Shine on Scotland Campaign makes case to Scottish Government
The subject of vitamin D was on the agenda at the Scottish Government’s headquarters on Wednesday 22 September as Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon and Minister for Public Health Shona Robison both took the time to meet with Shine on Scotland campaigners.
14 year old Ryan McLaughlin was joined by his parents, Alan and Kirsten, Craig Wilkie from the MS Society Scotland, and Glasgow Anniesland MSP Bill Butler. The high profile campaign has already been tremendously successful since its launch earlier this year and the lodging of a petition at the Scottish Parliament in June.
The Scottish Government is taking a keen interest in the campaign and Nicola Sturgeon took the opportunity to praise Ryan for his efforts and the increased awareness around the issue of vitamin D that has resulted from the work done so far.
Nicola Sturgeon assured campaigners that they would be invited to play a key role in helping the Government draw up its own awareness campaign on the importance and benefits of vitamin D. Shona Robison also expressed great support for the campaigner’s idea of holding a vitamin D summit in Scotland. Shine on Scotland and the MS Society Scotland will now begin the task of organising a summit to attract international experts on the subject to present the latest evidence and research.
Commenting after the meeting, Ryan said:
“It was great to continue the campaign with this meeting and I’m delighted that both the Health Secretary and the Minister for Public Health took the time to meet us. We’ve achieved a lot so far but there is still a lot to do, especially before we go back to the Petitions Committee in November. I’d also like to thank Bill Butler for his continued support”.
Craig Wilkie, Policy Officer with the MS Society Scotland, commented:
“The Health Secretary said that the door was ajar for the campaign and we look forward to opening it further. The Ministers were very generous with their time and complimentary of the campaign’s achievements. The MS Society Scotland is delighted to be supporting Shine on Scotland and we will continue to work with them and the Scottish Government for the benefit of people affected by MS”.
Ryan was honored last week when Bill Kidd MSP visited him at the family home in Glasgow, Ryan chatted at length about the campaign and the benefits of vitamin D not only for Multiple sclerosis but other disease’s linked with vitamin D deficiency such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity that would all benefit from the introduction of the sunshine vitamin.