Kilgraston’s Women and Business welcomes the British Transport Police
Kilgraston’s senior pupils were lucky this week to benefit from a visit by British Transport Police officers.
As part of the School’s commitment to industry insight, BTP members were taking part in the on-going Women & Business series, where girls are given first-hand experience of a highlighted career.
Appearing in full uniform (including reflective ‘stab vest’ weighing a hefty 6.5kg) all four officers described life within the most specialised and oldest Force in Great Britain, the broad range of skills needed and huge rewards gained: “We are very much part of life on the rail networks,” explained one officer from Central Glasgow, “so much of what we do is about prevention and anticipation, knowing how and when to make a difference.”
Girls learnt about the different aspects of the job, including the handling of explosive-expert dogs and firearms: “Women can be particularly good at conflict resolution,” explained one officer, “frequently they have the best gut-feeling for a situation.”
After the formal lecture - interspersed by several questions from the audience - officers spoke with members of the team on a one-to-one basis, finding out more about the career: “It was really fascinating,” said one Fifth Former, “I had no idea that there was a separate police force for the railways. It was the first time I’ve actually spoken face-to-face with a policeman!”
Kilgraston would like thanks the BTP for their time.
7.10.21
BTP officers speaking with Kilgraston pupils at the school
Women and Business - Clootie McToot
Tradition dictates
“They used to fill-up socks, tea-towels, even bloomers,” Michelle Maddox told Kilgraston’s surprised senior pupils, “then they boiled them for hours on the fire!”
The inspirational owner of Clootie McToot was describing the history of Clootie Dumplings (rich, traditional Scottish fruit puddings) and her own entrepreneurial journey, as part of the School’s Women and Business lecture series: “It’s been a rollercoaster,” said the busy mum and businesswoman, “from making everything in the family’s utility room, we now employ fourteen staff in a professional kitchen.”
Small beginnings
Starting just five years’ ago – inspiration came after her son’s appeal for edible donations for a Christmas school fete - Michelle’s traditional Clootie Dumplings sell like hot-cakes, exports reaching North America and Germany: “I was brought-up making them,” explained Michelle, “it was a family tradition and now we use my granny’s very own recipe, it’s the company’s unique selling point.”
Thankfully, these days, the ‘cloot’ (Scottish for cloth) is tailor-made for the job in borders town, Kelso, with no-one, Michelle assured, losing their underwear in the process.
Initially involved with the London food industry, immediately before starting Clootie McToot, Michelle was employed in the community grant application field, however, sales success at her son’s stall soon had her thinking: “I handed in my notice the next day!”
Expansion planning
Based in Perthshire’s Abernethy village, the business consists of a busy café, training kitchen, subscriber demonstrations and tasting sessions, together with a thriving shop and online retailer. Expansion plans are in the pipeline: “Spring 2022 will see a much bigger café and kitchen, allowing 24/7 production,” Michelle explained.
The need to be flexible and nimble in business, coping with unexpected obstacles and continually looking to diversify, was a recurring theme: “You’re always learning,” she explained, “For instance, fresh dumplings have a shelf-life of 21 days, which can be difficult for stockists, so we came up with the idea of a clootie kit, where you get all the dry ingredients, muslin cloth and string, just adding butter, milk, egg and an apple at home.”
This new product increased lifespan to a year, making stocking far more attractive to retailers: high-street giants John Lewis soon adopting the dumplings. Additionally, lockdown saw a huge spike in home-cooking interest, offering clootie kits the perfect chance to shine: “We went from making 200 to 1,500 a week.”
Michelle described how she’d learnt the importance and power of great social media, constantly adding to the brand’s story, discussing new ingredients and developments and always responding to comments: “We’d established a very active digital shop and loyal customer base, proving an absolute lifeline when Covid arrived.”
Highs and lows
Pupils were fascinated to learn about Clootie’s branding, the whole family initially having had input. But the need to redesign became obvious when one outlet stated that they loved the product, but not the logo: “I was a bit hurt by that one,” said Michelle. However, taking it on the chin, a branding expert was enlisted - a new subtle colour palette decided – with the family’s original design always making a small guest appearance “to remind us what we’re about.”
Concluding her talk, the entrepreneur reiterated how much of a juggling act running your own business is: “Every day is about balancing responsibilities,” she told girls, “it is immensely rewarding, but you do have to be prepared to accept risk, the fear of failure is always there.”
