Andrew Baxter MSP has agreed to become a trustee of the Puffin Hydrotherapy Pool in Dingwall after meeting the charity during a day spent speaking with farmers, community organisations and local people at the Black Isle Show.
The MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch attended the show on Thursday 6 August, where his visit included discussions with NFU Scotland about the pressures currently facing farmers and crofters across the Highlands.
As Deputy Convener of the Scottish Parliament’s Rural Affairs Committee, Baxter said meeting those working directly in agriculture provided an important opportunity to hear about the challenges affecting rural communities.
The Black Isle Show also brought him together with representatives from the Puffin Hydrotherapy Pool, which provides hydrotherapy and rehabilitation services for adults and children from across the Highlands.
The Dingwall charity is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, and following the meeting Baxter agreed to join its board of trustees and support its work as it looks towards the future.
Andrew Baxter said:
“It was a real pleasure to spend the day at the Black Isle Show and meet so many people from across the area.
“The show is a brilliant opportunity to get out and speak to people face-to-face, and I particularly enjoyed catching up with the NFU and hearing directly from farmers about the pressures they are facing.
“Agriculture is absolutely vital to the Highlands.
“Our farmers and crofters do so much to support our rural communities and our wider economy, and it is important that their voices are heard in Holyrood.
“I was also delighted to meet the team behind the Puffin Pool in Dingwall.
“It is a fantastic facility which provides a really important service to people across the Highlands, and I was very pleased to agree to become a trustee.
“This is a particularly special year for the Pool as it celebrates its 30th anniversary.
“I am looking forward to working with the trustees, staff and volunteers and doing what I can to support the Pool as it looks to the next 30 years.
“Later in the day I was joined by Alex Cole-Hamilton, and we had a great time having a look around the show together.
“We got the chance to meet plenty of people, see some of the livestock and enjoy everything that makes the Black Isle Show such a great and special event.
“Events like this are a big part of what makes our rural communities special.
“They bring together farmers, businesses, families and community organisations and give people the chance to come together.
“It was a really enjoyable day, and I look forward to continuing to get out and about, listening to people and making sure their concerns are being heard at Holyrood.”
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton joined Baxter later in the day as the pair toured the show, met visitors and took in the livestock and attractions.
For the Puffin Pool, Baxter’s decision to become a trustee comes during an important anniversary year for a Highland charity that has now spent three decades providing its specialist facilities to people across the region.
