Latest News –  Martin Whitfield MSP

Thursday 6 February is Time to Talk Day (TTTD), run by See Me, Scotland's national programme to end mental health stigma and discrimination. We know that mental health stigma continues to be a major barrier for people in finding support and talking openly. In fact, this year's campaign has revealed that 29% of Scots are holding back from social opportunities and distancing themselves from those closest to them to avoid ‘awkward’ conversations about mental health. 28% of Scots have pushed friends and family away at times when they have not wanted to talk about their mental health, while 27% say [...]

Martin Whitfield MSP has joined parliamentary colleagues in helping commemorate this year's Holocaust Memorial Day on Monday 27th January, which this year marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. The theme chosen for HMD 2025 is For a Better Future. It encapsulates our collective responsibility to shape a better future, imploring us to do everything in our power to create a brighter tomorrow – such as confronting Holocaust and genocide denial, challenging prejudice, and promoting education about the Holocaust and more recent genocides. Martin Whitfield MSP said:  "The 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz is a time [...]

Martin Whitfield MSP has welcomed the news that several rural businesses from the South Scotland region are among the finalists in this year's Countryside Alliance Awards. The Awards are the Countryside Alliance’s annual celebration of British food and farming, enterprise and heritage through our small hard-working businesses. The Rural Oscars are now in their 18th year and have become the definitive rural business award to win. They are set apart from other award schemes because they are driven by public nomination, offering customers the chance to tell us why their favourite businesses are worthy of national acclaim. Martin Whitfield MSP [...]

A new campaign led by the energy sector Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) Taskforce and overseen by Ofgem has been launched to highlight the urgent need for RTS customers to book the installation of a new meter as soon as their energy supplier contacts them. The campaign explains what the RTS service is and how households and businesses can identify if they have an RTS meter. It also outlines the potential consequences of not upgrading, including possible disruption to heating and hot water, and higher energy bills. If you have not yet heard about the RTS switch-off, Ofgem has a short [...]

Martin Whitfield MSP is encouraging primary schools across South Scotland and beyond to participate in VoiceBox 2025 – a national joke-telling competition for primary schools. Mr Whitfield attended the launch of this year's competition which took place at Cockenzie Primary School, home of last year’s winner, Gordon Moodie. On the first day of joke-telling, competitions will take place across Scotland as schools select their entries to be put forward for this year’s final, organised by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT). VoiceBox is a celebration of the critical role communication plays in children’s development. It showcases the [...]

This Cervical Cancer Prevention Week (20-26 January), The Eve Appeal is sharing advice and tips on you can ask for during cervical screening tests. The charity's YouGov survey found that one in two women were not aware they could ask the nurse or doctor to stop at any point during their screening. One in four were not aware they could ask for a smaller speculum, and one in 10 were not aware they could book a double appointment or could ask for a different position. The Eve Appeal is sharing tips like these on our social channels throughout the week. [...]