Local Businessman praised by Fiona Bruce over work in Rwanda

Fiona Bruce MP praises work of local businessman in Rwanda

Fiona Bruce MP recently met with local businessman Adrian Veale who spent the summer in Rwanda helping the Rwandan people to start and develop their own businesses as part of Project Umubano, set up by Fiona Bruce MP three years ago.  Fiona Bruce, who originally launched and developed the business scheme in Rwanda and whose son, Samuel, was over in Rwanda this summer, is thrilled with the way the scheme has taken off since the initial summer where 14 businesses were helped.

Fiona said “I am thoroughly enjoying working with businesses in Rwanda in such a rewarding manner and am so pleased that the project is growing year on year, from just a handful of businesses the first year – the scheme now has two components, the business element and the financial literacy element and both together helped over 300 businesses! Adrian did a fantastic job as part of the financial literacy team and the work done is vital to helping develop key skills needed for building a business.”

Adrian Veale shows Fiona Bruce MP photographs from Project Umubano

Adrian said, “In September 2011, I was introduced to Project Umubano by Fiona Bruce MP, a voluntary project that runs in July each year in Rwanda and Sierra Leone, across education, medical, parliamentary, community, sport and business sectors.

I joined the financial literacy team whose main aim was to help teach financial literacy to existing business owners and potential new business owners, with the intention of helping them to access  finance to help grow their business or to start in business. In two weeks in July 2012 we taught over 200 business and potential business owners about financial statements, forecasts, and how to put a business plan together. We worked closely with the Rwandan Junior Chamber of Commerce, and the Rwandan Ministry of Commerce who provided both local business consultants who spoke the local Kinyawanda language, and introduced some of their members as course participants. At the end of the two weeks, many participants had business plans that they were able to present to local bank managers with a view to accessing finance and creating new jobs.

The participants gave us undeserved, overwhelming appreciation and even presented us with certificates of appreciation, and I will treasure mine forever. The feedback was so good, that the Rwandan Minister of Finance came on the last day to talk to all participants and brought the Rwandan TV news cameras with him.

Away from 2 intense working weeks, on the middle Saturday we visited a village school at the top of one of the Rwandan mountains that was being built by the local villagers. We spent the morning helping them lay the foundations for a new classroom and then talked and had photos taken with the children. After a singing and dancing display put on by the children for us, all the children chased the coach as we left, running down the hill waving continuously. Amazing!

This has been such a rewarding experience, and I have so many memories that will stay with me forever. After all the past troubles the Rwandans have endured, I hope we've done our little bit to help the wonderful people and their country continue their recovery, and hopefully I can return next year.”

Sandbach Town Team Partner Success

Fiona Bruce MP thrilled for Sandbach as they receive £10,000 for the market developments

Sandbach Town Council has today been named a ‘Town Team Partner’ by Government Minister Mark Prisk MP and has been awarded £10,000 by central Government to help develop Sandbach market. The Town Team Partner scheme follows the Government’s Portas Pilot scheme and Mary Portas’ review of the High Street. 

Fiona Bruce MP said today:

“It is brilliant news for Sandbach that it has been recognised by the Government as a Town Team Partner and granted £10,000 Government funding following their initial Mary Portas application. It was an honour to nominate Sandbach for this funding to help make the town’s historic market an even more attractive place for shoppers, businesses and visitors to the town. I am confident that Sandbach’s energetic and effective Town Council and Partnership will put the money to really good use.”

Alsager Town Team Partner Success

Fiona Bruce MP thrilled for Alsager as they receive £10,000 for the town centre

Alsager Partnership has today been named a ‘Town Team Partner’ by Government Minister Mark Prisk MP and has been awarded £10,000 by central Government to help promote the town centre and encourage new business development there. The Town Team Partner scheme follows the Government’s Portas Pilot scheme and Mary Portas’ review of the High Street.  .

