MICHAEL HARKINS AND THE KICKSTART DIGITAL ENTREPRENEUR AWARD

Early day motion 430, tabled 11 September 2015 by Hannah Bardell (Scottish National Party). Signed by 16 members.

That this House congratulates Michael Harkins, a qualified and licensed swimming instructor, who runs one of the most successful swim schools in Scotland, for making it through to the final eight of a prestigious competition to win the KickStart Digital Entrepreneur Award, open to all staff and students at any Scottish university or Scottish research institution; commends the entrepreneurial efforts of Mr Harkins in developing the Turtle Pack, a flotation device; recognises that 40 per cent of children in the UK cannot swim and that drowning is the third highest cause of accidental death in Britain; notes that the Turtle Pack has been designed to revolutionise the Learn to Swim market through its unique components; further commends the key aims of the KickStart Digital Entrepreneur Award category to support early-stage ideas by providing enough funding to enable the project to create a prototype or to secure IP rights; and wishes Mr Harkins success at the Converge Challenge awards on 29 September 2015.

Signatures by party: Scottish National Party 15, DUP 1.