New Diageo centre opens

Volunteers with charity the Order of Malta were honoured at a ceremony in Edinburgh last month.

An investiture ceremony was held following Holy Mass, celebrated by the Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh Leo Cushley, at St Margaret’s Chapel at the Gillis Centre on Monday, September 23.

Stirling resident MargaretWatson received the silver medal of merit for her volunteering, which has A new‘technical centre’ for drinks company Diageo has opened in Menstrie.

Clackmannanshire and Dunblane MSP Keith Brown attended the opening of the Brand Technical Centre last Friday.

The £6.4 million centre is to provide“worldstandard facilities”for Diageo’s scientists, as well as a hub for ‘innovation’in the spirits industry and environmental sustainability in manufacturing.

Diageo’s presence in Clackmannanshire also includes its largest warehousing site in Blackgrange, cooperage in Cambus, Coppersmiths in Alloa and its global brand archive in Menstrie.

Speaking at the opening, Mr Bown said: “I am delighted that Diageo has opened this technical centre in Menstrie, creating welcome job opportunities and boosting both the local and Scottish economy.

“The state of the art centre will provide Diageo’s specialists with a hub to build on their status as a world class alcoholic drinks producer.

“Clackmannanshire has a distinguished distilling history and I am pleased to see Diageo’s commitment to building on this reputation.

“That the centre will in part focus on environmental sustainability also illustrates Clackmannanshire’s justified reputation as the best place in Scotland for the environmental sector to be based.”