David Stewart MSP, Labour, who co-chairs the Scottish Parliament’s Diabetes Cross Party Group has welcomed a £2million funding package to help outdoor education centres survive the coronavirus pandemic.

David Stewart, who twice represented Scotland as a diabetes champion, has been supporting the Scottish Adventure Activity Forum’s #SaveYourOutdoorCentres campaign as well as making funding representation to the Scottish Government and local authorities on behalf of several outdoor education centres.

David Stewart said:

“It’s crucially important that young people have an active lifestyle because we have got a horrendous rate of Type 2 diabetes.

“Scotland has got a healthcare epidemic and it particularly it affects children in disadvantaged areas, we are seen as the sick man in Europe title and outdoor education plays a great role in fighting against this.

“I applaud everyone who joined the campaign, the enormity of this work kept enough pressure on the Scottish Government until it eventually buckled and agreed to give out the cash.

“It’s extremely welcome but a long-term strategy is still urgently needed and this £2 million is £1 million short of the £3 million the sector said it needed so I am firmly backing ongoing efforts for more support.”