Born in 1946 and brought up in Cupar, Fife, I was educated at the local school - 
BRITISH WATERWAYS SCOTLAND'S MAJOR MASTERPLAN SITES WERE THE SUBJECT OF A SERIES OF MINISTERIAL VISITS DURING THE SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT'S SUMMER TOUR
Mr Stewart Stevenson MSP, Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change, spent an afternoon in Glasgow hearing about our partnership led plans to revitalise and regenerate the Clyde Corridor, a national regeneration priority for the Government.
This visit also provided us with the opportunity to reaffirm how our regeneration and development activity, in complement to our other activity, is tightly focused on supporting the Scottish Government’s five Strategic Objectives and local authority single outcome agreements.
Indeed, our regeneration and development activity is led, where possible, with local authority partners. In Glasgow, Gerry Gormal of Glasgow City Council and Gary Watt of ISIS, joined us in showing the Minister the vibrant and community-focused enhancements proposed with our award-winning masterplans for Speirs Locks and Maryhill Locks, which were recently recognised as ‘exemplary’ in the Scottish Government’s Scottish Sustainable Communities Initiative.
We also took the opportunity of outlining our aspirations for a footbridge linking communities in Maryhill. The proposed footbridge will be ‘held aloft’ by a landmark 30 metre Bigman sculpture by renowned local artist Andy Scott.
Following an earlier trip to Muirtown Wharf, Inverness, where we outlined our aspirations to create a bustling canal quarter linked to the heart of the city, Mr Stevenson also visited Fort William. Here, he travelled by boat to see the Telford House and new facilities at Gairlochy.
The Telford House is one of a small collection of historic properties, including the striking Bona Lighthouse near Fort Augustus, which we hope to refurbish and sustain as heritage holiday lets in the near future. Again, our welcome party here was well supported by partners including Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the Highland Council and VisitScotland.
Karen Adam is now the MSP for Banffshire and Buchan Coast
