THE chair of a charity encouraging men to speak out about their mental health was awarded a spot at the anniversary of the Scottish Parliament.

Kenny Quinn, chair of the Forth Valley Men’s Shed, was chosen as a local hero by Alexander Stewart, Tory MSP for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane.

Kenny was chosen to go along to the Scottish Parliament’s 25th anniversary event alongside his wife Linda and Mr Stewart to rub shoulders with royalty.

Speaking to the Advertiser, Kenny looked back on a fantastic day out celebrating a quarter of a century since Holyrood opened.

He said: “My wife and I were invited up and we were presented to the King and Queen for a handshake.

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“The day was fantastic, they treated us well and it was fabulous. They prepared something to eat for us.

“We had a lovely day and we were well looked after, it made us feel special. Camilla spent time talking to me and she was really nice and asked us about the Men’s Shed.”

Alexander Stewart has been a very vocal supporter of the Men’s Sheds, first meeting the FVMS in 2023.

The MSP has been a staunch campaigner of funding being allocated to the sheds, after the sector was on the receiving end of cuts.

Mr Stewart added: “While I would have loved to have invited the entire Forth Valley Men’s Shed, this sadly wouldn’t have been possible.

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“However, there was no hesitation in my mind to invite Kenny as the head of this wonderful, local organisation which has done so much for the wellbeing of men in our community.

“I shall always be extremely grateful to everyone in our Men’s Shed who made me feel so welcome, it was a privilege to have met them all.

“We had a truly wonderful time on the day and it was even more special that Kenny and Linda were able to share the day with us.”