Teenage pregnancy rates in the UK have halved in the past eight years, but are still among the highest in Europe. New government guidelines are being released to help councils reduce the numbers further.

Shannon was 14 and her boyfriend Ethan 17 when she became pregnant with their son, Harvey, who is now two.

"Being a parent is one of the loneliest places I've been. You lose a lot of your friends, they don't want to focus on this little baby," she says.

"You don't want people to see that you're struggling and get the impression that you're a bad mum because you're struggling. It's one of those things you keep in."

Image source, bbc

Tory MSP Annie Wells says thanks to the momentum of Jo Cox, momentum is building in tackling loneliness.

Ms Wells welcomes Ms Freeman's positive reaction to the appointment of a UK minister of loneliness.

The Conservative MSP says she is pleased that the draft strategy picks up on the importance of grass roots activity.

She calls on old people to be treated as assets to the community.

Public transport is vital to ensuring people can remain socially active, says the minister, who adds that the government's forthcoming transport bill will help deal with this.

Investment in digital infrastructure will also allow people to connect beyond their local communities, she says.

Ms Freeman says the draft strategy highlights the role of communities in eliminating social isolation, while the government's role is enabling community initiatives to flourish.

She commends initiatives such as Men's Shed, which seeks to tackle loneliness among men in particular.

The minister poses four questions that must be considered:

• What needs to change in communities to increase social connections?
• Who can play their part?
• What does government need to do to create the conditions for positive change?
• What part can individuals play?

The Scottish government must "lead by example", because building a connected Scotland is beneficial to all, the minister concludes.

Isolation increases the risk of mortality increases by 10%, is linked to obesity and smoking, and can lead to depression, Ms Freeman says.

17% of men and 15% of women on deprived areas report frequent loneliness, she adds.

She says the most at risk on isolation and loneliness include carers, people in poverty, those in minority ethnic communities and older people.

Image source, Scottish government

A Connected Scotland: Tackling social isolation and loneliness andbuilding stronger social connections, external

The Courier reported that ministers are calling on Scots to talk to their neighbours and reconnect with old friends in the launch of the first national strategy on loneliness in the UK.

The Scottish government proposals include a plea for strangers to perform “acts of kindness” for each other and an expansion of GP prescriptions for community activities.

Launching the draft document A Connected Scotland, social security minister Jeane Freeman said the state has a role to play in improving people’s social lives.

The charity Age Scotland said the Scottish Government is right to take the bold and unusual step of “getting involved in maintaining and improving people’s social relationships”."

Read more here., external

Social Security Minister Jeane Freeman highlights that social isolation and loneliness has a major impact on health and wellbeing.

She notes it can strike anyone at any age and age stage of their lives.

It is based on a person's perception of their social connections, she adds.

Tory MSP Annie Wells asks Ms Freeman to welcome the appointment of a loneliness ministers as UK level, which Ms Freeman does.

The minister highlights the work of the late Jo Cox, for whom tackling social isolation was a key issue.

The Scottish government's strategy on the matter is referred to.

Image source, Thinkstock

The Scottish government will now lead a debate entitled 'Building a Connected Scotland: Tackling Social Isolation and Loneliness Together'.

Employment and Training Minister Jamie Hepburn notes a number of centenaries have passed recently and that the first world war is now beyond living memory.

Mr Hepburn's grandmother served in the army in the second world war, he reveals, and says it is vital to listen to the stories of those still with us.

He highlights efforts to commemorate the women who set up the Scottish Women's Hospital.

He notes the RAF is the first of the armed forces to open all roles to women and urged all parts to follow suit.

Image source, bbc

Employability Minister Jamie Hepburn welcomes serving armed forces personnel and veterans to the gallery.

Image source, bbc

Tory MSP Michelle Balantyne says Suffragettes used the slogan: "Men bear arms but women bear armies."

Ms Ballantyne says women now not only have the vote says she can serve as an MSP, be the wife of an ex army officer and the mother of sons who have served on the frontline of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Not only that, but the Tory MSP says she was able to serve as a commissioned officer in the RAF volunteer reserves.

Labour MSP Kezia Dugdale mentions the ongoing campaign to have an Elsie Inglis statue put up in Edinburgh.

Ms Inglis was a Scottish doctor, suffragette and founder of the Scottish Women's Hospital.

There are more statues of dogs in Edinburgh than there are of women, Ms Dugdale notes.

Image source, bbc

Last year we reported it was 100 years since women were legally allowed to serve in the British military.

Back then most were cooks or worked in administration. Today they are deployed in many different roles around the world.

The ban has been lifted on women serving in close combat units, enabling women to fight on the frontline for the first time.

Newsbeat meets three women who served their country in very different times, over 70 years.

Read their story here.