Alba Facilities Services Ltd

02/09/2026

Bright Sparks Mud Kitchen - Job Well Done!

Big shoutout to Sean and Lewis, who went out last week to install a brand new mud kitchen for Bright Sparks SCIO.

Bright Sparks is a registered charity operating a centre in Bonnyrigg whose goal is to “provide valuable, involved, inclusive and quality based child and family oriented services which includes playgroup, holiday activities and after school support for children with complex additional needs and their families.”

Ross and the boys designed and installed the mud kitchen for free as part of our community benefits commitments to the University of Edinburgh, creating a lasting, safe piece of equipment that the kids can use for a long time in to the future. We got excellent feedback from the charity, with particular praise for Sean and Lewis' friendly demeanour and high quality workmanship. The charity had this to say about the new mud kitchen:

"Bright Sparks SCIO are extremely grateful to AFS for coming to our centre and creating and building us a mud kitchen in our large outside garden area. The young people love it and started using it in the evening the day it had been built."

Well done to the boys for doing such a great job, and for making a great feel good story about the difference AFS can make through the work we do!

You can read a case study with more information at the link below:

https://www.esescommunities.org/recent-case-studies/midlothian-case-studies/bright-sparks.html

11/08/2026

£7,847.09 raised for Beatson Cancer Charity!

We’re incredibly proud of the team at Alba Facilities Services Ltd for raising an amazing £7,847.09 through the West Highland Way challenge.

A huge thank you to everyone who took part, donated, supported and helped us reach this fantastic total. Every contribution has helped make a difference for an incredible cause.

Proud to be part of

30/07/2026

Over a two week period, our team has successfully completed specialist remedial works at North British Distilleries in Edinburgh.

The project involved removing damaged plasterboard that had deteriorated due to water ingress and the damp environmental conditions within the building. To provide a long-lasting solution, the following services were delivered:

- Removed all damaged plasterboard
- Installed new moisture-resistant plasterboard to better withstand the building's environment
- Fitted chemical-resistant wall boards over the new substrate
- Finished the installation with matching trims and fully sealed all joints to ensure a durable, high-quality finish

The before and after photos showcase the transformation and demonstrate our commitment to delivering robust, fit-for-purpose solutions that stand the test of time.

A fantastic effort from everyone involved and another project delivered safely, professionally and to the highest standard.

17/07/2026

Supporting our local community is something we're always proud to be part of.

When Ralston Primary School reached out for help creating props for their upcoming Shrek musical performance, our talented joiners, Sean and Ross, were delighted to lend a hand. They put their skills to work, building everything the school needed to help bring the production to life.

A huge thank you to Mrs Dobson, Mr Wilkinson and the school's performing arts group for their kind words. We were delighted to hear they were overwhelmed by the support and it's fantastic to know we could play a small part in helping with the production.

Well done to Sean and Ross for representing our team so brilliantly and best of luck to everyone at Ralston Primary School.

11/06/2026

At the end of May, Ian, Allan & Douglas embarked on a charity walk along the iconic West Highland Way, covering 96 miles through some of Scotland's most breathtaking landscapes.

The challenge tested everyone physically and mentally, but it was made worthwhile by the incredible support from friends, family, colleagues and everyone who donated along the way.

We are delighted to share that together we raised £5,500 for the Beatson Cancer Charity.

A huge thank you to everyone on the team for their determination, encouragement and camaraderie throughout the journey.

Achievements like this are only possible when people come together for a common purpose.

Thank you again to everyone who donated, shared the fundraising page or sent words of encouragement. Your support helped us reach the finish line and exceed our target expectations.

04/06/2026

Alba Facilities Services Ltd is on the lookout for a key hire as we head into the next phase of our growth. Things are moving fast in a good way, and we’re now looking for an experienced Projects Director to help us keep that momentum going, leading delivery, driving performance, and constantly looking for smarter ways of working across our projects and client activity.

