Chamber and committees

That the Parliament welcomes the announcement that Aberdeen International Airport has become a stoma-friendly airport; understands that Aberdeen International Airport has worked with Colostomy UK to make all its accessible toilets and baby changing rooms stoma friendly, helping people living with a stoma to travel with greater confidence; notes that nine facilities within the airport have been made stoma friendly, with each now containing a shelf, a bin, a full-length mirror and two hooks; understands that Colostomy UK’s Stoma Friendly Toilets guidance asks venues to provide simple, practical features that allow people to change or empty their stoma bag safely, hygienically and with dignity; believes that these improvements not only support Colostomy UK’s wider Stoma Friendly Toilets campaign, which works with businesses, public bodies and venues to improve toilet facilities for people living with a stoma, but also forms part of Aberdeen International Airport’s wider commitment to accessibility and inclusive travel; commends everyone involved in bringing these facilities to fruition and hopes this will provide travellers with confidence that facilities are available to them that will help them manage their condition with greater privacy and dignity.

That the Parliament congratulates Sonny Kerr from Aberdeen on winning the bronze medal in the men’s 70kg Light-Middleweight Boxing at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow; notes that Sonny, who trains with Byron Boxing ABC in Aberdeen Donside, is the third generation of his family to take up the sport, with his grandfather Tony and dad Kevin, also having competed and coached the national team; understands that Sonny’s bronze medal comes on the back of success at the recently renamed Four Nations Championships; commends his dedication, determination and sporting excellence in representing Scotland on the international stage and wishes Sonny every success in his future boxing career.

That the Parliament congratulates George Adam, who has been awarded the 2026 Denis Law RGUplus Honorary award for his services to the cause of volunteering in Aberdeen city; notes that the Denis Law RGUplus awards aim to recognise the value of individuals who support their community through various aspects of volunteering; notes that George, who served as the Lord Provost of Aberdeen City Council from 2012-2017, is currently the duty manager for Aberdeen Arts Centre as well as volunteer for both CFINE and Aberdeen Cyrenians; understands that George is the third person to have been awarded the Denis Law RGUplus Honorary Award; recognises and commends George's dedication to all of his volunteering ventures and wishes him all the best for the future.

That the Parliament congratulates Sport Aberdeen’s walking football group, who recently celebrated their 10th anniversary; understands that the group was formed following an initial 12-week pilot in 2016, with sessions initially being led by Aberdeen Football Club Community Trust; recognises what it sees as the social and health benefits of the game, allowing anyone who is unable to manage the impact of a standard game but still has the drive to play, to stay fit and healthy through football; notes that the walking football group, who meet every Wednesday at Get Active @Sheddocksley in Aberdeen Donside, held a celebration event to mark the occasion, with former Aberdeen FC forward Niall McGinn joining the group for a special anniversary training session; commends the efforts of all involved with the group and wishes them all the best for the future.

That the Parliament welcomes the completion of transformation work to Brimmond School’s playground; understands that a team of 14 experienced housebuilders joined experts from LIFE landscaping to transform the playground of the Aberdeen Donside-based school into a learning and play area; believes that the playground has been lined with newly planted wildflowers, bark and willow trees to help bring nature-based learning into everyday school life; notes that the transformation was made possible through the Barratt and David Wilson Homes Scotland Community Fund, which is set to provide over £63,000 this year to charities and community groups in areas where the housebuilders are building; commends the efforts of all volunteers who helped transform the playground, and hopes the space will be well utilised when the pupils return after the summer holidays.

That the Parliament celebrates the official opening of CFINE’s Pantry+ due to take place on 27 August; understands that Pantry+ is a food service that operates to help families in Aberdeen access affordable and healthy foods, toiletries, and baby products at a low cost, costing £5 annually for a membership and £3 per visit, at which point Pantry members can choose up to 10 items per shop, which have an estimated value of around £15-£20; notes that CFINE secured funding through the Scottish Government’s Place Based Investment Fund, distributed by Aberdeen City Council, to refurbish their existing pantry space; recognises what it considers to be this important service in tackling cost of living pressures and wishes CFINE all the best ahead of the Pantry+ opening.

That the Parliament notes that Aberdeen Mountain Rescue Team is due to host a sponsored walk on 12 September 2026; understands that the Aberdeen Mountain Rescue Team is seeking to raise vital funds for the organisation; believes that there will be a number of activities taking place on the day, including a short walk, a long walk and a ranger-led walk around Bennachie; understands that Aberdeen Mountain Rescue Team provides a volunteer rescue service for walkers, climbers and other people who enjoy outdoor activities in the Cairngorms and the hills of lower Donside and Deeside and can be called out to search for missing persons anywhere in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire; commends the continuous hard work and efforts of the team, and wishes them all the best for their sponsored walk when it comes.

That the Parliament welcomes the announcement that eight charities are set to fund a two-year project, which will cost more than £365,000 and will offer genetic testing to thousands of people with ancestral links to Westray in Orkney and Whalsay in Shetland, helping to identify those who have a higher inherited risk of developing certain cancers; understands that the project will be led by researchers from the University of Aberdeen and the NHS North of Scotland Genetics Services, which are based in NHS Grampian, and will offer testing for the specific BRCA gene variants that are more common in people with Westray and Whalsay ancestry; notes that the project will be funded by a unique partnership of NHS charities across Scotland, including NHS Grampian Charity and Friends of ANCHOR; believes that it is the first time that NHS charities have come together to fund a Scotland-wide project, with each charity funding the costs associated with its own geographic region, while Friends of ANCHOR will fund costs associated with the roll-out in Orkney and Shetland; notes that it is anticipated that around 5,000 tests will be carried out across Orkney, Shetland, Grampian, Highland, Tayside, Lothian and Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS areas; understands that, at present, BRCA testing in Scotland is only available to people who know of a direct family connection to a variant or who have a history of breast, ovarian and/or prostate cancer in their family; commends the efforts of all involved in delivering this project, and wishes them all the best going forward.

That the Parliament congratulates Moira Weatherstone on her recent appointment as chair of Scottish Mountain Rescue, becoming the first female to chair the organisation in its 60-year history; notes that Moira was first invited to join Arrochar Mountain Rescue Team in 1990 after moving to the area, which presented her with the opportunity to combine her experience of the outdoors with a love of Scotland’s mountains, while giving something back to people in need; understands that when Moira first joined, very few women were involved in mountain rescue in Scotland, with numbers steadily increasing since then; recognises that, in 1992, Moira qualified as a dog handler with the Search and Rescue Dog Association (SARDA) Scotland, becoming one of only two qualified female dog handlers in Scotland at the time, with her fourth search dog just recently retiring; believes that Moira is the longest-serving female dog handler in SARDA Scotland’s history and continues to support their work as a trainer and assessor, helping to develop the next generation; commends the vital work carried out on a day-to-day basis by the Scottish Mountain Rescue teams, and wishes Moira every success going forward in her tenure as chair.

That the Parliament welcomes the appointment of Rachel Corsie to Aberdeen Football Club’s board of directors; understands that the former Scotland captain and Aberdonian will add elite sporting experience, strategic thinking and commercial expertise to the board whilst also supporting the continued development of Aberdeen Football Club’s women’s and girls’ programme; recognises what it sees as the positive impact of Rachel’s appointment to the board, particularly for girls going through the club’s academy, showing that, like Rachel, they can also have successful careers in football; congratulates Rachel on this latest achievement in her career, and wishes her every success going forward.