Chamber and committees

That the Parliament congratulates Veterans Community Lanarkshire on reaching its 10th anniversary; recognises the organisation’s invaluable work in supporting the veterans community, including ex-armed forces personnel and their families, across the Lanarkshire area; commends its commitment to providing guidance, practical assistance and a sense of community to those who have served in the Armed Forces; acknowledges the dedication of its volunteers, staff, and supporters who have contributed to its success over the past decade, and wishes Veterans Community Lanarkshire continued success in its mission to support and empower veterans and their families in the years ahead.

That the Parliament recognises The Bookmonger in Bearsden for its unique customer experience; understands the new family-run shop offers wine, cheese and a charcuterie selection along with best-selling novels; celebrates husband and wife owners, Caitlyn and John, for their community focused Bookmonger Society Events and Charity Book of the Month sales, which donate all profits to The Beatson Cancer Charity; celebrates innovative and unique businesses in communities, and wishes The Bookmonger well in its first year of trading and beyond at New Kirk Road, Bearsden Cross.

That the Parliament commends the ongoing work of the Blantyre-Blantyre project, which has produced a joint healthcare programme to better understand the causes of poor health and low life expectancy in Blantyre, Malawi and in the West of Scotland, including in Blantyre; understands that the project was developed through a two-way discussion of need and expertise between the Kamuzu University of Health Sciences and the University of Glasgow, and has included the development of cutting-edge research facilities established largely through Scottish Government support; believes that the Blantyre-Blantyre equitable partnership model is internationally acclaimed and has helped to shape the overall approach to equitable partnerships of the Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities; notes that the First Minister recently visited the new Blantyre-Blantyre research laboratory in Lusaka, Zambia, where Scottish International Development funding has enabled an expansion of the project and ground-breaking three-country research collaboration between Scotland, Malawi, and Zambia; believes that the collaboration has strengthened the institutions involved, leading to meaningful improvements in healthcare in their respective countries and illustrating how Scotland’s continued international research and development partnerships can drive lasting change for communities both locally and globally, and commends all of those involved in the project for their continued efforts.

That the Parliament congratulates Orkney fiddle player Ewen Rorie on reaching the final of the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year award; acknowledges that Ewen is one of six young musicians selected for the final out of 12 semi-finalists; believes that, to reach this stage, Ewen had to display exceptional standards of musicianship by proving his technical ability and deep comprehension of traditional music; understands that Ewen began learning traditional music with Jennifer Wrigley at the age of 10 and has since performed across the world with various groups, including Skeldro and the Shetland Tattoo fiddlers; further understands that the final will take place in February 2026 at the City Halls in Glasgow as part, of the Celtic Connections Festival; wishes Ewen every success in the final, and celebrates this wonderful achievement.

That the Parliament recognises what it sees as the vital work of the Galloway Fisheries Trust (GFT) in improving water quality and restoring freshwater habitats across Dumfries and Galloway and the South Scotland region, through its ambitious programme, Flowing Forward - Restoring Galloway’s Rivers; notes that this evidence-based initiative spans six river catchments, the Luce, Bladnoch, Cree, Water of Fleet, Kirkcudbrightshire, Dee and Urr, and aims to improve biodiversity, promote nature recovery, re-establish natural processes, create habitat complexity and increase resilience to climate change; commends the dedicated team of staff, including a Habitats and Climate Resilience Officer, Project Manager for Nature Restoration and Ecologist, who work in partnership with communities, stakeholders and organisations to deliver a wide range of restoration projects; celebrates the programme’s sub-projects, such as peatland restoration, riparian tree planting, wetland creation, river channel reconnection and coastal burn restoration; acknowledges the programme’s alignment with national and regional strategies, including the Scottish Wild Salmon Strategy and the Dumfries and Galloway Local Biodiversity Action Plan; congratulates GFT on its leadership in delivering nature-based solutions that benefit both the environment and the area's communities, and wishes all at GFT well for the future.

