01506 460403
angela.constance.msp@parliament.scot
Unit 4, Ochil House, Beveridge Square, Livingston, West Lothian, EH54 6QF
I was delighted to meet West Lothian African Women’s Network this week to find out more about their work to support and their campaigns for equality of opportunity within the labour market. The organisation supports BME women and families in areas such as mental health, women’s health, financial advice, training, entrepreneurship, leadership, and employment access. Collaborations with partners such as West Lothian Council and Business Gateway focus on providing equal opportunities for women in employment and entrepreneurship. Thank you to Eunice Simpson CEO, Chipo Makiyi steering group member and volunteer Ifeyinma Hart. For more information- https://africanwomennet.org/
Responding to questions from MSP's at my ministerial statement about Scotland's Prison population.
A very special occasion to mark 25 years and more of a local credit union that has grown from a small acorn to an oak tree - providing opportunities and support to many people. Thank you to everyone who has made this possible.
The Chief Constable awards for bravery & excellence provide us the opportunity to reflect & recognise that Scotland’s police officers & staff dedicate every day to keeping our communities safe and supported. A privilege to speak at the awards.
A pleasure to meet Jessi from Drinkaware. I am very grateful to her for explaining more about Drinkaware and about their work that they do to help people understand more about their drinking.
Take their simple quiz to check your own alcohol risk level; thousands of Scots have already done so-
drinkaware.co.uk
Speaking at the Criminal Justice Committee about the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill, answering questions from the MSP's on the Committee.
Speaking in Parliament emphasising that the health and wellbeing of those who work and live in our prisons remains a key priority for the Scottish Government and the Scottish Prison Service. Also highlighted the Government's measures being taken to prevent contraband such as drugs from coming into prisons in the first place.
A privilege to welcome pupils from St Margaret's Academy to the Scottish Parliament, and it was a pleasure to take part in an enjoyable Q&A.
Speaking in Parliament about the measures the Scottish Government is taking with regards to reducing overcrowding in prisons. I noted that since October, there had been a slight decrease in the number of overall prisoners across Scotland, and that we would continue to monitor the situation very closely.
Visited the Berlin Justice Department, Moabit Criminal Court, victim support organisation Weiβer Ring and met with investigating judges, to explore Germany’s approach to the prosecution of cases involving serious sexual offences.
Speaking in Parliament about the Scottish Governments preparations and responses to severe winter weather in Scotland.
Delighted to visit Home Instead in Livingston, who do wonderful work in providing care and support for the local community.
Speaking in Parliament about how £134 million pounds has been invested in Community Justice Services, with £123 million pounds of that going to local authorities.
An excellent visit to Foulshiels Wood in Stoneyburn to join the community walk, a great day out with performers creating a magical woodland experience for the children. Improvements to the paths have enabled better access and Foulshiels is a great example of how a site that is a great part of our industrial heritage can become part of our environmental future. Many local organisations have been working hard to improve local amenities including the Stoneyburn Vision Group.
Speaking in Parliament about how the Scottish Prison Service engages with national and local organisations to provide opportunities for skill enhancement, as a means of helping give people with convictions the skillset to go into employment upon release.
A pleasure to meet staff from the National Mining Museum, who highlighted the impact of the 1984/85 Miners Strike and the collective pardon provided for miners and other qualifying individuals.
I extended warm welcome to pupils from West Calder High School to the Scottish Parliament, who took part in an enjoyable Q&A.
At the Scottish Parliament speaking at the Criminal Justice Committee alongside Teresa Medhurst, head of the Scottish Prison Service.
Many thanks to David and his hard working and committed volunteers at West Lothian Bike Library for telling me more about the excellent work they do around West Lothian and indeed Scotland to help folk of all ages and abilities learn about the benefits of cycling and thereby promote good mental health and a feeling of inclusion. I even managed a quick scoot around the newly installed surface.
Returning to the Royal Mail post office in Livingston to meet staff who are hard working all year round delivering our post and parcels was a delight. I have visited the depot many times over the years, and it is always interesting to see the changes that have been made, including how parcels are processed faster. It was great to catch up with Frank McAdam, a well-known and highly regarded postie, who has worked for Royal Mail for 47 years.
Throughout the year, I visited many fire stations, to thank fire fighters for their hard work, as well as to learn more about the vital work they do to protect our communities.
Wonderful to get along to meet Vivienne at her newly launched premises in Murieston. A great chiropractic service being offered locally by her hard-working colleagues.
