Labour Candidate for the Slade Ward for Stroud District Council

Wildlife Hustings in Stroud

We had a great turn out last night in Stroud for the Wildlife debate - standing room only !

It was made quite clear to the Conservative candidate our views on the badger cull and we think he got the message!

Thanks to everyone who came . It was a very lively evening !

Labour Continue To Campaign For Living Wage

As part of the TUC’s Fair Pay Fortnight, former MP and parliamentary candidate David Drew calls on local businesses to follow Stroud District Council’s lead and pay workers the Living Wage. Cllr Drew, who served as Stroud’s MP from 1997 until 2010, was commenting on the findings of the TUC on the proportion of workers paid below the Living Wage, “I was shocked to discover that nearly a fifth of all workers in Stroud are paid below the Living Wage.” The Living Wage is currently set at £7.65 an hour outside London, including Stroud. Cllr Drew continued, “The situation is even worse if you are a part time worker, where over half of all workers receive less than the Living Wage. We are constantly being told by our incumbent MP and Government that the recovery is here, but tell that to people on these poverty wages, as well of those out of jobs like at Listers in Dursley.” 

Cllr Drew went onto to attack his successor as MP, Neil Carmichael, “Last year, Mr. Carmichael refused to rule out voting against a cut in the national minimum wage (Stroud News and Journal, April 2013). I said then and I say now that that position is absolutely disgraceful – I was proud to vote for the National Minimum Wage when in Parliament. Instead, I call on the Government to increase the level of the national minimum age to that of the Living Wage.”

Vanessa Price, Labour’s candidate in Randwick, Whiteshill and Ruscombe, said “It’s vitally important that we continue to press for a Living Wage across Stroud and the whole country. It’s often women who lose out and are paid substantially less compared to their male counterparts. I’m proud to be working with Labour county councillors who are continuing to push for a Living Wage for Gloucestershire County Council school workers paid below the level, 94% of whom are women.”

Cllr Geoff Wheeler (Lab/Coop, Dursley), Leader of Stroud District Council, said “Last year, we made to conscious decision to give council workers a pay rise to the Living Wage level because all the evidence points to the fact that it leads to less sick days, higher worker happiness and efficiency, as well as putting more money in our employee’s pockets that they can spend in and around the Stroud district. I would encourage all local businesses to follow our lead and start paying the Living Wage; at Stroud District Council are really feeling the positive benefits.”

In Our Towns campaign

The IN OUR TOWNS campaign is an initiative funded jointly by BIS and Stroud District Council in response to the Portas Review of the High Street. It will focus initially on Dursley, Painswick, Stroud and Wotton under Edge but welcomes the participation of any town in the District.

The aim of the campaign is to encourage more people to visit their local town.

I attended the Promote your local business event which showed delegates how easy it is to use their smartphone to create high quality promotional videos which can be updated quickly to showcase special promotions or festivals, using free tools/apps.

Split over two days, the first part was about how to make media using your own smart phone or tablet.

Then we used the next day to practice and make media at our own businesses. 

The following evening, we met up again to learn how to share media with minimum effort and cost. 

This was a practical course about gaining confidence and learning new skills to work socially to gain new customers and engage more with existing customers.

I found the event really useful both for my own business, Bumble Bee Face Painting and for my role at Assured Mobility. 

