Putting the "fun" into "fundraising"!

Over the years I have found that Charity Car Washes are a great way to bring people together to raise money for good causes.

I recently organised a car wash with Chris Goninan at Penzance Fire Station to raise much needed funds for the Penwith Older People's Forum, which aims to be the voice for all older people living within Penwith District and improve their quality of life. Now boasting more than 500 members, the forum addresses issues affecting elders such as financial matters, loneliness and isolation, improving support services for carers, grants, and advocacy advice.

It was a genuinely community event with various youth groups taking part, including members of the Police Cadets, Army Cadets, the Scouts and members of the Youth Action Team and St Just Cricket Club as well as members of the Forum. Nearly 50 cars were washed, raising in excess of £270 for the Older People's Forum.

After the event Chris Goninan said ”This money will be used to help with the administrative costs of the Forum and to ensure we are represented at the meetings where important decisions are taken about our communities. It was a really enjoyable day with young and old working in partnership. My thanks to all concerned and this is the way to develop and enhance our communities."

Without the hard work of the young people we would have raised considerably less for the Older People's Forum. Our thanks go to everyone who helped and to the crew at Penzance Fire Station for being such excellent hosts."

Photo of Jack Yeates and myself

Parking victory in Penzance

New parking bays have now been created in Penzance car parks following my campaign to improve access to the Town Centre. I was able to secure the dedicated parking areas following a change in the way street parking is enforced.

Last year Cornwall County Council took over street parking enforcement and it soon became clear that motorcyclists had very limited provision in the Town Centre. I was made aware that some motorcyclists were no longer shopping in Penzance because of this problem, in my view the authority has a responsibility to improve access for shoppers, whatever their mode of transport.

Motorcyclist can now park free of charge in the car parks formally owned by Penwith District Council.

I am delighted by this victory for motorcyclists in West Cornwall, and my thanks go to Pete Verran, former Building and Engineering Manager of Penwith District Council and David Williams of Top Marks, for working hard to create these dedicated motorcycle Bays. Together we have achieved a small but significant tool in support of Penzance Retailers.

Photo pictured aboved: myself with David Williams and David Horwell of Top Marks and Mike Waters, Chairman of Penzance Chamber of Commerce.

Small Business Rate Relief

I am visiting as many small businesses as I can during January and February. The purpose of my visit is to introduce myself and ensure that they are benefiting from the small business rate relief available to them. I am also making them aware of the Conservative Website that informs them of a host of Conservative policies that will help them to survive this current economic downturn.

I also took part in the launch of the Cornwall Manifesto for Small Businesses and the Penzance Shoppers Loyalty Scheme.

Doing Time with Penzance Police

I was fortunate last week to shadow Penzance Police Officers overnight last week (see picture below with Inspector Mark Eccles).


I accompanied police officers as they patrolled streets and roads in and around Penzance. Keeping students safe as they attended their College Christmas Party quickly became the primary focus of the Officer’s attention. Other ‘jobs’ included the arrest and custody of a small number of drivers suspected of drink driving.

Once again I was privileged to witness first-hand the efforts of our police men and women late into the night. We feel safe in our homes at night largely because of the commitment and hard work of our police service – much of which is unseen

This shadowing exercise is the third such visit in as many years. Previous visits have highlighted the growing problem of anti-social behaviour of people under the influence of alcohol.

I was impressed by the effective partnership of the Police, licensees and on this particular occasion the staff of Penwith College. The effort that has been made to prevent alcohol abuse amongst young people clearly paid off and the vast majority of youngsters I saw were able to enjoy their evening and most importantly feel safe and remain safe. This multi-agency approach is vital if we are to take seriously the problem of under-age drinking and anti-social behaviour.

As the local Parliamentary Candidate I believe that everyone would get a better deal if Government substantially reduced form-filling by the police, reduced central control and trusted the police to do the job they signed up for.

Caring for a Broken Society!

I am growing increasingly concerned about the many challenges that directly threaten the quality of life for people across the St Ives constituency.

Some worrying facts:

• There are over 250 young people (16 - 18 yrs) not in employment, education or training. The vast majority of these are concentrated in the South Kerrier part of this constituency.
• Penzance has one of the greatest growing levels of personal debt in the U.K.
• Older people are increasingly isolated due to poor public transport networks, changes in Adult Social Care provision and the rise costs of living.
• Teenage pregnancy is on the increase and exceeds the national average.
• Suicide amongst young people is the third highest cause of premature death in the constituency.
• Drug and alcohol abuse affects significant numbers of families in Penwith.
• The occurance of domestic violence in Penwith is the highest in Cornwall.
• Significant numbers of young people are committed to West Cornwall Hospital due to alcohol abuse and very little 'follow-up' care is currently available to them.

