Former Member of the Scottish Parliament for Dunfermline
29/08/2012
Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland has awarded £4,000 to a Dunfermline charity that offers free massage, aromatherapy and reflexology to Fife cancer patients.
Circle of Comfort, set up in 2007, provides complementary therapies in patients’ homes or in hospital. Anyone with a cancer diagnosis can contact the charity or have someone do so on their behalf. The charity also encourages referrals from healthcare professionals. Read more of this post
28/08/2012
Dunfermline MSP Bill Walker has welcomed the launch of a 10-week conversational course in beginners’ Gaelic, which commences on 29th August in the Dell Farquharson Centre, in Dunfermline’s Netherton Broad Street. Clì Gàidhlig, the organisation for adult learners of Gaelic, will run the course. Read more of this post
21/08/2012
The Odeon cinema in Dunfermline is continuing to thrive – with an average of 10,000 film-fans visiting each week. Assistant Manager, Kenneth Syme, gave Dunfermline MSP, Bill Walker, a behind the scenes tour when the Cinema Exhibitors’ Association recently invited Mr Walker to discuss the benefits the cinema brings to the local community.
Mr Walker said: “The Odeon is of course a very impressive cinema, with ten screens and the capacity to seat in the region of 2,400 visitors at any time. As the largest cinema in Fife, it draws visitors from all around. Read more of this post
20/08/2012
Dunfermline’s Carnegie Hall is set to host an autumn season packed with music, comedy, plays and family entertainment. Visitors to the city centre theatre will enjoy such acts as Indian Takeaway with Hardeep Singh Kohli, Tango! Tango!, The Singing Kettle and Planet Earth’s award-winning cameraman, Doug Allan.
Bill Walker, MSP for Dunfermline, said: “It’s great to see so much quality entertainment coming to the Carnegie Hall, from the famous to lesser-known discoveries. Read more of this post
15/08/2012
A new networking group, aimed at encouraging small and medium-sized Fife businesses to share opportunities and market-place experiences, has launched in Fife.
Local MSP Bill Walker hailed InVite Business Networking as a positive initiative and a step forward in boosting the local economy. Read more of this post
14/08/2012
Dunfermline MSP Bill Walker has welcomed a £5 million national fund to help rural communities gain access to high-speed broadband.
Rural groups can apply to Community Broadband Scotland (CBS) for funding, as well as receive practical support and advice via a telephone helpline and website launching in October. A specialist team will also provide hands on assistance to those in need. Read more of this post
10/08/2012
Local MSP Bill Walker has welcomed news that community and charitable organisations in Dunfermline could benefit from funding of up to £100,000, thanks to the Dream Fund.
Now in its third year, the project is funded entirely by players of the People’s Postcode Lottery. Monies are re-invested back into the community from which they originated. Read more of this post
30/07/2012
A former architectural designer with the literary touch hopes his poem on old Dunfermline will spirit fellow West Fifers down memory lane.
Robert Sclater, who has lived and worked locally all his life, has submitted ‘Remember Dunfermline’ to the Scottish Book Trust’s My Favourite Place project. The former pupil of Blacklaw, Woodmill and Queen Anne Schools did so on the recommendation of a tutor, after attending a creative writing course held in Carnegie Library and in East Port’s Music Institute. Read more of this post
26/07/2012
A North American 100-strong pipe band will perform at Pittencrieff Park in Dunfermline on 3rd August, as part of their Jubilee Tour of Scotland.
Can-Am will play outside the Louise Carnegie Gates at 1pm, before marching through the Glen for a 2pm performance outside Pittencrieff House Museum. Read more of this post
24/07/2012
With just under 700 days till the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn, Visit Dunfermline has invited the public to submit ideas for Dunfermline-based events to commemorate the occasion. The anniversary, along with the Commonwealth Games and Ryder Cup, will be a major focus of Scotland’s Homecoming 2014 celebrations.
Dunfermline MSP Bill Walker said: “This is a great opportunity for people to get involved in Homecoming 2014. With the world’s eyes on Scotland in 2014, we have a chance to really boost the profile of Dunfermline. Read more of this post
20/07/2012
Dunfermline MSP Bill Walker has welcomed the re-appointment of Kincardine-resident Alison Rooney as a non-executive board member of NHS Fife. Ms Rooney has already sat on the board for four years.
Mr Walker said: “Congratulations to Alison Rooney on the Health Secretary, Nicola Sturgeon, appointing her for a further four years. Read more of this post
20/07/2012
House-builders Beattie Passive Ltd, who are currently completing four houses in the Abbeyview area of Dunfermline, have become the first company in the UK to earn prestigious Passivhaus Institut certification.
This certification is awarded for build systems that meet stringent energy efficiency requirements. Beattie Passive houses are said to require 90% less heating than average builds and to reduce CO2 emissions by as much as 100%. Read more of this post
18/07/2012
MSP Bill Walker has welcomed confirmation that the clothing giant H&M will create up to 30 new jobs in Dunfermline.
