Tag: First Minister

First Minister is guest of honour at the Tattoo

First Minister Nicola  Sturgeon was the guest of honour at The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo last night. Ms Sturgeon participated in the opening ceremony with a traditional Gaelic Toast taken with the evening’s Lone Piper, Cpl Joey Davies from The Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland. Continue reading First Minister is guest of honour at the Tattoo

Charlotte is First Mentee

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced the winner of the ‘First Mentor’ competition yesterday – Charlotte Liddell of Buckhaven in Fife. Launched on International Women’s Day in March, the initiative will see the successful applicant mentored by the First Minister for a period of one year – and it is designed to highlight the importance of women in leadership roles mentoring young women. Continue reading Charlotte is First Mentee

First Minister to become ‘First Mentor’!

Young Scot competition offers chance of a lifetime for young women

Aspiring young women aged between 18 and 23 will have the chance to be mentored by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. The competition, run by Young Scot, will see the successful candidate receive mentoring from the First Minister over a one year period.

The First Minister yesterday called on women in leadership roles to follow her example and become mentors, helping to create a generation of future leaders and greater gender balance in their organisations.

Speaking at the diversity on private sector boards joint partnership event with Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Scottish Enterprise and the Scottish Government in Edinburgh, the FM said:

“Equality for women is at the heart of the Scottish Government’s vision for an equal Scotland. My ambition for all our young people is that they will have a fair chance to succeed, and if they work hard and have the ability, there’s nothing to stop them realising their dreams. It is not acceptable in 2017 for women to be under-represented in senior positions, including in the boardroom.

“That is why our Programme for Government contains ambitious commitments in support of women’s equality, including legislating for gender balance on public sector boards, creating a new Advisory Council on Women and Girls and piloting a Returners Project.

“One of my first actions on becoming First Minister was to appoint a gender-balanced cabinet. Since then, through initiatives such as 50/50 by 2020 and the Scottish Business Pledge, more than 300 businesses in Scotland have committed to achieve gender equality on their boards – and for the first time ever more than half of public sector board appointees are women.

“As well as this, I’m determined to play my personal part by becoming a mentor and I would urge other women in leadership roles to do the same. Together, we can be female role models for the next generation and encourage and empower young women to discover their own leadership potential.”

Louise Macdonald, Chief Executive of Young Scot said: “Supporting young people in realising their career potential and meeting their ambitions is the responsibility of every leader in Scotland. Mentoring is a powerful way of helping young people achieve their goals and will help to create a new generation of positive role models to inspire other young women in the future.

“We’re delighted to support the First Minister and the Scottish Government with this new mentoring programme and we are encouraging as many young women from across Scotland as possible to apply for this amazing opportunity.”

Details of the initiative will be announced soon.

 

 

 

Port of Leith Housing Association welcomes First Minister

Tenants of Port of Leith Housing Association’s (PoLHA) Jameson Place development welcomed a special guest on Monday when First Minister Nicola Sturgeon paid a visit to the Generations Project for their Christmas festivities. Continue reading Port of Leith Housing Association welcomes First Minister

FM Christmas cards raise nearly £170,000

Katie Morag original illustration fetches £1,000 for good causes

christmas-card

Mairi Hedderwick’s original artwork for last year’s First Minister’s Christmas Card, based on her hugely successful Katie Morag books, went under the hammer at a special auction yesterday.

The artwork was commissioned by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and proceeds of the auction will be split between four charities – Children’s 1st, Enable Scotland, Books Abroad and the Scottish Refugee Council.

The watercolour, showing Katie Morag greeting children at Bute House, the First Minister’s official residence, was auctioned off for £1,000 by TV antiques expert Anita Manning at Great Western Auctions in Glasgow.

Since 2007, artwork from the First Minister’s official Christmas cards has raised nearly £170,000 for good causes through sales of the original paintings and limited edition prints.

Speaking after the auction, the First Minister said: “I was delighted that Mairi Hedderwick was able to create such a wonderful illustration for last year’s Christmas card.

“Katie Morag’s adventures accompanied by Mairi’s beautiful illustrations are adored by both children and adults right across the world.

“Christmas is a time for spending time with those we love, but it is also a time for thinking about those less fortunate than ourselves.

“There is no doubt that Scotland is a caring and compassionate country and First Ministers’ Christmas cards aim to publicise and support charity projects which do so much in our communities. Mairi generously donated her time and talent to the Christmas card initiative and she should be extremely proud of helping to support these fantastic good causes.”

Background

  • 2007: John Lowrie Morrison “Snow Falls on Linlithgow”, Who Cares Scotland 2008: John Bellany “The Homecoming”, Aberdeen Cyrenians, Islamic Relief, SCIAF, RNLI
  • •2009: Gerard Burns “A New Journey”, CLIC Sergeant, Glasgow the Caring City, JACK Foundation, Mary’s Meals
  • •2010: Jack Vettriano “Lets Twist Again”, Charities: Bethany Christian Trust, Maggies Cancer Caring Centres, Quarriers, Teenage Cancer Trust
  • •2011: Alasdair Gray, “Bella Caledonia”, Charities: CHAS, SCIAF, Glenachiulish Preservation Trust, Save Small Tribes Trust
  • •2012: Elizabeth Blackadder, “Flowers” Charities: Sick Kids Friends Fund, Dyslexia Scotland, Breakthrough breast Cancer, Scottish Steelworkers Memorial Fund
  • •2013: Peter Howson, “Artaban” Charities: SCIAF, CHAS, Combat Stress and CLIC Sargent
  • 2014: Phyllis Dodd Design: from the McKenna Christmas Card collection, The Glasgow School of Art Archives and Collections, Charities: The Mackintosh Appeal, The Catherine McEwan Foundation, Yorkhill Children’s Charity, Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance and Legion Scotland
  • 2015: Mairi Hedderwick, “Katie Morag”, Charities: Enable Scotland, Children’s 1st, Books Abroad and the Scottish Refugee Council

Continue reading FM Christmas cards raise nearly £170,000

First Minister: Scotland has no place for hate and racism

‘Scotland is an open and welcoming country and that prejudice, hate and racism will not be tolerated, now or at any time.’

‘We chose to be an open, inclusive and outward-looking society where other EU citizens are welcome to live, work and contribute’ – 

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon

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The Scottish Government’s overriding priority is to protect Scotland’s relationship with, and place in, the EU, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told Holyrood yesterday. Continue reading First Minister: Scotland has no place for hate and racism