Dave Thompson MSP

Mallaig and District Pool is to receive £30,000 in funding, which has been allocated to the pool to enhance its capacity to develop longer term sustainability and increase its wider community and social impact, as part of the legacy of funds given to a range of organisations, from the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games “Sustainable Sport for Communities Fund”.

It is pleasing that Mallaig and District Pool is to benefit from a package of funding, as part of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games Legacy, exemplifying that areas out with the central belt are gaining from the Glasgow 2014 spectacle.

I understand the award will help towards sustaining the future of the pool in Mallaig, which plays such a big role in the community and comes around the same time as news of the pool gaining a reprieve from being axed, which adds to its potential sustainability into the future.

It is welcome news that there has been progress for Lochaber Sports Association’s bid to bring an indoor training facility to Lochaber.

LSA are working with Highlife Highland and Highland Council to amend the Business Plan for presentation at the full Council meeting in March, and The Scottish Government and Highland Council, aided by SportScotland, have already pledged considerable funds towards the capital costs.

It is also something I have been working assiduously towards for 4 years now, as I have been a Patron of LSA for the same time, so as you can imagine, I am personally invested in the project, which I am glad is firmly on track.

I am confident that Highland Council will approve its support in March and that LSA will get the money to move forward with the project and in doing so, it will bring to fruition a much needed indoor training facility in Lochaber.

It is excellent news that work on a new state of the art hospital for Lochaber to replace the Belford should start within five years. NHS Highland have announced that they intend to make a start to the long-awaited replacement of Belford Hospital in Fort William around 2019/2020. This, of course, will be subject to adequate funding being sourced, however the intention is clear, and it is pleasing that this “Belford 2” has been included in the Scottish Government’s new Capital Programme. A site on the Blar Mor, which has good links to the Fort William Health Centre, is understood to remain the favoured location for the new hospital. I look forward to hearing more updates on the specific location and other variables related to the project, as we move ever closer to the hospital becoming a reality for the area.

As avid readers of the Westword will be aware, in December I initiated and distributed a survey to around 14,000 households in my constituency to canvas their views on the unfair 2p electricity surcharge currently applied to residents in the Highlands and Islands and whether they think electricity production and supply should be brought back into public ownership.

Since then the responses have been pilling in, with over 1700 received, and as the closing date for returning the survey has now passed (though returns still arrive), I am processing a report on the findings, which I will distribute shortly.

It was an honour to address the Deep Impact Conference recently in Aviemore, as over 300 youth workers from all over Scotland descended on the Highlands, for a massive youth work conference.

Deep Impact, Scotland’s National Youth Work training conference is run by the Evangelical Alliance and some of Scotland’s most respected Christian youth work agencies, which brought together a vast array of voluntary and paid workers.

I was privileged to get the chance to speak at the conference, which I used as an opportunity to argue that it is important for Christians to engage in politics, as well as thanking them for their invaluable contribution to society.

It was delightful to meet so many inspiring young folk who give up so much of their time to help others in our communities and to be able to highlight the invaluable contribution that church youth work contributes to society.

I would like to reiterate the plea that I gave during my speech at conference, which is that Christians should be encouraged to take up the challenge of politics by putting their head above the parapet and getting involved.

I welcome news of the opening of the new £5 million Crianlarich bypass, the near completion of the £10 million Pulpit Rock project on Loch Lomondside and the soon to be started widening to current Trunk specification on the section south of this to Tarbet, and that work at Glen Gloy is imminent following complex land negotiations to bypass the landslip section, and resurfacing will also soon begin at Spean Bridge.

This is in addition to the Government’s investment of over £57 million since 2007 to maintain the A82 and it highlights once again, that the Scottish Government is committed to making long-term improvements on the A82.