Fiona Bruce MP,

“It is absolutely fantastic news for Alsager that it has been recognised by the Government as a Town Team Partner and granted £10,000 Government funding following their initial Mary Portas application. It was an honour to nominate Alsager for this funding to help make Alsager Town Centre an even more attractive place for shoppers and for local businesses.  I am confident that the go-ahead Alsager Partnership will put this money to excellent use.”

Middlewich Business Expo

Fiona Bruce MP praises Middlewich Business Expo

Fiona Bruce MP attended the Middlewich Business Expo recently and was impressed by the number of businesses present and the organisation of the event, she said:

“I congratulate East Cheshire Chamber of Commerce and Middlewich Town Council for organising a highly successful event; Middlewich and the surrounding area is an excellent place and with the recently announced Government proposals to improve access to and from Junction 17 of the M6, it will be an even more attractive place to do business as time goes on.”

David Watson, Chief Executive of the East Cheshire Chamber of Commerce said of the event “The Middlewich Expo went extremely well and was a fantastic example of the success of partnership working between the Chamber and Cheshire East Council. I would like to thank Jacqueline Wilson who was invaluable in organising the event and hope many businesses gained from the event and that another business expo can be arranged in the future.”

Jonathan Williams, Middlewich Town Clerk, said “This was the first business exhibition held in Middlewich and Middlewich Vision was very pleased to host it; receiving excellent support from Cheshire East and Cheshire West & Chester Councils, Cheshire East Chamber of Commerce and Pochin Plc.

It is important for Middlewich, being located at the junction of the two local authorities , to be able to interface with the towns of Winsford and Northwich, so it was good to see several high profile companies from these towns taking a full part in the day, linking in to the Weaver Valley Partnership, who were also very welcome attended

The attendance was excellent and we were very impressed with the quality of the presentations and exhibitions. There was a lot of networking, and many good ideas were exchanged about future use of the Civic Hall as a venue to business.

We are grateful, as ever, to our MP Fiona Bruce, for supporting the event, and for opening proceedings in such a positive and encouraging manner, setting the tone for a highly productive and enjoyable day of business in Middlewich.”

Excalibur Play and Learn Pre-School Visit

Fiona Bruce MP visits Excalibur Pre-School as it celebrates 15 years by opening its doors for longer hours

Fiona Bruce MP visited Excalibur Play and Learn Pre-School in Alsager recently to hear of their plans to open for longer hours to give working parents the extra facility that so many now need to cover the working day.

Starting this week the pre-school will open from 8am until 6pm and offers many activities for children such as French lessons, swimming lessons and even meeting birds of prey!

The Pre-School has been owned and managed in its current position by Sue Heeley for 15 years and has a long-standing presence in the town and strong links with Excalibur Primary School.  Deputy Manager, Michele Snewin, began as a parent volunteer and has stayed with the Pre-School ever since, her son is now 21!

Excalibur Play and Learn is also supporting local young people by employing an apprentice, Demi Lockett, who is studying for her NVQ3.  They work closely with all professional agencies within the childcare sector and are working with the 2yr old sector to help disadvantaged families who need special help and support.

Sue Heeley said "We are a small pre-school where children and staff are on a journey of learning together. We are part of the local community and it is so important that we remain part of the community to serve all who need us. We feed in to Excalibur County Primary School which is a school of excellence in its own right"

Fiona Bruce MP said “Excalibur Play and Learn is a lovely, friendly Pre-School.  I enjoyed reading to the children during my visit and they were clearly happy and enjoying their day.  I understand some don’t want to leave at hometime! I congratulate Sue and her team on creating such a pleasant environment for children to learn and grow in and for providing such a caring service to the local community.”

Sandbach Talking Newspaper

Fiona Bruce MP interviewed for 25^th anniversary of Sandbach Talking Newspaper

Fiona Bruce MP visited Sandbach and District Talking Newspaper Association recently to discuss their work with them and to record a special interview for the listeners in celebration of 25 years of the charity.

