Chamber and committees

That the Parliament congratulates The Wine Library on celebrating its 10th anniversary in Falkirk; recognises the success of this family-owned independent business and its valuable contribution to the town centre; commends the owners and staff for their dedication, excellent customer service and the retention of long-serving employees, whose loyalty and experience have helped create a welcoming atmosphere; welcomes its commitment to supporting local producers and suppliers wherever possible; acknowledges its role in bringing people together through social and cultural events, and wishes everyone involved continued success in the years ahead.

That the Parliament congratulates Falkirk Council Libraries on their continued success in delivering services to communities across the Falkirk district; notes that, in 2025-26, the service recorded 334,067 book issues and delivered 2,327 activities and events, attracting over 33,000 attendees; welcomes the success of the Bookbug programme, with 12,884 attendees, and the significant expansion of digital inclusion support; recognises the contribution of the award-winning Libraries for Wellbeing programme in supporting community health and wellbeing; acknowledges what it sees as the important role of public libraries in promoting literacy, lifelong learning, social inclusion and community engagement, and commends library staff and partners for their dedication to providing accessible, inclusive and innovative services to local communities.

That the Parliament commends Forth Valley College for its commitment to education, innovation and skills development across Falkirk and the wider Forth Valley region; recognises the £78 million investment in its Falkirk Campus and the further £4 million allocated to its Skills Transition Centre; welcomes its use of innovative technologies, including virtual and augmented reality, robotics and specialist engineering equipment; acknowledges its role in providing training in renewable energy, electrical engineering and low-carbon technologies; recognises its contribution to preparing students and workers for emerging employment opportunities; praises the dedication of college staff and industry partners, and wishes Forth Valley College continued success in the future.

That the Parliament congratulates Stenhousemuir Cricket Club, in the Falkirk West constituency, on celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2026; notes that its home ground, the Tryst, is situated on land of significant historical importance to Scotland; recognises the club's outstanding contribution to cricket in Falkirk and across Scotland, including winning 20 trophies at the highest level of the domestic game, producing 15 Scottish internationalists and seven players who have played Test cricket, as well as having one member inducted into the Wisden Club Cricket Hall of Fame and two former members serving as presidents of the Scottish Cricket Union; commends the club's remarkable achievements at national and international level, bringing sporting success and recognition to the Falkirk area; welcomes the continued success of its men's, women's and girls', and junior sections; pays tribute to the generations of players, volunteers and supporters who have contributed to its success and its deep roots in the local community, and wishes Stenhousemuir Cricket Club continued success as it looks towards its 200th anniversary and beyond.

That the Parliament congratulates Falkirk Delivers on the successful renewal of the Falkirk Business Improvement District (BID), following the positive ballot result announced in September 2026; notes that more than 90% of votes cast were in favour of renewal, demonstrating strong support among participating businesses for the continued work of the organisation; commends BID manager Elaine Grant and the wider Falkirk Delivers team for their hard work, dedication and commitment to supporting Falkirk town centre; welcomes the expansion of the BID boundary to incorporate businesses in and around Central Retail Park; recognises the important role that Falkirk Delivers plays in championing local businesses, encouraging investment, promoting events and enhancing the vitality of the town centre; believes that the successful renewal provides an opportunity to build on this work and to strengthen Falkirk's economic and community life, and wishes Elaine Grant, the Falkirk Delivers team and all participating businesses every success in the years ahead.

That the Parliament notes that 29 October 2026 marks World Stroke Day; recognises that every stroke changes a life in an instant, often leaving survivors, families and carers facing physical, emotional, psychological and financial consequences; understands that the condition is a medical emergency affecting the brain, requiring urgent specialist treatment; acknowledges that it remains Scotland’s third biggest killer and the leading cause of adult disability, with a stroke reportedly occurring every 49 minutes in Scotland and more than 150,000 stroke survivors across the country living with the lasting effects of the condition; understands with concern that around one in four people who experience a stroke are of working age with up to one in three forced to leave employment as a result; recognises that around 11,000 people in Scotland experienced stroke in 2025, including more than 600 in NHS Forth Valley, which serves residents of Falkirk West; notes the view that to improve Scotland's stroke services, it requires a comprehensive emergency pathway that ensures people with a suspected stroke are taken to the right service, regardless of location, and provided with timely access to thrombolysis that is local to them where clinically appropriate; further notes the view that this requires a 24/7 national thrombectomy service and improved access to specialist post-stroke rehabilitation in order to improve outcomes and quality of life; notes the belief that without these changes, the cost of stroke to Scotland’s health and social care services, which it already considers significant, will continue to rise, and commends the work of Scotland’s stroke clinical community, third sector organisations, including the Stroke Association and Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, and the campaigning of people with lived experience of stroke, their families and loved ones, including the Bundy family, whose experience, arising from the tragic death of family member, Tony, aged 53 from a Basilar Artery Ischaemic Stroke, has helped inform their calls for action to transform stroke care and recovery services across Scotland.

That the Parliament congratulates Stenhousemuir FC on winning the 2025–26 SPFL Championship Play-off final, following a 3–2 aggregate victory over Alloa, securing promotion for the second time in three seasons; understands that this follows a successful three-and-a-half-year period at the part-time club, which has included winning its first league title in its 140-year history; congratulates everyone involved at the club, and wishes it continued success next season in the Championship and in the future.