Threat to small Village Schools from proposal for Free School

A plan to open a Free school for 600 pupils (4-16 year olds) is being submitted to the Government.  It’s likely to be in the Stroud/Nailsworth area - if the plan is accepted, it will start to take primary school children in September 2015.
Normally a new school is set up because more places are needed. But the opposite is true here: local schools have too many places. The number of school age children over the next 5 years is low (because birth rates go up and down) - with 600 surplus places in Stroud area. If 600 children leave existing schools and go to the Free School, we’ll have 1,200 surplus places. Some schools will have so few pupils left they won’t be financially viable.
A Free School is supposed to be set up if local people say it’s wanted and needed to improve education. There’s no evidence of a need to improve performance of local schools & little evidence that local people really want or need this school.
Free schools take money and pupils from existing schools and they are not democratically accountable. 
- The Free School will be funded by taxpayers. Money is tight - so why spend millions on a Free School that’s not needed? (and parental satisfaction with local schools is high - why set up another?)
- Free Schools don’t have to use qualified teachers or meet the same standards and test results as ordinary schools.  Will this put pupil achievements at risk? Should all schools meet certain standards?
- Stroud doesn’t need extra school places - we have 600 unfilled school places over 5 years.  There IS a shortage of school places in Gloucester and Cheltenham - setting up a school there makes more sense.
- 3 or 4 schools could close if the Free School opens, including village schools. Smaller schools play an important role in rural communities - closure would be devastating.
- A local secondary school is likely to close too. (And the Free School is a Steiner school, so if it takes pupils from Wynstones, that’s also at risk).
- Steiner Education is already available in this area through the private sector - is it right to use taxpayers’ money to create this free school?

If you share my concerns 
Please write with your concerns to Neil Carmichael MP and to Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Education (by 31st March 2014) where the decision to give the new Free School a licence will be made.  You could also ask Mr Carmichael for an appointment to discuss the plans.
michael.gove.mp@parliament.uk  neil.carmichael.mp@parliament.uk  

Our Kune Kune Pigs

In 2011 we got 2 Kune Kune pigs, they are called Pippa and Katie.

They are a native breed of New Zealand and we chose them because they are the smallest  breed of pig. 

We run a pig keeping workshop through Transitions Stroud as it has become popular for people to keep pigs in there garden so that they can then produce meat that comes from pigs that have lived happy lives outdoors. 

Do Something Different Day at Subscription Rooms

"Do Something Different Day" was a volunteering event, held at Stroud Subscription Rooms on Friday 28th Feb 2014.

It highlights and promotes lots of different volunteer groups and organisations in the local area. When I went along the area was bustling with lots of people keen to know how they could help out. 

Chris Baxter from BBC Radio Glos was recording live from the event for his radio  show, and there seemed to be a great atmosphere with a lot of positivity from visitors and event organisers.

Being a Guest on BBC Radio Glos with Manpreet Mellhi

In February I was asked to be guest on BBC Radio Glos with Manpreet Mellhi for her show "challenge Manpreet".

I talked about how I became a face painter and I showed Manpreet how to paint a simple butterfly design on herself. 

I have been a face painter since 2012 and I set up my business Bumble Bee Face Painting in 2013. 

I face paint for children's parties and public events. 

For more information please visit my Website 

http://bumblebeestroud.weebly.com 

Whiteshill and Ruscombe Snow Warden

I have been the Village Snow Warden for Whiteshill and Ruscombe for the last 4 years. My duties include liaising with Gloucestershire Highways and helping to coordinate volunteers.

We aim to organise work parties to help clear important areas including access to The School, Village Shop and vulnerable residents. 

To volunteer or for more information please email  nessprice@live.co.uk

http://www.stroudlife.co.uk/Friends-dig-Gloucestershire-moving/story-17938135-detail/story.html

Transition Stroud Edible Open Gardens

I have taken part in Transition Stroud's Edible Open Gardens for the last 3 years.

My husband and I open our garden to the public and we also run a Pig Keeping workshop. There were several gardens from Whiteshill that took part and the allotment also opened to public for the event.

Ruscombe Jubilee Phone Box Gallery and Circular Walk

To celebrate the Queens Jubilee, Whiteshill and Ruscombe Parish Council renovated the Ruscombe phone box.

Councillor Chris Gardner organised the renovation work, which included re painting and lighting, and it is now a gallery. For information on sharing your art or any other request please contact Chris on phsc@tiscali.co.uk

June 5th 2012 saw the opening of the Jubilee Walk which goes through both Whiteshill and Ruscombe with 40 way markers that were designed by children of Whiteshill School. Please see the following link for the opening: http://stroudcommunity.tv/whiteshill-and-ruscombe-diamond-jubilee-walk-2012/

Stroud in Bloom Window Competition

In July I entered the Stroud in Bloom window competition for Assured Mobility where I work.

