Hugh Henry MSP for Renfrewshire South: A sporting hat-trick

13 Feb 2016

A sporting hat-trick

I was delighted to hear that sports fans in Barrhead, Neilston and other areas in East Renfrewshire will benefit from a cash boost of more than a million pounds from sportscotland . Our local kids will reap the benefits as the money will be used to encourage them to get active. East Renfrewshire Culture and Leisure Trust hope to get more youngsters to enjoy sport through their Active Schools programme as well as developing and supporting more Community Sport Hubs. They also plan to encourage more people to volunteer as sports coaches, an official, or to help run sports clubs and we know what an important role these people who give up their own time play in a child’s life. The Trust is doing a great job with loads of new developments like disability swimming lessons, a new gymnastics programme, more sports classes and I believe membership of the hubs is rising. We all know the benefits of staying active so this is a winner as far as I’m concerned.

About Hugh

Hugh Henry is a Scottish Labour politician first elected a Member of the Scottish Parliament in1999 when he represented Paisley South. He was appointed Deputy Minister for Health and Community in 2001and moved to Deputy Minister for Social Justice in 2002. He became Deputy Minister for Justice after the Scottish Parliamentary Elections in 2003 and Minister for Education in 2006. Hugh collected the Scottish Politician of the Year award in 2010 and won the newly created Renfrewshire South seat in 2011. He was raised in Erskine, Renfrewshire and educated at St Mirin's Academy, Paisley, at the University of Glasgow and Jordanhill College in Glasgow. He has worked as an accountant, a teacher and as a welfare rights officer. He was a local councillor from 1984 until 1999, including four years as leader of Renfrewshire Council. He is married with two daughters and a son.