In a discussion ranging from a day in the life of an MP to how a suffragette spent the night in a cupboard underneath Westminster Hall, the interview between Fiona Bruce and the volunteers of the Talking Newspaper was recorded to be added to the recordings of all listeners.

The Talking Newspaper has been running since 1987 and is staffed entirely by volunteers.  The Association has recently made the change from old-style tapes and tape decks to new USB memory stick recorders and ‘boom boxes’.  The service is totally free of charge to listeners and the USB memory sticks containing weekly news and views are posted out in specially labelled envelopes which can then be returned with the memory sticks, once listened to, for next week’s recording.

Fiona Bruce MP said “Sandbach Talking newspaper is a wonderful organisation, manned by experienced and dedicated volunteers; I enjoyed my interview which was very professionally produced in the recording studio.  The Talking Newspaper provides an invaluable service to many people who would otherwise not have access to up-to-date local news and views.

Every week an hour and a half of news is read by teams of volunteers in the professional recording studios at Wheelock from publications including The Chronicle and Cheshire Life.

Sandbach Talking Newspaper is a charity staffed by volunteers and funded entirely by donations from members of the public – naturally such a reliable and high quality service, involving the latest modern technology, recording and production equipment is a substantial amount to run each year and donations to its work, in any amount, are always welcome – these can be made becoming a Friend of the Talking Newspaper for just £10 a years or in other ways – more information of how to support is on the Talking Newspaper website.”

Middlewich World War Two Weekend

Fiona Bruce MP attends Middlewich World War Two weekend

Fiona Bruce MP said “The Middlewich World War Two weekend this year, was nothing less than terrific with so many people in and around the town joining in dressed in ‘40s’ outfits – such as the staff in Davies Tropical Pet Store who bought outfits especially for the day. The enthusiasm with which people from a wide range of organisations supported the event added greatly to the atmosphere such as the Fire Cadets with their old fashioned fire engine which led the Sunday morning Civic Parade, the Air Training Corps, Help the Heroes, soldiers from the Mercian Regiment and the Royal British Legion.

The concerts by Fiona Harrison got everyone joining in the wartime community spirit with songs such as Run Rabbit Run and the Dad’s Army theme tune.

What particularly thrilled me was that the event was enjoyed not only by so many Middlewich residents, of all ages, but also, as I asked folk where they had come from, it was clear that the event attracted many visitors from all over Cheshire and even further afield.

The Sunday morning Middlewich Civic Service was particularly well attended with civic support from every other town in my Constituency – Congleton, Sandbach, and Alsager – and several other Cheshire towns.

Middlewich Town Council is to be congratulated on a splendid success.”

Junction 17 - M6

MP delighted for entire constituency following M6 J17 funding decision

The Government announced today that it will provide £3.4million to improve Junction 17 by converting the existing frequently congested junction to a roundabout on the Northbound side and a signalised junction for the Southbound side.

Fiona Bruce MP said:

“I am delighted that with this announcement over two year’s hard work has paid off.

When I was first elected MP, local people told me that congestion at Junction 17 was one of their chief concerns, so I contacted the Highways Agency and arranged a meeting, including with a representative from Cheshire East Council. At first the Highways Agency said they could not undertake any improvement works as J17 did not fall within their priorities for action.

I stressed to them that the junction is not only frequently congested but also potentially highly dangerous, and these risks will only increase over time. I asked them to think again. I also raised these concerns with the Transport Minister several times, including in the Chamber of the House of Commons at Transport Question Time and have continually pressed for action on Junction 17 for two years.

I am delighted therefore that the Government has reviewed the criteria to which the Highways Agency can work when funds are allocated for major highways works like J17 and that £3.4million is being provided directly by Government to improve the junction, the work to be completed by March 2015.

These improvement works will make a huge difference to the daily lives of literally thousands of my constituents, as well as further supporting business growth throughout my constituency. This is tremendous news for everyone living and working in the whole area.

