Award-winning Inverkeithing pupil launches digital media initiative

22/04/2013

IHSTwo Inverkeithing High School pupils recently hosted the opening of the Media House, a digital media facility ‘for pupils, run by pupils’.

Depute head boy Lewis Phillips has been managing the school’s Media Network since launching it as a first year pupil, an initiative that earned him prestigious ICT awards.

Now in his sixth year, he has set up the Media House – a place to create content, attend pupil-run workshops and hold meetings – to ensure the project continues when he passes the mantle to S4 pupil David Simpson. Read more of this post

Filed under News Tagged with , , ,

Prostate Cancer UK’s Quality Checklist

09/04/2013

Scottish Parliament. MSPs show their support for Prostate Cancer UK.Dunfermline MSP Bill Walker has pledged to support the swift implementation of a Prostate Cancer UK initiative in Fife.

As a long-time supporter of the charity, the MSP backed its Quality Checklist at a recent campaigning event in the Scottish Parliament. This best practise Checklist aims to stamp out inequalities in the provision of care. It sets out 15 national standards for care and support that Scottish men with prostate cancer should expect and demand, from the point of their diagnosis onwards.

Mr Walker said: “I am delighted to endorse Prostate Cancer UK’s Quality checklist and will be writing to NHS Fife to ask that it be adopted as soon as possible. It is essential that all men diagnosed with prostate cancer, the most common cancer among men in Scotland, get the support they need.” Read more of this post

Filed under News Tagged with

European teachers visit Dunfermline to improve skills

09/04/2013

ISP 004Local MSP Bill Walker has welcomed an international group of English language teachers to Dunfermline, on their recent visit to improve their teaching skills and cultural awareness.

The group were taking part in a course offered by International Study Programmes, which has made the ancient Scottish capital its learning centre and regularly sends teachers here. On this occasion, the visitors came from Bulgaria, Germany, Portugal, Hungary, Poland, Sweden, Lithuania and Italy.

Mr Walker, who has been welcoming teachers to Dunfermline since 2007, said: Read more of this post

Filed under News Tagged with

MSP Bill Walker says “Scrap Trident”

05/04/2013

??????????Dunfermline MSP Bill Walker has lent his support in the Scottish Parliament to the Scrap Trident campaign. The campaign – which operates under the slogan: “Let Scotland lead the way to a nuclear-free world” — calls for a weekend of protest and action in Glasgow and Faslane from 13th to 15th April.

Mr Walker said: “Despite 80 per cent of Scots wanting rid of Trident and despite the Scottish Parliament voting overwhelmingly against Trident’s renewal, the London government continues to foist this unwanted obscenity upon Scottish shores. And now the Tories intend to renew Trident, meaning it will remain on the Clyde for at least another fifty years. Read more of this post

Filed under News Tagged with ,

S4M-06183: £5,000 Funding for Pitreavie Amateur Athletics Club

05/04/2013

That the Parliament congratulates Pitreavie Amateur Athletics Club on receiving £5,000 from Awards for All; understands that this funding will be used for new equipment, with the aim of increasing participation in the club and developing the skills of its athletes; considers that the club has nurtured the talents of many fine athletes, including Eilidh Child, a gold medallist in the 4×400 metres relay at the 2013 European Athletics Indoor Championships, and hopes that the club’s athletes will participate in a triumphant Team Scotland in the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Supported by: Bill Kidd, Richard Lyle, Mike MacKenzie, Nigel Don, Gil Paterson, David Torrance, Kevin Stewart, Sandra White, Colin Beattie, Colin Keir

Date Lodged: 04/04/13

Filed under Motions Tagged with , ,

IT Awareness Day at the Vine Conference Centre

04/04/2013

IT Turning PointIT Turning Point and The Vine Conference Centre are running an IT Awareness Day, with all proceeds going to the charity LemonAid. The event takes place on the 11th April between 9:30 till 15:00, in Room 1 of The Vine Conference Centre.

Read more of this post

Filed under News Tagged with , ,

£5,000 grant for Pitreavie Amateur Athletics Club

04/04/2013

Awards for All ScotlandDunfermline’s Pitreavie Amateur Athletics Club, which nurtured the talents of 2013 European Athletics Indoor Championships gold medallist Eilidh Child, has received a £5,000 Awards for All grant from sportscotland.

The funding will go towards new equipment, with the aim of increasing the level of participation within the club and developing the skills of its elite athletes.

