This month I was delighted to attend Bernard Hunter Crane Hire’s 75^th birthday celebrations in Gilmerton where we buried a time capsule to mark the occasion.

I was very proud to have been asked to take part in this ceremony with one of Edinburgh’s most successful family firms. As the largest private sector employer in Gilmerton, Bernard Hunter has provided jobs for generations of local residents, but it’s done way more than that.

The company has always played a full role in supporting the local community, from decades of support for Ferniehill Football Club to supporting the Drum Field Archers and the McKendry Spinners. When Drum Archers outgrew their initial home at Gilmerton’s Society Hall it was Bernard Hunter that stepped in to help keep them in the area and they did the same when Club McKendry was made homeless just recently.

I can think of no other company that has done so much for the community in which it is based. The company’s also helping deliver a much-needed health centre and other facilities that will make Gilmerton better for its residents as part of the Gilmerton Gateway development. I congratulate Bernard Hunter for their 75 years of success and wish them many, many more years of success.