Baljaffray Parish Church 20th Anniversary Celebrations

Marie's latest column for the Milngavie & Bearsden Herald

It has been so lovely to get out and about in Milngavie and Bearsden North throughout the summer. As I write this, Parliament returns this week, and I am looking forward to the Programme for Government being announced.

I am now a Member of the Criminal Justice Committee, and as part of our work, we recently visited Low Moss Prison. There are clearly very important challenges facing our system, and it was useful to hear first hand from the staff about their experiences. This will help to inform our work as we move forward in the Committee.

Over the weekend, I was pleased to be invited to Baljaffray Parish Church for their 20^th birthday celebrations.

Marie McNair MSP presents a Parliamentary Motion to Minister Alan McKay at Baljaffray Parish Church

The church has made a significant contribution to the local area through charitable endeavours and events, so it was lovely to thank them and celebrate their years of service to the community. In recognition of this anniversary, I presented a framed parliamentary motion to Minister Alan Mackay wishing them all the best for the future.

Just prior to returning, I had a positive meeting with representatives from the Campaign for Owain’s Law.

Ellie James founded this campaign after losing her husband, Owain, to a grade 4 brain tumour aged just 35. The campaign’s aim is to stop patients unnecessarily losing access to potential tests, clinical trials and personalised treatments due to a lack of tissue freezing.

Freezing a small sample of a brain tumour after surgery preserves its DNA so it can potentially be used for advanced genetic testing and treatment later on.

This was of particular interest to me due to my prior work with local family, Clan McKie. For those that do not know, Clan McKie lost their son, Graham, to a grade 4 glioblastoma at only 32.

Since this time, they have raised thousands for charity and have done such amazing work to raise awareness.

For those wishing to lend their support, Clan McKie is holding a Walk of Hope on 12^th September at Mugdock Country Park in Graham’s legacy. You can donate or find more on this here - The Clan McKie Graham is fundraising for Brain Tumour Research