Women and Business
The Women and Business programme, together with the dynamic Unifrog careers platform, are just part of Kilgraston’s dedicated curriculum, ensuring every pupil has the very best industry insight and future opportunity. The School is passionate about encouraging business enterprise among pupils, with a group of girls recently winning a Young Enterprise Awards.
Kilgraston would like to extend its thanks to Michelle for taking the time to speak with the girls.
13.9.21
Women and Business - career inspiration at Kilgraston School
Preparing our pupils for their future starts from the first day of Reception, with the focus on professions becoming more focussed from aged 12 when girls start to work with the Unifrog careers platform.
Everyone agrees that the adult workplace can be a bewildering arena. To assist girls with these crucial choices, Kilgraston’s innovative Women and Business lecture programme was implemented.
Throughout the academic year, senior pupils – Lower and Upper Fifth and Sixth Form – enjoy talks from industry experts from a myriad of professions. Hearing first-hand from experts in their field is frequently the catalyst on which a whole life can pivot. Despite social distancing restrictions, our lectures continued online, often encompassing an even wider school audience.
“Let nothing stand in the way of learning,” Dorothy MacGinty, Head teacher
Industry expertise
Do you fancy creating and marketing a unique blend of tea? Our pupils did with Clare Pinchbeck of Hettie’s Tearoom with the innovative brand being launched at Etape Caledonia in September 2021.
Learning about the role of Daily Telegraph columnist, Judith Woods, gave the girls an insight into life as a journalist at the very top of the game, her route to a national newspaper and some of the characters encountered along the way: “Did she really say that?!”
Mental arithmetic proved a great qualification when tax specialists from international accountancy firm Saffery Champness described the many opportunities available within their field. Within a day, two pupils had signed-up to learn more about apprenticeships within the firm.
Potential legal-eagles were offered the chance to glean the inside track from solicitor, Nyree Conway, of Edinburgh firm Thorley Stephenson and, from the other side of the judicial divide, Procurator Fiscal Karon Rollo, detailed her professional life, representing the Crown Office, including gory stories of bodies on dark hillsides!
Energy and inspiration were clearly in evidence when young entrepreneur Helen Stewart, owner of Badvo Gin, gave girls an insight into starting and running your own rural business.
For those – and there are many – keen to pursue a medical career, Sally Ibbotson was on-hand to detail life as Professor of Photodermatology and Consultant Dermatologist, School of Medicine, University of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital & Medical School.
The hospitality industry has been much in the news and nowhere more so than in hotels. Gleneagles Hotel’s Commercial Director, Jane McGee, was kind enough to spare the time come to Kilgraston, offering insight into her incredibly demanding and varied role including some of the world’s other top establishments.
Each year, over 60% of Kilgraston leavers proceed to take STEM undergraduate courses. Bearing this in mind, the School was thrilled to welcome Rachel Battilana MIStractE, an engineer with SSE’s hydro scheme upgrade projects who works throughout Scotland, turning up the pressure on Scotland’s waterways.
Dental enthusiasts were entertained by Rhu McKelvey BDS (Glasgow) 1995, FDSRCS 1998, M.Orth (Edinburgh) who is not only a highly-qualified orthodontist but a very successful entrepreneur, starting, running and continually expanding BEAM Orthodontics in Dundee.
Since Spring 2020, being “guided by the science” is a phrase with which we have all become familiar. But for Dr Julie Maxton CBE, Executive Director of London’s Royal Society, life is actually about helping to produce the scientific facts and data that can sway governmental decisions. We were honoured that Dr Maxton was able to join us.
Putting a twist on the traditional is what businesswoman Michelle Maddox of Clootie McToot is all about. Just five years ago, the Perthshire mum took her gran’s clootie dumpling recipe, added flavours such as Plum and Gin and Banana and Toffee (yum), in the process, turning it into a massive commercial enterprise, now stocked by high street giants, John Lewis. Michelle spoke o Kilgraston girls in September 2021.
Medicine is a perennial favourite with Kilgraston leavers, and, in January 2022, Kim Dale - Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vice Principal (International) School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee visited the School to speak with girls about her fascinating journey to become one of the UKs leading experts in her field.
Future speakers
- March 2022 we will welcome social, philosophical and religious commentator, Catherine Pepinster, a research consultant at St George’s House within Windsor Castle. Catherine will draw on her many achievements, including as first female editor of The Tablet review; a development consultant with The Anglican Centre in Rome and an Assistant Editor of The Independent on Sunday newspaper. As a visiting Scholar (Religion, philosophy, politics) at St Benet’s Hall, Oxford University, and an alumnus of Heythrop College, University of London, together with The University of Manchester and City, University of London, Catherine has combined intense academia with a varied and stimulating career.
