First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and her cabinet toured Alloa on Monday (2 March), dropping in on the Gate Foodbank before holding a private meeting at Forth Valley College.

The Scottish Government’s leading figures later fielded questions in a packed public Q&A at Alloa Ludgate Church in the evening.

Provost Tina Murphy introduced the First Minister to the room and presented her with a framed painting of Gartmorn Dam, Scotland’s oldest reservoir.

Ms Sturgeon said: “We’ve all had a wonderful day in Alloa and it is really appropriate to round off this day of visits and different events with an opportunity for all of you to put us on the spot and ask us some difficult questions.” The session lasted for around an hour and a half and a wide range of topics were covered including welfare cuts and the renewal of Trident.

Concluding, the First Minister said: “I think the really important thing about this election coming up is the opportunity it gives us to make Scotland’s voice heard really, really loudly.

“What happened in the referendum was that Westminster suddenly realised they couldn’t ignore us any more the way they have done for years, decades, generations.

“The danger in the Westminster elections is that if we go back to doing things the way we’ve always done them before, Westminster will just think it is business as usual and ignore us all over again.