Highland pastor's wife to stand in By-election

Sheila McLaughlan, wife of a Highland pentecostal pastor Paul McLaughlan, is hoping to stand in the forthcoming by-election for the Inverness West Ward. Originally from Sutherland, Sheila has lived in Inverness for 30 years where the couple pastor the Inverness Church of God. She stood as a Scottish Christian Party (SCP) candidate in Lothian in the 2007 Scottish elections.

Over the years Paul and Sheila have she brought up five children, many foster children, and have thirteen grandchildren.
Sheila has a lot of experience with troubled teenagers and she helps many of them with their court appearance. She has first-hand experience of the need in young people for role models and will work in the Highland Council to bridge the gap between children leaving care and developing independence and maturity which will benefit them and the whole Ward.

She is a prison counsellor and has been a welfare adviser with the police. She works with families of suicides, bereaved and divorcees. In 2000 Sheila was the manager of the Homeless Shelter in Waterloo Place. She would like to see more openness in the Council and a better use of public money. Sheila is a frequent guest speaker at various functions and to the citizens in her ward she says: