Latest News –  Martin Whitfield MSP

Martin Whitfield MSP has hosted a reception at the Scottish Parliament to help celebrate 250 years since the establishment of the world’s first building society. While the first building society was established in Birmingham in 1775, others followed in Scotland, including the Scottish Building Society, which started life in 1848 as the Edinburgh Property Investment Company. It is now the oldest remaining building society in the world. Organised in partnership with the Building Societies Association (BSA) and Capital Credit Union, the parliamentary reception brought key stakeholders from Scotland’s mutualised financial services sector together with a cross-party group of MSPs. The [...]

Following the review of its remaining Crown branches, Post Office Ltd has announced details of the new franchise partner arrangements for Haddington's Post Office Branch on Court Street. They have confirmed that the branch will soon be operated by an independent franchise retail partner, ZCO Ltd (ZCO), from the current premises, offering the same range of services, and with extended opening on Tuesday mornings. The change in the branch's operation are due to happen by September. Commenting on the announcement, Martin Whitfield MSP said: “The Post Office’s new plans for the operation of the Haddington branch appear to offer continuity [...]

Martin Whitfield MSP has joined parliamentary colleagues in welcoming representatives from Playlist for Life, the UK's leading music and dementia charity, at their exhibition at Holyrood this week. Established in 2013 by Sally Magnusson MBE, Playlist for Life raises awareness of how the power of personal and meaningful music can help people live well with dementia. In recognition of its impactful work across communities and the health and social care sector, Playlist for Life was named SCVO’s Charity of the Year in 2024. The charity's exhibition at the Scottish Parliament highlighted the transformative power of music for people living with [...]

Martin Whitfield MSP and Douglas Alexander MP have welcomed the launch of a new campaign to encourage the public to be more confident in situations where someone requires first aid. The ‘Taking the Fear Out of First Aid’ campaign has been launched by St Andrew’s First Aid (SAFA), Scotland’s leading first aid charity, after research revealed that fear - particularly of doing something wrong - remains the biggest barrier to bystander intervention in first aid. To address this, SAFA has launched its campaign, aimed at breaking down psychological barriers and encouraging wider engagement with first aid training. By raising awareness [...]

Martin Whitfield MSP is encouraging East Lothian residents to get involved in the Summer Solstice Coastal Sweep on the weekend of 21st and 22nd June. Organised by The Scottish Coastal Clean Up and Scottish Seabird Centre with East Lothian Council's Countryside Rangers Service and local community litter picking groups, the beach clean is aiming to cover 25 miles of coastline from North Berwick to Portobello in just one weekend. Martin Whitfield MSP said: "I'm looking forward to joining in with The Scottish Coastal Clean Up and Scottish Seabird Centre's Summer Solstice Coastal Sweep beach clean on the weekend of 21 [...]

The Mental Health Foundation's annual Mental Health Awareness Week is taking place from Monday 12th to Sunday 18th May. This year, the event is focussed on celebrating the power and importance of community. Martin is joining his parliamentary colleagues in helping to raise awareness about the role of community in our mental health. It's also important to be aware of how we interact in online communities, particularly for young people. 85% of young people in the UK who use online communities like X or TikTok every day. Nearly 7 in 10 have encountered harmful or disturbing content. Not enough is [...]