Fiona Bruce MP meets with Network Rail and Friends of Goostrey Station Group

Fiona Bruce MP meets with Network Rail and Friends of Goostrey Station Group

Fiona Bruce MP arranged for representatives from Goostrey Parish Council and Friends of Goostrey Station (FOGS) and Network Rail to meet last week to discuss the future of Goostrey Railway Station.

The FOGS group have been working for some time to maintain and improve the aspect of Goostrey Station and want to ensure that the old wooden ticket office building, one of the last of its kind in the country is restored for potential use by the community or for commercial purposes.

Meeting with Network Rail it was agreed that the possibility of doing remedial works such as cleaning out the guttering of the ticket office would be considered for action whilst the electricity is switched off for upcoming line works. It was also mooted that assistance with the long term preservation of the ticket office could be sought through the Railway Heritage Trust.

Peter Godfrey of FOGS said “The Parish Council and The Friends of Goostrey Station are very disappointed that Northern Rail will not be restoring the Old Ticket Office to the condition it was at the start of their franchise. We are still hoping that emergency maintenance can be done between 13th and 24th February when the Crewe to Manchester line will be closed for major viaduct repairs. This line closure provides a unique chance to maintain the building which is normally too close to the high speed trains for work to be done safely. The gutter over the canopy is full of weeds and badly needs unblocking and the fringe on the canopy needs painting to improve its appearance and preserve the wood. Neither of these jobs can be done when trains are running."  

Fiona Bruce MP said “FOGS has made remarkable progress during the time it has been established but there are certain structural issues which such a group needs support with, hence the importance of engaging with Network Rail.”

Ofsted Registration for 'Out of School education settings'

Fiona Bruce MP explains why Government proposals to require registration of ‘out-of-school education settings’ are disproportionate, will be ineffective, pose a serious threat to free speech, and must be stopped

The Government has announced plans which mean that many Sunday schools, youth clubs and other young peoples’ groups will have to register with Ofsted and may be inspected to see if their teaching fits with the Government’s ‘British Values’. This is chilling, and makes a serious and concerning change in the relationship between people of faith and the state; effectively, the state could be deciding what Christians, and those of other religions, can and can’t teach, and what parts of the Bible are ‘undesirable’ and can’t be taught to children.

This would wrong – and I believe illegal, under the UK’s human rights obligations. In fact, I think that checking if Christian beliefs match up with some Government list of ‘British Values’ is profoundly un-British! Freedom of speech, conscience and belief have been preciously won in our country – and should be equally keenly preserved.

This is all part of the Government’s response to radical extremism. They are rightly concerned about young people being radicalized, and encouraged to go off to fight in Syria or even to commit atrocities in the UK. I completely support the Government’s desire to take very strong action on this. It is a matter of safety for every one of us. But these proposals are a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Anyone can see that putting Ofsted inspectors in a Sunday school and marking Christian teaching against a list of values written by civil servants isn’t going to help anyone be safer, but what it will do is marginalise, even criminalise, people of good faith, and potentially inhibit free debate on key issues such as marriage, creationism and even salvation. To top it all, the very organisations the Government seeks to target – extremist groups – are hardly going to voluntarily register with Ofsted and open themselves up for inspection! At the same time, thousands of law-abiding, salt of the earth groups doing positive work with young people could be involved in the additional bureaucracy of registering – and many volunteers may be deterred from continuing to volunteer at all.

The Government needs to scrap these proposals and get on with the essential task, using its already extensive powers, of supporting intelligence services in rooting out extremist and terrorist groups.

MPs are starting to understand the seriousness of this. Recently, a packed debate in Parliament saw MPs from four different parties united in opposition to the Government’s proposals. Please write to your MP objecting to the proposals and asking that they be abandoned – it could make a huge difference.

Fiona Bruce MP welcomes announcement of Government money pledged to combating malaria

Fiona Bruce MP welcomes announcement of Government money pledged to combating malaria

Fiona Bruce MP is pleased that the Department for International Development announced recently that the Government will be pledging £1bn towards combating malaria and other infectious diseases. The announcement comes ahead of the Spending Review on Wednesday, which will see a fundamental restructuring of Britain’s aid budget along with an increased focus on prosperity and security.

