Fiona Bruce MP Visits Lovell Court Holmes Chapel

Fiona Bruce MP visits Lovell Court, Holmes Chapel

Fiona Bruce MP visited Lovell Court, Holmes Chapel recently to meet with residents and see the facilities this block of retirement apartments provides for those who enjoy independent living!

Situated close to Holmes Chapel village facilities these apartments offer a house manager, 24 hour emergency Careline system and communal areas meaning that residents can live either entirely independently or enjoy social time and events together.

After chatting and enjoying tea and biscuits with some of the residents Fiona Bruce said “I had a thoroughly enjoyable time meeting residents at Lovell Court. There is a real sense of community there and I felt very welcomed. We had some really interesting discussions on topical political issues such as the Scottish Referendum, local planning issues, and whether Cheshire East and West should form a united Council. It was really helpful for me to gauge the residents’ views on such issues.”

Start Up Loans

Fiona Bruce MP: New figures show Start-Up Loans supporting new businesses in the Congleton Constituency

Fiona Bruce has welcomed new figures which show the Government’s Start-Up Loans scheme has so far supported 23 people in this constituency with the ideas and determination to start a new business with more than £141,000 of loans to help them get going.

Across the UK more than 20,000 Start-Up loans, worth over £100 million, have been awarded to help new businesses get going.

Fiona Bruce MP said:

“This is great news. It shows the Start-Up Loans scheme is giving people in this area with the ideas and determination to start a new business - who have struggled in the aftermath of Labour’s Great Recession - the finance they need to kick-start and grow it.

“So far 23 loans, worth a total of £141,197 have been made in the Congleton Constituency to help people put their business idea into practice. This means more jobs and opportunities for local people.

“The Conservatives’ aim is to make Britain the best place in the world to start and grow a business. This is all part of our long-term economic plan. By backing businesses to create more jobs, it is ensuring that more people in this constituency can have the security and stability of a regular pay packet, with a brighter future ahead of them.”   

Mayor and MP Greet Maasai Warriors in Middlewich

MP and Mayor greet Maasai Warriors in Middlewich!

Fiona Bruce MP and Paul Edwards, Mayor of Middlewich, and his wife and consort Sonya, welcomed the Osiligi Maasai Warrior Troupe to Middlewich Town Hall Function Suite this week.

The visitors from Kenya performed the story of their lives combining rhythm, song – and amazing jumping!

Fiona Bruce MP said “It was a privilege to welcome visitors from Africa. The colourful and dramatic performance of the Maasai Warriors showed that Middlewich cultural events know no bounds and was thoroughly enjoyed by the residents who attended from primary school children upwards. Having met members of the Maasai when I visited Africa, in Tanzania, these visitors to Middlewich looked and sounded every bit the real thing!”

The performance was part of a fundraising tour across England and Scotland by members of the Osiligi tribe to help raise money for a school and medical clinic in their village.

Alsager Civic Lunch Club

Fiona Bruce MP Visits Alsager Civic Lunch Club

Fiona Bruce MP joined the diners and volunteers at Alsager Civic lunch club last week.

Following the lunch she said “I was so pleased to be able to join the lunch club. This is a real community endeavour which is bringing much needed regular times of companionship (and very good food!) to the elderly people of Alsager. I hope it continues to go from strength to strength and commend all the volunteers on their hard work.”

Giving a social environment with a nutritious meal twice a week to its diners, the club is “thriving” with a membership of 44 with an average age of 85.

However they are badly in need of volunteers to make sure that the club continues. If anyone, male or female, could give a few hours every month on a Tuesday or Thursday lunchtime you would be very welcome. They especially need volunteers to assist with the preparation of meals, but if the kitchen is not your thing then help in the dining room would be very acceptable.

Of course many of the diners have to have assistance getting to the Civic Centre and this could not be achieved without the Alsager Voluntary Care driving team. They too are in need of volunteer drivers.

If anyone can help please get in touch with Judith Aspinall on 01270 747359 for the Lunch Club and Gloria Fitton on 01270 882376 for the driving.

Fiona Bruce MP thanks outgoing Congleton Sergeant, Russell Thomas

Fiona Bruce MP thanks Sergeant Russell Thomas as he leaves for a new post

Fiona Bruce MP met with Sergeant Russell Thomas recently to commend him on his work with Congleton Police over the last 3 years he has worked for the town as Community Sergeant.

Sergeant Thomas said “I have thoroughly enjoyed working with many others in Congleton from the Town Council onwards looking at problem solving and helping the community. I actually started my career here in 1986 and have always had a soft spot for Congleton. Having also worked in other places, I feel lucky to have lived and worked here. More than simply ‘fighting crime’, as the job of a Police Sergeant is never just one thing, it has been a pleasure to help the community supporting events such as the carnival and baton relay in such a lively town.”

Fiona Bruce MP said “It has been an absolute pleasure to work with Sergeant Thomas and I commend him for the excellent work he has done in the Congleton Community. His work helping to establish a Street Pastors Scheme to look after the young people of the town on nights out and his work with myself as the Town’s MP, the Town Council, schools and residents to tackle issues such as drug prevention has been invaluable. I wholeheartedly agree with him that Congleton is an excellent place to live, I have often said that it is a privilege to represent such a town in Parliament and Sergeant Thomas has played an important role in helping and protecting our community.”

