I’m Garreth Wood, a Local Recovery ambassador and, alongside my wife, I co-founded the children’s healthcare charity Kids Operating Room. I became an ambassador for Local Recovery because I strongly believe that people should be at the heart of decision-making in the areas they live in.

Before I founded the charity, I ran a hospitality business and I knew that my work was helping to bring people and communities together. Local businesses employ so many people across Scotland and are a vital part of our communities. But the pandemic has been an incredibly challenging time for everyone, including Scotland’s small businesses.

We can recover. I know we can. I also know that local communities need as much say as possible in how their future unfolds. We want to work with you and your neighbours to make sure that people and places thrive, and that public services and local businesses can get back to doing what they do best: supporting their local community.