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Important Date for 'Local Hero'

Stranraer woman Penny Halliday has a very important date a week on Saturday.

For she will be Galloway MSP and Scottish Parliament Presiding Officer Alex Fergusson’s nominated ‘local hero’ in the royal procession to mark the parliament’s opening day.

It will not be a long trip for Penny — she will have to travel just a couple of miles from the Western Infirmary in Edinburgh where she will be receiving radiotherapy treatment for breast cancer.

Penny, who lives at 2 Sunnyside, Stoneykirk, was preparing to leave for Edinburgh when she spoke to the Free Press about the nomination.

“I am absolutely delighted”, she said. “It really cheered me up with Alex phoned to see if I would do it because I was a wee bit down”.

Each MSP has been asked to nominate a ‘local hero’ to take part in the procession to mark the official opening of the third session of Parliament on 30th June when Mr Fergusson will be escorting the Queen during the ceremony.

He said: “I am delighted that my local hero is a lady I greatly admire from Wigtownshire who established a local helpline, You Are Not Alone”.