MSP for Dunfermline, Bill Walker, said: “This is excellent news for Pitreavie, especially in light of the upcoming Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. Pitreavie has produced many fine athletes, and I look forward to watching our local talent compete for Scotland in the Games. Read more of this post

Filed under News Tagged with , ,

Wise Words

04/04/2013

My fellow Independent MSP Margo MacDonald posed the most sensible question after Alex Salmond introduced the Referendum Bill:

“I ask the First Minister whether he could raise the level of the debate. This is about our country’s soul. It is about our children and our grandchildren’s standards and place in the world, and we are talking about candles in case someone cannot vote. Many friends of mine on the Labour side of the chamber have let me down and have let Scotland down this afternoon by the way in which they have approached the debate. This is a big question and it needs big people and big answers”.

The above was originally written for Bill’s Dunfermline Press column. This version may vary slightly.

Filed under Dunfermline Press Column Tagged with ,

Contradictory Questions

04/04/2013

The First Minister has announced that the Independence Referendum will be on Thursday 18th September 2014. Predictably, some Labour MSPs tried to make an issue of not receiving special knowledge of the date ahead of Parliament. This would have been improper and against Parliamentary procedures.

We can now expect an 18-month increasing onslaught against Independence. Though I hope this might include some rational debate, I anticipate plenty of nonsense. For example, immediately after the date announcement, a Labour MSP objected saying some of her constituents might need candles to get to polling stations!

Opponents are in the strange position of demanding to know why the Referendum can’t be held sooner, but asking in the same breath how Scots can decide on major constitutional change without knowing, in microscopic detail, exactly what the future will look like in an independent Scotland. Read more of this post

Filed under Dunfermline Press Column Tagged with ,

Letting Down Longannet

04/04/2013

In October 2011, the UK Government’s Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) pulled the rug from under the proposed Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project at Longannet Power Station. This project would have put Fife at the pioneering forefront of new CCS technology, reducing carbon emissions, delivering highly skilled well-paid jobs and stimulating growth in our local economy.

Longannet won the competition for funding after all other bidders for the CCS project withdrew, yet the UK Government pulled out at the 11th hour out and re-ran the competition, claiming they could not reach an agreement with the developers. Read more of this post

Filed under Dunfermline Press Column Tagged with , ,

Parliament gives healthy response to vitamin D advances

03/04/2013

A Crossford woman diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 1998 was among the speakers at a presentation in the Scottish Parliament explaining the health advantages of vitamin D.

Sue Polson, an active member of the MS Society’s Research Network and its Steering Group, argued the “overwhelming” case for supplementing the population of Scotland with the vitamin.

She said: “When you combine the evidence for the benefits of Vitamin D in other conditions, surely the case for supplementation is overwhelming? MS alone costs this country a vast amount of money; it costs each family concerned a whole way of life, and it costs the person with MS their future.”

Attending the event, MSP for Dunfermline Bill Walker said: “Though vitamin D is necessary for our health, it is often lacking in Scotland due to poor sunlight and our modern life-styles. Recent research has shown a vitamin D deficiency in 84% of our population, but this can be overcome with relatively cheap supplements and by eating more fish. Read more of this post

Filed under News Tagged with , ,

High Hedges Bill is “welcome action” for Dunfermline and West Fife

03/04/2013

High hedgeDunfermline MSP Bill Walker has hailed the passage of a Private Member’s Bill tackling the nuisance of high hedges as “welcome action for people throughout Dunfermline and Fife”.

The High Hedges (Scotland) Bill, raised by North East Scotland MSP Mark McDonald, passed unanimously through the Scottish Parliament and is the first Private Member’s Bill of the current session.

Mr Walker said: “I was glad to participate in the early stages of drafting the High Hedges (Scotland) Bill, in 2011.

“Under this new legislation, a high hedge is a ‘row of two or more trees or shrubs rising to a height of more than two metres which forms a barrier to light’. All species of trees and shrubs are included. Read more of this post

Filed under News Tagged with

Headwell House care home opens in Dunfermline

03/04/2013

Fife Provost Jim Leisman and Bill Walker MSPLocal MSP Bill Walker has attended the official opening of Headwell House in Dunfermline, the latest residential care home of Fife-based Abbotsford Care Ltd.

Headwell House has 60 en suite rooms, with accommodation for 64 older people and vulnerable adults requiring residential, nursing and respite care. It aims to provide a “home from home” atmosphere, while guaranteeing a safe and secure environment for residents, staff and visitors.