If I am fortunate enough to be elected as the next Member of Parliament for the St Ives Constituency, I have promised to establish a multi-agency panel. This panel will bring forward solutions to respond to these worrying trends and monitor the effectiveness of these solutions.

The way to test my effectiveness as your representative at Westminster will be a reduction in each area of concern.

Monthly report back

I thought I’d try to give you a monthly impression of the work I undertake as the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for West Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, meeting local people and hearing about their concerns.

I was honoured to attend the local Conservat-ive Party's Annual President's Dinner at the home of Sir John and Lady Nott (above). Sir John was of course our former Member of Parliament and the Defence Secretary during the Falklands crisis in 1981. The evening was very enjoyable and lively, with up to 70 people attending and a good time was had by all.



I welcomed Jim Paice MP, Shadow Minister for
the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs hear the
concerns of local farmers and the agricultural community. Together we visited Wills’ Green Grocer in Helston (picture above) which is still family run and approaching its’ 70th year as an independent small business. We also met with farmers on the Lizard and they were very keen to raise with Jim the promise of the local badger cull in areas where TB is found in cattle. We also discussed Conservative plans to help farmers, and about the help offered to farmers regarding stabilising the cost of fuel and a programme of deregulation. Jim took all our concerns on board and promised to work hard in Westminster to provide help for farmers in West Cornwall.

Later in the month I welcomed a visitor from just over the water; the Conservative MP for South West Devon; Gary Streeter. Gary and I travelled to Helston to meet parents who have disabled children and as a direct outcome of that meeting a Parent/Carers group in Helston is being established. Afterwards, Gary was kind enough to speak at a large gathering in Marazion Community Centre on the subject of faith and politics, which was a very interesting discussion.

On Saturday 1st November my family and I met farmers at the annual ploughing match at Rosevidney, St Erth, and in the evening we attended the Annual Dinner of the Western Agricultural Association at the Queens Hotel, Penzance.

I was delighted to attend the St Just Feast Civic Parade and Church Service with Cllr Bill East on Sunday 2nd November. On Monday 3rd my family and I returned to St Just for the meet of the Western Hunt and the St Just Feast Celebrations.

On Remembrance Sunday I was honoured to attend the Remembrance Day Parade in Penzance and Church Service at Chapel Street. This is always a busy and emotionally powerful occasion as we join tigether to remember those brave servicemen and women who gave their lives for the sake of the United Kingdom. I laid a wreath on behalf of the St. Ives Constituency Conservative Association.

On Monday 10th November the Lizard Conservatives invited me to a reception with pasties and wine at the Wheel Inn in Cury Cross Lanes, where I was asked to speak about rural issues with local members. The event was very well attended and I know that this is only the first of many activities planned for people living on the Lizard.

On November 13th Mark Prisk MP, the Shadow Minister for Cornwall, came to West Cornwall. I arranged a visit to Helston Medical Centre and St. Keverne and Marazion Surgeries. This fact-finding tour demonstrated the commitment of the Conservative Party to surgeries to retain their right to dispense prescriptions, and again highlighted the sustained attack on rural life by the Labour Government. Mark pledged to make representations in the House of Commons on behalf of West Cornwall.

We also visited fishermen in Newlyn to discuss the problems faced by shipping and fishermen over the proposed location of a wave hub off the north coast of Cornwall. Mark concluded his visit by attending a reception for West Penwith farmers at our home.

On Friday 14th November I attended a meeting of the West Cornwall Healthwatch, of which I am a member, and on Saturday 15th I went to Helston for the opening of a Fair-trade Christmas gift shop and then onto Leedstown for the 50th Anniversary of the village hall. I lived in Leedstown for a short time when I was a teenager.

Those of us in West Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly have a great many needs which are simply not addressed by our current MP and Lib Dem run County Council. I’ve been very busy in the last few months to do what I can to help, but there is still so much to do and this is a challenge I relish!

Being the Conservative candidate is busy and exhilarating, and you can be sure that I will continue to work to raise concerns on behalf of those who have been forgotten by the powerful at County Hall and at Westminster!

Beyond my political duties I’ve had the great privilege of being the guest speaker at the Darby & Joan Club in Helston and the Evergreen Club in Mullion. I’ve been interviewed at an evening service at Helston Baptist Church, and I’ve led school assemblies twice at Bolitho School in Penzance.