This is a 6-month role to start with, but don’t let the timescale fool you we’re looking for someone who can come in, make a real impact quickly, and leave us better than they found us. If you’re the right fit, you won’t just deliver what’s in front of you, you’ll spot what’s next, shaping future opportunities and helping us keep raising the bar operationally.

Denholm Associates

29/05/2026

Day 5 – The Final Push (aka Survival Mode Activated)

Day 5 began exactly how you’d expect with a group of grown adults questioning every life decision that led them here.
Hangovers all round. No survivors.
Some of the team had decided that a “quiet dram” the night before should extend until 1:30am and turn into what can only be described as a full whisky exploration. Exceptional whiskies, they said. Exceptional regret, we all said this morning.

We won’t name the hotel mainly for legal reasons. A full Scottish breakfast with no tea.
No. Tea. Just coffee or orange juice.

Then came the climb out of Kinlochleven.
Now technically it’s described as a “steep ascent”
In reality, it felt like someone had tilted Scotland vertically just to see how much we’d complain.
And complain we did.
The weather? Absolutely disgraceful.
Cold, wet, windy the full Highland hospitality package. Sideways rain, wind that slapped you in the face and whispered,“you’ll regret this.”
But annoyingly it was also stunning.
The kind of dramatic, moody landscape that makes you stop, stare, and think, this is incredible before immediately remembering your legs don’t work and your boots are actively filling with water.

The day rolled on with “gentle hills” which is West Highland Way code for
“you’ll hate this but we’ll pretend it’s character-building.”
A couple of tough climbs, followed by an even tougher descent into Fort William, one that tested knees, patience, and friendships in equal measure.
By the last 2 miles, the energy had shifted from “this is amazing” to simply:
“just. let. it. end.”
The final stretch into Fort William was underwhelming.
A bit like finishing a marathon in a B&Q car park.
But by that point, no one cared. We’d have finished in a layby and still celebrated like Olympians.

Douglas summed it up perfectly:
“The best worst week of my life.”
Which, to be fair, should probably be printed on all West Highland Way merch.

As we approached the finish line we were questioning not just the walk, but the entire group chat that started it.
But the best bit? We all crossed the finish together.
No one left behind.
No one finishing solo.
(Although a few looked like they’d happily have been airlifted.)
And just like that… it was done.
An unbelievable week.
Unreal laughs.
Outstanding banter.
Proper camaraderie.

And a very clear shared feeling across the group:
We are absolutely delighted it’s over.
The photos below - the smiles say it all! 😀😀😀😀😀😀😀

29/05/2026

Day 4: Thursday – West Highland Way vs Alba
Sub text: Character Building (Apparently)

Day 4 wrapped up with high hopes, full stomachs and bold but flawed decisions. We kicked off with a cracking breakfast at Inveroran Hotel and a gentle stroll that briefly had us believing we were elite endurance athletes, akin to the Scotland Football Team! ⚽️

Morale was high… despite the revelation that only Douglas and Ian made it to the end of the night (again), heroically polishing off yet another bottle of Merlot. Leadership, in action. 🙌

Bryan meanwhile kicked off his morning like a man starring in his own comedy sketch, lost sunglasses, broken hydration pack, and a bag that simply refused to close. A strong start. 💪

The Glencoe stretch was stunning and absolutely roasting. By Kingshouse, we’d earned a pint well, a few. Ian even treated everyone to “skip hats” from reception in an attempt to prevent us all resembling lobsters. Minutes later, he knocked a pint over and spent 10 solid minutes cleaning it up, true attention to detail.

Then came Devil’s Staircase. Misleading name. Not a staircase. Just relentless misery in hill form. The climb felt like it took a lifetime, but we all made it with high fives, some victory whiskies, and a shared sense of “never again” until tomorrow.

The descent into Kinlochleven was no kinder. Apparently, going downhill counts as “easy” after 18 miles. Knees disagreed strongly. By the hotel, feet were in bits, with Ian frantically begging for an emergency podiatrist appointment as a rescue mission on Monday.

Evening entertainment didn’t lift spirits, the singer proudly announced he was from Milngavie, to which Douglas replied, “Did you walk up?” 🚶‍➡️
Whisky flowed until midnight (obviously), with Allan and Douglas tapping out early like amateurs.

