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Hello, you're listening to Political BBC Scotland's podcast

that brings you an inside look at the big stories coming out of Holyrood and Westminster.

I'm Kirsten Campbell, a political correspondent based at Holyrood.

And today we have another interview episode to mark the 25th anniversary of the Scottish Parliament.

And joining me, I'm delighted to say, is the presiding officer Alison Johnson.

Thank you for coming.

Thank you for having me.

taught me through. How did you get into politics in the first place? I got involved with a local campaign where I lived in south of Edinburgh, with a group of close neighbours, and we went about

trying our very best to save a school playing field from development.

That was really my first interaction with politicians or politics.

That said, we'd have family discussions and I would always vote.

So it was an important part of life, but certainly not in the way that it's become now.

And you ended up

joining the Green Party. How did that come about? Were you always keen on environmental issues?

I think it was always very passionate about nature, actually, as a child and wildlife and so on. I was

really fascinated by animals and, you know, that just really appealed to me.

I had, you know, earlier thoughts perhaps of veterinary medicine, but it's obviously very stringent,

both in the requirements and subsequently found out that I'm actually far too squeamish.

Own visits to vet with the beloved family pet showed me that that would not be something for me.

But my involvement, I actually got involved in the campaign for the Scottish Parliament

...