I pay tribute to everybody who has worked towards this, particularly the hard working Sandbach area Councillors Barry Moran, Gill Merry and Rhoda Bailey, to Cheshire East Council – both elected Members and traffic officers, staff at the Highways Agency and at the Ministry of Transport – this shows what can be done when people work effectively together in the best interests of the local community.”

Alsager Friends of Cystic Fibrosis Ball

 

Ball goes with a bang!

Cystic Fibrosis Ball 2012

 

Alsager Friends of CF would like to say a HUGE thank you to all who came to our fabulous summer ball on  7^th July 2012  to raise vital funds for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. We were delighted that the Chief Executive of the CF Trust, Ed Owen was there, as was Congleton MP Fiona Bruce.  

After a tantalising drinks reception, ball-goers were treated to a delicious 3 course meal followed by some inspiring and illuminating speeches from our special guests. A notable mention must go to Jonathan Whittaker (18) who himself has CF and who spoke movingly and passionately about living with the disease.

After the grand prize draw which raised over £1500, and our Silent Auction, guests danced the night away to ‘Blowzone’ – one of the North West’s premier dance bands - who provided marvellous entertainment throughout the evening. ‘The evening was a wonderful celebration of the lives of those who have CF, and helped to generate significant interest in further support for the CF Trust as they develop a cure for the disease. We know that many people left feeling inspired to continue to do something themselves to support the trust and help others with Cystic Fibrosis, as well as having had a wonderful evening!’ said Wendy Whittaker-Large, chair of the organising committee.  We are also delighted to announce that we hit our target of £6500! (This figure includes additional donations raised apart from the ball).  

 

Fiona Bruce, MP, said of the event ‘“Congratulations to Alsager Friends of Cystic Fibrosis and to Wendy Whitaker – Large in particular and her family, not only for raising such a substantial sum for the CF Trust but also for informing and educating many of us towards a much better understanding of Cystic Fibrosis. The 65 Roses Ball was a hugely enjoyable evening, the highlight of which was the speech given by Wendy’s son, Jonathan, of his personal experience of living with CF; the whole room was moved by his talk.”

 

All money raised will go to the CF Trust to help improve the lives of the 7,500 babies and young people who have Cystic Fibrosis, the UK’s most common inherited life threatening disease.

Sandbach Pub Watch Radios

Fiona Bruce promotes Pub Watch radio scheme

The Sandbach Pub Watch scheme, spearheaded by Secretary of Pub Watch, Kevin McAvan of Market Tavern, is trying to secure a system of radio contact between pubs and the police in Sandbach. Pub Watch already operates in the town to promote awareness between traders regarding potential problems they may face and hopefully ‘nipping them in the bud’.

Adding the radio facility to the scheme would improve communication by connecting all Sandbach landlords to each other and to the police CCTV control room in Macclesfield who could alert the local police should the need arise.  This has support from all members of Pub Watch, who would contribute to the cost of radios, and the local PCSO as well as Sandbach MP, Fiona Bruce.

The scheme has however reached a potential stumbling block in terms of funding for the connection to the CCTV control room and Fiona Bruce MP has, at the request of the Secretary of Pub Watch, contacted the Chief Constable of Cheshire Constabulary to see what can be done to ensure the extra facility for this project goes ahead.

Kevin McAvan, Secretary of Pub Watch said “This can be used in the daytime by retailers; it’s not just pubs that will benefit; places like Aldi and Waitrose are already on board with the scheme”

Fiona Bruce MP said of the scheme “The scheme already has strong local support, and Sandbach is a town which is a pleasure to shop and spend leisure time in.  This addition to the scheme offers the potential to improve eve more the security and well being for residents, visitors and traders in Sandbach. I hope it can be successfully established and commend Kevin McAvan and all other Sandbach landlords and business people committed to the scheme.”

Save Our Sandbach Rally

Fiona Bruce MP speaks at Save our Sandbach Rally

At the rally of Sandbach residents on 29^th September, Fiona Bruce said:

“Sandbach is a jewel in Cheshire East’s crown.