Final day on Friday. Only 16 miles. Easy apparently.
Forecast: rain, blisters, and blind optimism.

Huge Thank to our 91 (yes 91) supporters that have donated a whopping £4,536 for the www.beatsoncancercharity.org a charity very close to all our hearts ❤️.

Incase anyone still wants to donate here is the link: https://www.justgiving.com/page/afs-beatson-whw

28/05/2026

Day 3 Wednesday – West Highland Way vs Alba

So day 3 started with 6 broken Scotsmen leaving the Drovers at 8:30am with 3 of them surviving on less than 2 hours’ whisky fuelled sleep. Allegedly they “returned to room 115 for a quiet nightcap” which in whisky terms appears to mean “considerably more than sensible humans should consume.”

Meanwhile, the responsible adults (we use that term loosely), Ian, Douglas and Allan set off early, quickly realising this was, in fact, NOT a 5 day pub crawl. Who would have thought? 🫢

The scenery was outstanding, the walking easier than day 2 but with 22 miles still to go, it was very much a “character building” kind of day (translation: every step hurt and everyone questioned their life choices on a minute by minute basis).
We regrouped at the Bridge of Orchy Hotel for a couple of well earned beers and a very serious, tactical discussion whether to go round the mountain or over it.

Naturally, Allan, Ian, Douglas and Bryan chose “over the top” because clearly the suffering levels weren’t high enough yet.
To be fair, they were rewarded with absolutely stunning views across Rannoch Moor in the evening sun, which almost made up for the pain. Almost.

As usual, we rolled into the hotel late (on brand now) and missed dinner. But in true Highland style, we were handed an incredible cheese and meat platter with a bottle of Merlot.
Douglas and Ian were absolutely delighted. (Possibly the happiest they’d been all day, if we’re honest.)

Also worth saying, the amount of good luck messages, comments and encouragement we’ve had has been unbelievable. It genuinely feels like we’ve got the Tartan Army behind us like a group of elite Scottish footballers.
Just slightly slower, slightly more broken and significantly more whisky involved. 😆

Day 4 pending, pray for us and keep believing akin to believing that Scotland are going to win their first 3 games at the World Cup 😊.

27/05/2026

Day 2 Tuesday - West Highland Way vs
• 22 miles 🚶
• Known as “the hardest day” 🫩
• Legs already questioning leadership decisions 🧐
• Morale fragile 😞
• Bryan still carrying unrefrigerated chicken pizza 🍕
And honestly… it lived up to the reputation.

The only way to describe it is brutal. Tough sections, technically difficult, and like trying to play life-size Tetris when your ankles are fully aware they’re one bad move away from resignation. It was absolutely roasting too, on a scale Scotland normally only reads about in books.

Sadly, the heat got the better of Gary and he fell over. In normal comradery that is our style we all rushed for our phones, so pictures to follow🤣 . By the final 14 miles, the rest of us were looking at Gary like he was some kind of enlightened prophet. 🙌

Special update from the medical team: Bryan is delighted to report that he ate the pizza and is currently doing fine. Even more impressively, he remains in possession of unrefrigerated chicken pizza, which at this stage deserves its own sponsorship deal.

We dragged ourselves into the Drovers 5 minutes after the kitchen had closed, which felt like the final insult, but the staff there were absolute heroes and sorted us out with soup and sandwiches that tasted like they’d been prepared by Michelin starred angels.

From there it was straight into recovery mode: copious amounts of beer, whisky, and pretending we’d all be absolutely fine in the morning. We eventually got kicked out of the bar at midnight, still needing showers, blister inspections, and a full debrief on whose idea this actually was.

To top it all off, we met some Americans in the bar who had somehow demolished a bottle of Loch Lomond 12, moved on to something considerably rougher, and then invited us all to Boston for the World Cup.

Your comments online & support mean the world to us – Thank you!

So aye, 22 miles, shattered legs, fragile morale, one medically questionable pizza, and somehow still a cracking day!