Chamber and committees

That the Parliament welcomes the share of £20,000 to good causes in the Lothian region from Scotmid’s Community Connect Initiative; understands that the Rosebery Centre based in Polbeth, West Lothian, which provides day care facilities and support for people with dementia and their families, received £15,000, and Play Therapy Base, which is a charity based in Eskbank that provides child-centred therapy through play, received £5,000; recognises the value of third sector organisations in improving the wellbeing of all, and wishes the Rosebery Centre and Play Therapy Base well.

That the Parliament congratulates Ruby McDonald from Glenrothes, in Fife, on being nationally recognised for her commitment to volunteering in her community with the British Citizen Youth Award at the Palace of Westminster recently; believes that this is an outstanding achievement as Ruby is one of only 21 young people from across the UK to have been given the Award for positively impacting their communities; understands that Ruby has lived with foster mum, Fiona, since she was five and has a health condition affecting her learning, but believes that Ruby’s positivity and focus on her own abilities has resulted in her becoming a very good athlete and an outstanding volunteer; commends Ruby’s many achievements and contributions to her school and community; is very proud of Ruby’s enthusiasm and willingness to try hard and considers how inspiring Ruby’s achievements are to her peer group and local community, and extends its very best wishes to Ruby for continued success in the future

That the Parliament congratulates Letham Climate Challenge on being named Scotland’s Towns Partnership (STP) Scotland Loves Local Awards Most Enterprising Community; understands that the enterprise is tackling poverty and the climate crisis in Perth, and was set up to improve lives in a neighbourhood where income deprivation and rates of child poverty are higher than average; further understands that, in the past year alone, it has seen almost 47,000 items reused through its swap shop and furniture store, with more than 10,000 people receiving support who might be experiencing pressures caused by the cost of living crisis, working in a range of ways to create opportunities for them, as well as supporting their health and wellbeing through its projects, including the community allotments; believes that the award recognises the project's impact in making a difference to the local area from bringing people together, and the provision of dignified support, all while reducing the impacts of waste; understands that, in the past year, Letham’s volunteers clocked more than 5,000 hours with work, including receiving, sorting and displaying more than 38 tonnes of reusable household items, handling 10 tonnes of furniture, which has been passed on for free, or very low cost, to people in poverty and crisis, and that they distributed 74 free emergency home basics packs to people in need who cannot afford household essentials; commends the hard work and dedication of the organisations volunteers for what it sees as their important and impactful contribution to the local area, and extends its very best wishes to everyone at Letham Climate Challenge for continued success into the future.

That the Parliament congratulates Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) on being granted taught degree awarding powers, which enable the organisation to award higher educational qualifications, including degrees and taught masters; understands that SRUC is now Scotland’s newest degree-awarding institution, and that it will launch what will become the first new Scottish vet school in 150 years; considers that obtaining taught degree awarding powers is an incredible achievement that was only made possible due to the hard work and expertise of the highly dedicated staff, aided by the leadership of its principal and chief executive, Professor Wayne Powell, who have helped the institution develop and overcome many challenges over his eight years of service; notes that a focus on sustainable agriculture, land use and nature, as well as a firm commitment to tertiary education, has proudly been championed by the college and will continue to be central to its operations in the future; commends all those who have contributed to the success of the college, and wishes them all the best going forward.

That the Parliament notes with concern the increasing number of children in Scotland with a body mass index (BMI) above the recommended level with, it understands, nearly one in five children, 18%, at risk of obesity, and a third either overweight or obese; acknowledges the report, Childhood Obesity, by Obesity Action Scotland, which highlights growing inequalities in child health across the country and a correlation between higher levels of deprivation and poor dietary choices; notes that, according to the report, sugary soft drink consumption is more than twice as common among children in the most deprived areas, at approximately 29%, compared with those in the least deprived areas at 13%; further notes that the report highlights that approximately 14% of children in the most deprived areas were at risk of obesity in 2022, compared with around 7% of children from the least deprived areas; believes that addressing these health inequalities is crucial for the future wellbeing and opportunities of Scotland’s children, and supports continued efforts to improve child health and reduce inequalities across the country.

