New funding for early years MSPs sworn in at Holyrood

Four new faces will represent Edinburgh and Lothians

FROEBEL TRUST has awarded £500,000 funding, (half of funds available for the UK) to Cowgate Under 5s to increase understanding of a specific approach to early years education.

Dr Sacha Powell, Chief Executive, Froebel Trust said: “This funding will give more young children and their families the opportunity to access a Froebelian approach to early education – with plenty of outdoor play, creativity, learning through nature - and the myriad of benefits to learning a Froebelian education can bring.”

The Froebelian Futures team will be led by Dr Lynn McNair of University of Edinburgh and Lian Higgins at Cowgate. The team will collaborate with Scottish councils and colleagues in the Czech Republic and Greece.

Cowgate Under 5s Centre is a Froebelinfluenced, City of Edinburgh Council day nursery where children play freely in and outdoors.

Dr Lynn McNair said: “It feels more necessary now than ever to drive forward child-centred practices. We’re particularly interested in the entanglement and complexity of children’s lives, believing that diversity matters.”

LORNA SLATER MSP SCOTTISH GREENS

Lorna was born in Canada and is co-leader of the Scottish Greens alongside

Patrick Harvie. She trained as an engineer and has worked in the renewables sector.

A fierce environmentalist,

Lorna travelled to Antarctica as part of a three women team on the Homeward Bound trip to study the effects of climate change.

She became interested in politics in 2014 during the run up to the Independence referendum and has campaigned in favour of independence. She spends her spare time honing her skills as an aerialist. Lorna arrived in Glasgow initially on a one way ticket from Calgary, and has never left.

SUE WEBBER MSP SCOTTISH CONSERVATIVES

Sue is an Edinburgh councillor for the Pentland Hills Ward, and has confirmed that she will retain both jobs until the council

Students waiting electiontossiene2th0e2D2u.kAes the transport spokesperson for the Conservative group at the City Chambers she is well used to defending the people who live in her own ward and elsewhere in Edinburgh. She is very critical of the Spaces for People measures which the council has introduced as a temporary response to Covid-19. At the same time she is also critical of the government settlement for local authorities, and campaigns for fairer funding for Edinburgh. She also runs her own business providing services and medical supplies to the NHS. It was the independence referendum in 2014 which began her political career as part of Better Together.

ANGUS ROBERTSON MSP SNP

Angus is well-known to most Scots as he was previously the Deputy leader of the SNP at Westminster. He was elected at the same time as Scottish Conservative leader, Douglas Ross, who is now an MSP on the Highland list, as well as being MP for Moray. It was Ross who took the Moray seat from Angus Robertson in 2017. Since then Angus established a think tank called Progress Scotland and was writing a book about Austria between elected positions. He lived and worked as a journalist in Vienna for the BBC World Service. Although coy about his plans now that he is at Holyrood, he has to be a top tip as successor to Nicola Sturgeon in due course. He was appointed to the new Cabinet as Minister for the Constitution. He criticised his predecessor,

Ruth Davidson, saying that she was a part-time constituency representative.

FOYSOL CHOUDHURY MBE MSP SCOTTISH LABOUR

Foysol was born in Bangladesh and is Chairman of the Edinburgh and Lothian Regional Equality Council (ELREC) alongside human rights activist Sir Geoff Palmer. He is an entrepreneur and took over his father’s business turning it into a success. He has interests in many areas such as catering and property. As founder of the Edinburgh Mela, he is a lifelong activist and politician, and is now the first MSP of Bangladeshi origin to be elected to Holyrood. He has been waiting for a long time to become a politician, standing at several elections, and it will be interesting to see what he can achieve.