Mr Walker said: “I was very pleased to attend the official opening ceremony of Headwell House, conducted by the Provost of Fife, Jim Leishman.  I met a good number of the 60-odd residents, who seemed pleased with their accommodation. Read more of this post

Filed under News Tagged with , , ,

FHA calls for “bedroom tax” to be suspended for further investigation

27/03/2013

FHADunfermline MSP Bill Walker has expressed dismay at a report by Fife Housing Association (FHA) highlighting the impact and consequences of the UK Government’s “bedroom tax”.

Under the changes coming into force 1st April, social tenants deemed to have one bedroom too many will have to pay an average of £9 extra per week, while those with two bedrooms extra must find around £16.

FHA expects one in five of their tenants to be affected. Many are extremely vulnerable, have serious health problems or are already struggling financially. Alarmingly, most have no immediate affordable accommodation alternatives. Read more of this post

Filed under News Tagged with ,

Dunfermline MSP commends fund-raising local businesswoman after CHAS visit

25/03/2013

CAP&CHAS 004Dunfermline MSP Bill Walker has congratulated the “outstanding” fund-raising efforts of a local businesswoman, after her recent charity fashion shows raised over £21,000 for the Children’s Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS).

Laura Campbell, owner of La Vida Boutique in Cairneyhill, managed to sell over 600 tickets for her two shows at Keavil House Hotel in Crossford, exceeding her fund-raising target.

Speaking after a visit with Mrs Campbell and fellow fundraiser Garry Gibb to Rachel House hospice in Kinross, Mr Walker said: Read more of this post

Filed under News Tagged with , , ,

Dunfermline High School officially opens

22/03/2013

DHS 004Dunfermline High School has officially opened, with pupils performing in a music-filled launch ceremony.

The opening began with pipers welcoming guests at the main entrance. Clarsach Duo, consisting of Amy Sinclair and Megan Jarvie, played harp music to greet guests outside the Assembly Hall.

Soloists, a wind band and a choir performed in between various speeches, including introductions by Head Boy and Head Girl, Alexander Johnstone and Amber Russell, and an address by the Provost of Fife, Jim Leishman. Read more of this post

Filed under News Tagged with

S4M-06012: £90K Funding for Saline Environmental Group

20/03/2013

That the Parliament congratulates the Saline Environmental Group in West Fife on receiving £90,000 in funding from the Big Lottery Fund’s Community Spaces Scotland scheme, which will be used to construct a pathway between Saline village and Kinneddar Park along with a bridge and fitness equipment en route; understands that the project represents the first phase of a larger initiative to link four communities by providing easily accessible pathways that can be used for access and recreational purposes such as walking, cycling, horse riding and mobility vehicles, and commends the aims of the Community Spaces Scotland scheme to support communities in becoming more involved in their local environment, make better use of spaces and places and become healthier and more active.

Supported by: Nigel Don, Richard Lyle, Kenneth Gibson, Colin Beattie, Sandra White, Mike MacKenzie, Kevin Stewart, David Torrance

Date Lodged: 19/03/13

Filed under Motions Tagged with ,

New College, New Name, New Principal

20/03/2013

CollegeFriday 15 March 2013 was an historic day for Fife when the Partnership Board, overseeing the merger of Carnegie and Adam Smith Colleges, gave their formal approval of the merger proposal and their commitment to form a new college in Fife.

Following a consultation process involving students, staff, stakeholders and employers the Board agreed to recommend that, from the planned Vesting Day on 1 August  2013, the new organisation should be known as Fife College, which was the name supported by the majority of respondents.

The new college Principal will be Hugh Logan who is currently Principal of Motherwell College. Mr Logan was previously Principal of North Highland College, and has held a variety of posts in colleges as well as working in industry and secondary education. Read more of this post

Filed under News Tagged with , , ,

£90K funding for Saline pathway project

19/03/2013

Big Lottery FundSaline Environmental Group is to receive £90,000 funding from a total of almost £5m granted across Scotland through the Big Lottery Fund’s Community Spaces Scotland scheme.

The grant will be used to construct a pathway between the west Fife village of Saline and Kinneddar Park, along with a bridge and fitness equipment en route. The aim is to encourage local people to have a greater interest in their environment.

The project represents the first phase of a larger initiative to link four individual communities by providing easily accessible pathways that can be used for access and recreational purposes such as walking, cycling, horse riding and mobility vehicles. Read more of this post

Filed under News Tagged with , ,

Queen Anne High School’s ‘glowing’ inspection reports

19/03/2013

Queen Anne HighLocal MSP Bill Walker has congratulated Dunfermline’s Queen Anne High School on an Education Scotland inspection that found the school to be performing exceptionally well. HM Inspectors found outstanding examples of the Curriculum for Excellence in practice and rated the school as “excellent” or “very good” for every evaluated aspect of its work.

