Business people: PR comes to the rescue of troubled journalist

There was a healthy turnout for Standard Life’s festive season media gathering on Thursday night.

Many of the hacks present were all too familiar with the surroundings – the wood-panelled former home of The Scotsman newspaper on Edinburgh’s North Bridge, now a swanky hotel and bar.

The evening was typically enlightening as the drink flowed and the nibbles were nibbled. An intimate atmosphere was assured thanks to the subtle lighting and a sprinkling of candles.

But for one senior member of The Scotsman business desk, the encounter with a naked flame proved too close for comfort.

Thanks to the quick thinking of Standard Life PR supremo Barry Cameron and a waitress with an ice-bucket, the burning jacket was quickly extinguished.

Nightmare job

Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary is seeking applications for what the firm describes as the “worst job in PR” after the budget airline’s head of communications, Stephen McNamara, was poached by the Irish Rugby Football Union.

The carrier said: “Stephen will officially leave Ryanair on 7 February, after an extensive round of lunches and dinners with his many friends and admirers in the media, all paid for by the Ryanair press entertainment budget of €3.94.”

The closing date for those who think they are up to the task is 21 December, and O’Leary said he was looking forward to “grooming the next candidate to take over the high-profile and incredibly over-paid position”.

Curtain call

Christmas is a time for celebrating, food and family, but who knew it also required new curtains? Seamstress Audrey Quinn, owner of Audrey’s Designer Drapes, has been nearly overwhelmed with demand and has to produce more than 25 sets of curtains to be finished for customers in time for 25 December.

She says: “Most of my clients are in Edinburgh and East Lothian, where there are a lot of tenement flats, Georgian houses and beautiful bay windows – which are lovely but can be a nightmare to buy off-the-shelf curtains for.

“So customers come to me to choose a style that I can amend for those ‘awkward windows’.

“It’s going to be a marathon these next few days – I can’t have anyone being disappointed at Christmas. As for me, I’ll be doing some serious relaxing come the 25th.”

Bumper crop

INSURANCE firm Towergate is looking to “grow” its business in the Granite City after poaching a team from National Farmers’ Union (NFU) Mutual’s Westhill office to join its Aberdeen branch.

Commercial director Scott McDougall, account executive Peter Craigmyle and five others are transferring to Towergate, which hopes they have the green-fingered touched when it comes to winning clients.