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Dear Constituent


This week I was pleased to see the return of the ever popular Winterfest celebration to George Square. Events run from 21st November until 3rd of January and include a whole host of free, fun family activities from festive film nights and skating to live music and carol singing. Check out the above link for information and Hogmanay tickets.

Townhead Christmas Lights!

Bailie Gordon Matheson has again secured funding for a community Christmas tree and festive lights in Townhead. Why not pop along on Wednesday 2nd of December at the Townhead shops from 5.30pm -6-30pm for the big switch on. Santa has promised to be there and there will be musical entertainment and carol singing .I look forward to seeing you there.

New Maternity Unit

On Monday I visited the new extended and refurbished Southern General Maternity Unit. This much needed facility will enable the Unit to become one of the two maternity hospitals serving the city, alongside the Princess Royal Maternity Hospital.

Among its world-class facilities is a brand-new foetal medicine department providing specialist diagnostic facilities and treatment to unborn babies from across Scotland. The hospital will also be a national centre for certain specialist services for newborn babies and provide state-of-the-art intensive care services.

Existing facilities have also be completely refurbished to provide modern, attractive accommodation for day care, assessment and early pregnancy advisory services. I hope this ambitious project will improve services for mothers and children across the city

Raising Awareness for Palestine

On Monday Evening I delighted to be invited to speak at a reception hosted by the Provost of Stirling to promote Stirling’s Shu’fat Partnership which is creating opportunities for people across the Stirling area to establish friendship links with people living in the Shu’fat Refugee Camp in Northern Jerusalem.

The Shu’fat Refugee Camp was established in 1965-1966. The last of all the large Palestinian refugee camps established in the West Bank, it was created to give shelter to Palestinian refugees who were living in overcrowded and insanitary conditions in the Old City, near the Western Wall.

It originally housed around 1500 refugees but today it is home to more than 23,000 people.

The camp is the only Palestinian refugee camp located inside the municipal borders of Jerusalem. It is bordered on the east by the Palestinian neighbourhood of Shu’fat Village, on the north by the neighbourhood of Pisgat Ze’ev, on the south by the French Hill neighbourhood, and by the planned E1 expansion.

Due to strict movement restrictions the people of the camp are cut off from the rest of the world and are surrounded by a 30-foot concrete security wall, effectively making them prisoners within their own community.

I firmly believe it essential to raise awareness of this issue and to push for a fair settlement for the Palestinian people.

Surgeries

My next Constituency Surgery will be held on Monday the 14th December at 5pm in the Partick Burgh Hall. Appointments preferable

I look forward to seeing you there.

Enjoy your weekend!


Pauline McNeill MSP
for Glasgow Kelvin

Updated 27th November 2009

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