Unemployment continues to fall

Unemployment in Congleton falls by 50% over the last 12 months

Recently released figures show that unemployment in the Congleton Constituency has fallen by 50% over the last 12 months with 547 fewer people in the Constituency claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance than in August last year. This means more people in work, with the security of a regular pay packet and a brighter future ahead of them.

Furthermore, the number of young people aged 18 - 24 claiming JSA has also fallen by 175 people since August 2014 representing a decrease in claimants of 46%.

Throughout Britain the number of people relying on Jobseeker’s Allowance has fallen below 1 million for the first time since 2008.

Fiona Bruce MP said “It is great news to see unemployment and youth unemployment continue to fall in my constituency. More people have the peace of mind of a job and a pay packet. More families are enjoying the stability and security that work brings. This is giving the futures of our young people back to them.

These figures show the Government’s welfare reforms and long term economic plan are getting Britain working. There is more to do and I continue to fight for more local jobs, money and full employment in the Congleton Constituency.”

Praise for Congleton War Memorial Hospital

Fiona Bruce MP speaks in Parliamentary debate proposing extension of services at Congleton War Memorial Hospital

Fiona Bruce MP contributed to a Parliamentary debate in which several MPs endorsed the high level and locally welcomed services of community hospitals and urged Government Ministers to consider extending and strengthening these in line with public demand.

Full text of Fiona Bruce’s speech given in the Commons follows.

Fiona Bruce (Congleton) (Con): I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak in this important debate. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Dover (Charlie Elphicke) on securing it, and I entirely concur with the major premise of his speech, as well as that of many of my colleagues’ speeches, that community hospitals should be further developed to promote additional services.
One such excellent community hospital is the Congleton War Memorial hospital in my constituency. Given the high standards it has provided for its local patients, it is well placed to extend its services. The recent patient-led assessment of the care environment rated Congleton War Memorial highly, with no less than 93%. Founded in 1924 by public subscription, it was a memorial to all those who had given their lives in the first world war. The hospital has served the community of Congleton ever since, and it is fitting that I should be able to stand up and praise that excellent local hospital in the centenary year of the start of that war.
I will give a little background. Built in 1924, the hospital was paid for by local people and opened by the King as a memorial to those 243 men from the town who gave their lives in the first world war. When the King opened the hospital, he said:

“The hospital will always be a reminder to generations to come of the prudent and generous instincts of the townspeople of Congleton”.

Indeed, it has been, and still is.
Until the inauguration of the health service in 1948, the hospital was maintained locally, first by an industrial hospital fund, to which every worker in the borough contributed one penny a week, deducted from their pay packets. That is why the hospital remains so close to many people’s hearts, in particular the many elderly people in my constituency. Additionally, it was supported by the proceeds of an annual hospital carnival, private subscriptions and bequests, the proceeds of special efforts, and donations from local fundraising, which continues today.
Its current services range from a minor injuries unit to physiotherapy and phlebotomy. It offers a personal and local service that a larger city or general hospital simply cannot match. It is a high-class facility on the doorstep of the people of Congleton, meaning that those who are less mobile due to age, infirmity or lack of transport can easily access health care facilities without needing to ride in a bus or taxi to the nearest larger hospital, which is in neighbouring Macclesfield.
Although a community hospital, it has a host of facilities and services for out-patients and in-patients. It provides a wide range of local health care for residents and has a specialist intermediate care unit. It gives respite care for people who no longer need the facilities
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of the larger hospitals in the region, such as Macclesfield district general hospital, so people can recover in a more homely and relaxed environment that is closer to home. That is very much appreciated, particularly by those who have more acute and severe needs. Such a facility is also a boon for visiting families and provides a halfway step between hospital and home. As I have said, the hospital is particularly valued by older constituents.
I want to reassure my constituents that I know of no current plans to reduce or close the services at Congleton War Memorial hospital. Indeed, my purpose in speaking today is to request that consideration be given to extending them. I assure hon. Members that my constituents would rise up in revolt should there ever be a hint of closure or reduction in services at the hospital—and it would not be the first time. In 1962, after a suggestion that the hospital be closed, there was a mass meeting at the town hall, with an overflow of some 2,000 residents. The meeting was presided over by the mayor and it was unanimously resolved to oppose every means by which closure could be attained. A petition was organised and got 24,000 signatures. The plans were well and truly dropped and the hospital has flourished ever since.
Members of my staff extol the importance of the hospital for the people of Congleton and call it an “invaluable asset”. They say that waiting times are short, even for minor injuries—half an hour, if someone is unlucky, which is far better than at an A and E at many larger hospitals. The service is treasured by the people of Congleton, who use it frequently and see its special services as something that should be available as a matter of course. Congleton residents rely on it for its family-friendly outlook. As I have said, its minor injuries unit helps to avoid long waits at A and E and serves the local community; it also potentially reduces waiting times at larger hospitals and takes a load off them by treating less acute injuries.
The value of Congleton War Memorial hospital cannot be overstated. It is beloved by local people and provides a level of personal service that I myself have witnessed when I have had the pleasure of meeting and spending time with the staff there, in fresh and attractive facilities that are maintained to a very high standard.
I hope the Minister will join me in extolling the virtues of important facilities such as those at Congleton War Memorial hospital, and perhaps even visit for himself one day to see, in Congleton, what a model community hospital looks like. It is ideally placed for the extension of the excellent facilities that it provides.