Scotland visiting great locations

Scotland UKHA welcomed new and existing members to historic Carberry Tower and Mansions near Edinburgh for their first meeting of 2025. They were greeted with refreshments, and goody bags were supplied by Scotland UKHA.

Members enjoyed a lovely lunch and the opportunity to make the most of some networking time before the speaker for the session, Zoe Flynn née Moorcroft from TFR Group, spoke about mattress recycling.

With 167,000 tonnes of mattresses sent to landfill every year in the UK, TFR Group founder Nick Oettinger set out to help stop these bulky items reaching landfill, concentrating on tackling challenging waste streams to generate a sustainable business and achieve maximum recycling.

Oettinger and a growing team perfected a dismantling process that separates mattresses into 19 component parts while identifying suitable, sustainable outlets for all the materials generated. TFR Group now recycling 12,000 mattresses a week and has already recycled over three million mattresses since launch, diverting 8.17 per cent of all of the UK’s mattresses from landfill.

The Carberry Tower and Mansions meeting also had a presentation by Colin and Calum Hutchinson from Wash With Leaf regarding dissolvable laundry detergent sheets. All agreed this was definitely one to watch for the future. Their family business supplies environmentally-friendly detergent sheets which are free from plastic and up to 16 times lighter than powder, liquid and pods.

Members enjoyed their raffle and a tour of some bedrooms and event spaces led by their host for the day, head housekeeper Agata Dawbrowska at the privately owned hotel. At one time the grand castle and estate was owned by the late Queen’s aunt and uncle and some suites on the principal bedroom floor were used by the Queen Mother and her children, the then Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, when staying there.

The next Scotland meeting is at another venue with a fascinating history, but this time members will be taking to the water on the incredible floating Fingal Hotel at Alexandra Docks, Leith, Edinburgh on 10 March. The ship which started life ferrying lighthouse keepers and their supplies is now a five-star luxury 22-cabin floating boutique hotel which has won numerous awards.