Barfly: Dinner date for Betty

EXECSPACE, the Edinburgh-based conference agency set up by ex-Vodafone staffer Emma Little, above, has set a £10,000 goal for its inaugural "Betty's Bash" fundraiser.

The gala dinner event in Edinburgh's Macdonald Roxburghe Hotel on 15 September, is in aid of Alzheimer Scotland. Little's grandmother suffered from the disease, hence the name in the event title, while her mum works for Alzheimer Scotland, so it is a cause close to her heart.

The ExecSpace boss promises to "pull out all the stops" to make it a top evening including auction prizes, raffles and a "familiar face or two".

All funds raised on the night will go directly towards real resources and activities for people suffering from dementia in Scotland.

More details can be had by e-mailing: [email protected]

Big move for former newspaper man

FORMER Scotland on Sunday deputy news editor Camillo Fracassini has ended his brief stay at PR outfit Big Partnership and will be joining law firm Brodies as in-house spinner.

Fracassini, right, who also held the consumer affairs beat at The Scotsman in the late Nineties, joined Big last August and he was seen as a key hire for the Edinburgh office.

The former deputy editor of the Sunday Times Scotland was account director and worked with the corporate team in the capital.

Gallows humour at RBS results

GOOD to see not everyone in finance has lost their sense of humour amid the latest markets meltdown triggered by a sea of government debt worries.

Kicking off part taxpayer-controlled Royal Bank of Scotland's interim results on Friday on the 11th floor of its City HQ, chairman Sir Philip Hampton, left, said: "We are without chief financial officer (Bruce Van Saun] at present, but you'll see none of the windows in this room are open."

RBS, hit by Greek writedowns and insurance mis-selling provisions, had slid to a 678 million loss in the first six months of 2011.

A growing firm

THE husband and wife team behind Glasgow rental agency Happy Lets expanded in more ways than one last week. Not only did the Sandhus take over SureHome Property for an undisclosed sum, but Bobby's wife Preet gave birth to the couple's first child.

Clearly a busy time for the couple, it emerged that Mrs Sandhu remained tied to the desk up to three days before the happy event - and went back to work right afterwards.

"Although Preet had advised colleagues that she'd be back working very soon after the happy arrival to get the deal concluded, everyone was pretty surprised when they started receiving e-mails from her on the day she got out of hospital!" said Bobby.

The firm was founded six years ago when property entrepreneur Bobby, 29, married business management graduate Preet, daughter of Glasgow Curry King and Secret Millionaire Charan Gill.