Chamber and committees

That the Parliament congratulates Emma Ruxton of the Royal Northern Countryside Initiative (RNCI) on winning the Rural Champion Award at the Helping It Happen Awards 2026; notes that 2026 marks the 10th anniversary of the awards, which are organised by Scottish Land & Estates, and that the award came with a £10,000 prize, provided by The Royal Countryside Fund, to support the charity's activities; understands that RNCI engaged with almost 20,000 children and young people across northern Scotland in the 2024-25 academic year; recognises Emma's contribution over the past decade to supporting young people's understanding of farming, food production, and the working countryside; commends the farmers, businesses and volunteers who support RNCI's farm visits and classroom activities, and wishes Emma and RNCI continued success.

That the Parliament believes that consent should be granted for the Jackdaw gas field and the Rosebank oil and gas field, recognising the significant economic benefits that this would bring. 

That the Parliament recognises the launch of the storybook, The Muckle Birdie Match; understands that the nearly 40-page storybook represents the culmination of a community project organised by Doric Books, The Habitat People, Sport Aberdeen and the Denis Law Legacy Trust; further understands that the book is the creation of P3 and P6 pupils based at Tullos Primary School and was crafted during creative workshops; acknowledges that the book depicts two opposing football teams made up of birds, Team Common and Team Endangered, whose conflict extends beyond the pitch, yet when a chye (chaffinch) and a green lintie (greenfinch) have a chance encounter, they find friendship and choose to put aside their rivalry; notes that the project was shaped, mentored and funded by the Community & Coast Programme, which is operated by the Energy Transition Zone (ETZ) Ltd; acknowledges that the Active Schools team at Sport Aberdeen, led by its Torry Active Schools project activator, Natalie Brown, supported the development of the pupils’ ideas into the finished storybook; notes that the project activator role is funded by ETZ and Port of Aberdeen; recognises that in addition to the story, the book also includes a guide detailing the bird species that inhabit St Fittick’s Park and nearby spaces; understands that the organisations involved wish for the book to encourage children and families to explore local wildlife more deeply and to develop a greater appreciation of their local natural environment; celebrates the contributions of Tullos Primary School pupils and the work of Doric Books, The Habitat People, Sport Aberdeen and the Denis Law Legacy Trust, and wishes them all the very best for the future. 

That the Parliament recognises the opening of the Denis Law Institute of Sport and Wellbeing at Robert Gordon University (RGU); understands that the institute is a partnership between RGU and the Denis Law Legacy Trust that seeks to produce tangible benefits by utilising practical research, community liaison and work-integrated learning; further understands that the institute aims to bring about positive outcomes in health and wellbeing, increase access to opportunities and deliver long-term social benefits through physical activity, sport and community partnerships; recognises that the institute builds on the long-standing partnership between RGU and the Denis Law Legacy Trust, including the delivery of Streetsport, which uses free sport and creative activities to engage young people and support stronger communities; notes the role of the Denis Law Legacy Trust in supporting activity at Cruyff Courts across Aberdeen, providing accessible community spaces where young people can take part in sport and develop confidence, skills and positive relationships; understands that the Trust currently records more than 30,000 participations in its activities annually, demonstrating the reach of its work across local communities; considers that the institute’s work will combine the delivery of place-based sport and wellbeing programmes with research and evidence gathering, helping to highlight the potential of research to bring about improvements in health and wellbeing; notes that a bespoke research unit within the institute will provide a framework for incorporating research and evaluation into the running of programmes and therefore produce reliable data; acknowledges that the research unit will work alongside representatives from local government, education, health and the third sector to monitor the outcomes and social impact of RGU Sport’s programmes; recognises that RGU Sport has 5,600 members and that an additional 1,200 people take part in student sports clubs; understands that students have expressed the positive impact that participation in RGU Sport activities has had on their time at university; considers the increasing body of evidence suggesting that participation in sport at RGU has a positive impact on attainment; commends the work of RGU and the Denis Law Legacy Trust in establishing the institute, and wishes them every success.

That the Parliament recognises Bothy Butter as it relocates production to ONE SeedPod, located on the Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) Aberdeen Campus at Craibstone; understands that ONE SeedPod launched in 2025 and provides food-safe manufacturing kitchens and in-house experts for ambitious food and drink companies to diversify and refine their product ranges and drive growth; notes that Kim Cameron’s Bothy trading portfolio began with a jam bothy in 2013, and following success in the 2014 World Jampionships, a jam production kitchen was launched in Angus; further notes that the Bothy trading portfolio has since expanded, with the introduction of the Gin Bothy and Bothy Butter in 2023; recognises that following the closure of Angus-based North Street Dairy in 2023 after 104 years in operation, Bothy Butter acquired its butter churner and long-standing recipe, which it has adapted and now uses to produce butter using only Scottish cream and salt; acknowledges that Bothy Butter’s larger premises have enabled it to significantly boost its output, from 20 to 100 litres per batch, while still producing a traditionally churned product made by hand; understands that the larger premises also mean Bothy Butter can supply hospitality businesses with 20g butter medallions and 1kg catering blocks, in addition to its 200g butter logs, and meet rising demand from customers including hotels and chefs; notes the jobs that the expansion has already created and will create for North East workers; celebrates with Kim Cameron and the team at Bothy Butter, and wishes them every success for the future.