The fund, known as the Ross Fund, will be run in partnership with US philanthropists, Bill and Melinda Gates who are known for their work championing the cause of malaria across the globe.

The fund is named after Sir Donald Ross, the first ever British Nobel Laureate who was recognised for his discovery that mosquitoes transmit malaria. The Chancellor first pledged to see malaria tackled and eventually eliminated on a visit to Uganda in 1997 where he saw the devastation that the disease causes.

Fiona is both a member of the International Development Select Committee and an Officer of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases and as such has actively campaigned for this funding, so is extremely pleased that the Government is recognising the need for assistance in this area.

Fiona said: ‘This announcement of £1bn of funding towards combating these deadly diseases is immensely valuable. I have seen first-hand the devastation that malaria can cause, indeed, a young friend in Africa sadly dies from it. We have already made great strides in the global fight against malaria and the UK has shown tremendous leadership, but there is still a long way to go. This commitment from the Government will have an enormous impact in seeing malaria and other infectious diseases eradicated once and for all, saving some 600 million lives across the globe.’

Fiona Bruce MP attends St Luke’s Hospice support event in Middlewich

Fiona Bruce MP attends St Luke’s Hospice support event in Middlewich

Pam Clarkson, owner of Jennie Edwards fabric shop in Middlewich held a Festive Open Day today with mulled wine and mince pies in support of St Luke’s Hospice.

 

Fiona Bruce MP said

“As Vice President of St Luke’s, it was a pleasure to support the Festive Open Day at the Jennie Edwards shop in Middlewich. I was particularly pleased to be there as support for St Luke’s by the shop owner, Pam Clarkson, is an ongoing commitment to the hospice. Pam, supported by Winsford Upholster, Richard Edwards, donates items of furniture, available through the shop, in support of St Luke’s which Richard beautifully reupholsters full of charge like the chair in the photo, upholstered in archive William Morris fabric in St Luke’s primary colour of blue.”

Pam told Fiona that “As an individual shop we attract customers not only from Middlewich but also from Holmes Chapel, Sandbach, and further afield and I would like to thank all my customers who attended the Festive Open Day and for their support throughout the year.” 

Fiona Bruce MP speaks in Parliament on importance of early intervention and support for better outcomes for children

Fiona Bruce MP speaks in Parliament on importance of early intervention and support for better outcomes for children

Fiona Bruce MP spoke yesterday in Parliament on the launch this week of an in-depth report from the All Party Parliamentary Group for Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) of which Fiona Bruce is Vice-Chair (http://www.fasdtrust.co.uk/) and urged Government to radically review its advice to expectant Mothers regarding alcohol intake during pregnancy and that the UK Government should be saying – as many other countries do, that “no alcohol is safest for baby and you” and that “without such a clear message, pregnant women in the UK are left confused and uncertain.”

Quoting from the report Fiona Bruce said

“this is astonishing and deeply worrying, and something which must be rectified as a matter of urgency.”

She added “The original clinical diagnosis of FASD was made in 1973. Our inquiry showed that in the four decades since then, the UK as a whole has still barely acknowledged its existence. That must change, and the Government must take a lead.”

Fiona’s contribution came during a debate on the 1001 Critical Days Manifesto Report launched in the last Parliament to which Fiona Bruce contributed and which was re-launched with additional support from new MPs this week in Parliament.

Fiona Bruce said “The importance of the first 1001 days in a child’s life, starting with conception, cannot be overstated. Identifying a baby’s needs as early as possible in a baby’s development can significantly improve the long term health and mental well-being outcomes. The benefits to both the baby and the parent are immense with society as a whole enriched if we can get a pre – Troubled Families Programme engaged into our mindset of how we do our public health and children’s social care across Government nationally and locally.”

END

Notes to Editor

1.    MPs from all parties have put their names in support of the 1001 Critical Days Manifesto (http://www.1001criticaldays.co.uk/) and are pressing ministers to adopt it as a Government policy across a number of departments.