- June 2022 - Mike Harvey, Technology PR specialist - Mike will chart his successful route from reading French and Russian at the University of Oxford, to working as a journalist on The Times, becoming Communications Director for multi-platform behemoth, Google, and now running his own PR consultant for the technology industry
- September 2022 - Sally Patten, editor of Sydney’s leadership magazine, BOSS, will - with the benefit of many decade of experience of the business-world - give pupils the inside track on life in the boardroom.
- November 2022 - Kathleen Hornby, South African-based entrepreneur, trained with legendary chef Pru Leith in London before returning to her native country, starting and building a bespoke safari company
- Continuing the entrepreneurial theme, young mum Sophie McEwan of the beautiful home wares and interiors outlet and online venture, Quince & Cook, will come to Kilgraston in January 2022 to describe her idea for the business, finding premises, opening-up then - boom - Covid caused lockdown and a swift volte-face to an online business model was required. Resilience and flexibility, two of the core principles taught at Kilgraston.
In line with our on-going commitment to building the next generation of entrepreneurs, in 2019 Kilgraston was also the proud sponsor of the Inspirational Women category at the 2019 Business Women Scotland Awards.
Learning life always goes on.
Kilgraston’s Women in Business lecture series welcomed engineer
If it’s a varied future you’re after, pupils at Kilgraston need look no further than the fascinating journey of a structural engineer.
Rachel Battilana MIStructE, who works from Perth on SSE’s hydro power plant throughout Scotland, visited the school as part of its Women in Business lecture series.
“Engineering has given me the scope to travel, constantly learn and work with a huge range of materials and people,” Rachel told senior pupils at the school, many who were listening-in via Zoom.
Asked by one 16-year-old if she wanted to pursue Civil Engineering from a young age, Rachel told the pupil that it was around the same age as she was, but surprised the audience by telling them that, exploring the career route, the book’s reference stated that for ‘Civil engineering, see boring.’
Of course, the ‘boring’ reference wasn’t casting aspersions at the nature of the task, but a nod to the enormous drill-bits used to drive through sheer rock: “I was hooked,” Rachel told pupils.
Reading engineering at Cambridge University, Rachel described how her Masters project saw her designing and building low maintenance cold-climate shelters for Afghan refugees, including “thoroughly testing them in Ford’s vehicle wind tunnel assessment centre.”
After graduation, global design consultancy Buro Happold offered Rachel the opportunity to work on huge civil projects including the impressive Evelina London Children’s Hospital and state-of-the-art Museum of Liverpool: “This was a huge challenge,” she said, “the area included ancient dock gates which had to be preserved and remain undamaged.”
The solution was a great deal of discussion between various organisations, resulting in a formidable, cantilevered, structure suspended over the dock: “Historically, the wall has crumbled around every eighty years, but thankfully” pupils were told, “after all our efforts to avoid placing any more weight on them, they are holding firm.”
Pupils heard how the young engineer completed her professional training to become a Chartered Structural Engineer, before volunteering for an NGO in Malawi, working on an orphan housing project: “It felt good to really make a difference.”
Returning to the UK, she moved into the renewables sector, being offered a job with Sgurr Energy where more travel was possible, working on, among many projects, Mongolia’s first wind farm and a number of offshore wind farms where unexpected slippage of the turbine tower had occurred.
Family life brought Rachel to Perthshire where the opportunity to combine her engineering experience with environmental awareness arose: “I’ve always wanted to try and make a difference from the inside, rather than just sit on the side-lines,” explains Rachel, “so when the chance to join SSE’s hydro department came up and, in particular, the re-watering of the River Garry project, it was really exciting.”
Girls learnt about the extent of Scotland’s hydro scheme, most of which was constructed during the 1950s. “So much more has been learnt about environmental impact in 70 years so a lot of the equipment has to be rethought and updated,” she said, “I’ve been involved with designing a system of gates and sophisticated pivot-valves to release and control the Garry’s water levels.”
Keen to learn more about the engineer’s experience, enthusiastic pupils grilled the speaker, wanting to find out more about being a woman in a traditionally male industry: “Honestly it has never been an issue,” Rachel assured the young audience, “if you know your stuff and get on with your job, it’s a level playing-field with lots of opportunities. The world definitely needs more engineers. Prospects really are limitless.”
