FM praises Callum’s bottle idea
Nicola Sturgeon has commended a seven-yearold schoolboy who became the youngest person ever to bring a petition before MSPs at Holyrood.
Callum Isted, from Livingston, wants to see the Scottish Government replace the disposable bottles of water given to primary school pupils with their lunches with a “sustainable, reusable, metal bottle”.
The First Minister described the idea as a “really laudable aim and ambition”.
Callum made his case when he spoke to MSPs on Holyrood’s Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee last week.
Committee convener Jackson Carlaw highlighted the youngster’s efforts ahead of the meeting as conveners from all the Scottish Parliament committees questioned Ms Sturgeon.
Mr Carlaw told the First Minister: “Next week the Parliament is going to welcome its youngest ever petitioner to the Parliament.”
He said Callum had set up a petition to “provide every primary school child in Scotland with a reusable water bottle”.
Speaking about the schoolboy, Mr Carlaw told the First Minister: “He has been very active in his own schools and is now looking in his petition to find a means by which this can rolled out to school children across all of Scotland. I’m sure he’d be delighted to hear you commend him on his initiative.”
Ms Sturgeon said: “I would commend Callum. Seven years old, the youngest petitioner ever. Well done to him.”
She later met with Callum to “learn more about his efforts to get a reusable water bottle to every young person”.