18.12.2009
A unique ‘travelling’ exhibition exploring 10 personal experiences of Holyrood will be arriving at Stranraer Library tomorrow as the series of events marking 10 years of the Scottish Parliament comes to a close.
Holyrood’s ‘Moving Stories’ exhibition started its journey around Scotland in Glasgow in April, and combines photography and audio-visual material of 10 men and women who have interacted with the Scottish Parliament since its establishment in 1999. The exhibition will come to a close in Stranraer on Saturday 16 January 2010.
Speaking of the 10th anniversary and the exhibition, Presiding Officer Alex Fergusson MSP said: “The collective experiences represented in this exhibition are excellent illustrations of the different ways that people have engaged with the Parliament and its Members over the last decade.
"Individually, they help us to see what the Parliament means to different people, and what motivates people to interact with us. Some are born out of great personal tragedy, some out of organisational failings, but all of them highlight the utter determination of the individual to ensure that their experiences will be to the ultimate benefit of others.”
The 10 people featured in the exhibition are:
- Rebecca Brown, Central Scotland, carried out a work placement at her local MSP constituency office. “The realisation that politics is everything. You don’t really have an option…you really should be involved, it’s going to affect you anyway.”
- Amal Azzudin, Glasgow, campaigned against the practice of dawn raids on failed asylum seekers. “What the campaign has achieved more than anything is raising awareness…that was all we could do.”
- John Muir, West of Scotland, submitted a petition on tackling knife crime following the death of his son. “I think that the public in Greenock and surrounding areas did recognise that the situation that Damian found himself in could have been their son or their daughter…something’s got to change.”
- John Macleod, Lothian, lodged two petitions on Gaelic matters and is heavily involved in Gaelic cultural matters in Edinburgh. “What was behind the campaign was the need for special status for the language to enable sustainable developments for the future.”
- Bob Reid, South of Scotland, submitted a petition to establish Off-Road Motorbike Facilities. “I am a great believer that there is a key to every young person, no matter what their problems are… give them a new challenge, something they can relate to, something they can belong to.”
- Tina McGeever, Highlands and Islands, submitted an e petition on ability to access cancer drugs on NHS. “We decided that we were going to start a campaign, although the word campaign didn’t really come into it at the time. Michael wrote a letter and I fired it off to everyone on my email and asked them to send it to their MSPs, so that was the start.”
- Reverend Iain MacDonald, Highlands and Islands, led Time for Reflection in the Scottish Parliament. “People here are thoroughly engaged with community, with social justice issues. A real community is defined by how it looks after its most needy.”
- Gemma Mackintosh, Highlands and Islands, campaigns for improved support for those living in Scotland with a visual impairment. “I am one of the examples of many people with additional needs who has been failed by the education system. I want to change the system and how they deal with children with visual impairments.”
- Walter Baxter, North East Scotland, organised a petition objecting to the merging of specialist care units for people suffering a brain haemorrhage. “Having a brain injury is a very difficult scenario to go through, not only for yourself, but for the people who are looking after you. There is very little aftercare for people with brain injuries.”
- Claire Ewing, Member of the Scottish Youth Parliament. “Politics is everywhere and everything but young people don’t see that… if you want it then you’ll fight for it…you need to believe in yourself and believe in what you’re doing.”