Visit: East Ayrshire Central Catering Unit

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I was pleased to get the opportunity to visit East Ayrshire Central Catering Unit earlier today and was very impressed by the way the premises have been designed and the operational capacity.

This new central unit will provide meals to children in early learning and childcare settings with the provision of healthy food from local suppliers sourcing fresh local produce. It is great to hear and see sustainability working in practice.

My thanks to Mark Hunter (Strategic Lead Food and Facilities Support ) for showing me around and filling me in on future plans.

Small Business Saturday

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As part of this annual campaign, this time, I opted to highlight businesses in and around John Finnie Street.

At times, too many of us pass through John Finnie Street in our cars on the one-way system rather than shopping on foot. There is a raft of businesses on what was built as a prestigious Victorian Street.

I got a whole range of butcher meat at Faulds' The Butcher, including their award-winning black pudding. I popped into George Tannahill’s to look for furniture and then Sinforiani Bros in West George Street.

The latter shop always has a fine array of whisky, gin and wine. There are also books to browse and a range of Italian produce - I always come out with more purchases than intended!

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Statement: Ian Blackford

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The SNP Group Leader at Westminster has decided he was stepping aside from that position. I pay tribute to the work Ian has undertaken in that time.

He has faced four Tory Prime Ministers in that time and two Labour Leaders. He regularly challenged the UK Government and remained firm on the problems with Brexit, while the Labour Party has moved to mimic the Tories on Brexit for fear of upsetting voters.

All polling evidence points to people thinking that Brexit was a mistake and that there is support for re-joining the single market. So, wholesale changes that will improve the economy will actually be supported by the wider electorate.

The issue is that Labour and the Tories obsessively focus on appealing to the swing voters in the former “red wall” seats. It is an incoherent way to form a strategy and I am so grateful the SNP has had strong leadership over this period.

I know our new Westminster Group Leader will continue from where Ian left off.

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Visit: The Book Nook

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On Friday it was a great honour to officially open the new, bigger premises for the Book Nook in Stewarton. Research shows that bookshops add value to the high street they are located in due to the footfall created.

It is also impressive that our one local independent bookshop is located in Stewarton rather than Kilmarnock. Sarah Frame, who operates it, won “Family Business of the Year” earlier in 2022 and that is a fantastic accolade.

At the opening, it became very clear to me that “customers” were not just customers but friends as well - this is always the sign of a good, local business. I always think this is one great aspect of the area we live in - we still have many small independent shops and businesses, they are something to cherish and support.

Press Release: Food Waste

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Alan Brown MP: Deliver 100 million meals to those worst affected by the cost of living crisis 

The representative for Kilmarnock and Loudoun has written to the Prime Minister, calling on the Government to redirect surplus food to those worst affected by the cost of living crisis.

Westminster could deliver 100 million meals worth of food that is currently going to waste on farms and fields in the UK directly to communities and people that are struggling.

Food prices are rising faster than at any time during the last 14 years and 13.7 million people across the UK are food insecure, a figure that has more than doubled since the start of the pandemic. 

Yet recent figures show that 2.9 million tonnes of good-to-eat food go to waste every year on our farms and in our factories.

Funding that previously supported surplus food redistribution has been axed and calls to renew it have been rejected. Mr Brown is supporting FareShare, the UK’s largest food redistribution charity, in calling for this funding to be reinstated.

The charity has joined 57 MPs from across the house in signing a letter that was handed into Downing Street this week. The letter is part of FareShare’s Cost of Living Crisis Appeal, which asks the government to invest £25 million a year in surplus food redistribution, which would make it cost-neutral for farmers to pick, package and transport their unsold surplus food to charity, rather than wasting it.

Commenting, Alan Brown MP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun said:

“No one wants to see good food go to waste, especially at a time when demand is so high. Voluntary organisations locally are under a significant amount of pressure at the moment, and are seeing an unprecedented level of demand for their services.

“For a comparatively small amount of money, supporting food redistribution from farms would have a significant impact, with 100 million meals going to those who need it. Good food should be used to feed people rather than being wasted.”

Lindsay Boswell, CEO of FareShare, added:

“In Kilmarnock and Loudoun last year, FareShare redistributed the equivalent of 273,300 meals via 15 local organisations. As a result of the cost of living crisis we have seen demand skyrocket, and we don’t have enough food to meet this demand. That’s why we launched the Cost of Living Crisis Appeal, so we can get more food to the communities that need it.

“As a charity, we rely on the generosity of our partners in the food industry, fundraisers, and volunteers, but we also need the government to act immediately. At a time of so much need, it is wrong there is so much waste. I’m incredibly grateful to Alan for helping us raise this issue at the centre of government.”