That the Parliament commends the work of Standing Together, a grassroots social movement with roots in Israel, to bring people from Israeli, Arab, Jewish, Palestinian and other backgrounds together for the common goal of peace; notes that since 7 October 2023, Standing Together has organised for Jewish and Palestinian people to come together in various cities across the UK each month to share stories, songs and hopes for peace; further notes that supporters have also taken part in demonstrations calling for the release of all hostages and an end to the genocide in Gaza; commends the group's core message that all people in Israel and Palestine should be entitled to freedom, self-determination, dignity, security and peace; supports its call for an end to occupation of Palestinian land, and wishes the group every success in its endeavours.

That the Parliament congratulates Scottish Action for Mental Health (SAMH) on the opening of The Nook in Glasgow, the first in its new network of walk-in mental health support hubs; believes that Scotland is experiencing a mental health crisis, with growing demand for mental health support and more community mental health provision needed; welcomes The Nook, which will provide drop-in mental health and wellbeing support that offers choice and flexibility in a safe, stigma-free and non-clinical environment in Glasgow’s city centre, without the need for an appointment or referral, seven days a week; notes that access is not dependent on place of residence, employment or any other status; commends SAMH for this initiative, which it is currently self-funding; believes that this will reduce pressure on statutory services by providing early intervention and preventative support, and wishes SAMH all the best with The Nook in Glasgow, and further Nooks in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Inverclyde and Lanarkshire by the end of 2028, with the aspiration that all communities in Scotland will ultimately have access to a Nook.

That the Parliament celebrates the vital and far-reaching contribution of occupational therapists (OT) across Scotland’s health and social care system and marks Occupational Therapy Week 2025, which takes place from 3 November; welcomes the Royal College of Occupational Therapists' new campaign, Right Support, Right Time: The power of OT, which puts the profession at the heart of prevention and early support; recognises its unique ability to deliver holistic, person-centred care that transforms lives in diverse settings, including in acute and primary care, housing, education, justice, mental health and children and young people; acknowledges the critical role that OTs play in improving hospital discharge processes, enabling rehabilitation, supporting community-based care and advancing prevention and early intervention efforts; expresses its deep appreciation to them for their dedication and impact, and calls on the Scottish Government to ensure that the profession is supported, resilient and equipped to meet future demand and alleviate challenges across health and social care.

That the Parliament congratulates two Clackmannanshire students who are celebrating winning awards at Forth Valley College’s Graduation; notes that Lyle Johnston from Alva received the prize for the Most Promising Student in the department of care, sport, business and communities, and that Craig Thomson from Alloa won Most Promising Student in the department of creative, digital and leisure industries prize; understands that Craig, who graduated with a HND Hospitality Management, also took home the prize for Forth Valley College’s Student of the Year award for 2025; notes that around 750 students were eligible to graduate in 2025 from Forth Valley College and that 215 of them chose to collect their scrolls at the ceremonies; acknowledges what it sees as the vital importance to local communities of Scotland’s colleges and universities, in addition to being a skills anchor for the future of the country’s economy; implores the Scottish Government to outline what it plans to do to secure the future of Forth Valley’s Alloa campus with its myriad facilities and retain its students, while maintaining the provision of skills education in the area, and commends Lyle and Craig on their sterling endeavours as well as all those who have graduated this year.

That the Parliament recognises the great success of Cumbernauld-based talent at the 2025 National Mòd; congratulates Emma Clark of Cumbernauld for winning the Solo Singing – Mull and Iona competition; further congratulates Our Lady’s High School pupil, Lily McKellar, for finishing first in the Clàrsach Duets - Mixed Ability - 13 to 18 age category along with Anna Langley, and for her third place finish in the Clàrsach - Intermediate 2 - Grade 3-4 competition alongside Anna Dodds; congratulates the pupils of Condorrat Primary School, Mara Hughes, Anna Hagerty, Fraser Daly, Samuel Duke, Brèagha Hughes, Ellen MacLeod and Anna MacLeod all of whom participated and performed strongly across a range of competitions; thanks the organisers of the National Mòd for showcasing such a wide range of talent, and considers that these achievements demonstrate the importance of Comar nan Allt as a location for the learning of the Gaelic language.