Exclusive:New Edinburgh MSP hopes to be a voice for families with sick children in Holyrood
We sat down with the new Edinburgh Northern MSP Sanne Dijkstra-Downie to learn more about her and what she wants to achieve in parliament
One of Edinburgh’s newest MSPs says she wants to be a voice for parents of seriously ill children after her own experience.
The Scottish Lib Dems enjoyed great successes at the Scottish Parliament election, bringing in seven new MSPs.
One of these new MSPs is Sanne Dijkstra-Downie, who has been elected as the MSP for Edinburgh Northern.
She is a mother of two, and wants to ensure that children who are seriously ill are able to get access to education after her own experience with her daughter.
Speaking to The Scotsman, she said: “Education is important to me, both as a parent and as someone who worked in higher education for a long time.
“One of my children was unwell and was diagnosed with a serious illness and had to get treatment at Edinburgh Sick Kids for a year.”
During that year, her daughter had tutors visiting her on an almost daily basis to make sure she did not fall behind at school.
Ms Dijkstra-Downie said: “I want to do what I can to support parents going through something similar to what we went through, and I want those education services protected.
“It is a service the council provides for kids who have to stay in hospital for a long time and end up missing a lot of school.
“Some sick kids can still go to school, but having that regular access to education is such an important service, making sure someone is sitting with her and doing her maths and her reading.
“As a parent there is a lot going on, especially when you have another child, so having that continuity in education was incredibly helpful.
“But that is not a statutory service - it is up to councils to provide that and there are always discussions around funding, so making people aware of that service is important.
“But I bring that own life perspective into the parliament and that is really powerful. I want to help make it easier for people going through a similar thing, because it makes you realise how precious and fragile things are.”
Ms Dijkstra-Downie, who is originally from The Netherlands and was sworn into the parliament in Dutch, previously worked as a fundraiser for climate science at Edinburgh University and since 2022 has been an Edinburgh councillor for the Forth ward.
She joined the Lib Dems back in 2003 after being inspired by Charles Kennedy’s stance on the Iraq war, and has been campaigning for the party ever since.
Ms Dijkstra-Downie has been appointed as the party’s spokeswoman for climate, environment and energy, and is hoping her previous work with climate scientists and her love of cycling will stand her in good stead.
She said: “I’m delighted because for the past four years as a councillor I’ve been working on low carbon heating systems and other really practical ways to transition.
“We also have an amazing path network in north Edinburgh and I’ve done work to make them safer so that you can walk and cycle right across the constituency. I really want to protect that.
“I want to look after the environment in a sensible way because that doesn’t just sit with one party, it cuts across all parties.”
First on her to-do list, however, is meeting all the different communities in her constituency.
She added: “We have a coastline, parks, green spaces and a diverse urban community within that small space, each with their own identities.
“I’m getting to grips with all the different communities and my priority over the summer is getting out on my bike to meet as many of them as I can.”
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