The theme this year was "edible gardens" and my display included lots of edible plants like tomatoes, beans and some lovely lettuce plants. They were planted in all sorts of recycled containers. 

I was so pleased to achieve a gold medal when the window was later judged. 

Nympsfield Wind Turbine Marks Milestone

The Nympsfield wind turbine, subject to a fierce five-year planning battle between local residents and planners and the Stroud-based renewable energy company Ecotricity, was sweet 16 on December 13th 2013. 

I am a Trustee of the farm that the Turbine is located on. My Uncle owned the farm when the Turbine was built and a Trust was set up after he died to continue our family's interest in the farm and Turbine. I am very interested in all kinds of renewable energy, and so it is important to me to be a stakeholders in the Nympsfield Wind Tutbine. 

Commissioned on Friday, December 13, 1996, the 60-metre Lynch Knoll turbine has, according to Ecotricity, generated over 15 million units (kWh) of electricity – enough to power 227 local homes every year and prevented almost 6,500 tonnes of CO₂from entering the atmosphere.

Lynch Knoll was one of the Britain’s earliest wind turbines and until only recently was the only one in Gloucestershire, before it was joined by a new companion at St Briavels near the Forest of Dean.

Whiteshill & Ruscombe Playing Field Improvements

The Whiteshill & Ruscombe playing field has undergone some improvements over the winter months and it now has a new fence and platform.

The project was funded by SITA Trust and Whiteshill and Ruscombe Parish Council. The design was created by consultation with The Playing field Committee and Whiteshill School. 

To find out more information or to support Whiteshill and Ruscombe Playing Field

http://www.wrpc.org.uk/default.asp?pid=51

Working with GABS and it's Wounded Badger Patrol

As I am a great supporter of wildlife I decided to join The Wounded Badger Patrol group to help protect our native Badgers in Gloucestershire.

During the Pilot Badger Cull in late 2013 I took part in the patrols and since then I have become active in GABS (Gloucestershire against Badger Shooting) and I am now team leader of WBP Legal Liaison. 

During the Pilot Cull I was very honoured to meet Brian May, he came out with the Wounded Badger Patrol one night and he is a great supporter of the anti cull movement. 

We are winning the argument comprehensively with the public against killing badgers," says Nick Berry, one of the founders of GABS, "but there seems to be a lot of work still to do with our MPs." GABS is worried that government politicians are ignoring the science and the basic facts about culling in favour of politics and the narrow interests of core rural supporters. "All the science and wildlife organisations predicted this cull would fail," continues Nick Berry, "and now the government's own Independent Experts Panel (IEP) has condemned the cull as ineffective and inhumane. No amount of spin will alter the facts."

"Specious comparisons with other countries are irrelevant and highly misleading. Britain virtually eradicated bTB in the 1950s and 60s by cattle restrictions alone, without killing a single badger. This method has seen the current trend in infections reversed even before the current cull began. In Wales, where cattle controls are being combined with badger vaccination there has been a 23% drop in cattle infections, and we are determined that the same should happen in the rest of the UK."

GABS also point to the enormous cost of the cull compared to vaccination. "The current costs for culling are over £4,000 per badger whereas the estimates for a volunteer assisted vaccination programme are as low as £150 per badger," concludes Nick Berry. "Culling badgers is a huge diversion from the real causes and solutions to Bovine TB. The government needs to stop wasting our tax money on something that patently does not work and concentrate on what does work. Our MPs need to know that we will not tolerate this futile and expensive cull any longer."

To find out more information on GABS and The Wounded Badger Patrol 

http://www.glosagainstbadgershooting.org/home/4574170082

Whiteshill & Ruscombe is awarded Runner Up in Vibrant Village Awards 2012, Active and healthy community

On the evening of July 14th at Batsford Court, I was very honoured to accept the award for Runner up in the healthy and active community category, The judges were particularly impressed with the range of activities available in the community to ensure residents are kept in the best health. Examples included the jubilee walk and The village Playing Field.
This is the 2nd time I have entered the Village into the awards and last year we picked up Runner Up in Best Community Facility category for The Village Shop.