The work that goes on at Sight Scotland Veterans Linburn Centre in West Lothian is truly inspirational and Doors Open Day let’s everyone experience first-hand the real difference the charity is making to people’s lives. It was great to see so many people joining in with the activities.
It was fantastic to see first-hand the excellent work being done by SPARK to support the community, especially during the cost-of-living crisis. SPARK is providing a range of invaluable services to help people turn their business ideas into reality. It's clear that this centre is making a real difference to the lives of those who use it.
Delighted to accept an invitation to speak to senior pupils at West Calder High School to talk about my West Lothian background, upbringing, and journey to being elected as the MSP for the area. Also enjoyed a good Q&A with interesting questions.
A pleasure to pop into the West Lothian Family History Society today at Torridon House, Livingston. If you have an interest in your local or family history, members of the society are on hand to help on Monday & Thursdays between 11am-3pm.
Great to visit TOMRA, and to hear their plans for expansion and job creation in the town.
I joined representatives from River Almond Action Group - RAGG Scottish Water and SEPA from SEPA (Scottish Environment Protection Agency) at Livingston Centre to help promote the NATURE CALLS campaign.
Nature Calls Campaign promotes how to prevent flooding and protect nature. Thank you to all the hard working volunteers we have across West Lothian doing their own excellent work.
Very pleased to welcome Christina McKelvie MSP for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse in her Ministerial capacity as Minister for Older People & Equalities to Braid Health and Wellbeing, a fantastic local service in Livingston that supports older citizens across West Lothian to live their best life, whilst also helping to reduce loneliness and isolation.
Delighted to attend the launch of the Scottish Citylink service 902 hourly service earlier this week connecting Glasgow, Livingston and Edinburgh Airport.
Livingston and West Lothian is a great place to live and work, but our communities really value good public transport connections to both the East and West.
I expect this will be a well used and valued service for many of my Constituents
Attending Q&A with participants of the John Smith Trust. The 2019 Central Asia Programme included fellows from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
Thank you to Q² Solutions, Livingston - EMEA, Scotland’s largest life science employer, for an informative visit in Livingston - inspiring to hear about your pioneering and at times life saving work.
Proud to have represented the Scottish Parliament at the Council of Europe plenary session in Strasbourg during October 2019.
I was delighted to pop along to the Polbeth Community HUB to participate in Artlink Edinburgh & the Lothians Cooking Workshop last week.
Working alongside chefs Munira and Djamila from the Soulfoodsisters - a group tackling isolation and poverty for people living in Scotland - we learned how to cook Algerian Mhajab and Polish Perogies. Many thanks to everyone who facilitated and participated.
Congratulations to everyone who graduated from West Lothian College - an excellent event. I was delighted to present the Student of the Year award to Breagh Reilly. Inspirational speech from Shelley Kerr too - a huge well done to all!
Good to meet staff, trustees and volunteers at Home-Start West Lothian to find out more about how they support local parents with young children. Very encouraging to hear about their activities this year and positive outcomes for the families they support.
An absolute pleasure to attend the opening of the new British Heart Foundation store in Livingston this morning. I would encourage locals to support the BHF by donating their good quality unwanted items to help this fantastic charity to beat heartbreak forever.
I was proud to attend a reception at the The Scottish Parliament to celebrate the number of potential stem cell donors in the Almond Valley constituency on the Anthony Nolan register.
I was delighted to have a catch up with the Federation of Small Businesses in the The Scottish Parliament to discuss the importance of small businesses to the West Lothian economy. These small businesses are the backbone of the West Lothian economy providing 30% of all local employment. We need to continue to invest and regenerate our towns and deliver smarter solutions to deal with empty shop units.
Happy to add my dash of pink to support Breast Cancer Now’s wear it pink fundraiser. Anyone can take part in wear it pink. Some people will choose to hold a cake sale, while others will opt to organise a raffle and some will arrange a pink fancy dress day at their school or workplace. No matter how people chose to wear it pink, all the money raised will help to fund vital breast cancer research and support. Check www.breastcancernow.org for more information.
Great to hear that more households and businesses in the West Calder area are now able to upgrade to faster fibre broadband through the £460 million Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) rollout. Across Scotland, thanks to the programme, more than 940,000 premises are now able to connect to the new network.
It was an honour to be invited to speak at the official launch of the Dogs Trust Freedom Project In Scotland. Their landmark freedom project is a dog fostering service for people fleeing domestic abuse. For further information contact www.dogstrust.org.uk
Good to meet representatives from Maggies Centres in Parliament to find out more about the holistic support they provide or can access for those affected by a diagnosis of cancer.
