Mark Smith

Jul 18, 2024 | thetimes.com | Mark Smith |Jessica Sharkey

Lesley Christie is having her lunch break on a bench emblazoned with the phrase “I love Clarkston” when I tell her that the council, East Renfrewshire, has been named the best in Scotland. Her facial expression changes, suggesting her love of the local authority may not be strong. “It’s a nice place to live,” she says. “But I don’t have faith in councils.”Further up the street it’s a different story.

Jun 19, 2024 | deeside.com | Mark Smith

Chester Zoo has accused a local councillor of disrupting a national event it was hosting amid claims he also heckled a government minister. The zoo hosted the Big Nature & Climate Debate on Monday (June 17), with 15 of the country’s other major environmental organisations and national representatives of the main political parties all in attendence. With more than 150 people also in the audience, the hustings-style event was  filmed by Channel 4 and streamed by the Wildlife Trust.

May 17, 2024 | holyrood.com | Mark Smith

It wasn’t easy for Mairead Wilson before the trains came. Getting home to her parents in Ayrshire, or going up to Glasgow to see her boyfriend, or trying to have a night out in Edinburgh, was a nightmare of slow, unreliable buses on long, windy roads. “It was so bad,” she says. “Awful.” Then, in 2015, things changed. The Borders railway reopened and a journey from Galashiels to Edinburgh that by bus took an hour and 35 minutes (on a good day) was cut to under an hour by train.

Nov 13, 2023 | northwichguardian.co.uk | Mark Smith

A Northwich councillor has been chosen to fight the new Mid Cheshire seat for Labour at the next election. Andrew Cooper, who represents Leftwich on Cheshire West and Chester Council and is also a Northwich town councillor, will stand as the party's candidate in the new parliamentary constituency. It follows a hustings and vote of local Labour Party members on Saturday, with Cllr Cooper winning a majority of votes cast.

Nov 5, 2023 | sensiseeds.com | Mark Smith

Around a decade ago, Alan began his journey with cannabis in Laos, talking to officials about the plant and its many uses. Cannabis has been an essential medicinal herb in Buddhist traditional medicine, and one of his most unforgettable experiences was meeting with a two-star general at the Ministry of Defence. How Alan Dronkers became a cannabis educatorWe were honoured to speak with Alan about the developments within the cannabis industry and conducted this interview from Amsterdam.