That the Parliament celebrates that Benarty Regeneration Action Group (BRAG) Enterprises has been named as Scotland’s Towns Partnership (STP) Scotland Loves Local Awards High Street Hero for Mid Scotland and Fife; understands that BRAG Enterprises, a non-profit organisation, created the Together Levenmouth Hub on Leven’s High Street, in Fife, aiming to bring people back into Leven town centre, create jobs and tackle poverty; believes that this award is recognition of the very valuable impact of BRAG Enterprise’s work on the community, place and the local economy, and commends the hard work of the team, and their ambition to support marginalised people and communities; considers that BRAG Enterprises has a long history of delivering employability and training work with young people and adults across the region; understands that, as Leven has been identified as a site of multiple deprivation, which highlights low income, resources and opportunities, the organisation turned the redundant former WHSmith building on Leven High Street to create Together in April 2022, and is home to pop-up spaces, escape rooms, adventure golf and a vibrant community café; further understands that employability and work experience programmes also operate from the hub, as well as programmes to improve mental health and tackle social isolation; applauds the organisation's wider work to support the community, including securing advice on reducing energy bills, improving online access and Bingo Buddies sessions to help improve health and wellbeing; is thankful that despite a fire, which, it understands, destroyed its neighbouring building and forced Together’s closure for almost a year from November 2022, BRAG ran its services from the nearby TRUTH nightclub, creating a warm space with activities attracting 260 people every week; agrees that this award is very well deserved and believes that projects like this play an important part in improving town centres and creating life-shaping opportunities for local people, and extends its very best wishes to everyone at BRAG Enterprises and for continued success in the future. 

That the Parliament congratulates Amethyst, a hair salon in Port Glasgow, on achieving significant recognition at the UK Hair and Beauty Awards, including being named one of the top parlours in two categories; applauds salon owner, Nicola Cox, and her talented team at King Street for finishing in the top 50 salons in the UK for the second year in a row, as well as placing 12th in the best salon section and eighth in the colour category; acknowledges the special recognition award received by Nicola for her contributions to the industry over the past 16 years; commends the dedication and teamwork of the staff, including Nicola's sister, Christine Russell, and stylists Julia Mannoril, Lisa Mathieson, Carrie Alexander, Caitlyn Kelly Robertson, and Coragh Wilson; recognises the salon's commitment to enhancing client confidence and creating a family-like atmosphere, and wishes Amethyst continued success in future competitions and endeavours.

That the Parliament commends the owners of the OYO Gin House Hotel in Greenock for providing a safe haven to Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war in their homeland, having housed multiple families through the UK Government's Homes for Ukraine scheme; acknowledges what it sees as the tireless efforts of the hotel owners, including James Gibb, in fundraising to ensure that families in need received proper care and accommodation; understands that, while the hotel has recently returned to regular business, the lasting impact of its generosity and compassion has been deeply felt by those it assisted; notes the emotional accounts from families who benefited from the support and their successful transitions into new homes, and celebrates what it sees as the invaluable contribution of communities like Greenock in showing solidarity and support for refugees in times of crisis.

That the Parliament welcomes the forthcoming commencement of construction of the new Keystone building at the Gilmorehill Campus of the University of Glasgow; understands that the new £300 million learning, teaching and research facility is the fifth major construction project in the university’s £1.3 billion Campus Development Programme, and will offer 3,600 students excellent teaching and research accommodation; notes that the construction works are scheduled to be completed in the 2028-29 academic year, and welcomes this further step in enhancing the student experience at the University of Glasgow.

That the Parliament congratulates Aberdeenshire Council on the Fraserburgh Beach Area Vision and Masterplan becoming a UK finalist in the 2024 Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Awards for Planning Excellence, in the Excellence in Plan Making Practice category; notes that the project won the Scotland award in June; further notes that the vision and masterplan outlines what could be done to make the waterfront do more to promote positive, economic, social and wellbeing outcomes in Fraserburgh without compromising its special natural characteristics; understands that, after working with the local community, the masterplan identifies opportunities for transformational change and improvement that are responsive to local and visitor aspirations, and wishes Aberdeenshire Council every success at the UK awards ceremony, to be held in November 2024.