I recently attended the Blooming Great Tea Party held by Marie Curie - Scotland at its West Lothian Palliative Care Services at St John's Hospital. Many locals attended to offer donations to the charity who do a fantastic job caring for people living with terminal illness, whilst also supporting their families. Well done to all who donated and to the home bakers - you are all wonderful!
Had a great visit to Matugga Distillers in Livingston yesterday, where Paul and Jacine Rutasikwa showed me how they produce their award-winning craft rums. The smell of their spiced rum is amazing and it tastes fantastic too! This is a fabulous addition to our locally produced food and drink products and I wish Matugga Rum continued success.
Delighted to pop along to Flexiform in their new home at Brucefield Industry Park, Livingston to support a recent fundraising coffee morning held by them on behalf of SAMH. Very pleased to hear over £500 was raised for the Charity – the home baking was delicious too! Well done to all involved.
It’s great to see new and innovative businesses setting up in Almond Valley. I went along to find out what Innoflate in Livingston is all about and meet the young entrepreneurs behind it all. It’s great to see a company that has the health and wellbeing of the community at its heart but is a really fun place for people to enjoy themselves too.
Delighted to see that 15,891 homes in my constituency have had an energy smart meter installed already. Research shows that those with a smart meter take more energy saving measures and have a better idea of their energy costs. If you don’t have a smart meter yet, contact your energy supplier to request one (it doesn’t cost anything to have one installed). Not only will a smart meter help you manage your household bills but using energy more efficiently is also good for the environment.
Really interesting visit to the pharmacy in the Morrisons in Dedridge, Livingston to find out more about the services they provide. I'd like to express thanks to the pharmacists who took the time to explain all the ways they can help people. I’d encourage everyone to take advantage of the excellent knowledge and advice available at their local pharmacy
I helped to mark World Ovarian Cancer Day in the Scottish Parliament last week and raise awareness of the symptoms of ovarian cancer. You can find out more at https://ovarian.org.uk/
It was a pleasure to introduce Fergus Ewing, the Cabinet Secretary for Food and Drink, to the number one shortbread maker Paterson Arran in Livingston. Following a very interesting tour of the bakery to see how they make their fabulous products, we had a very informative discussion covering subjects from environmental improvements to the impact Brexit will have on the company.
Great visit to ASDA in Livingston yesterday to support Scottish Apprenticeship Week meeting apprentices and finding out about the training they’re receiving in the retail industry. ASDA Livingston employs nearly 500 people providing career opportunities for people of all ages.
I met with concerned residents of Calderwood to discuss the hundreds of outstanding issues they have with Charles Church, the builder of their homes.
Great visit this morning to a very busy Livingston Delivery Office to meet and say thanks to our hardworking posties. Our posties work hard all year round, in all weathers, to make sure that our mail is delivered on time. But at this time of year, with the huge number of Christmas parcels to deliver, they are pulling out all the stops to ensure that our presents are here in time for the big day.
I was happy to support HIV Scotland in the Scottish Parliament as part of World AIDS Day and celebrate the launch of the new book, Disclosures: Rewriting the Narrative About HIV. This book is a new tool to educate and inform people about the modern day realities of HIV, and I’m proud to support HIV Scotland’s work which you can find out more about at http://www.hivscotland.com/
I recently met with two fascinating local companies: Turtle Packs and Almond Engineering, very different but successful in their respective fields. £10 spent with a local independent shop or company means up to an additional £50 goes back into the local economy, helping communities to grow and thrive and providing good, local jobs.
Great start to the week with a visit to Livingston Concrete Plant, I always enjoy meeting local businesses.
I was delighted to visit the Livingston branch of Santander and see first-hand how the recent refurbishment has improved facilities for customers, whether they wish to bank traditionally using the counter services or use modern, digital ways.
Delighted to meet Janice Preston of Macmillan in Scotland to support their annual Coffee Morning fundraising event. Many people in West Lothian know what it is like to have cancer themselves or have family or friends who do. Macmillan does fantastic work and the Coffee Morning is a great way to raise money to enable them to help even more people with cancer live life as fully as they can. All the information you need to run your own event or to find out where one is being held is at www.macmillan.org.uk/coffee
Great to meet up with Nicola Welsh of Sands Lothians in their lovely premises in the newly opened Craigsfarm Community Hub in Livingston. Sands Lothians is a fantastic charity which provides much-needed support to families after the tragic loss of a baby. This includes specialised befriending and counselling. They also provide training and education sessions to support midwives and health staff as well as student midwives and medical students. More info here- www.sands-lothians.org.uk/
I was invited to visit Hanover Court this morning, a lovely and popular sheltered housing development in Livingston. They’ve recently installed new central heating systems in all the houses, as well as new kitchens.
