Stonehaven

I am honoured to stand as the SNP candidate for the Angus North and Mearns constituency and am committed to continuing to be a tireless advocate for Stonehaven, ensuring our community’s priorities are heard at the very heart of the Scottish Parliament. Having represented you as a local councillor since 2022, and before that as a Community Councillor I know the strength of our community, and I am ready to take that dedication to Holyrood.

Stonehaven is a remarkable seaside town. From our picturesque harbour and award-winning seafood restaurants to our thriving independent shops, we offer a unique experience for residents and visitors alike. Our world-famous Fireballs Ceremony, which I have photographed and more recently marshalled, continues to attract 10,000 spectators every year, and is a celebration of Hogamany like no other. The rise of outdoor activities - from paddleboarding to the recent Ice Swimming Championships at our Open Air Pool - demonstrates our town’s evolving appeal. The majestic and iconic Dunnottar Castle perches on it's outcrop just

As Chairperson of Kincardine & Mearns Youth Clubs (KMYC) and the leader of Stonehaven Youth Club, I am proud to have taken the charity through the Community Asset Transfer process and to see Aberdeenshire Council approve the long lease of the former Sea Cadet Hall in late 2024. The hall will provide a dedicated, safe, and positive environment for our young people, which is essential for fostering a sense of belonging with the renovations now progressing at pace so we can move and expand from the Community Centre. Stonehaven's local sports clubs - including Mackie Rugby Football Club, Stonehaven Football Club, as well as martial arts and dancing schools - also play a vital role in providing healthy, positive outlets for our youth. As your local councillor, I have supported the development of activities for children and young people, and if elected as your MSP, I will use my platform to ensure youth services and sports clubs continue to receive the national recognition and support they deserve.

Our cultural heritage remains a cornerstone of our local economy. My recent engagement with the Stonehaven Folk Festival reinforced my belief in the vital role such events play in revitalising our town centre. Similarly, the Midsummer Beer Happening and Sportive not only attracts thousands of visitors to sample local and European craft beers but also raises tens of thousands of pounds for local community groups and charities. The annual Feein' Market brings the community together for a day of family fun as does the Harbour Festival. The Tolbooth Museum is a gem in the harbour and I fully supported their bid to take over the building to continue to showcase local history. These initiatives illustrate the immense wider benefit of community-led groups and events, and as your MSP, I will continue to champion and encourage them.

The community’s collective dedication in recent years to protect the environment and to help Stonehaven to look its best has been truly inspiring. Achieving Plastic Free Community Status in 2024 - bolstered by our local "Plastic Free Champions", Paws on Plastic and regular beach cleans - has preserved the beauty of our sea front and has encouraged a cultural shift, which will help our town to continue to look beautiful for generations to come. The tireless work of the Horizon Project group keeps our town looking beautiful with floral displays and taking on the maintenance of flower beds and weeding, and was instrumental in Stonehaven gaining a Gold Medal in the Keep Scotland Beautiful Awards 2022. This includes the Market Square Community Garden which I project managed as part of a collective between the Stonehaven Business Association, Stonehaven Town Partnership and Community Council plus other members of the Stonehaven Town Centre Improvement Group in 2021 as we came out of the Covid pandemic, claiming some civic space for us to socialise outside in the heart of the town centre thanks to the Town Centre Investment Fund from Scottish Government

The SNP Scottish Government has contributed to ensure Stonehaven continues to thrive. Crucial investment of £27.5 million in our flood defences has kept our community secure from flooding from the River Carron in recent storms, protecting 370 residential properties and businesses. It is acknowledged that more needs to be done to protect the town from surface water flooding as well as sea over-topping and I will work to deliver further projects to ensure our community does not continue to suffer the effects of flooding.

As your MSP, I will dedicate myself to being your voice in our national Parliament. Throughout this campaign, I have listened to your concerns regarding sea overtopping and coastal erosion, the availability of high-quality affordable childcare, and the need for energy infrastructure that benefits the community rather than burdens it. I am also committed to ensuring that Stonehaven’s public transport links continue to meet the needs of local people. The town's cry for a proper supermarket is also heard loud and clear and I support bringing that retail offer to the people of Stonehaven.

If you elect me to be your constituency representative in the Scottish Parliament, I will be a relentless champion for our town – working together with local and national policymakers to deliver the results Stonehaven needs. So make it both votes SNP on 7th May to elect me as your constituency MSP and for an SNP majority in Holyrood for the next parliamentary term.

I moved to the Stonehaven area in January 1985 aged 13, attended Mackie Academy then Aberdeen University followed by Royal Holloways & Bedford New College, University of London for a Masters degree. I subsequently worked in book retail and started my family, living in Stonehaven until 2003 when we moved overseas to Singapore then The Netherlands in 2010. Since moving back to Stonehaven in 2017 I have been engrained in the community as a local business owner running my own photography business and then (once re-trained) as an Approved Driving Instructor, leading the Stonehaven Business Association, as a Community Councillor on the Stonehaven & District CC, co-founding and chairing Kincardine & Mearns Youth Clubs (SCIO), and running Stonehaven Youth Club. Whilst on the Stonehaven Business Association I worked with others to create the Stunning Stonehaven website, promoting the town the world over and adapting it during Covid from it's tourism focus to serve the local community. On top of that I have spearheaded local community legacy projects such as the Market Square Community Garden and Stonehaven Youth Club building Community Asset Transfer and renovation, ensuring community and civic spaces for local people.

outside the town, bringing day-trippers and visitors to the area, boosting our local economy that is becoming more reliant on tourism. Closer to town is the Black Hill War Memorial, a distinctive landmark above the harbour. We have the Thompson Vintage Rally every year to commemorate son of Stonehaven, RW Thomson who invented the pneumatic tyre, the Highland Games keeps traditions alive and the Stoney Express Land Train adds fun and smiles to all that see and experience it.

Delivery of 39,140 Child and Adult Winter Heating Payments from Scottish Government across Aberdeenshire since 2022 has ensured that our most vulnerable residents are supported through the coldest months and the SNP has just launched its emergency heating oil support to those in need during the current crisis of uncapped increasing heating oil and LPG prices. With the SNP’s commitment to extend childcare from nine months to the end of primary school - backed by over half-a-billion pounds of new investment - we are ensuring that real, tangible support is available for those who need it most. And, this SNP Government has delivered a major transport infrastructure project locally in the AWPR, drastically shortening our journey times travelling north of Aberdeen.