Plans that could see the development of a National Park in Galloway, should be “grabbed with both hands” by the community, according to South Scotland MSP Colin Smyth.

The comments come after today’s conference organised by the Galloway National Park Association , where over 300 delegates gathered to hear the case of the a Galloway national park.

Commenting following the conference Colin Smyth said, “Support to get the Scottish Government to drop their opposition to new National Parks is growing all the time. The opportunity to put the case to Government for Galloway to be Scotland’s next National Park should be grabbed with both hands or we risk our region missing out once again. There is no one size fits all when it comes to how a National Park would work so we can tailor the plans to suit our area and overcome any concerns some people may have. But if we are serious about tackling the economic challenges facing our region, then we need to get behind the campaign for a Galloway National Park.”