INVERCLYDE'S MP Martin McCluskey presented a Port Glasgow community hub with a treasured memento which marked the start of his career as a Member of Parliament. 

The senior Labour politician visited the team at Parklea Branching Out and gave manager Sharon Gemmell with his maiden speech. 

At his first speech in the House of Commons, Mr McCluskey praised the Port service which provides opportunities for people to develop skills through horticulture. 

(Image: George Munro) Martin said he was delighted to return to Parklea and find out more about the service's ongoing and forthcoming developments which include building an orchard, and setting up a community cafe.

Mr McCluskey said: "I said at the outset [when I became an MP] that I wanted to make sure we were shouting about the area and the great things people are doing here. 

"I was really struck when I came to Parklea earlier this year to see the amount of things that are being done. 

"The service has been here for 25 years and makes a really big contribution to the community. 

"I thought it was important to highlight that in my maiden speech. 

"A really important part of my job is to highlight the good work that's being done by shouting about all the good stuff that's being done in Inverclyde.

"I'm looking forward to seeing the next part of the Parklea journey."

Parklea manager Sharon Gemmell added: "It was great to see Martin again and to show him how far we've come over the last year. 

"It was quite emotional to hear him speaking about us in his maiden speech. 

"There's definitely an emotional tug when people remember us and we stay in their mind, and they recognise the good work that we're doing. 

"It's been great to meet up with Martin again and for him to learn more about our journey, and about the challenges that a very small organisation faces. 

"We're really excited about this new chapter."