HearFromYourMP

Previous message | Messages for this constituency | Next message

News from Your Local MP

Posted by Dawn Primarolo, MP for Bristol South, at 09:43, Fri 21 September 2012:

WELCOME!

Here’s the latest edition of my regular newsletter.

NURSERY OPENING

It was a pleasure to open the new nursery facilities at the Southville Centre. These have been set up following Ashton Gate Primary’s difficult decision to suspend nursery provision for a year in order to accommodate extra reception children after Council plans to redevelop a small section of land near St Francis Church to accommodate more children was delayed. Everyone has worked incredibly hard and the result - the refurbished and newly named Raleigh Room - is fantastic. There was plenty of demand for the places, but at the same time all parents were able to have been offered their preferences for days and times of sessions.

It’s great that the Southville Centre has stepped in, but this incident shows very clearly why it is essential to find a permanent solution to the school places shortage, so that all children can have access to good nursery and reception places without months of worry for parents.

On a related note, I have been asked to mention the Harvest Festival Dance which is taking place at the Southville Centre on the afternoon of Monday 24 September. There will be tea, cakes, music and dancing. To book tickets please contact the Southville Centre on 0117 923 1039.

IMPROVEMENTS FOR CYCLISTS

I recently met with the Director of Cyclescheme, an organisation which facilitates the popular Cycle to Work scheme. At a time when we are all being encouraged to reduce our energy usage, cycling offers an environmentally friendly and affordable way to travel, as well as providing an excellent source of exercise. If more people choose to cycle for their local journeys, we would see a fewer cars on our roads which would benefit everyone via reduced congestions and improved air quality. Although we have seen some improvements for cyclists in Bristol in recent years, there is still much to be done if more people are to be persuaded to switch to cycling. I will continue to press Government Ministers on what they are doing to make our roads safer for cyclists, and have asked the City Council further questions regarding improvements needed here in Bristol.

“MILLION MEAL APPEAL”

Last week I attended an event in Parliament to help promote the Million Meal Appeal food drive which is due to take place in early October. The food waste charity, FareShare, works to ensure that good quality surplus food is redistributed to those in need, and is organising a food drive at Sainsbury’s stores across the country (including the store on Winterstoke Road in Ashton) on the weekend of 6th & 7th October. Customers will be encouraged to buy an extra item of store cupboard food to donate to FareShare at the end of their shopping trip. During these difficult economic times more people are turning to charities such as FareShare for support and appeals such as this can help make a difference to people’s lives. For more information about the Million Meal Appeal, visit: http://www.fareshare.org.uk/volunteer/meal-appeal-page/

VISIT TO APPEAL

Earlier this week I visited Appeal, a specialist home shading business located in the Bedminster area. I was very interested to tour their office buildings and workshops on the Vale Lane industrial estate where their products are designed, manufactured and sold. The company employs approximately 90 people in a variety of roles, many of whom live locally in Bristol South and have worked for the company for many years. I was pleased to meet managers and staff members during my visit and enjoyed learning about the company’s current projects and future plans.

ANY QUESTIONS?

If you have any queries about these issues, or have a question you would like to ask about anything else, please do not hesitate to get in touch. Just email me at dawn.primarolo.mp@parliament.uk, phone 0117 909 0063 or write to me at PO Box 1002, Bristol, BS99 1WH.