The fashion retailer’s latest store is due to launch on 30th August in the Kingsgate Shopping Centre. It will occupy over 11,840 sq ft of retail space on two levels of the recently refurbished mall. Read more of this post
06/07/2012
Dunfermline MSP Bill Walker has welcomed a recent inspection by Education Scotland that ranked Lauriston Nursery as “very good” in all evaluation categories.
Inspectors spoke to parents and children at the Dunfermline nursery and worked closely with the head and staff. They based their assessment on the curriculum, children’s experiences, meeting learning needs, improvements in performance and improvement of the nursery through self-evaluation. Read more of this post
03/07/2012
Pupils from four West Fife primary schools have taken part in a cluster Olympic Games, after securing grants from the Big Lottery Fund that enabled them to deliver training sessions.
Maclean, Culross, Townhill and Crossford Primary Schools each delivered activities such as athletics, badminton, football, hockey, basketball, gymnastics, netball and tennis. The funding also went towards items such as t-shirts, flags, gazebos and sports equipment. Read more of this post
02/07/2012
Young jazz enthusiasts from Cairneyhill have secured a grant to attend the Islay Jazz Festival to deliver a workshop for local children. The tutoring will be delivered by recently qualified instructors from the Fife Youth Jazz Orchestra (FYJO), after the group received an Awards for All grant of £1450.
MSP Bill Walker, whose Dunfermline constituency encompasses Cairneyhill, has welcomed the award: Read more of this post
27/06/2012
Dunfermline MSP Bill Walker has restated his calls for Scotland to have its own voice in Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) negotiations in Europe, after a highly respected agricultural expert put forward the case at last weekend’s Royal Highland Show.
Brian Pack, former Senior Agricultural Economist with the North of Scotland College of Agriculture, had argued during Farmer’s Question Time that: Read more of this post
26/06/2012
MSP for Dunfermline Bill Walker has welcomed an announcement made this afternoon that Tory Chancellor George Osborne has dropped his unpopular plans for a three-pence fuel increase. The price hike was due to hit consumers in August.
Mr Walker said: “This latest U-turn will be a relief for already hard-pressed motorists and for businesses struggling with the current sky-high fuel prices. Read more of this post
26/06/2012
A ground-breaking survey by Dunfermline-based Carnegie UK Trust into students’ attitudes to enterprise has been welcomed by Dunfermline MSP Bill Walker.
1,600 further education students aged 16-21 were quizzed, and the findings published in a study titled Enterprising Minds. Read more of this post
15/06/2012
Dunfermline MSP Bill Walker has welcomed the publication of The Robertson Trust’s 50th anniversary report, along with confirmation that the Trust has donated almost £45,000 to projects in Dunfermline over the last 12 months.
The independent grant-making Trust funds a wide range of charitable projects across Scotland, with priority areas including care, health, education and training, and community art and sport. Read more of this post
14/06/2012
Following my expulsion pending appeal from the SNP in April 2012, my appeal has not yet been heard.
In light of events, I have agreed with the SNP Appeals Committee that the process of my appeal should be put on hold until the conclusion of any possible court proceedings.
As matters are now in the hands of the judicial system, I can make no further comment at this stage
13/06/2012
Scotland’s “largest and oldest” gala takes place on Saturday, 23rd June. The annual Dunfermline Children’s Gala, which began in 1902, can be expected to draw crowds of around 15,000 people to watch over 3,000 primary school children parade through the city centre.
Dunfermline MSP Bill Walker said: “Over the years, the Dunfermline Gala has grown in popularity and is once again flourishing, thanks to the huge efforts of organisers, volunteers and sponsors. Read more of this post
13/06/2012
Ambitious student Lauren Mason, from Dunfermline, is no stranger to taking the initiative. After spending the last 12 months volunteering as an intern for MSP Bill Walker, the self-motivated 17-year old is now opting to spend her summer holidays taking a Social Sciences course in Aberdeen—in preparation for a degree in Politics and International Relations. Read more of this post
08/06/2012
Following recent press publicity against me, I was pleased to be interviewed by police on Wednesday and cooperated fully with their enquiries.
For the past few months I have been subjected to a campaign of gossip, innuendo and salacious allegations, and therefore welcome the opportunity I might now have to state my side of the case in possible court proceedings, which I am confident will clear me of any wrongdoing.
There are serious questions to be put to those accusing me, but this will be done in the proper legal forum. I look forward to facing my accusers in Court. Obviously, as these matters are now in the hands of the judicial system, there will be no further comment by me.
In the interim, I shall continue to serve the interests of my constituents as MSP for Dunfermline.
29/05/2012
The Forth (Rail) Bridge is the first of only two UK sites being submitted for UNESCO World Heritage status, after the iconic Bridge topped the Tentative List of 11 UK nominations, followed by the Gorham’s Cave Complex in Gibraltar.
MSP Bill Walker, whose Dunfermline constituency is just a short distance from the Bridge, said he was hopeful it would be recognised by UNESCO. Read more of this post
Bill Walker 