Dear Neighbours,
A belated Happy New Year! We hope you managed to have a relaxing break over the holiday period and wanted to take this opportunity to wish you a healthy and prosperous 2024. We hope you manage to achieve all your goals in the coming year.
As you know, there will be all out local elections on 2 May and we hope to gain even more seats on the City Council. We hope we can rely on your support to achieve this. Please do let us know if you have any questions about our activities or plans for this area.
Green Spaces
Sarah and John are currently campaigning to protect local green spaces. We recently visited the Nature Reserve and noted that some work needs to be done to preserve this precious, ecological site. We have asked questions of Environment Committee at the City Council as to their plans. This is something we intend to closely monitor.
Ash Dieback
John has also been photographing and reporting Ash dieback where he perceives there to be a danger to pedestrians or houses. It was disappointing that the Green Party blocked Sarah’s motion to put in place a robust plan to deal with Ash dieback across Worcester, but we will continue to monitor the position and ensure that any cases we see are reported. If you spot any Ash dieback it would be really helpful if you would use the Council’s reporting page to let them know. It is a real concern that left unchecked, diseased trees could cause damage or injury. You can report cases of Ash dieback in public or open spaces and parks here. Trees along a highway or verge are the responsibility of the County Council and can be reported here.
Measles Vaccinations
There is currently a serious outbreak of measles across the country and a national incident has been declared following a surge in cases of low vaccine uptake. Measles can have a devastating impact on unvaccinated children, potentially causing serious health consequences and even death. Two MMR vaccinations stop a child becoming seriously unwell with measles. If you know of any unvaccinated children or where there is uncertainty as to whether a child is vaccinated, please ask their parents or guardians to make an appointment with their GP. Missed vaccines can be caught up with. More information about the MMR vaccine can be found here. Unvaccinated children who are exposed to the virus must be kept away from school for three weeks.
Bike Hire Scheme
We are delighted to share with you that a new bike hire scheme has been agreed with Worcester City Council, and Beryl Bikes should be available for hire from late May 2024. It is hoped that bike parking stations will be located so that we can all reach them within a 5-minute walk from our homes. 225 bikes will be available to hire across the city with 175 of those bikes being electric bikes. The bike share scheme will go a long way to reducing carbon emissions and improving air quality, as well as encouraging residents to be healthy and active.
Local Fundraiser
Local resident, Pete Moody, is going to be running the London Marathon to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust. On Saturday 3 February, Pete is holding a fundraising event at St Nicholas Church Barn from 10am to 5pm. There will be games, cakes, a barbecue and a raffle – 1st prize a Chesham United Football Shirt signed by Taskmaster Greg Davies and Little Alex Horne!!
Social Events
February Bingo
Following the success of our darts evening in December and our bowling event in January, February’s social event will be a bingo evening at the Ale Hub in St Peter’s on 20 February, We will need to book tables in advance and there is a limit of 6 places per booking. If you would like to join in, please let us know as soon as possible and we will put you on the list.
March Nature Walk
On 9 March at 10am-12pm, we would be delighted if you would join us for a 2k nature walk along part of the Wild about Worcester Way with Paul Snookes from Worcester Environmental Group, followed by a visit to Waitrose for coffee and cake. The route will start at Bath Road, through Battenhall Park and Redhill up to London Road with lots of stops to observe and learn about the nature on our doorstep. For more information, please click here.
Quiz
In the evening, a fundraising event will be held closer to home. We are planning a quiz and raffle in the Barn at St Nicholas church on 9 March in the evening, following the nature walk in the morning. Cost is £5 per head for the quiz. You can join as a team of up to 6 people or we can allocate you to a team on the night. We will ask quizzers to take their seats at 6.30pm and the quiz will start promptly at 7pm. Please let us know if you would like to book a place as space is limited. There will be a prize for the winning team.
Warndon Parishes Name Changes
Provided the Electoral Commission’s suggestions are approved in Parliament in March, from May, Warndon Parish North will be changing its name to St Nicholas and Warndon Parish South will become Leopard Hill.
Stand as a Liberal Democrat
Is 2024 the year you decide to make a difference? Being a candidate is empowering and an effective way to bring change to your local area and the UK. If, like us, you are passionate about Worcester and its community, we need people like you. We welcome applications from people from all walks of life. Our approvals process is inclusive, transparent and clear. It assesses competencies and skills rather than qualifications and who you know. If you would like to join our growing team of activists and bring about change for the good of your local community, we are the party for you. Represent your community and be the change you want to see. Contact us for an informal chat if you are interested.
Join Us
You can help us to fight for a better future. Liberal Democrats work hard for communities. We hear your concerns and never take you for granted. That is why we can now boast a membership of more than 90,000 people and that number continues to grow. Liberal Democrat members devise, develop, debate and decide Liberal Democrat policy. Members can get involved through joining policy working groups, responding to consultations and attending conferences. If you would like to join our growing membership you can do so here. A portion of your membership fees will go directly to our local party and help us to gain even more seats in future elections. You would be joining a local team of motivated individuals who all want to campaign for a fairer deal for residents, their families and friends. We hope you will consider joining us.
Volunteer
If you can spare an hour or two each month and would like to help us win locally, perhaps you’d be happy to deliver for us in your street. The more deliverers we have, the more time we can spend talking to our neighbours and persuading them to vote for us next May. If you can’t deliver, perhaps you would enjoy getting involved in other administrative tasks. You might even want to join our canvassing team and come out knocking on doors with us. If you’d like to help, please let us know.
If you have any problems or queries, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Cllr Sarah Murray – sarahmurraylibdem@gmail.com
Cllr John Rudge – rudge.john@yahoo.com
Paul Jagger – pauljaggs@me.com
Kind regards
Sarah, John and Paul
