website parliament constituency_mp party birth_date term_start image article_title name
-lsb- https://jeanurquharthighlandsandislandsmsp.wordpress.com jean uquhart 's blog -rsb- scottish member -lrb- 1 of 7 regional msps -rrb- of the scottish parliament for highlands and islands independent scottish national party -lrb- until 2012 -rrb- 17 may 1949 6 may 2011 jeanurquhartmsp20110510.jpg jean urquhart
 jean urquhart
jean urquhart

jean urquhart -lrb- born 17 may 1949 -rrb- is an independent member of the scottish parliament , elected in 2011 for the highlands and islands .
in 2003 she became a scottish national party councillor at the highland council , having been elected for the lochbroom ward .
in 2007 she was returned as councillor for wester ross , strathpeffer and lochalsh .
she was then named as vice-convener to lead an independent / snp administration .
in 2009 the steering group of the uk 's first ever housing fair appointed her as its chair when this event was held near inveness .
in the 2011 scottish parliament election she was elected from the regional list , becoming a snp member of the scottish parliament for the highlands and islands .
she was a member of the scottish national party until october 2012 , when she resigned from the party over the change to the party 's nato policy .
she is owner of `` the ceilidh place '' , a hotel in ullapool which was named venue of the year at the scots trad awards in december 2014 for its championing of scottish culture all year round .
she was married to robert urquhart , a well-known scottish actor in british film , stage and television , who died in 1995 .
she had been awarded a mbe in 1990 for services to the arts and the community , however in 2015 it was reported that she had decided to hand back the honour , explaining that the awards system did not recognise the efforts of the many other people that had been involved .
in 2000 she took a scottish studies course at newbattle abbey college .
she received an honorary fellowship from the university of the highlands and islands in 2006 .
