England, said: “Children who spend more time playing, especially outdoors and adventurously, have better mental health and are more physically active.

“Children’s play opportunities are affected by the environments around them, with some environments facilitating active, adventurous, engaged play, and others discouraging play.

“It is therefore really important that children have access to places that support their play such as playgrounds.”

Top 10 councils with the biggest fall in spending

Rank

Council

Region

%age drop in spend on playgrounds in the past 5 years

1

Slough

South East

156%

2

Aberdeenshire

Scotland

149%

3

Glasgow

Scotland

102%

4

Bexley

Greater London

116%

5

Hillingdon Borough Council

Greater London

98%

6

York

Yorkshire and the Humber

84%

7

Manchester

North West

73%

8

Richmond

Greater London

70%

9

Hartlepool

North East

59%

10

Gateshead

North East

53%

Average Annual Council Spend on Playgrounds

>

Rank

Region

Average annual spend

1

Yorkshire and Humberside

£671,643

2

Scotland

£565,971

3

South East

£554, 296

4

East of England

£475,398

5

London

£391,166

6

West Midlands

£282,686

7

South West

£270,484

8

East Midlands

£2224,193

9

North West

£202, 405

10

North East

£197,948

News, Scotland, Tech, Technology

smartR AI co-operation with Edinburgh University EPCC and Cerebras

Edinburgh, January 15th 2024. smartR AI™ and EPCC, part of the University of Edinburgh, are partnering together on a super computer trial project using the Cerebras CS-2 Wafer-Scale Engine (WSE) system.

EPCC is the UK’s leading centre of Supercomputing and Data Science expertise, pushing the boundaries of High-Performance Computing and Data Science research. In collaboration with smartR AI, a Scottish-based consultancy excelling and specializing in Natural Language Processing (NLP) applications of AI, EPCC set out to conduct an analysis of the real-world performance advantage that EPCC’s Wafer-Scale Engine CS-2 server can offer to local AI businesses. In response smartR AI set out to investigate generative AI capabilities within a business environment.

We conducted a comparison between two advanced hardware setups designed for optimized parallel computation. First, we examined the Cerebras Wafer-Scale Engine CS-2 chip, notable for its colossal compute core scale with 850,000 AI-optimized cores. This chip addresses deep learning bottlenecks by efficiently utilizing its cores and 40 GB of on-chip memory, boasting an exceptional 20 PB/s memory bandwidth. Conversely, the smartR AI Alchemist server employing the Nvidia RTX 3090.

This head-to-head analysis sheds light on parallel computation possibilities, impacting the evolution of LLMs and deep learning applications. The results are staggering, with 10x faster training loss convergence of a GPT-2 model pre-training.

In this comparison experiment, we conducted pre-training on a version of the GPT-2 model. As the original OpenAI GPT2 paper uses, we employed an open version of WebText, OpenWebText, which is an open-source recreation of the WebText corpus. The text is web content extracted from URLs shared on Reddit with at least three upvotes. (38GB).

Thus far, running the sample models smartR AI has managed to train a model from scratch in under 1 hour on the EPCC system with the Cerebras CS-2 chip, compared to the massive 10 hours that it took to complete on their own internal system with an Nvidia RTX 3090 GPU. The company’s engineers working on this project are quite certain they will be able to utilize more of the resources available on EPCC’s Cerebras system to make further improvements to training speeds, and are excited to undertake a larger scale project to evaluate the limits of the system. The following graphic shows the results of smartR AI’s performance trial to date.

 

GPT Training on EPCC CS-2 server vs. internal server

 

Julien Sindt, Business Development Manager at EPCC, commented on the results of phase 1 of the project: “These impressive results from smartR AI give clear confirmation of our belief that the Cerebras CS-2 is a game-changer for training large language models. The Cerebras team has recently developed new upgrades for the system which we expect will enable training times to be reduced even further. We look forward to sharing these benefits with our partners.”

 

Oliver King-Smith, founder and CEO of smartR AI commented on the collaboration: “We are very fortunate to be able to work with EPCC on this important LLM and GPT related performance project, and look forward to the potential to incorporate other similar tests with, for example, the EPCC’s new Graphcore system.”

 

About EPCC, University of Edinburgh

Based in the University of Edinburgh.

EPCC provides supercomputing and data services to industry and academia. Since our inception in 1990, we have gained an impressive reputation for leading-edge capability in all aspects of high-performance computing (HPC), data science, and novel computing. This expertise is reinforced by deep ties with industry and academia.

With  a strong track record of working with businesses, EPCC leverages their expertise and facilities to accelerate the adoption, and spread the benefits, of high-performance computing. They operate a remarkable collection of computing and data storage facilities at our Advanced Computing Facility, including hosting the UK National Supercomputing Services ARCHER2 and Cirrus, and have been chosen to host the UK’s first Exascale supercomputer. They are a leading provider of high-performance computing and data science education and training, and conduct research at the leading edge of these fields. http://www.epcc.ed.ac.uk

smartR AI augments your team with AI expertise. Working closely with all stakeholders to drive enterprise-wide implementation of AI,  the company streamlines workflows.  Spending time to learn about your business and collaborate closely with your teams to develop a customized AI solution unique to you. The smartR team has years of experience adapting AI solutions to real world needs, developing proprietary model building blocks to accelerate the development of AI projects.

  • For business applications there’s SCOTi – your loyal AI pal.
  • For medical, health and wellbeing applications,there’s alertR – a behavioral intelligence-based alerting system.

They specialize in providing safe private models, that manage risk, while providing high reward.  As these models are specifical trained for you, they work naturally with people to enhance and optimize productivity, and reveal previously unseen insights from your vast data pools. But most importantly, smartR AI is committed to providing safe AI programs within your own secure and private ecosystems. https://www.smartr.ai/