Chipping residents joined me for a brew and a chance to tell me what matters to them in the first of my constituency coffee mornings.
Chipping Memorial Hall was the venue, with about 40 villagers accepting the invite to come and have a drink and a catch-up.
I’m keen to find new ways to engage with as many people as possible so I can best represent you in Parliament.
Coffee mornings around Ribble Valley are just one of the ways I’ve come up with get to know you and your concerns, in addition to the usual channels.
Invites will go out on a monthly basis as we host events in different areas so please keep an eye on your letterbox.
Turnout for the first coffee morning was fantastic and it was great to meet so many new people, who all care deeply for the area they live in.
Members of my team hosted tables while I spent time moving around the different groups to hear residents’ thoughts on everything from potholes to the minimum wage.
Some concerns were about national policy and I’ll be taking these thoughts back to Westminster. Others were about local issues, including Kirk Mill, environmental concerns and youth provision.
Members of my casework team are currently assisting some of the residents with issues brought to the meeting and other views will inform longer term campaigns.
What stood out to me was the real community feel in Chipping and the number of organisations all working hard to achieve similar goals. I heard there’s a desire for these groups to work more closely together and I’d urge them to keep up the momentum by collaborating on some of the projects mentioned.
I hope everyone enjoyed the first of these events and I’d welcome anyone who didn’t get to come to the Chipping date to contact me if there’s anything you wanted to raise with me and my team.
Thanks to everyone who attended and to Chipping Memorial Hall for making us so welcome.
