Monday March 9th 2026
Gareth Kirk and Hamish Goldie-Scot
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
A political party which believes that “strong families make for a strong nation” has named its list candidates for the South of Scotland in the upcoming Scottish Parliament elections.
Gareth Kirk and Hamish Goldie-Scot have been named by the Scottish Family Party (SFP) as candidates for the poll on Thursday, May 7.
Gareth, who is deputy chairman of the SFP, is first on the list.
Born of Scottish heritage and raised in South Africa until the age of 28, he has spent the last 18 years building a life in Scotland.
Now settled in Biggar with his wife and two children, he has founded ventures like Trusted Character and Litter Logger, and knows the challenges associated with running a small business.
He said: “Experiencing first hand the practical challenges associated with bringing up young children in Scotland, and the tendency of government to encroach on, rather than support, the role of parents, I decided to do something about it, and not just accept the status quo. I believe in bringing the best of our diverse cultures and experiences together to build a better Scotland and protect the most vulnerable.
“I am willing to take a stand on issues such as the freedom of speech and safety in schools, while opposing the corruption of young minds in our schools. And then there is the sensitive issue of abortion. Who could be more vulnerable than an unborn child?
“We appreciate as a party that abortion is now widely accepted by much of society. We want to challenge that and start changing public opinion, not by pointing a finger of blame, but by shining a light on what is happening, and engaging in constructive dialogue about how to achieve better outcomes.”
Second on the list is Hamish, who was born and raised in Edinburgh, with family roots in Moniaive in Dumfries and Galloway, and strong childhood connections with Kippford and the Solway Yacht Club.
His first full-time job after university was as a secondary school teacher with VSO in Zambia, where he also set up a school form.
On his return to the UK in the late 1970s he joined international civil engineering consultancy Scott Wilson.
His career as a civil engineer, planner and anti-corruption specialist has entailed working in over 50 countries, being resident in six, and serving as a government official in three.
In the late 1990s he returned to Scotland with his wife and three young children, living in various parts of Berwickshire before settling in Abbey St Bathans near Duns, where he now runs his own international consultancy business while serving as a community councillor and resilience coordinator. His children went to school in Duns, and he now has six grandchildren.
He said: “As an engineer I am trained to solve problems, not just to complain about them. So when I heard about the Family Party a few years ago, I was naturally drawn to its focus on evidence of what works best for society in general, and children in particular, rather than on fashionable but untested ideology.
“My professional work entails helping diverse stakeholders from government, the private sector and civil society work together to better understand and address seemingly intractable problems related to the planning and delivery of public infrastructure.
“To my mind, this approach based on transparency and participation is exactly how the Scottish Family Party is, uniquely, seeking to fix the foundations of Scottish society.”
Gareth and Hamish can be contacted at https://South@scottishfamily.org.
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