Chamber and committees

That the Parliament applauds the ongoing excellent work carried out by staff at Dundee’s Hope Point, a 24/7 free and confidential service providing practical and emotional support to those struggling with their mental wellbeing; understands that in the three years since opening, over 2,900 people have been supported by the service, with almost 17,000 points of contact; further understands that the majority of points of contact are between the hours of 6pm and 8am, when many other services are closed or otherwise unavailable; thanks all at Penumbra for overseeing the service, with support from Dundee Health and Social Care Partnership, and believes that Hope Point provides a model which could be replicated in other cities and towns across Scotland.

That the Parliament expresses its deep sadness at the passing of Catherine Lawson, of Broughty Ferry; recognises Catherine’s years of dedicated service to the City of Dundee, firstly in her professional career as a PE teacher at both Grove Academy and Kingspark School, and latterly as a volunteer with various charities active in Dundee, including Marie Curie and Graham’s Soup Kitchen; remembers, in particular, her commitment to and active membership of Bonnie Dundee, which she helped found in 2005, and through which she dedicated many hours towards maintaining and improving the city’s green spaces; further remembers Bonnie Dundee’s achievements over the last two decades, including reaching the Royal Horticultural Society’s Britain in Bloom finals on three separate occasions, winning in the city category in 2015 and being awarded a gold medal at the Keep Scotland Beautiful Awards in 2019; believes that the City of Dundee owes a great deal to Catherine for her integral involvement in Bonnie Dundee and the green spaces that they have fostered across the city, and sends its condolences to Catherine’s family, friends and the many people in the City of Dundee who were fortunate to have known her.

That the Parliament welcomes the return of the Angus Cycling Festival with the upcoming New Coast Challenge; notes that cyclists of all ages and abilities are invited to participate in the challenge, which will take place between 10.00 am and 4.00 pm on Saturday 5 September; further notes that eight activity stations will operate along the coastal cycling route between Arbroath and Dundee, with free cycling activities and challenges available at each station; thanks the organisers at CycleHub.Org, which operates Dundee Cycle Hub, Forks Café & Bike Hire and Angus Cycle Hub, for organising the event; hopes that the festival will encourage more people to engage in active travel and discover the joys of travelling by bike in Dundee and Angus, and wishes everyone involved every success for the event.

That the Parliament congratulates all at Maggie’s on the occasion of its 30th anniversary; recognises the hard work and dedication from staff and volunteers at Maggie’s Centres across Scotland, which include sites in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Fife, Forth Valley, Glasgow, Highlands, and Lanarkshire; notes that the first Maggie’s Centre opened in Edinburgh in 1996, following the blueprint designed and developed by Maggie Keswick Jencks who sadly passed away prior to the first centre opening; recognises that to mark its anniversary, Maggie’s has worked with the team at V&A Dundee to put on an exhibition called Maggie’s: Architecture that Cares, which tells the story of Maggie’s history and the ground-breaking approach to design and architecture, which has underpinned its work; understands that the exhibition is free to view and will be open until 1 November 2026, thanks all the staff and volunteers at Maggie’s for doing so much to support those affected by cancer, whether that be cancer patients, families or friends, and wishes everyone at Maggie’s all the best on its 30th anniversary.

That the Parliament welcomes that eight parks and green spaces in Dundee have received awards at the annual Green Flag and Green Flag Community Awards; congratulates Dundee City Council and all community groups and volunteers across Dundee involved in securing these awards for their success; recognises the hard work and dedication involved in maintaining green spaces; notes that Barnhill Rock Garden, Baxter Park, Dundee Law, Ninewells Community Garden, Riverside Nature Park, Slessor Gardens and Waterfront Place, Templeton Woods, and Trottick Ponds Nature Reserve were all either awarded Green Flag or Green Flag Community status; further recognises the importance of parks and green spaces for the people of Dundee; and thanks everyone involved in securing these successes.

That the Parliament celebrates the eightieth anniversary of the twinning of the cities of Dundee and Orléans; recognises that the relationship between the two cities began during World War 2, when Dundee was home to three submarines and their crews from the French Free Navy; notes the generous hospitality of the people of Dundee in this time period, who supported the French submariners by establishing and running a club for them in the city’s Nethergate; further recognises the importance of the twinning relationship, which has supported school exchanges, cultural and political visits, and seen thousands of citizens of Dundee and Orléans travel to each other’s cities; in particular, commemorates the work of Clovis Duveau, a native of Orléans who did so much in the early years of the twinning to foster relations and support Dundonians visiting Orléans; pays testament to the many members of the Dundee-Orléans Twinning Association, both past and present, who have worked to maintain links and foster relationships; and wishes the association all the best, ahead of its anniversary celebrations in September.

That the Parliament congratulates Dundee cyclist Mark Stewart on his silver medal in the men’s elimination race at the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games; recognises that Mark has had previous success at the Commonwealth Games, securing gold in the men’s point race at the 2018 Gold Coast Games; notes that Stewart’s silver medal was earned as part of a successful games for Team Scotland, who secured 13 gold medals, 9 silver medals and 17 bronze medals over the span of the games; hopes that Commonwealth Games successes such as Mark’s will inspire a new generation to take up sports such as competitive cycling; and wishes Mark all the best for his sporting future.

That the Parliament congratulates Dundee’s Baldragon Academy U16 football team on winning the 2026 Scottish Schools Football Association Shield; notes that the team was crowned champion following a 2-1 victory over Beath High School at Bayview Stadium in Fife; congratulates Beath High School on its second place finish; understands that Baldragon Academy has won the shield twice in the last three years, at U16 level, and commends the hard work and performances of all the players involved in the competition.

That the Parliament congratulates the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design Collection, which is managed by University of Dundee Museums, on being awarded Collection of National Significance status by Museums Galleries Scotland's Recognition Scheme; notes the national importance of the collection, which is made up of more than 8,000 artworks and artefacts, reflecting the creative heritage of Dundee and Scotland; commends the curatorial, academic and support staff whose stewardship has secured this prestigious recognition, and celebrates the collection's contribution to teaching, research, public engagement and the promotion of Scotland's artistic and cultural life.