A CHILD friendly hustings was held in the Wee County last week.

With the election period in full swing, a Meet the Candidates event was held in Alva on Friday, April 22 for parents and carers of pre-school youngsters.

It was organised by Women for Independence (WFI) Clackmannanshire and hosted by Alva Toddlers and Under 1s group.

Bryan Quinn, Rise, Craig Miller, Scottish Labour Party, Dave Dempsey, Scottish Conservatives, Dr Elisabeth Wilson, Scottish Liberal Democrats, Keith Brown, SNP and Kerstin Romano, Scottish Green Party, made up the panel.

Jenny Paterson, director of the National Autistic Society Scotland and a former chair of Alva Toddlers, chaired the event.

A spokesperson for WFI Clackmannanshire said: "The session was lively, but always good natured, and there were questions about everything from support for local services, to raising the pension age, to the costs of going to university.

"Some of the parents in the hall commented that this was the first time they had been able to be involved in the campaigning for this election."

During the hustings, everyone had the chance to hear what those standing for election had to say, while tots had all the usual toys, games and snacks.

Thanks is given to the candidates, parents, carers and children who engaged in the event.