The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Employment
CATERING: Range of produce for fans to tuck into including local jam and Angus-sourced beef and lamb
The Open to sustain 6,500 jobs at Carnoustie –
The Open returns to Carnoustie this summer for the first time since 2007, writes Ian Forsyth.
While the Championship Course is being readied for the world’s best golfers, significant work is also being undertaken by the R&A to build the infrastructure and spectator facilities at the Angus links.
Huge numbers of visitors are expected. A crowd of 235,000 attended the 146th Open at Royal Birkdale last year.
The R&A has a sustainable procurement policy of using ethically-produced food and drink from local and regional suppliers as much as possible and supplying Fair trade certified products in its public catering and hospitality outlets.
The programme also focuses on minimising waste to landfill.
Marine Stewardship Council certified and sustainably sourced haddock and salmon will be served to hungry fans from the catering outlets in the main spectator village.
A range of produce will also be provided from local and nationwide suppliers, including Arbroath-based Mackays for jam, Angus-sourced beef and lamb from Campbell Brothers, Anster cheddar cheese, Mrs Tilly’s fudge, Robertson’s of Ayrshire for pork and bacon and Stornoway black pudding.
The Open provides employment for 6,500 permanent and temporary staff during the championship, including 120 people working in the public catering and hospitality outlets. Catering and hospitality staff are recruited from local job centres, universities and colleges.
Johnnie Cole-Hamilton, executive director, championships, at the R&A, said: “Local people and businesses are integral to the successful staging of the Open each year and we aim to ensure that there are social and economic benefits for the communities in which the championship is staged.
“We are pleased to be working with a range of high-quality Scottish suppliers to deliver fresh and healthy produce for the many thousands of fans who will visit Carnoustie this summer, and they are sure to receive a warm welcome from the local people employed in our catering and hospitality facilities.”