As an amendment to motion S7M-01114 in the name of Stephen Gethins (Scotland’s Energy Opportunity), insert at end "expresses deep concern that 1,000 jobs each month are being lost in Scotland’s oil and gas industry; calls on the UK Labour administration to scrap the damaging energy profits levy and to approve the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas fields; urges the Scottish Government to publish a new energy strategy, which abandons its presumption against oil and gas; calls on the Scottish Government to stop blocking new nuclear sites and to explore the roll-out of small modular reactors, and warns that failing to invest in a diverse energy mix will have an adverse effect on Scotland's energy security.

That the Parliament congratulates 17-year-old Marcus Crooks, from Torry, on his selection by the Denis Law Legacy Trust as the Scottish representative for Design FC’s global Youth Creative Collective; notes that the Youth Creative Collective brings together young people from 37 organisations, almost all based in qualifying nations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, to express their creativity by each creating a football kit design that boldly represents their nation’s story, with the designs set to be displayed at exhibitions throughout the host cities of the 2026 World Cup and on Design FC’s social media accounts; understands that the Denis Law Legacy Trust is a charitable organisation that runs free programmes featuring sport and creative activities for young people, allowing them to express themselves and hone their skills; recognises that Marcus has volunteered for the Trust since he was 14, having previously attended the Trust’s programmes when he was younger; notes Marcus’ comments celebrating the passion Scotland has for its environment, its people and for sport, pinpointing Denis Law as an example of Scottish pride and highlighting Scottish pride as also being tied to a shared history and identity; further notes that Marcus’ design was produced in collaboration with Lea Zizlavska and Kyle Wicks, both Communication Design students at Robert Gordon University’s Gray’s School of Art, with the design set to be displayed at a gallery in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York; celebrates the work of Marcus, Lea, Kyle, the staff and volunteers at Denis Law Legacy Trust and Design FC, and wishes them all the very best for the future.

That the Parliament congratulates the winners of Chess Scotland and the North East Junior Chess Association’s (NEJCA) Primary and Secondary Individual Championships 2026; notes that the tournament was held on 31 May at Airyhall Primary School, in Aberdeen, with approximately 130 players taking part; recognises the roles of Chess Scotland and NEJCA in running tournaments and advocating the game of chess across Scotland by providing education, training, generating publicity, attracting sponsorship and assisting groups that encourage the playing of it among young people; notes that every NEJCA tournament gives players the opportunity to be graded by Chess Scotland on their performance; considers that one-to-one training also takes place in NEJCA’s tournaments; recognises that, in addition to the two individual championship events, there were adjacent Primary Girls and grade-specific rounds for other players; celebrates the Chess Scotland 2026 Primary and Secondary Individual Championship winners, as well as the NEJCA Championship Primary and Secondary shield winners; commends what it sees as the invaluable work of Chess Scotland and NEJCA, and wishes the championship winners and both organisations every success for the future.

That the Parliament congratulates Signal, the video production company based in Hazlehead, Aberdeen, on its success at the 47th annual Telly Awards 2026; understands that the Telly Awards is a showcase of media content, with this year’s edition, titled Capture the Original, attracting more than 13,000 submissions from companies spanning five continents; notes that Signal received an international Gold award in the Corporate Image category for its collection of advertising films called Thrust Forward, which were commissioned by Wärtsilä, the Finnish marine and energy decarbonisation company; understands that the Thrust Forward films documented Wärtsilä’s programme of modernising 62 marine thruster units used on Noble Corporation’s drill ships, with the production including underwater filming and filming covering work carried out aboard the ships; recognises that Signal won a second international Gold award in the Promotional Video – B2B category for its brand video for Thistle Seafoods, a gourmet food producer located in Peterhead; acknowledges that the Thistle brand video explores its full production cycle, including the devising of recipes in the research kitchen and the despatch of products to global buyers; observes that Signal’s submissions were directly competing against contributions from well-known brands, including Pepsi and Porsche; remarks upon what it sees as the talent and expertise of the Signal team in producing ambitious, bespoke media content for an international market, and wishes everyone at Signal all the best for the future. 

That the Parliament recognises the work of Montrose Community Trust, which is the charitable wing of Montrose Football Club; understands that the Trust was created in 2012 to use sport to bring about positive changes for people in the community; recognises that, since 2022, the Trust has provided highly personalised support to people living with early-stage dementia at its Montrose Connections Dementia Meeting Centre; understands that this support is delivered through regular sessions comprised of activities designed to help those attending to maintain their confidence and autonomy; acknowledges that approximately 43 people were directly supported in 2025, with around 4,300 attendances by people living with dementia at the sessions in total; observes that, every six weeks, there are meetings for family carers, to provide guidance, the opportunity to meet others who care for a family member with dementia and to receive input from groups, including Alzheimer’s Scotland; welcomes the Trust’s plans to open the world’s first purpose-built dementia meeting centre within a football stadium, which will be located in The Gable End, a new community hub being developed and owned by Montrose Community Trust at Links Park Stadium; understands that the building is being designed with the University of Stirling’s Dementia Services Development Centre, to guarantee that the layout is dementia-friendly; believes that approximately £800,000 of the £2 million required for the project has been secured and further fundraising is ongoing; commends Montrose Community Trust’s work in supporting those affected by dementia, and wishes everyone involved all the very best for the delivery of the project.