The fact is, the town has already made generous provision towards Cheshire East’s 5,500 five year housing quota, with around 1000 homes already given consent for in Sandbach   - but as yet un-built , - many on brownfield sites.

So I say to developers -  “  Build on those sites! “

Sandbach is a town of 18,000 people – whilst Cheshire East has a population of over 363,000 ,  - so even at 1000 un-built houses, we are way over our fair contribution to Cheshire East’s housing needs.

As well all know, Sandbach is an enormously attractive place to live - not only because of the lovely market town centre, but also – and very importantly – due to the strong community life here, the voluntary groups, dedicated Councillors, co mmunity groups, music groups, excellent schools and good road and rail transport links.

But, just because of its high quality of life, Sandbach is a town under siege.

Under siege from developers who threaten the town’s very character, its community and its green spaces.  If undeterred developers would undoubtedly have all of Cheshire East’s housing needs fulfilled by Sandbach for years to come.

That is totally unacceptable, unfair , and unsustainable for the town of Sandbach

No wonder the townsfolk are out in force today – young and old, business people, Councillors, the abled and the less abled and community group representatives - and I pay tribute to you all  for coming out in such numbers - and we are saying with one voice to developers:

“Enough is Enough”

Developers, have targeted Sandbach and its green spaces,

-not to add to the amenity of the town

-not to add to the community of the town

-not to add to the character of the town

-but motivated by pure profit.

And let developers take notice of this  - that we here together today will fight you  all the way if you pursue your plans to build thousands more houses on some of Sandbach’s choicest land – some of it Cheshire’s fine agricultural land- without regard to existing residents wishes, without regard to the pressure you will put on infrastructure, schools or roads and without regard to the character and amenity of the town.

Sandbach is a community - not  a commuter belt.

To ensure that the message that you, the people of Sandbach have given today, turning up, as you have done, in such numbers, to oppose further development, is heard loudly and clearly by Government, I have arranged for Michael Jones, Leader of Cheshire East Council, to meet Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government,  in Parliament. At that meeting Michael and I  will  be taking your message from today to Eric Pickles -  that  “Enough is Enough”  regarding development in Sandbach   -   and discussing with him how a long term Strategic Plan can be developed to protect Sandbach from piecemeal, aggressive attacks from developers.

Yes, the Government wants development , and yes Cheshire East Council want development – but it has to be in the right place; it has to be Local Plan led and it has to be sustainable.

It cannot take place where development ignores local people’s wishes,  where development ignores local planning advice and recommendations, where development ignores Local Town Plans, or with scant regard and little  responsibility as to how a town will absorb the numbers of new residents which thousands of new homes will bring in – and it must not  take place by developers  cherry picking some of the choicest land in Cheshire .

Today, standing together, residents, Councillors, and Member of Parliament, we are saying with  one voice - “Enough is Enough”

And one final point – we are not NIMBYs – we simply want a fair deal for Sandbach.

Middlewich Rail Link Petition

Fiona Bruce MP receives Middlewich Rail Petition

A petition, signed by almost 2000 local residents, was presented to Fiona Bruce MP on Saturday 22^nd September.

On receiving the petition Fiona Bruce said “It is a sign of the strength and depth of feeling in Middlewich in favour of the re-opening of Middlewich station for passengers that almost 2000 local people have signed this petition. It will be a great privilege to present this to the Speaker of the House of Commons in the Chamber of the House of Commons this Autumn. I pay tribute to Councillor Mike Parsons, the Middlewich Passenger Rail Campaign group, local shopkeepers and all others who have worked to gather so many supportive signatures. This petition will enable me to bring to the direct attention of the Transport Minister the support for the re-opening for passengers of Middlewich Station and its strategic importance on the line from Crewe via Sandbach through to Northwich and beyond. I am particularly delighted that all the MPs in the surrounding Constituencies linked by this line have officially supported this campaign – George Osborne, MP for Tatton, Edward Timpson, MP for Crewe and Nantwich and Graham Evans, MP for Weaver Vale.”