Meet Mhairi It’s great to catch up with groups

While Parliament is in recess for the summer it gives me the opportunity to spend more time around Paisley, Johnstone and the surrounding villages in the constituency.

It also gives me the opportunity to meet with a lot more local groups, charities and organisations to hear about the essential work they do for people around Renfrewshire.

Last week, I had the opportunity to meet with a variety of groups.

I had the pleasure of going along to visit the Prince’s Trust to meet with Young Ambassadors and hear about the fantastic work the Trust does.

I also met with Blue Triangle and heard from some of the service users about the vital support they provide to people in the constituency.

As well as this, I was pleased to welcome Carolyn from SAMH to my constituency office and assure her of my continued support for those who help people with mental health conditions.

Another meeting I had was with the Chief Executive of Colleges Scotland who brought to my attention the struggle that students are faced with when transitioning from being unemployed to starting studying at college.

All of these organisations mentioned the hardships their clients face with current benefits policies, particularly the six- week wait for Universal Credit after they make a claim.