Thanks to the residents who kindly invited me into their homes to see the improvements.
Fascinating meeting on Friday with Sandy Young and Tracey Longworth of Almond Housing Association, discussing the innovative project for young people leaving the care system that they're running in partnership with the Rock Trust.
Was delighted to speak at a reception at Holyrood to celebrate the funding local charities receive thanks to players of People’s Postcode Lottery. It was great to learn more about People’s Postcode Lottery and the positive impact the funding has had in Almond Valley with local groups having received £36,390 so far.
Good to see that the construction of the new platforms at Livingston South station was completed on time and that the line reopened yesterday as scheduled. Still plenty work ongoing to finish upgrading the station.
Last week I held a joint surgery with John Walker, MSYP for Almond Valley, at West Lothian College. It was a pleasure to meet so many of the students and discuss the wide range of issues that affect them, including how important it is to get involved in politics. John and I also enjoyed the opportunity to meet Sarah Kerr, Student Association President.
Looking forward to taking part in Social Bite’s Sleep in the Park event overnight on Saturday with thousands of others, including my Scottish Government colleagues Kevin Stewart and John Swinney and, of course, Social Bite’s Josh Littlejohn. We’ll be raising awareness of the problem of homelessness which is being made worse by the ongoing Tory austerity agenda. Sleeping out on a cold winter’s night will only give us a hint of what it’s like to be homeless.
It was a pleasure to attend a Sponsored parliamentary event to celebrate 80 years of Citizens Advice Scotland, to promote the work that they do for a fairer Scotland where people are empowered and their rights respected.
Very honoured to welcome Professor Fred Freeman, a constituent of mine, to the Scottish Parliament where he delivered the Hamish Henderson Centenary Lecture.
Always a pleasure to take part in events such as the Santa Fun Run at Almondvale with the other participants!
I was happy today to attend the Good Food Nation event at the Scottish Parliament.
As part of Small Business Saturday, I visited Adorable Dogs, a dog grooming parlour in Livingston.
Delighted to extend a warm welcome to pupils from Addiewell Primary School to the Scottish Parliament.
A pleasure to hear Reverend Gillies from Livingston deliver the sermon for Time For Reflection in the main chamber of the Scottish Parliament.
Privilaged to meet with representatives from Marie to offer my support and thanks for all their hard work. Marie Curie have a good reputation for caring for people living with terminal illness. More information here- Edinburgh City and West Lothian (mariecurie.org.uk)
Good to catch up with Jack Christine from River Kids Children's Charity and donate some new and barely used toys to their Toy Appeal. River Kids were formed 15 years ago and provide an excellent support network across West Lothian helping disadvantaged kids and their families and ensuring no bairn goes without at Christmas time. More information here- Home - River Kids Charity | West Lothian | Scotland
Fantastic visit to Wonder Woods in Harburn to see the brilliant facility we are so lucky to have here in West Lothian. It is quite clear that the children are happy in their safe environment. Right now being outside is the best place to be! Nature is a wonderful thing and playing & learning outdoors helps to improve wellbeing, helps build resilience and mental development. Great fun!
For the first time ever our traditional Remembrance Sunday services will not take place, so we are all finding different ways to pay our respects to those who have given their today’s for our tomorrow’s, we will not forget.
This week, I was proud to show my support for care experienced people.
This will make a huge difference to West Lothian children and their families who will no longer have to transfer to the Sick Kids in Edinburgh, unless of course specialist intervention is required. A big thank you to the parents and campaigners who helped make it happen.
Business, Fair Work & Skills Jamie Hepburn MSP for agreeing to meet up and chat. A pleasure to hear about all the great work DYW West Lothian are doing with local schools and West Lothian College to prepare our youngsters for the world of work. Some great new ideas to pursue too.
Appreciated the opportunity to learn more about the great work done by Help for Heroes Official in this remembrance week. Delighted to meet my constituent Penny alongside Jerry, one of the charities co-ordinators.
Mums and Matthew meet Health Secretary to discuss paediatric services at St Johns Hospital
01506 460403
angela.constance.msp@parliament.scot
Unit 4, Ochil House, Beveridge Square, Livingston, West Lothian, EH54 6QF