Wendy Alexander is joining forces with Breast Cancer Campaign in its award winning ‘wear it pink’ day on Friday 27 October as part of Breast Cancer Awareness month.

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Wendy Alexander has made a flying visit to Lochwinnoch to celebrate Feed the Birds Day. 

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Paisley North constituency

The constituency consists of Paisley North, Linwood and Renfrew.

Paisley is situated on the south side of the Clyde between the parliamentary seats of West Renfrewshire and the Glasgow seats of Govan and Pollock. It is currently Scotland’s fifth largest town and in the 19th Century had the third largest population in Scotland, ahead of Aberdeen and Dundee. Paisley North includes parts of Paisley, along with Renfrew, Linwood and Hillington.

Paisley has a proud tradition but in recent years has seen hard times. Linwood car plant was opened to great fanfare in 1963 by the Rootes Group to build the Hillman Imp and kept open with Labour Government support when it was threatened with closure in 1975. It was finally shut in 1981. While new jobs are being created in electronics, communications and the service sector, other jobs are being lost and in 2001 Rolls Royce announced they would make 400 job cuts at their Hillington factory. Glasgow Airport is located within the constituency and has dramatically expanded in recent years. The airport. like Edinburgh’s, has been restricted by the lack of a city centre-airport rail connection and the Scottish Executive has agreed to give support and funding to such a link.

Paisley North does not have many areas of affluence, and some of its poorer areas are amongst the most disadvantaged in Scotland. Ferguslie Park became a by-word in the 1980’s for a failing estate.

In 1983, Paisley was split into two seats - North and South - with North taking a slightly smaller part of the old Paisley seat. Paisley politics were then thrown into shock by the deaths within a month of both of the town’s MP’s, Allen Adams and Norman Buchan. The subsequent by-elections held on 29 November 1990 were marked by the resignation of Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister seven days before polling and the election of John Major. Both by-elections returned Labour MP’s with sharply reduced majorities; Irene Adams, widow of Allen, being returned in North with a majority of 3,770 over the SNP.

The 1999 Scottish Parliament elections saw Wendy Alexander, sister of Douglas Alexander MP for South, returned with a majority of 4,616. In the second Scottish Parliament contest in 2003, Alexander was returned with a majority of 4,310 over the Nationalists. In the regional vote, Labour won 37.3 per cent to the SNP’s 26.1 per cent, while the Scottish Socialists won 8.2 per cent and Greens 4.6 per cent.

Boundary changes for Westminster see the number of seats covering Paisley and Renfrewshire fall from three to two.

To view Wendy’s Annual report for 2005/06 please click on the link below

 annualreportwa.pdf

Wendy Alexander has issued an appeal to local residents, groups and organisations to support Scotland’s efforts to become a fair trade nation and help make poverty history.

Wendy issued the call after First Minister Jack McConnell announced this week that Scotland and Wales were joining forces in an effort to become Fair Trade nations.

There is real support and commitment in Renfrewshire for Fairtrade products. By buying Fairtrade products like tea, coffee, chocolate and fruit,  shoppers are making a real and lasting difference to extremely disadvantaged families and communities in some of the poorest countries.

Scotland and Wales’ commitment to achieving Fair Trade nation status is a remarkable commitment by government to making poverty history - but more than ever, we will need the dedication of Renfrewshire residents to support Fairtrade products and to encourage family, friends and neighbours to also get behind the efforts.

Wendy Alexander performed the ground breaking ceremony at the new school site in Ferguslie Park.

Speaking at the event Wendy said:

“This sod cutting marks the second phase of the massive investment package to be delivered to Renfrewshire schools. This state of the art school at Ferguslie will provide local children with a great environment to learn and reach their full potential. A brand new building creates a sense of excitement for everyone involved in the school community. This is great news for the next generation of children in the Ferguslie area.”

Wendy with Frances Curran MSP visiting Paisley Grammar School as part of the MSP’s in schools project. Wendy and Frances were questioned on issues ranging from lowering the voting age to alcohol and tobacco advertising. 

Paisley North MSP Wendy Alexander visited Paisley Grammar School as part of the MSP’s in schools programme run by the Scottish Parliament.

S2 pupils had the opportunity to question Wendy on issues such as lowering the voting age, antisocial behaviour, alcohol and tobacco advertising and Barshaw Park.

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Paisley politicians Wendy Alexander MSP and Cllr Terry Kelly visited Ferguslie Sports Centre to mark the launch of a brand new 6-a-side summer football league.

They met with organiser Stuart Mitchell of ‘Fivez’. Fivez runs community based leagues across Scotland with the aim to improve health of young adults and bring various communities together.

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