Chamber and committees

That the Parliament marks the 80th Anniversary of the D-Day Normandy landings on 6 June 1944; recognises that D-Day was the beginning of a major offensive into German-occupied Europe, which eventually culminated in the fall of the Nazi regime less than a year later; considers that the daring and pioneering operation included airborne landings to secure key strategic positions across Normandy, which were followed, it understands, by the largest seaborne invasion in history, made up of troops predominately from the British Empire, the USA and Canada, across five beaches codenamed Gold, Juno, Omaha, Sword and Utah; understands that allied success was achieved through comprehensive planning, innovative deception and extensive training; acknowledges what it sees as the immense contribution of people from Scotland as part of this wider allied operation, and sends its gratitude to the few remaining veterans of the battle who experienced unimaginable physical and psychological trauma; notes the numerous contributions to the overall effort from within the Mid Scotland and Fife region, which included the thousands of Tayside and Fife personnel serving in the Black Watch regiments and the mock Atlantic Wall fortification at Sheriffmuir, which was used for rehearsing breaching tactics in advance of the amphibious assault on 6 June 1944, and sends its eternal gratitude to all of the people from Scotland who gave their lives during the battle and its subsequent operations, which proved to be the beginning of the end of the Nazi occupation of Europe.

That the Parliament commends the expansion of the Cyber and Fraud Centre Scotland to a new site in Aberdeen; notes that the Centre is already established in Edinburgh and Dundee and is Scotland's leading organisation for building resilience against cybercrime and fraud; recognises that its presence in Aberdeen will ensure extended coverage and support for organisations across Scotland; congratulates Alex Dowall on his appointment as Head of Fraud and Cyber at the Centre, and understands that he brings with him the experience of an extensive policing career, during which he developed expertise in organised crime, cyber investigations and digital forensics, and wishes the Centre every success in its work to develop cyber resilience and fraud prevention in Scotland.

That the Parliament recognises that 12 May 2024 is International Nurses’ Day; believes that, whatever their role, nurses make a remarkable difference to so many people in so many ways, and understands that Nurses' Day is about celebrating this contribution and thanking nursing staff working in health and social care across the country for all that they do; understands that the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is marking the day by highlighting the vital and varied roles that nurses play in delivering excellent care that saves and changes lives every day; further understands that the RCN believes that there needs to be a shift in how nursing is understood, recognised and valued, and that it is highlighting nursing as a highly skilled and safety-critical profession; acknowledges what it sees as the challenges and pressures that nursing staff are facing in health and care services across the country; welcomes the recent implementation of the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019, and believes that the work of the Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce presents a vital opportunity to ensure that nursing is an attractive career choice, improve retention and, ultimately, develop a sustainable nursing workforce for the future.

That the Parliament congratulates those involved in the The Death Cafe project, which sees a group of strangers meet up and discuss loss and bereavement with no agenda, objectives or themes; understands that a group in Glasgow is hoping to make opening up about bereavement less of a taboo and provide a safe space for those struggling with grief; further understands that Amelia Marron has been attending one such group at Finn's Place in the city's southside and believes that speaking to people who have also faced grief has helped her come to terms with the loss she experienced at a young age; notes that Glasgow currently has three Death Cafe's located across the city, including in Whiteinch Demistifying Centre, Finn's Place and Cambuslang Parish Church, which provide a safe place to have a conversation about death and hopes to make people less feel alone, and believes that it is normal to discuss death and grief.

That the Parliament congratulates the Strathcarron Singers choir on celebrating its 20th anniversary; understands that the choir was formed by Molly Parsons MBE in 2004, and has rapidly grown to include 45 members who each have their own personal ties to the Strathcarron Hospice; further understands that from the choir’s formation to date, it has raised approximately £170,000 for the hospice through various events, including concerts and busking in the community; notes that the choir will celebrate its anniversary with a concert in the Albert Halls, Stirling, on 12 May 2024 with guest performances, and wishes the choir, its musical director, Matthew Brown, and its accompanist, David Brown, all the best for their anniversary concert and for their fundraising efforts beyond.

That the Parliament congratulates 18-year-old Sadiq Shaik, who volunteered more than 200 hours to a first aid charity and has even performed CPR on a member of the public who was suffering a cardiac arrest; notes that the Glasgow teenager is currently studying to become a doctor at the University of Glasgow and has now been crowned the Amy Allan Young Volunteer of the Year 2024 at the Scottish First Aid Awards ceremony; understands that one of Sadiq's most notable achievements came last year, during a challenging incident involving a complex cardiac arrest case when he was just 17; further understands that, despite the intense circumstances, Sadiq's quick thinking and expert knowledge allowed him to perform CPR, buying crucial time for the arrival of emergency services; considers that his actions ultimately resulted in the individual being able to spend additional precious time with their family and loved ones; recognises that Sadiq was honoured to win the award from St Andrew’s First Aid, and hopes that his story will help encourage others to learn lifesaving skills.

That the Parliament congratulates the pupils and teachers of Balivanich School on the Isle of Benbecula for being awarded a sportscotland 2024-26 Gold School Sport Award; notes that the gold award is in recognition of the school’s achievement in putting sport at the heart of its planning, practice and ethos; understands that this is the third time that the school has received the gold award, having previously received the Gold School Sport Award in 2026-18 and 2018-21, and wishes Balivanich School continued success in promoting and improving the standards and accessibility of physical education and sport for children and young people.

That the Parliament congratulates Total Fitness Kilmarnock on taking part in and completing the Kiltwalk 2024; understands that owners, Chris McClymont and Craig Bryson, walked the 23-mile Mighty Stride from Glasgow Green to the bonny banks of Loch Lomond, along with 19 other personal trainers and gym members to raise funds for Revive MS; further understands that the gym has raised over £1,655, which will help people affected by multiple sclerosis in Scotland to have access to the specialist physical, mental and financial support services that Revive MS Support provides; recognises the hard work and effort of all the team at Total Fitness, and congratulates all involved.

That the Parliament congratulates Alison Houston for her 50 years of service as a telephone operator, turned engineer, in Glasgow; understands that Alison is “hanging up” after 50 years’ with the GPO, BT and, latterly, Openreach; understands that she began her career in 1974, following her night-operator dad into the business, then known as the General Post Office; acknowledges that the 68-year-old started her career in the city’s Pitt Street exchange, connecting local calls to operators around Scotland, then moved to International Enquiries and into clerical roles; understands that, when Alison began her career, there were places in the UK that she could not direct dial and most clerical workers and operators were female; notes that Alison switched to engineering more than 20 years ago; understands that Alison's career journey from operator to engineer sees her as Openreach’s longest serving female engineer in the UK, and the only person in its 3,400-strong Scottish workforce to achieve 50 years, and wishes her a happy retirement.