Inspectors also produced a report on the associated learning community, which they consider to be a high-performing service. Rating “very good” in all aspects, its key strengths include well-targeted provision for young people, adults and community groups, well-trained and highly motivated staff, highly developed partnerships and positive collaborative working. Read more of this post

Filed under News Tagged with

S4M-05983: Six Nations

18/03/2013

That the Parliament commends all teams on their performances at the Six Nations Championship 2013; congratulates Wales on retaining the championship with what it considers a magnificent 30-3 victory over England in Cardiff; applauds Italy’s first Six Nations win over Ireland, of 22-15; considers that Scotland gave a creditable performance in taking third place in the championship after a hard-fought 16-23 game against France, and looks forward to a highly competitive and entertaining championship next season.

Supported by: Nigel Don, Bill Kidd, Mike MacKenzie, Angus MacDonald, Richard Lyle, Kevin Stewart, Maureen Watt, Dennis Robertson, Dave Thompson,Chic Brodie, Colin Beattie, Sandra White, Bob Doris, Stuart McMillan, Colin Keir

Date Lodged: 18/03/2013

Filed under Motions Tagged with

Debt counselling charity aims to help Dunfermline constituents become debt free

18/03/2013

CAPChristians Against Poverty (CAP) recently met with Dunfermline MSP Bill Walker to explain how the award-winning charity’s free service can help Dunfermline constituents escape the misery of debt. The confidential service is available for everyone regardless of age, gender, faith or background.

CAP supports thousands of clients each year by negotiating fair repayments with utility companies, mortgage lenders, councils and loan companies, based on what clients can afford. It has a growing network of over 200 centres throughout Scotland and the rest of the UK.

Julie Mann, Centre Manager of the Dunfermline Debt Centre, and Helene Kelly, Debt Coach and Links Coordinator for Fife, told Mr Walker about CAP’s combination of financial education, budgeting advice and insolvency services. Read more of this post

Filed under News Tagged with ,

Energy Savings

14/03/2013

Scottish Gas customers will now receive a half-yearly review using their personal energy consumption to advise of cheaper internal tariffs. I hope other energy companies will provide this too. It’s important for customers of all energy companies to be aware of the best energy deals, whether this means switching tariffs or suppliers.

The difficulty is, of course, not knowing what price increases are around the corner if you take the trouble to switch to a variable-rate tariff. In light of ever increasing price hikes, insulating your property is an important step to reduce your bills. The Scottish Government, in conjunction with other bodies, frequently helps to finance cavity wall and loft insulation. I try to publicise such offers on my website when I hear of them, but you can also keep an eye on the Scottish Government’s website. Read more of this post

Filed under Dunfermline Press Column Tagged with ,

Defence U-turn

14/03/2013

Less than two years ago, the UK Ministry of Defence promised that over 6,000 army personnel currently based in Germany would relocate to Scotland, with hundreds destined for Rosyth. HMS Caledonia was even renamed MoD Caledonia.  Now we know none will come to west Fife and few will relocate elsewhere in Scotland.

Right at the beginning I expressed reservations about the relocation, as I feared army demand pushing out our traditional naval presence in west Fife. I shall always argue for a strong naval presence on the east coast of Scotland. We need it to guard our North Sea oil and gas industry, our fishing grounds and the sea routes to the Continent. However, this U-turn has cost Fifers an estimated £500,000 in setting up a Fife Defence Transition Task Force. The UK Government should be called to account for this. Read more of this post

Filed under Dunfermline Press Column Tagged with , ,

Tulliallan Police HQ

14/03/2013

Tulliallan Castle is to be retained as the headquarters of the new national police force for Scotland, housing continuing training, conference services, planning, and offices for the chief constable and a number of other senior officers and staff.

I would challenge the claim that Tulliallan is somehow “isolated”, when it is in fact close to the motorway network via the Kincardine and Clackmannanshire Bridges. But I do accept that the Castle’s listed status might have made conversion into a hi-tech command and control centre difficult and expensive. Therefore, the choice of Randolphfield in Stirling as the operational hub may well be a good one, especially considering the forecasted low cost to convert the existing Central Police HQ.

The above was originally written for Bill’s Dunfermline Press column. This version may vary slightly.

Filed under Dunfermline Press Column Tagged with , ,

← Older posts

Newer posts →