The 1001 Critical Days Manifesto takes its title from the period from conception to age 2 when a baby’s brain is developing fastest and he or she is most susceptible to forming strong bonds of attachment with a primary carer, which will have a lasting impact and certainly set a child up for the best start in life, in school and into adulthood if we get it right.

The Manifesto highlights that many of the social problems seen in society today have resulted from poor parenting skills often as a result of a parent having had bad experiences as a baby and creating generational downward spiral. The goal is for every baby to receive sensitive, appropriate and responsive care from their main caregivers in the first years of life with more proactive help from the NHS, health visitors, children’s centres and other public bodies engaged in a joined – up preventative strategy to affect great change, as pregnancy and the birth of a baby is a critical window of opportunity. 

Fiona Bruce MP supports Small Business Saturday

Fiona Bruce MP supports Small Business Saturday

Fiona Bruce MP visited Rode Hall Christmas Market on Small Business Saturday, 5^th December, to support local small businesses.

Fiona met with local small businesses including, Ann Rogers, founder and producer of Alsager Pottery, and with Carole Vestey of Woodside Apiaries of Rode Hall Estate, Scholar Green which sells honey and candles from the bees it has had for over 40 years.

Fiona said 

“Small Business Saturday is now in its third year, with hundreds of thousands of small businesses participating. Its aim is to highlight small business success and to encourage the UK to support small business. It was a pleasure to meet up on the day with original, innovative and quality small businesses. Alsager Pottery produce traditional English slipware platters and chargers which are hand thrown in a small family workshop using local red clay and exporting all over the world as well as available locally such as at the Salt Line Studio, Crewe Road, Alsager. Woodside Apiaries sell their honey and candles locally at Little Moreton Hall and at Tatton Hall and are first prize winners at the Nantwich Show.”

Fiona Bruce praises charity Visyon

FIONA BRUCE MP PRAISES WORK OF LOCAL YOUNG PERSONS’ CHARITY VISYON IN PRIME MINISTER’S QUESTIONS

Fiona Bruce has this week praised the work of local charity Visyon, the Congleton-based charity which works to preserve and promote good mental health of local young people.

Speaking to a packed House of Commons, Fiona Bruce MP said “Visyon, the excellent children’s mental health charity in Congleton, tells me that the lack of a secure family life is a root cause of many of the problems experienced by the children it helps.”

Fiona Bruce MP went on to ask the Prime Minister to ensure that the Government did more to ensure all policies announced in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement, outlining Government spending, promoted and protected family life, saying: “The Prime Minister is a champion of family life, so will he confirm that announcements to be made later today will pass his family test by providing security for family relationships and opportunities for vulnerable children?”

Prime Minister David Cameron welcomed her comments and agreed to ensure that Government policies supported the family: “She is absolutely right to say that families are the best welfare state that we have. They bring up our children, they teach us the right values and they care for us when we are sick and unwell. We want to help families, and the Chancellor will have something to say about that later as we boost the national living wage, as we deliver tax cuts for working people and, crucially, as we help with childcare. As I have said before, all these policies should pass the test of helping Britain’s families.”

Speaking afterwards, Fiona Bruce MP added: “I was pleased to be able to raise with the Prime Minister the excellent work of Visyon, which does so much to support young people and to help parents to protect their children’s mental health and development. The Prime Minister is absolutely right that the families is the best and first welfare state we have. Relationship breakdown is a tragedy for every family involved and costs the country almost £50billion a year, whereas at present the Government is only investing £7.5million to strengthen family relationships. There is much more to be done to support and protect families, and one way would be for more Government funding to be invested in relationship education – as well as parenting education -  to help families build strong, secure, and stable relationships.”

Following the Prime Minister’s answer, Gervase McGrath, Chief Executive at Visyon said: “At Visyon, we are seeing an increasing need to offer support to families with multiple needs. The effects of the recession led to extra pressures on parents, which impacted the whole family. This in turn has led to a rise in the number of children being referred to Visyon with anxiety, depression and challenging behaviour. We are grateful to Fiona Bruce for raising this very important issue at Prime Ministers Questions today and were heartened by the reassurances offered by Mr Cameron.”

Fiona Bruce MP’s full question, and the Prime Minister’s answer, can be found here.

More information about Visyon can be found here.